PlayMania
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| PlayMania | |
|---|---|
 Fun to watch, better to play! |
|
| Genre | Game show |
| Running time | 2 hours |
| Starring | Mel Peachey Shandi Finnessey Jessica York |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original channel | GSN |
| Original run | April 6, 2006–present |
| No. of episodes | 149 (1 unaired [1]) (as of December 16, 2006) |
| Official website | |
| IMDb profile | |
PlayMania is a live interactive game show on GSN, hosted by Mel Peachey, Shandi Finnessey, and Jessica York. The two-hour program features interactive mini-games in which contestants may text message in and win cash prizes. The show airs from 12 AM - 2 AM Eastern every Tuesday night through Sunday night (technically early Wednesday through early Monday morning in the Eastern Time zone).
Contents |
[edit] Format
PlayMania is a game show where the contestants are home viewers. American residents over eighteen may enter the contest by text messaging a request or by using the GSN.com online form. Only one entry is necessary per game (however, you may enter multiple times) and only ten requests are allowed per episode.
Within a few moments, a contestant is notified whether or not their entry is chosen (at random) to proceed to another random selection process. If an entry is selected in the second phase, the contestant will be called on his or her home or mobile phone, depending on the method of entry. The contestant will be placed into a queue called "The Players Lounge" and given a chance to play if the game lasts long enough. After a game is completed, the queue is cleared and a new entry is required. A $.99 fee (plus standard text messaging rate charges) applies for each text message entry; entries on the network's Web site are free. Entries have an equal chance of selection, regardless of the means of entry. An entry does not necessarily guarantee an opportunity to appear on the show, however. The official rules detailing charges and entry procedures are located at the show's website.
[edit] Games
PlayMania features various minigames which are played throughout the program. The rewards for the games are usually cash prizes ranging from $50 - $200 in cash. There are a few methods PlayMania employs to speed up a game or to move on to a new one:
- Hints may be given by the host (or Jonathan, the graphics controller) to viewers
- Multiple guesses may be allowed
- The host may also increase the prize amount as an incentive, or alternately, a clock may be set for three minutes in which all the calls taken during that time will be playing for doubled prizes. This method debuted on August 11, 2006.
- The host will sometimes utilize the play-along pad (a whiteboard) to record her personal answer to the game. The person who guesses that answer generally receives $25 in addition to any prize they have or may not have won in the main game.
Any games that are not completed before the end of a day's broadcast except for a Top 5 are normally carried over to the start of the next show.
[edit] Current games
These games are currently featured in rotation on PlayMania.
| Game | How it is Played |
|---|---|
| Alphabuck$ | Similar to Wheel of Fortune or Hangman, this game gives a category (like Movie Title) and players attempt to guess a letter that is in the puzzle. If the player has letters in the puzzle, he/she will earn $5 per letter. If any of their letters is in the puzzle, he/she has an opportunity to guess the puzzle. If the puzzle is guessed correctly, he/she wins an extra $100. |
| Anagrams | A word, name or phrase with the letters mixed up will be given related to a specified category. The contestant must identify what the unscrambled phrase is. |
| Category Game | Three items or names, all in interlocking circles (a Venn diagram in which each circle intersects the other two, but all three never overlap), are listed. The contestant must identify what all of the items have in common in the most specific manner. |
| Crosswords | Similar to a crossword puzzle, Crosswords features four horizontal words with one letter in each word replaced with a question mark. Vertically, the letters behind the question marks make an actual word. The contestant must identify (and spell) the hidden word. The portion needed to be filled in may appear to be multiple words; however, the host has an envelope containing the chosen word. |
| Find the Missing Letters | A five-letter word is given with two consecutive letters replaced by a question mark. The contestant must identify (and spell) the displayed word. The portion revealed may appear to be multiple words; however, the host has an envelope containing the chosen word. Sometimes, a four-letter word is used instead of a five-letter word. |
| Microcosm | A picture of an everyday object is shown with a part largely zoomed in and magnified. The contestant must identify what the item is. This game was introduced November 19. |
| Missing Link | Three words will be given which have a common word preceding (or succeeding) it to make a common word or phrase. The player must complete the phrase. |
| Movie/Television Quotes | Three quotes, each from a famous American film or television program are listed, each with a cash prize beside it. The contestant must guess which quote they're attempting for and what film/show they think it is from. |
| Name the Catch Phrase | A rebus based on a popular, everyday phrase is given. (e.g., MEREPEAT would be "repeat after me", because the word "repeat" comes after the word "me.") The caller must identify what the "decoded" phrase is. This game debuted on August 18, 2006. |
