Format News: “Treasure Hunt”, “Truth or Consequences”, and “Cut the Rope”
It’s been incredibly busy around BuzzerBlog camp the past few days, and we’ve had a relatively slow news flow, but a few things of note came in recently. All are involving some formats that are attempting to make it to the small screen…two of which you’ve seen before. Three of which, though, to be honest, I can’t see us really seeing anywhere.
*Fresh off of Sony Picture’s deal with the game show version of the iOS app Draw Something, which is currently casting for CBS right now, the company has announced a television version of another app. The game, Cut the Rope, is a puzzle based game which sees players cutting ropes to feed the character Om Nom candy while avoiding traps. The game is developed by ZeptoLabs. Misha Lyalin, ZeptoLabs CSO, said, “Sony Pictures Television has an amazing track record in developing hugely successful game shows on television. We love the idea of our fans being able to see and engage with Om Nom on the television screen and this partnership with Sony Pictures Television will let fans do just that, bringing Cut the Rope to life in a brand new, interactive way.”
I’m genuinely confused about the conversion of apps into game shows. I can understand Draw Something, although that was a fad that died away very quickly and CBS is now just crossing their fingers that people still want to watch Pictionary on television. Draw Something left the zeitgeist as soon as it entered. However, there is a compelling game in there somewhere and if anyone can get it out it’s Embassy Row. I’m well aware that a Cut the Rope game show would be adjusted to be television friendly, but I just see it becoming another Wipeout style show, and we have more than enough of those. Good luck to everyone involved, though. If it gets anywhere at all I’ll be interested to see what happened.
*The Gurin Company, which currently produces the now-renewed Oh Sit! on The CW, is planning to bring two classic game show formats back. Phil Gurin and others are pitching Treasure Hunt and Truth or Consequences to networks. Truth or Consequences, famously hosted by former The Price is Right host Bob Barker, saw contestants attempting to answer questions (the Truth), but inevitably failing and having to complete a stunt on stage (the Consequence). The series ran from 1940 to 1978 and, despite several attempts since, has never connected enough to relaunch. Treasure Hunt is, essentially, a precursor to Deal or No Deal, asks contestants to select a box and either take a bribe or leave with that box.
I’ll repeat my usual mantra of “Revivals Do Not Work”, but beyond that these are two formats which are either outdated or obsolete no matter how you handle it. We’ve seen a million iterations of Truth or Consequences since, and the repeated attempts to get it anywhere to complete failure don’t leave me with much confidence, but I can see that one a lot more than Treasure Hunt. Treasure Hunt has been rendered completely irrelevant due to Deal or No Deal. You can love the original all you want but Deal and Treasure Hunt are the same exact show. Unless you get rid of the boxes, the bribes, and basically everything in the format, you’ve got the same show. They can’t co-exist and you won’t get away with it without people spotting it. Not only that but with yet another similar show coming to NBC soon, White Elephant, this seems like a too-little-too-late attempt to cash in on a trend, and that has, historically, never worked.
The only thing I think through the constant revivals which, again, 9 times out of 10 never work, and even with Cut the Rope is that there has to be some original idea out there that is better than any of these, since none of these are that good to begin with. It’s not that there aren’t good original concepts out there. I’ve seen dozens and dozens of them. They just never get noticed for some reason, and then we’re left with the millionth Deal or No Deal or Wipeout ripoff which fades away into oblivion shortly after.
Sources :
TV Guide: http://www.tvguide.com/News/Truth-Consequences-Treasure-Hunt-Back-1054227.aspx
Digital Spy: http://www.digitalspy.com/gaming/news/a410232/cut-the-rope-tv-game-show-announced-by-sony-pictures.html
ToC may work, but I’m a little skeptical about Treasure Hunt. After watching a few episodes of the 70s version, it made me realize how similar it was to Deal or No Deal, especially after the latter started pulling off a lot of different gimmicks and themed shows. Unless they can put something in place to make it more watchable, Treasure Hunt wouldn’t stand a chance today.
Treasure Hunt was different in that you had KLUNKS! Deal or No Deal had only just the cases, NO KLUNKS!
Agreed Daniel. Granted, the penny could be considered a klunk. But, at least it’s money, if you know what mean,.
To me, the only reason DoND got tired was because of all the gimmicks. I remember when GSN played older episodes. I think it was a great game.
To me, “Treasure Hunt” was a classic. It was just campy and corny. But, to me, it worked.
As for classics, I agree that some shouldn’t be brought back. But, I think these could work.
Without the gimmicks, Deal was tired by the first commercial break. ;)
Furthermore, Deal or No Deal was just cash prizes, Treasure Hunt had actual physical prizes like trips, cars, furniture, and stuff like that.
I say: let ABC get its hands on these formats if their talk shows are performing terribly.
So you wouldn’t consider one penny a klunk? I would. It’s the klunk of the century.
What are you talking about? The WHOLE DAMN SHOW was a Klunk!
Deal, that is, not Treasure Hunt.
The only *possible* way “Treasure Hunt” can work in the here and now is if you commission an improv troupe. If TH does bow, I’ll put a few chips on “don’t pass”.
I remember Treasure Hunt and Truth or Consequences as being more about the slapstick comedy than the game play. Slapstick is fairly universal and timeless, so I’m not certain that I understand that complaint.
App game shows, however, are a complete non-starter. The television production schedule moves too slowly for their relative half-lives.
