Idiotest

Idiotest
Genre Game Show
Presented by Ben Gleib
Opening theme HBD
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 2
No. of episodes 44
Production
Executive producer(s)
  • Adam Rosenblatt
  • Jamie Rosenblatt
  • Christian Horner
  • Ryan Devlin
  • Shawn Greenson
  • Larry Barron
  • Ryan Curtis
  • Mark Cronin
Running time 20−22 minutes
Production company(s) Little Wooden Boat Productions, Inc.
Broadcast
Original channel GSN
Original run August 12, 2014 – present
External links
Website
Production website

Idiotest (a portmanteau of "idiot" and "test" and stylized as Id!otest) is an American television game show broadcast by Game Show Network. Hosted by Ben Gleib, the series features contestants in teams of two competing to answer brain teaser and puzzle questions. The winning team advances to a bonus round for an opportunity to increase their winnings to $10,000. The series premiered on August 12, 2014.

Gameplay

The main game features two pairs of contestants answering brain teaser questions. In the first round, each team faces two questions, usually taking the form of a visual puzzle. The question is often phrased so that the contestants may be misled if they do not read it correctly (for example, green house vs. greenhouse).[1] The value of the question begins at $300, with $20 deducted for every second the team takes in answering; the money begins counting down when the puzzle first appears on the screen.[2] The money stops counting down when the contestants submit an answer on the touchscreen.[2] For all questions, a correct answer earns the remaining money, while a wrong answer or no answer earns nothing. In round two, contestants face one question, and may not confer with their partners.[2] The opening value of the question is $500, decreasing by $25 each second until an answer is given. In the third round, one contestant from each team faces the same question simultaneously. Contestants have their own money countdown, which starts at $1,000 and decreases by $50 per second. The other contestant from each team then faces a more difficult question, with an opening value of $2,500 and decreasing by $100 per second.[2] After this second question, the team that has more money plays the bonus round for $10,000.

Bonus Round

In this final round, entitled the "Smart Money Round", each member of the winning team plays the same question individually.[2] While the first contestant is asked the question, the second is isolated offstage so that they cannot see or hear the question. Each team member has a total of 30 seconds to answer; the clock stops when the first contestant submits an answer, and resumes when the second contestant first sees the question.[2] If one of team member answers the question correctly, they receive an additional $1,000; if both answer correctly, their winnings augment to $10,000.[2]

Midway through the first season, another version of the "Smart Money Round" was introduced requiring a team to correctly answer 5 Idiotests in 60 seconds, with 5 second penalties on wrong answers. Each correct answer is worth $500, with 5 correct answers winning $10,000.[3]

Production

The show received very little advanced press before it was announced at GSN's 2014–15 upfront presentation on March 18, 2014. At the presentation, GSN announced plans to order forty episodes of the series,[4] while confirming August 12 as the premiere date on June 19, 2014.[5] On October 28, 2014, the show was renewed for a 65-episode second season,[6] which began airing April 1, 2015.[7]

The series has also produced some special editions featuring contestants from a preexisting rivalry. These episodes have included competitions between USC and UCLA graduates,[8] as well as an Election Day special between pairs of Democrats and Republicans.[9][10]

Reception

The series has generally received mixed reviews from critics. Carrie Grosvenor of About Entertainment argued the series to be "truly enjoyable to watch" while calling Gleib's hosting "sarcastic and funny".[2] Conversely, Tim Conroy of Media Life Magazine argued that the show "just doesn't do the trick" and thought Gleib had a difficult time "drawing amusing responses from the contestants".[11] Neil Genzlinger of The New York Times was equally unimpressed, saying that the show had "low ambitions" and arguing that Gleib's hosting made the show "even more uninteresting".[12] Paired with the mixed critical reception, the series has seen a wide range of ratings for new episodes, bringing in between 245,000 and 561,000 total viewers during the first season.[13][14]

The season two double episode premiere drew 388,000 and 360,000 viewers respectively.[15]

Merchandise

An online game based on the series was developed for GSN's website midway through the show's first season. The game allows online users to answer questions seen on the actual show. Users who answer a certain amount of questions correctly level up to face more difficult questions; a total of eight levels are available.[16]

References

  1. ↑ Idiotest. Season 1. Episode 1. August 12, 2014. Game Show Network.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Grosvenor, Carrie. "GSN's Idiotest: How it Works". About.com. About Entertainment. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
  3. ↑ Idiotest. Season 1. Episode 32. November 18, 2014. Game Show Network.
  4. ↑ "GSN Greenlights 40 Episodes of New Original Series Idiot Test, Hosted By Comedian Ben Gleib" (Press release). GSN Corporate. March 18, 2014. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
  5. ↑ "GSN Announces Premiere Dates for New Original Summer Series Skin Wars and Idiotest" (Press release). GSN Corporate. June 19, 2014. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Idiotest Renewed For Second Season By GSN". Deadline (Press release). PMC. October 28, 2014. Retrieved October 28, 2014.
  7. ↑ "GSN's Original Game Show Idiotest Hosted by Ben Gleib Returns for Season 2 on Wednesday, April 1 at 8:00 P.M. ET/PT" (Press release). GSN Corporate. February 18, 2015. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
  8. ↑ GSN Corporate (October 9, 2014). "Go Bruins! Fight On! A Tradition of Rivalry Continues on Idiotest When Recent UCLA and USC Grads Face Off on New GSN Series". The Futon Critic (Press release). Futon Media. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
  9. ↑ GSN Corporate (October 30, 2014). "GSN's Idiotest Settles the Ongoing Election Night Debate as Democrats and Republicans Battle It Out to Determine Who Is Smarter". The Futon Critic (Press release). Futon Media. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
  10. ↑ Yahr, Emily (October 31, 2014). "Who's smarter, a Democrat or Republican? GSN tests the answer on election night". The Washington Post (Nash Holdings, LLC). Retrieved November 13, 2014.
  11. ↑ Conroy, Tim (August 12, 2014). "Idiotest just doesn't do the trick". Media Life Magazine. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
  12. ↑ Genzlinger, Neil (August 9, 2014). "Fat Guys in the Woods and Idiotest Exploit Stupidity". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
  13. ↑ Pucci, Douglas (October 1, 2014). "Tuesday Final Ratings: NCIS Most-Viewed, The Voice Tops Among Adults 18-49". TV Media Insights. Cross MediaWorks. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
  14. ↑ Pucci, Douglas (November 19, 2014). "Tuesday Final Nationals: CBS Wins Among Total Viewers, Adults 18-49". TV Media Insights. Cross MediaWorks. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
  15. ↑ Metcalfe, Mitch. "SHOWBUZZDAILY’s Top 25 Wednesday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 4.1.2015". ShowBuzzDaily. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  16. ↑ "Are you ready to take the Idiotest Challenge?". Game Show Network. GSNTV. Retrieved January 11, 2015.

External links