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The Weakest Link
« on: Sep 7th, 2002, 9:25am » |
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'Weakest Link' Tweaks Its Format
Fri, Sep 6, 2002 06:25 PM PDT
by Heather Feher
Zap2it, TV News
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - "Weakest Link" has a couple of changes planned for the second season -- more George and more money.
The game show's host, comedian George Gray ("Junkyard Wars" ), will be getting more chances to humiliate contestants, but in return, their potential winnings have increased from $75,000 to $100,000. The opening sequence has been shortened, and a round of questions has been eliminated to make more time for interaction between Gray and the hapless players.
In its first American incarnation, "Weakest Link" was a 60-minute show hosted by the dryly sarcastic Anne Robinson, who also fronted the original British show. The syndicated version has been trimmed to 30 minutes, and the new host's style is more class clown than severe schoolmarm.
Of the difference between him and his predecessor, Gray jokes, "I would say my butt is bigger in the black dress." He adds, "She has a wonderful way of being biting and sarcastic. You can get away with a lot more in America if you have that biting English accent. I don't have that. I try to find the laugh."
Gray's emphasis on humor has changed the overall tone of the program. "The show is really fun, and people are tuning in because of all the laughs," he says. "We were having to cut out a lot of those laughs because we didn't have time for them, so we are making time for them."
On every show, six contestants must work together to bank as much money as possible by answering trivia questions. At the end of each round, players vote off the contestant who is the "weakest link." According to Gray, there is often no shortage of losers.
"Half the fun of " Weakest Link" is just watching people who probably would do really well watching the show on their couch just completely implode on television," he explains. Gray has already taped almost 100 episodes of the second season. Thanks to the increased prize money, winners have taken home much more cash than they did last season. Losers are also intent upon lowering the bar. "I promise you that you will see a team that was so dumb, they couldn't tie Velcro shoes," he laughs.
Gray has observed that the most successful "Weakest Link" contestants are the ones who fly under the radar. "While everybody else if fighting and picking on each other, and figuring out who to get rid of, they sort of just sneak along and then move in for the kill at the very end," he says.
Another tip from the host to the players -- don't play it safe. "I personally am of the philosophy of let it ride," he explains. "'Weakest Link' is Vegas. Are you really there to make $500 and go home?"
Gray doesn't always hold the players in high esteem. "I think the way some of these people play, they should just go play the scratch off lottery and forget 'Weakest Link' entirely. You take a quarter, scratch it off, there you go," he jokes.
It's even harder for him to take the contestant seriously when he tapes the theme shows destined for November sweeps. "We did clowns yesterday. They were in big floppy shoes and make up and the whole thing. It was just hysterical," Gray says. "One of my favorite slams ever I came up with for that show was, 'Who should change their name to Sucky the Dumbass Clown?'"
Season two of "Weakest Link" begins Monday, Sept. 23 in national syndication. Check local listings for time and station.
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