| Name the Celebrity | A blurred or pixilated photograph of a celebrity is shown. The contestant must identify who the celebrity is. It debuted on the September 29 episode. |
| Series Game | Three different series (which may be specially ordered numbers, letters, etc.) are shown, each with a cash value attached to it. The caller chooses one of the orders and must identify the next value. |
| Things you'd find... | The PlayMania crew picks three items you would commonly find in a designated location. The contestant must identify one of the items that would be found. |
| Top 5 | Similar to Family Feud, a category is given. (e.g., "Top 5 Elton John Hits") The top five answers to the survey or fact-proven data are hidden, and it is the contestant's job to reveal one of them. Once all of the answers have been revealed, the game ends. The default values of a correct answer usually, ranging from #1-#5, $150, $80, $60, $40, and $20, but the values may also be $200, $150, $100, $75 and $50, respectively. There is also the PlayMania Top 5, in which the top 5 is chosen by PlayMania staff (with the exception of the hosts), not surveyors. |
| Twisted Title | A title of a movie is described using synonyms for the words in the title (e.g., Deceased Verse Writers Club would be Dead Poets Society). The contestant must identify the original title. |
| Word $lam | Nine letters are listed in random order. Three three-letter words have been pre-chosen, each with a cash prize attached to it. The object is to take the nine letters and make a smaller word based on the length requirement given. Each word may appear to have multiple answers; however, the host has an envelope containing the chosen words. The game is also played with three different-sized word requirements, at three, five, and seven letters. This game has roots in the inactive game Shrink 'N Scramble. |
[edit] Inactive games
These games have not been recently featured in rotation on PlayMania.
| Game | How it is Played |
|---|---|
| Conundrums | There are three variations on this game.
|
| Lingo | Identical to the show of the same name, the object is to identify a five-letter word. The first letter is given, and as contestants continue to play, hints such as other letters in the word are given. The contestant must identify (and spell) the word. |
| Shrink 'N Scramble | Three different-sized words are listed, each with a cash prize attached to it. The object is to take one of the words and make a smaller word based on the length requirement given and the letters contained in that word. Each word may appear to have multiple answers; however, the host has an envelope containing the chosen word for each larger word. |
| What's Missing? | A common symbol is shown, with an obvious part replaced with a question mark. The contestant must identify what would commonly replace the question mark. |
| Word Cuts | A word that has been cut in half is displayed. The contestant must identify (and spell) the displayed word. The portion revealed may appear to be multiple words; however, the host has an envelope containing the chosen word. |
[edit] Special games
For a special occasion or promotional opportunity, PlayMania will often engage in special, personalized games. Some of these included the celebration of Mother's Day, the release of Horrorfest and even a Super Match-esque style game for the documentary, The Match Game Story: Behind the Blank.
[edit] "Winner's Weekend"
The PlayMania week of August 24 not only debuted its new time and extra Sunday broadcast, but was also a "Winner's Weekend." This week has puzzles about television to honor the 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. The show debuted studio set changes and alterations along with changes to e-mail graphics. To go with the theme, PlayMania held its own award ceremony, the PlayMes. They were a parody of the Emmy awards. The award categories were designed to showcase attributes and features of PlayMania, even though PlayMania only won in one of four categories. The nominees were announced on August 24 - August 26, 2006, and the winners were announced on August 27, 2006 by Starface host Danny Bonaduce. Also on the Sunday broadcast, $2,000 was given away to a caller named Julie making her the biggest PlayMania winner ever.
[edit] Other features
The show also involves other interactive features.
[edit] E-Mails
The hosts will often read an e-mail on air from a PlayManiac. Since July 13, 2006, each episode has had an assigned theme that the e-mails are requested to relate to. The moods of the e-mails can be any sort: Serious, light-hearted and even downright ridiculous.
[edit] Pictures
One of the girls will showcase pictures that the PlayManiacs have sent in, generally accompanied with e-mails and relating to the particular theme. These include photographs and viewer-created art.
[edit] Video clips
Viewers have also been occasionally encouraged to send in short video clips of them replying to the night's request.
[edit] Trivia
[edit] General
- The show is based on Quiznation, a British television channel on which Peachey was a host.
- In the show's first month of existence, gift cards and sporting goods from Dick's Sporting Goods, the show's main sponsor, were common along with normal cash prizes.
- Viewers of GSN's West Coast feed only see a tape-delayed episode of PlayMania. West Coast viewers wishing to participate would be required to watch the live presentation on the East Coast feed, if available. That feed is available on satellite and to viewers on Time Warner Cable in the Los Angeles area.
- The timeslot of the show changed from 1 - 3 AM to 12 - 2 AM starting with the August 24 show.
