They (I) said it wouldn’t happen…

By | February 7, 2011
13 Comments

… but it looks like Fort Boyard is coming back for its 22nd season after all in it’s native France. As one of France’s biggest exports, is it simply too big to fail?

Most interestingly given it completely tanked in the ratings last year literally anything could happen. Will it stick to two teams? Civilians? Celebrities? Old school? New school? It’s going to be an intriguing Summer.

In the meantime, Patrice Laffont’s first episode of GSN original dating show Baggage begins – when else? February 14th on a channel I’ve never heard of NRJ.

Edit: I’ve just heard it’s going back to the old-school one team style. So there we are.

Board of Excitement 6th – 12th February 2010

By | February 6, 2011
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Again, not really much of note, there are Wipeouts and Million Pound Drops on, pick of the week is probably Push the Button (7:20-8:35pm, Saturday, ITV1) which returns in a new live slot and from the description basically appears to have morphed into Saturday Night Takeaway minus the advert element. Edit: I’ve also discovered National Lottery: Secret Fortune, where Nick Knowles cruelly destroys envelopes in on next Saturday as well.

Still, Survivor returns week after next. I might start doing this “properly” again soon.

And on Monday night on Twitter , I’ll probably be doing another highbrow competition after University Challenge to make up for Only Connect being off our screens. Twonkey Donkey?

Edit Edit: Maybe I should have done this in the traditional style after all, next Saturday is also the first Wetten Dass…? since the live accident on ZDF in Germany, and the new You Don’t Know Jack gets released on Tuesday in the US. Saw this yesterday, think it looks good (it’s the entirety of the third episode of about 70).

Edit Edit Edit: Oh, and Accumulate! on Friday, obviously.

Fun Thing Found on Youtube Saturday

By | February 5, 2011
3 Comments

Hello, sorry I haven’t been updating the Bar much this week, I’ve been on a bit of a live poker roll (speaking of which, details of BSOP Game 3 are now up).

So to tide us over until the Board of Excitement tomorrow, the new You Don’t Know Jack video game is released in the US this week which appears to be getting 8/10s in a lot of places, and hopefully the one I have on delivery will work on my XBox when it arrives in a week or two. So here’s a clip of the short-lived but underrated TV version of it.

You can read a transcript of the entire first episode of the show here.

Excitement Friday

By | February 3, 2011
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It seems reasonable to mention that 3rd best show of 2009 Accumulate! with Dan “Dan” Peake starts the difficult third album (series) tomorrow on RU:ON, although the question is less “Are you on” and more “is this thing for real?” Let us hope for some quality punnage.

It is also The Million Pound Drop, there’s already a post for series four discussion so I would like to direct you there now.

What is the worst catchphrase in the history of gameshows?

By | February 2, 2011
31 Comments

And I don’t mean Mark Curry’s Catchphrase, HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh Jeremy.

The reason I ask this is because the ever entertaining TV Ark have put some new titles and credits up, including the original Michael Groth series of Four Square (the John Sachs version of which is, of course, a Bother’s Bar favourite). Forget the slightly baffling idea that the original set was a bit better than the dark poky warehouse Sachs got for his first run.

However just before the credits, Groth and a very half-hearted audience chant “what a surprise! He doesn’t want the prize!” This, obviously, is lousy. But has there been lousier and what was it?