Grace Morrell
Game shows are an essential part of any good TV catalogue, from yelling at the TV when someone gets a wrong answer on The Chase, to feeling sympathy when someone takes out someone else’s ‘Baked Alaska’ on The Great British Bake Off. However, this defines the question: which of these game shows would be the best to take part in?
The Oxford Dictionary defines a game show as “a television programme in which people play games or answer questions to win prizes”, which could lead to a variety of different arguments. Some might say that Love Island trudges the lines between Reality TV and a “Game Show,” however, for the sake of this article, we will be exploring multiple areas of game shows, from all-time question-based faves to dating-based disasters.
Personally, I am a major fiend for any trivia-based show, where I can truly show my family how good my knowledge is by getting every question shown on screen wrong. One of my absolute favourites has to be The 1% Club. It seems to be a simple concept on the surface, making 100 people answer different logic puzzles based on what percentage of the population got them right. However, there’s a simple joy of answering the prized 1% Question right, especially when you get to that point. The 1% Club also knows when to joke with its own contestants, with Lee Mack’s well-worked comedic timing able to make you feel like you’re in the studio with them.
Alongside The 1% Club, The Chase is a household classic (I feel), where moments are spent with your family screaming when someone takes the minus offer. The Chase offers some of the funniest questions when it comes to quiz game shows, such as an icon herself, Fanny Chmelar, performing skiing for Germany. The Chase is a British favourite and has lasted so long because of its adaptability and simplistic premise.
As someone who adores quiz shows, these two are definitely crowd favourites, and ones I feel are accessible to the public enough that anyone could take part in. Contestants who come on these shows expressed feeling “welcomed” by the hosts and producers. (However, the public watching the show might give them a different story.) I feel like the simple strategy of both these shows is only go if you know you have the knowledge. It’s all good getting £5000 in the Cash Builder in The Chase, but what’s the point if you don’t take all the money you can get?
Next, I have to admit. The only true ‘love’ of mine (dating-show-wise) would have to be Take Me Out. Whilst yes, discontinued, Take Me Out, hosted by Paddy McGuinness, was a true cult classic of its time, where single men would parade about on stage hoping to find the woman of their dreams. In the words of Paddy himself: ‘No like-y? No light-y! Single man, reveal yourself!’ Admittedly, I believe the strategy for this show is simple: be a man that a woman would actually want. There isn’t much of a strategy to the feminine-presenting side of the show — people have their preferences. I would also argue that there wouldn’t be a strategy to the masculine aspect of the show: to just be yourself.
Of course, this can’t be made without a latest obsession, The Traitors, which ended its latest season on Friday and is hosted by none other than Head & Shoulders Icon herself, Claudia Winkleman. Traitors has birthed many lovable characters, such as Frankie and Alexander from Season Two. Personally, I adore the premise of The Traitors. The Mafia (or Werewolf) based elements, alongside the money, sets up for a high-stakes game between the ‘Traitors’ and Faithfuls. Personally? I’m a horrible liar, and my strategy as a Traitor would most likely be staying under the radar. I wouldn’t be outspoken or accuse others because I know it’ll end with me lying. However, some people might play it another way than me, and most likely much better than me! But I can most certainly tell it’s a dream for most people to go onto the Traitors without trying to get a good old edit of themselves. (Trust me, I wouldn’t even last long enough to get the clips for it).
Finally, I feel I have to put the cherry on top of this article and finish with The Great British Bake Off. Personally, I am not a great baker myself, and possibly my own strategy would just be start baking, have a breakdown, and Bon Appétit! But I have a few baker friends who are most likely to apply their own baking strategies towards the show. However, Bake Off seems to have a mostly friendly environment, driven by people who just want to bake. Whilst almost certainly you wouldn’t have a strategy, I think the connections and the time spent getting to know your fellow competitors would be worth it. Something about it being a sweet victory, more so than anything.
Overall, game shows are a major part of British Culture, and I feel I speak for a lot of people when I say I’d love to be one of the participants on these shows. Whether I get the wine and dine of a dating show, or I’m somehow forced under pressure on a time limit within The Chase, game shows have always been something that has evoked emotion. Whilst yes, arguably some game shows (such as Britain’s Got Talent or The X Factor) have pushed for terrible production, tough audiences and ruined reputations, shows can also somehow bring out the best in people. Whether it be their competitive spirits, strong personalities or just their altruism, it’s safe to say that game show strategies are hard to come up with, even if you are arguably a ‘master of the craft.’ As my mother said, the best strategy in life is to just be yourself on these types of shows.
Grace Morrell
Featured image courtesy of Kiarash Mansouri via Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
In-article photos courtesy of @bbciplayer and @itvchase via Instagram. No changes were made to these photos.
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