- A Sunday broadcast was added on August 27 and Tuesday and Wednesday editions were added on October 3 and 4.
- Hannah Peckham was a temporary host who appeared on the June 15 and June 16, 2006 episodes, but she did not become a permanent host. She had previously worked on Quiznation with Peachey.[2]
- To the left of the monitor attached to the wall commonly used to show e-mails are pictures of hosts Mel Peachey and Shandi Finnessey on the shelf below it, along with a bobblehead of Finnessey's Lingo co-host, Chuck Woolery. That angle of the studio is rarely shown, but it is visible during e-mail segments.
- For general play, there are four different songs used for background music.
- Finnessey finishes off every episode by saying, "God bless."
- The highest amount won by a single person was $2,000 on August 27, 2006, the final day of the Winner's Weekend. Julie took the prize in a special bonus round by identifying that Steve Carell stars in The Office.
- As of December 1, 2006, PlayMania has given away over $250,000.
- Jamie Sharper, a National Football League athlete, has revealed that he watches the show; he e-mailed the show on September 10, 2006. In a similar vein, Peachey, in an attempt to blend in to American culture, has started to root for the Dallas Cowboys. She chose that team after taking e-mail suggestions from viewers.
- Generally, the first hour of each Friday episode has a sponsor, which gives away prizes related to them.
- Jessica York debuted on the October 19, 2006 episode and hosted her first full episode on October 29, 2006.
- For the Christmas season, the PlayMania set has been adorned with festive decorations such as trees, garland and stockings. Viewers have also been invited to send in ornaments for their tree. Viewers are also invited to send in videos of their "random acts of kindness". Finally, the background music generally has bells and Christmas-style tunes mixed into it.
[edit] Specific episodes
- During the April 8, 2006 episode, an e-mail was read that was supposedly written by a person named Drew. Although the last name wasn't revealed, it was evident that the e-mail was supposed to be written by Drew Pickles from the program Rugrats, mainly because it had referenced his "daughter Angelica and nephew Tommy." Although the e-mail was a prank, it wasn't acknowledged by Peachey that it was a joke.
- An e-mail read on April 16, 2006 contained a proposal for marriage and a best man. Both of them accepted.
- Before Peachey left on May 11, 2006, she and Finnessey had a "Top 5 Play-Off". A timer was set at three minutes and callers were alternated between Finnessey and Peachey. If a contestants got an answer right, the amount he/she won were added to the hosts' scores. They alternated back and forth until the timer ran out. Finnessey finished with the most points.
- The May 12, 2006 episode was canceled and two episodes of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire aired instead. There was a problem with the text messaging system, and a decision was made minutes before the show was to air to go "dark" for the night until the problem was fixed. According to the producer, that episode is counted in the official count.
- On two occasions, regulars from I've Got a Secret served as guest co-hosts in charge of viewer e-mail. The e-mail theme was biggest secrets. Jermaine Taylor appeared on June 17, 2006 and Bil Dwyer appeared on June 22, 2006. Bil was there as a "leftover" from the live segments during the I've Got a Secret marathon, taped in the PlayMania studio.
- On the June 23, 2006 episode, Finnessey began the episode as host. Peachey called in during a game of AlphaBuck$, apparently from LAX. She told Finnessey she would be at the studio via the "PlayMania helicopter", ready to host in twenty minutes. Peachey took over hosting duties approximately fifty minutes into the episode.
- On the July 29, 2006 episode, Finnessey's parents were featured on the show. Her mom appeared during a Shandi's favorite bonus round, while her father appeared a handful of times for the theme of the e-mails. This episode was the 50th PlayMania episode.[3]
- The October 20, 2006 episode was the show's 100th. Finnessey and Peachey both appeared on the show and took turns hosting. A bucket of balls was on stage with balls numbered 1 to 100. After a player gave a correct answer, either Mel or Shandi dug into the bucket and whatever number they pulled out the contestant won that amount in addition to the money they won in the game. The episode featured notable clips from past shows and interviews with previous winners. There was also a brief introduction by GSN president Rich Cronin.
- During the week leading up to Halloween, the first hour of each show was sponsored by Twix. Each contestant who gave a correct answer to a puzzle got to guess how many Twix bars were in a Halloween bucket which changed sizes every day. The player with the closest answer won the bucket of candy bars. On the final day, additional bars were placed around the set.
- The 2006 Thanksgiving episode re-utilized the "bucket of balls" game.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ According to a post on the GSN web board detailing a phone conversation with a producer, the one episode that did not air due to technical difficulties is counted in the official episode count.
- ^ Hannah Peckham resume on SueTerryVoices.com. Retrieved on 2006-10-22.
- ^ This statistic does not take the May 12 episode into consideration.
