Midnight Money Madness
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Midnight Money Madness | |
|---|---|
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| Genre | Game show |
| Running time | 2 hours |
| Creator(s) | Endemol |
| Starring | Jerilee Bonner, Danny Seckel, and Craig J. Jackson |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original channel | TBS |
| Original run | August 28, 2006–October 20, 2006 |
| No. of episodes | East Coast: 32 West Coast: 32 (As of October 20, 2006) |
| Official website | |
| IMDb profile | |
Midnight Money Madness was an interactive game show on TBS, hosted by Jerilee Bonner, Danny Seckel and Craig J. Jackson. The two-hour program featured interactive games and trivia questions in which contestants would pay a fee to enter a random lottery to get on the show via text messaging, online (for free), or a 1-900 number and attempt to win cash prizes. The show aired around 12:00 AM - 2:00 AM Eastern and Pacific (once on each coast, having dual broadcasts).
This was an attempt by Endemol (Deal or No Deal, 1 vs. 100, Big Brother, etc.) at expanding its product beyond big-budget game shows and reality programs. However, TBS deemed the show a failure after eight weeks, choosing not to renew the initial order. GSN had responded to MMM by expanding PlayMania to six nights a week; it is unclear whether this had a role in the failure of MMM.
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[edit] Format
Midnight Money Madness was a game show where the contestants were home viewers. American residents over eighteen could enter the contest by text messaging a request, dialing a 1-900 number, or by using the online form. A person could enter up to ten times, regardless of entry method. The official rules detailing charges and entry are located at the show's website. According to the official rules, entries had an equal chance of selection, regardless of the means of entry. If selected, the registrant would be called and become a participant. According to the Official Rules, each registrant had a one in ten chance of becoming a participant. Participants stayed on the line listening to a recorded message until they either proceeded into the next round of selection or dropped from the participant pool. The on-air contestant had the chance to play the game for cash.
[edit] Games
Midnight Money Madness featured various minigames which were played throughout the program. The rewards for the games were cash prizes ranging anywhere from $100 - $3,700 in cash.
To speed up the games at certain points, various methods were employed:
- Hints given by the hosts to viewers.
- A "lightning round" where more calls are accepted than normal.
- The host increasing the prize amount as an incentive.
- A timer will start to represent how long the game will remain and a new one will come up.
The games below were the most commonly played games, but are not the only games played. Some games were purposely played only once, while others were titled differently but have similar gameplay.
[edit] Find the Phrase
A rebus or visual representation based on a popular, everyday phrase was given. (e.g., VA DERS would be Space Invaders, because there is a space in the word "Vaders".) The caller had to identify what the phrase was.
[edit] Four/Five Famous
A group of famous people or items all in a certain category were hidden with a certain cash value attached to each, usually all the same. The contestant had to guess one of the items in that category.
[edit] Gargle-Oke
The hosts would "gargle" a famous song which contestants tried to identify. It was often difficult for the hosts to complete the songs as they started to laugh and spit out the water.
[edit] Impersonation
Contestants had to guess what celebrity or fictional character a guest comedian was impersonating.
[edit] Let 'em Bounce
Three sections of a word were on the screen. The contestant had to re-arrange the sections to form the proper word.
[edit] Linked Together
Four words were written horizontally on the screen with one missing letter in each. The missing letters linked together vertically to form another word which the contestant had to guess, similar to a crossword.
[edit] Mumble Jumble
Similar to an anagram, a word, name or phrase with the letters mixed up was given. The contestant had to identify what the unscrambled phrase was.
[edit] Night Cap
At the end of the program, a question pertaining to events prior in the show was given. The contestant had to answer that question correctly. If they did, one or all of the hosts would spin a wheel containing values between $200 and $2,500. Whatever value the flipper of the wheel landed on was awarded to the contestant. If not enough time remained to play a whole Nightcap game, the last contestant of the game would be awarded whatever value the wheel lands on.
[edit] Nitty Griddy
A 3x3 grid appeared with a three letters in a designated word all around. The caller had to identify how many times the designated word appears in any pattern.
[edit] Order Up!
Five images were given relating to a certain person (i.e. Images of the evolution of Michael Jackson's nose.) The contestant had to identify in what order of time the photos were taken.
[edit] Things That Are ____
A descriptive word was given to describe five words (each worth an increasing value). The contestant had to identify one of the five words to receive that word's dollar amount.
[edit] Tip the Scales
A gathering of items was placed on the stage. The contestant had to identify which items, when combined, weighed a designated amount.
[edit] What the Blank?
A game similar to the Super Match on Match Game, a phrase with a blank was given. Callers gave the answer that they thought would fill the blank. They would would a cash prize if correct, with the value depending on the answer's perceived difficulty by the producers.
[edit] Wheel Word
Contestants had to spell a word around a circle by correctly filling in a blank letter and determining whether the word goes clockwise or counterclockwise around the circle, with the hosts usually providing the first letter.
[edit] Which One Doesn't Belong?
Four or five words or phrases were given, and callers had to decide which one was out of place in context with the rest. The winning caller did not, however, have to give the correct reason for why it doesn't belong.
[edit] The Midnight Money Madness Door
Sometimes during a show, a doorbell for a door on the side of the stage rang and a celebrity, known from other various appearances, would be present for the show.
[edit] List of guest celebrities
This is a list, in order of appearance, of celebrities who have appeared on the program.
- Phyllis Diller - August 29
- JM J. Bullock - August 30
- Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth - August 31
- Danny Woodburn - September 4 (Appeared throughout the show, becoming more and more hostile to the hosts as the show progressed.)
- Judy Tenuta - September 7
- Debra Wilson - September 8 (As Whitney Houston)
- Barry Williams - September 12
- Ron Jeremy - September 13
- Tammy Pescatelli - September 14
- ANT - September 20
- Brigitte Nielsen - September 22
- George Wallace - September 26
- Phillip Wilburn - September 27
- Mike "Boogie" Malin - September 28
- Eric "Smooth E" Schwartz - October 3
- Loni Love - October 4
- Todd Bridges - October 5
- Theo Von - October 6
- Tina Yothers - October 12 (Tina played Jennifer Keaton on the American television sitcom Family Ties from 1982 to 1989. Marc Price, who played Erwin "Skippy" Handleman was introduced as a producer of Midnight Money Madness on-camera to welcome Tina to the show.)
[edit] Controversy
As documented on the TBS forums, there have been many complaints of technical difficulties, scamming and unscrupulous behavior on part of the hosts, producers and creators of the show. Many feel that it was necessary to report when the online entries were down (as show participation at that stage is considered gambling), while others feel that the show was simply bad due to technical problems. No comment from TBS has been given about this situation.
Two of the first three East Coast versions were plagued with technical problems. For example, during the second episode, on August 29, the hosts spent the first ten minutes of the show elaborating on the entry methods. After that break, the viewers were told they are making sure their phones do not malfunction and to avoid dead air, TBS played an episode of Bloopers. The show went on normally approximately sixty minutes into the broadcast. The third East Coast episode, on August 30, had more problems. This time the problems were all off the air. The internet participation was stifled due to more technical difficulties on the part of TBS for the first forty-five minutes.
Finally, because of state laws, contestants in some states could not enter by calling the phone number. Among these states are California, Illinois, and New Jersey.
[edit] Trivia
- The first puzzle ever was an anagram with the answer of Conan O'Brien, worth $100.
- Some games, such as "What the Blank?" & "Things That Are…" relied heavily on sexual innuendos for comedy on the show, such as things that precede the word "ass," things you prefer bigger, and things that are hung (with the title "Well…Hung").
