You Deserve It

By | November 21, 2011

Well I said there was nothing on this week, but I’ve just read Buzzerblog’s less than complimentary take on new Dick de Rijk philanthropy-porn quiz You Deserve It that starts tonight on ABC in the States. We’ll probably have some sort of opinion when we’ve watched it. Will it be worse, as good as or better than Holding Out For a Hero? It’s on after the first bit of the Dancing With the Stars finale, so it has every chance to make a good impression.

Tuesday edit: Ok, watched it now using the Dark Arts (so not able to link, sorry):

  • The show is hosted by Chris Harrison, of The Batchelor fame.
  • A contestant is playing for someone they know who has no idea they are being played for. Hidden cameras are set up and Brooke Burns is waiting outside ready to surprise them at the end of the show.
  • The show opens with an emotional video montage from people suggesting why they thought you deserved it. To be honest, given that once it’s out of the way it’s pretty much done with for the rest of the show I think it’s reasonable enough really. Refreshingly whilst friends and family are there to support the contestant, they’re mainly there to provide reaction shots not to give advice.
  • There are five rounds, worth $10k, $25k, $50k, $100k and $250k.
  • In each round the contestant must try to identify a who, what or where thing, and they are given a very broad hint as to what that thing is.
  • The contestant has to buy additional hints. The money for the round is broken up into 9 pieces, typically the lowest being 1, 2, 3% of the purse for the round avaliable and the two most expensive being 20% and 30% of the round’s prize pool. These are randomly hidden amongst nine numbers. Contestants pick a number and the money behind it is deducted from the question.
  • The hints begin broad and get increasingly more obvious the more that are needed. I thought in the main they were medium-tough (one clue in the first or second round threw me off completely, and then it turned out the thing I thought was correct was right after all) although concensus amongst gameshow people people seemed to be that they weren’t that difficult so make of that what you will.
  • Given that you can buy nine hints, and the money is split up nine ways, I don’t know what happens if you take all the clues. Because in theory there’s no money left. It’s certainly possible (although the later clues do become gimmes really).
  • To bank the money the contestant has to give the correct answer –  a wrong answer means no money is won for the round. However, it is not enough to say an answer then hit a button to lock it in. Oh no, first Chris must ask if they want him to light the button up. This is so stupid, they edit it out after round two.
  • After all five rounds, it’s time for the money shot – literally if you like – as Brooke Burns storms in and tells them to look at a screen because someoe has won them a lot of money. More crying.
  • Actually to be fair, save for the opening and closing, the show is a lot less menstural than I was expecting. And it is a very glass half full sort of show.
  • Unfortunately there’s no real need to watch any of the other episodes because the trailers for the show pretty much tell you everything you want to know for the remaining five episodes of the programme, so thanks for that. And that’s a shame because I think there’s something that works here. It only managed 2.1 in the key demo last night though, coming off Dancing With the Stars and coming third in its timeslot, so. Edit: Actually 1.7 after adjustments. Ouch.

24 thoughts on “You Deserve It

  1. David B

    YDI is almost too big to fail. Not just the on-screen publicity, but the pre-launch sales push on the format market was huge.

    I heard that the front game was pretty good, so it’s interesting to hear that BuzzerBlog doesn’t rate it. I have to say, many of the things BB points up don’t particularly mean it will be a failure.

    Reply
    1. David

      It is getting a good timeslot- after the next-to-last episode of the fall DWTS season. I’ll have to see it tonight to make any major calls on it, but this is where the game is secondary to the story of the person the contestant is playing for (in the first ep, the contestant is playing for her best friend, a mother of two who was recently widowed) and the surprise/shock the recipient gets when the co-host barges in and tells them about the money he or she is getting…should do OK, especially since it’ll be up against reruns for the most part after tonight (this is the last week of November Sweeps in the US- after that most of the networks will be showing mostly reruns and specials until after the holidays, thought there might be a new ep or two).

      Reply
    2. Alex Davis

      I think this show will work. I just don’t like it. I find it slow, the contestants are unlikeable, I have issues with the way luck factors into the format, and I just simply don’t care about the charity aspect. Heartless, but so be it. I’m not the intended audience though. I’m a guy in my 20s. Yeah the format isn’t bad but the rest of the product makes me just not care. It’s not fun when I solve a puzzle and I sit for 5-6 minutes waiting for them to several clues later.

      Reply
  2. David

    OK, was it just coincidence that Thanksgiving set was on the OC wall tonight or not?

    (and that question on calendar cube dates was pretty clever- I was born on March 5th, and never thought of that…)

    Reply
    1. Des Elmes

      Well, I definitely won’t be watching it, because of VK… 👿 😉

      A bit off-topic here, but T4 seems to be a haven for twats, doesn’t it? Steve Jones also spent seven years on it – and the current male presenters are no different to him or Vernon…

      Thanks a lot for creating it, Andi. 🙄

      Reply
    2. Brig Bother Post author

      It’s the Vernon Kay/Will McDonald reality-Don’t Forget Your Toothbrush crossover we’ve ALL been waiting for!

      Reply
  3. Mart with an Y not an I

    The first sylable of the word ‘Christmas’ seems to be going loudly around in my head when I read the Channel 4 press release about the format…

    It’s first flaw. Most of the tension, niggles and arguments with families happen on Christmas Day and Boxing Day – this show parks up on Christmas Eve.

    It’s second flaw. Vernon Kay presenting. If done in a ironic and saracastic tone, it may have been a bit more watchable than a car crash. However, we all know Vernon can’t do ironic and sarastic without pulling a face that you want to repeatedly smash in.

    Reply
  4. Joe

    The Cube production company are making a new gameshow for Channel 4: Absolute Zero. Host is Rory Bremner

    Reply
          1. Alex

            So does the Cube!

            In everything timing related that isn’t Stack, Extraction, Time Split or Time Freeze.

  5. Tim

    High Stakes is a fucking shambles. Three people who have taken a risk on row 1 have been eliminated immediately. I’m not saying it’s a fix, but you know, if they actually WANTED everyone to blow all 10 clues for £25k…

    Remember guys: high risk, high pressure!

    Reply
    1. Travis P

      Three? I thought it was two but I haven’t been watching the show properly.

      If it was one person then I would put it down to bad luck. If it’s now three who have lost on the first row by simply risking then it does raise some eyebrows. Also it would put every other contestant off from risking and go for clue times ten.

      On another note, one of my friends in America sent me a Facebook message on Monday.

      “Watched the first High Stakes…absolutely LOVED it. One of my favorite game shows I’ve seen in a LONG time.”

      Reply
      1. David Howell

        How many people have taken a risk on level 1?

        I know at least one took a risk there and stayed in. If it’s four in total, then the probability of at least three getting the instant Bit Of A Wasted Journey Pointer is almost exactly 1%.

        Reply
    2. Des Elmes

      Well, UTV have continued to air it in a slot once occupied, more or less, by phone-in quiz Brain Box. 😉

      …That’s got me thinking of the lovely Danielle Fearnon once again… 😳 😳 😉

      Reply
  6. Brig Bother Post author

    Right, I can’t edit this very well on my iPad, but actually You Deserve It has lost .4 on its fast overnights in adjustments, so its numbers are 1.7 in the demo. Not great.

    Reply
  7. Alex Davis

    I didn’t want to flood a new post do I’ll do this here.

    If anyone wants to see an episode of current US Millionaire from this week, here you go. This is from Double Your Money week. One of the questions is a Double Money question which doubles the value if you’re right. If you jump the question you miss out on it.

    Reply

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