Those of you out there in internet land who know their stuff, are American or are American and know their stuff may recall an old show called Split Second in America hosted by Monty Hall (of Let's Make a Deal fame). It was quite good.
Well, now you can forget that because it's nothing like it
It's hosted by Aoengus Somebody or other (I can't recall his second name, you can tell what a well researched piece of writing this is), a reasonably likeable Irishman (from Ireland) who I think did something recently on Anglia TV's current affairs/comedy entertainment show 'The Warehouse' as the musician and barman.
Anyway, the set is quite functional with a large digital two-digit clock on one side of the studio and three contestants lined up in front of their desks.
In Round One contestants are given a question to which there are many answers such as 'Name something you would do in a dress' or 'name a sport beginning with the letter S'. Those of you at this point who are thinking 'that's a bit like Scattergories that is' would be right, the questions do bear a sort of resemblance. Each person is given five seconds (in turn) to think of an answer (pleasingly represented by a set of five lights on their desks which go off at one second intervals) and if they do, they get two points and the turn is passed to the next player, this happens until the big hooter sounds to signal the end of the question. If however they give an answer that isn't on the database, a bad sound is heard and the decision is handed over to the 'Split Second Sages', the studio audience who take a vote, the result of which is displayed as either a 'yes' or 'no' sign appearing on the four screens inside the large digital clock. It's a nice touch. Everybody is given a chance to give several answers but I haven't worked out if each question is time or answer limited yet, whatsmore each person is given the chance to start a question, which is nice.
Round Two is the Solitare Round, which "unlike other gameshows, we give whoever is last the best chance by going first". Each person takes it in turn to go down to the big clock, starting with the person with the lowest score. On the clock are twenty seconds and four subjects, the player picks a subject and is then given a question of the same variety as the first round. They can give up to ten answers in the twenty seconds (each one worth two points) but to keep the points, they must push the big red button before the clock reaches zero. Whatsmore, the clock disappears after ten seconds so players have to make an educated risk as to when they stop the clock and afterwards we are shown how many seconds were left (to the nearest hundredth). Nice.
Round three and a question is read out and each player inputs into the computer the amount of answers they can give to a specific question within 15 seconds. This is a blind bid and the one who is deemed to have bidded the most has to try and do it (in the evnt of a tie, the fastest inputter wins). If they do it they get two points for each correct answer, if they fail then their opponent's bids are doubled and added to their respective scores. This happens three times. Again, nice.
And then it's the break.
So far, it's perfectly acceptable and enjoyable, the show and the game is friendly enough with enough flexibility to be interesting and reasonable chances for humour. Whatsmore, it's balanced well as there have been no answers worth more than two points.
Yet after the break you might as well have thrown away the first half of the show because it's the all encompassing 'Who Goes Next?', like the first round accept each answer is worth five points and you choose who goes next. So, everybody's strategy is for the losing two players to play Split Second ping-pong until they eventually overtake and beat the leader who did so well in other rounds. This is not fair, and although each person gets a chance to start (so the leader can get five whole extra points) it does make the whole exercise seem rather pointless. A big shame. The losers win pretend comedy prizes decided by Aoengus based on anecdotes and mannerisms the contestants have shown in the show but the winner, whether they deserved it or not, goes through to the final round.
In this game, they are again in front of the big clock which this time has sixty seconds on it. The contestant is barraged with general knowledge questions (this time just normal trivia with just one answer). If they get a correct answer then they go up a prize level, if they get one wrong or don't know they go down one. They start at £0, then £10, then £20 then £40 then £80... and if they can get nine questions correct on the trot they can win a maximum of £5120. Again, nicely they have to stop the clock before it reaches zero to keep the prize they are on (if they don't know an answer to a question, they can keep theor prize by stopping the clock) which disappears after thirty seconds. Again (and I can't use the word often enough), nice. And that's it.
In fact 'nice' sums the whole show up. It's inoffensive, it's entertaining enough, it's even, God, reasonably original with some very nice touches. Yet. Yet, yet yet yet Round 4 for me spoils the show a bit. Had it been better, it would have got a seven but as it is...
VERDICT: 5.5/10 it only scores that. If there is nothing else on it's worth watching though.
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