It started this evening (I’ll be watching later), but some US gameshow fans are doing a 24 Gameshow Marathon for a cancer charity. You can watch and donate through the Facebook page.

So last night I saw the premiere if SyFy US’ Total Blackout, the format that’s been quietly sweeping large parts of the world.

In it, people are challenged to do and identify things in total darkness, and as such their imaginations are encouraged to run away with them. For example, the contestants are led to four boxes and have to identify the things inside, some innocuous, some less innocuous (cockroaches, a pineapple, an octopus and a bra in the first episode, for example). Or taste things (that are of course lying on bodies – like champagne or a cherry). Or smell things (peanut butter, a sweaty shoe, a man’s armpit). After each round the contestants simultaneously jump on a trap door, with the person who performed the least well falling through it. The last person standing wins $5,000.

It’s not particularly exciting from a format perspective – you’ve basically seen much of it before elsewhere but not in a warehouse – but the tone is much lighter (ironically) than, for example, Fear Factor.  Watching people  trying to build up the courage to put their hand in a mystery box, shriek and then discover it’s completely innocuous (there’s a lot of laughing-at-themselves interview splicing) is mildly amusing for a little while but I don’t really know how much longevity it has. Apparently episode two is a couples edition and much funnier, and I know the Scandinavian versions push the fear element a bit more, but I’m intrigued to see how many different ways they have to dress up the same idea.

I may do a proper feature on this soon as it appears to be becoming a thing. It got off to a very good start audience wise, apparently.

Don’t forget you have until midnight tonight to win some cash.

Looks like the pilot they filmed recently was successful, it’s been picked up for six 75 minute episodes for 2013. Melanie Sykes and Mark Wright to host.

I wrote about the original German show earlier in the year.

OK, WordPress has just been updated to “do” forms, so let’s try it out and have a “little” fun at the same time. The prize? Money to cover the entry to this Sunday’s BotherSOP event.

I counted my change tin yesterday afternoon:

Now the question. It will cost £5.50 to enter this Sunday’s event at 8pm. How many times could I enter with all the change piled up there? The winner will be the person closest to the correct answer, ties broken by random draw. If you win you will have the option of me wiring the money across using Pokerstars, or PayPal. Entries close Friday midnight, winner and answer revealed Saturday. Good luck!

Edit: compo closed! Answer tomorrow.

No it’s alright, they’re not just giving them out to any old show these days, it’s up for the New Media award i.e. it’s got a fairly fun online game.

Digital Spy has a full list of nominees,  the only real other interest from the genre’s point of view as far as I can see is that Celebrity Juice is also up for an audience award.

Edit: and The Young Apprentice.

It’s the ZX Spectrum’s 30th birthday! And what better way to celebrate than a link to one of the first weekend specials Bother’s Bar did, where we have a look at Spectrum gameshow conversions.

Don’t forget, we have almost ten years of feature content on the Specials Board if you fancy a browse.