"Show Me the Money" (2006) TV series

User Rating:

3.0/10   

Director:

Richard Brian DiPirro

Writers:

Maureen Driscoll (writer)
Gary Lucy (writer)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

14 November 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Game-Show

Plot Keywords:

Rip Off | Short Lived | Stupidity | Television Flop

Cast

Julianne Hough	...	Million Dollar Dancer (5 episodes, 2006)
Mimi Karsh	...	Million Dollar Dancer (5 episodes, 2006)
Victoria Parsons	...	Million Dollar Dancer (5 episodes, 2006)
Sabrina Song	...	Million Dollar Dancer (5 episodes, 2006)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Company:

Endemol Entertainment

Trivia:

This show was originally canceled after only 4 episodes were aired. GameShow Network (GSN) picked up the show in summer of 2007 and had intended on airing all seven episodes that were filmed, but due to extremely low ratings only two shows were broadcast before the show was canceled for the second time.

Movie Connections:

Version of "Show Me the Money" (2008)

Jeopardy it's not

I don't see enough TV game shows to understand the attraction of SHOW ME THE MONEY, but I suppose it holds some appeal for undemanding audiences. Ostensibly a quiz show, it offers contestants huge sums of money for answering a few simple questions. However, its quiz elements play only a small part in the proceedings, which I find tortuously complicated. For example, before answering a question, a contestant selects which question is to be asked by choosing from among random "A," "B," or "C" choices. Does this serve any purpose other than to slow the game down? It would be a lot quicker simply to start with "A." Contestants can pass on questions, but must answer one of the three questions in each category.

After responding to a question, the contestant is then asked to "lock in" the answer--another delaying tactic. The contestant's next task is to name which woman from about a dozen go-go dancers in cages is to unveil a card that indicates how much the question is worth. A correct answer adds the card's dollar figure to the contestant's running total; a wrong answer subtracts the same sum. This time-consuming step actually has some entertainment value, as it allows the audience to get a close look at the scantily clad and uniformly gorgeous dancers. Meanwhile, the contestant is reminded that an unlucky selection of the "killer card" will end the game instantly. This naturally makes the contestant sweat and causes further delays as the nervous contestant contemplates the sudden loss of the hundreds of thousands of dollars. My suspicion is that the possibility of sudden disaster is the show's chief audience appeal.

Meanwhile, the whole process is slowed down even more by a lot of empty banter between host William Shatner and the contestant, along with occasional routines by the caged dancers. All these delays burn up so much time that it might be possible for audiences to forget what the original question is by the time the correct answer is revealed.

A typical 30-minute episode of JEOPARDY often gets through as many as 60 questions. The first 30 minutes of SMTM that I watched got through only six questions (many of which pertained to other TV shows). No one in his right mind would watch this show because it's fun to play along by answering the questions at home. That leaves three possible reasons to watch the show.

A. To see how a contestant responds to being on the verge of winning as much as one million dollars, only to lose everything in one stroke.

B. To look at gorgeous young women performing sexually suggestive dance routines.

C. To enjoy William Shatner's scintillating banter.

My choice is "B," but the women aren't on camera long enough to justify suffering through an hour of this show.