Tuesday, August 15, 2006
It's the Cash Cab, Baby!
Playing on The Discovery Channel
Oh how I hope something like this would happen to me! You hail a cab, get in and find out that you're on a gameshow! Four $25 questions, four $50 questions then a series of $100 questions, all while traveling to your destination. Three strikes and you're out, and they don't just mean you lose all of your money, you also have to get out of the cab. "Sorry, no money, and get the hell out!" There are the usual gameshow gimmicks, of course, "Red Light Challenge" offers passengers the chance to play a bonus game while stopped at a red light. There are "shout outs" when a passenger gets stuck on a question, either the cell phone or guy on the street variety. That's probably my favorite part of the show, someone who a few minutes earlier had no idea they were going to be on a gameshow asking for help from the average guy standing on the sidewalk. How cool is that!
One of my complaints about American Idol is that they show people who have no business singing in front of anybody the opportunity to cause the whole viewing public great pain. Have you ever noticed that really stupid people never get on Jeopardy!? That's because Jeopardy! is a good TV show, American Idol panders to that basest of desires to see people fall flat on their faces. It also allows people who will do anything to get on TV a forum. "Hey man! I was on American Idol!! Yes, I stunk up the joint!!!"
Cash Cab has some of that, but it's different because contestants on this show had no idea that they were going to be on a gameshow. If someone on Cash Cab turns out to be an idiot, at least they didn't expend the time and effort required to even get on a TV show. Luck of the draw, right (or wrong) place at the right time. It's pure, even purer than a regular gameshow like Jeopardy! because it doesnt require contestants to go through a long selection process, doesn't feature people whose only desire in life was to be on a gameshow. A little to close to home there.....
So check out Cash Cab on The Discovery Channel
Check local listings for time and channel in your area.
BOJ
# posted by Blind Orange Julius @ 10:21 AM 