If we’re bringing back Treasure Hunt and Truth Or Consequences. I’d like to see Card Sharks (like the perry/eubanks or raffety version) and Press Your luck lookin like the 80′s board but with more money and more whammies.
Granted, TH was about slapstick in 70′s and 80′s. But, don’t forget, the original was a straight game show with a question round that determined who went on the treasure hunt. But, the top prize would HAVE to be six figures. At minimum, we’re talking $100,000. But, I’d even go higher with $250,000. It could be a night time version. After all, the 70′s version was a weekly nighttime version. I also checked…$25,000 back in 1973 would be around $125,000 (or higher) today.
ARE YOU JOKING ME????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Out of all the great game shows that could be revived, they choose Treasure Hunt and Truth or Consequences. Treasure Hunt is a feminist rip-off of Lets Make a Deal, and Truth or Consequences is just a big mess that Bob Barker turned into something popular.
TH could be revived with both female and male contestants. Granted, Chuck Barris had a bias back them to get a bigger reaction. But, I can see both men and women on there.
Barris had a “bias” out of fear that a man would get violent after being teased along for five minutes into a Klunk. Besides, it was just easier to coordinate the skits and props toward women.
Problem is, neither “ToC” nor “Treasure Hunt” are shows that flex that gray matter in your skull — they’re just mindless entertainment, which there’s too much of on TV these days.
If you want to revive a game show, do something like “The Big Showdown” or “Press Your Luck”.
Definitely “The Big Showdown”. Maybe “High Rollers”, or “The Challengers/3Ws”. I’d even call for Temptation/$OTC if they didn’t fuck it up so badly here in the US in ’06: making it all about shopping (and the shoppers’ website) dumbed it down irretrievably – the Australian format (maybe with reduced money) would’ve worked nicely…
Deal or No Deal and Treasure Hunt may have both involved contestants picking briefcases and ultimately revealing what’s inside them, but the presentations are VERY different. Treasure Hunt (at least the Barris version) was slapsticky, Deal or No Deal is very serious and dramatic. And believe me, both shows are/were much more about the presentation than about the very limited amount of “game” present. Neither show is among my favorites, but I definitely prefer Treasure Hunt’s lighter take on the formula. And as someone else said, slapstick is timeless. So I think a revival has potential. (To be honest, I’ve never watched an episode of Truth or Consequences so I’ll plead the fifth on that one.)
And as for revivals not working – Family Feud, Let’s Make a Deal, and Figure It Out would all like a word with you. And so would practically every successful game show original GSN did (Russian Roulette, Baggage, and now Bible Challenge being the only real exceptions). Even The Pyramid, while not a runaway smash hit, is still hardly a flop as far as I’m concerned. Maybe revivals aren’t the best way to go for network prime time, but for daytime, syndication, and cable I think they can definitely work if it’s the right show done the right way.
If anybody wants to see the original “Treasure Hunt” (hosted by Jan Murray), one episode circulates in the public-domain video market. Yes, there WAS a quiz round between two contestants before the actual Treasure Hunt commenced. And thee were “joke” prizes like a head of cabbage, as well as other prizes that were pretty good for network daytime television circa 1957. I remember watching this when I lived in Chicago, and my family left there on Valentine’s Day, 1960.
I was never fond of “Truth of Consequences” as a child–too frenetic for my tastes. Nor did I watch the attempted revival hosted by Bob Hilton.
This could work–although the fact that it is from the producers of “Oh, Sit!” does not fill me with sublime confidence.
Of all the excellent formats worldwide, many of which have been written up on This Here Blog, one wonders why these folks selected those two.
I read that three couples will be playing in Treasure Hunt and will be looking for treasure chests. And not only Phil Gurin is involved, but also Wink, Geoff Edwards, Mark Maxwell-Smith and John Ricci!
If Geoff Edwards actually is involved, this should make for a great version! Excitement meter just went up. But, not sure about the couples aspect. It could put a dent in it for me. But, I’ll judgement till I see further updates.
Geoff is not involved. John Ricci messaged me on fb and told me that. But John Ricci is along with Wink and Phil Gurin.
As much as I love/loved “Treasure Hunt” and would love to see it back on and although it is different to some extent, Alex is 100% right. We fans can see the differences in the shows. Casual fans, however, will undoubtedly see it as a wacky version of “Deal or No Deal.”
In my opinion, it’s probably one of the reasons “The Cube” hasn’t come over yet. No matter how VASTLY different it is, the general public will probably call it a much more serious version of “Minute to Win It.”
With that said, no matter how much comedy is put in “TH”….or emotion the women (or men) display….etc., it will DEFINITELY be compared to “DOND” and that’s why it wouldn’t work.
“Truth or Consequences” might work as a kids show…maybe, but probably not.
Treasure Hunt worked in the ’70s (and, mostly the ’80s) because it was a fresh concept. Nowadays? Not so much. I don’t see this working, As for Truth or Consequences, it could work seeing as the improv genre is very popular. They should do it that way.
Cut The Rope? What the (bleep)?
As for my opinion of the revival of Treasure Hunt, I’d like to quote Emile Autouri, a bonded security guard.
“…”
Did you just quote Emile Autori??
“Yes he did.”
I won’t argue that Treasure Hunt is an obvious choice, but the complete dismissal of it is a bit over the top. I’d argue that the only thing Deal or no Deal rendered irrelevant is Deal or no Deal.