PlayMania
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| PlayMania | |
|---|---|
 Fun to watch, better to play! |
|
| Genre | Game show |
| Starring | Shandi Finnessey Jessica York |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of episodes | Original Run: 204 [2] |
| Production | |
| Running time | 2 hours (including commercials) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | GSN |
| Original run | April 6, 2006 – February 18, 2007 [1] |
| Links | |
| Official website | |
| IMDb profile | |
PlayMania was a live interactive game show on GSN, hosted by Mel Peachey, Shandi Finnessey, and Jessica York. The two-hour program featured interactive games where the viewers can win cash prizes. The show had aired from 12 midnight - 2 AM Eastern every Tuesday night through Sunday night (technically early Wednesday through early Monday morning in the Eastern Time zone).
On February 20, 2007, the show broke off into two separate programs, quiznation and 100 Winners. They are collectively known as the PlayMania Block. [3]
Contents |
[edit] Format
PlayMania was a game show where the contestants were home viewers. American residents 18 or older may enter the contest by text messaging a request, calling the premium-rate phone number, or using the network's website.
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 then come on-air and be 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 applies for each text message entry or premium rate phone call, along with standard text messaging rates added to the former. Entries on the network's website are free. Regardless of the method of entry, each entry has an equal chance of being selected. An entry does not necessarily guarantee an opportunity to appear on the show. Residents of certain states may be ineligible to play various entry methods. [4]
[edit] Programming history
The original format of PlayMania was based on Quiznation, a British television channel on which Peachey was a host and from which one of the programs on the PlayMania Block was named. The show began with a three-day-a-week schedule in April, 2006; a Sunday broadcast was added on August 27, and Tuesday and Wednesday editions were added on October 3 and 4. The timeslot of the show changed from 1 - 3 AM to 12 midnight - 2 AM starting with the August 24 show.
Hannah Peckham, one host on Quiznation, hosted the June 15 and June 16, 2006 episodes, but did not become a permanent host.[5] On two occasions, regulars from I've Got a Secret served as guest co-hosts in charge of viewer e-mail. Jermaine Taylor appeared on June 17, 2006 and Bil Dwyer appeared on June 22, 2006.
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 featured puzzles about television to honor the 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. To go with the theme, PlayMania held its own award ceremony, the "PlayMes", a parody of the Emmy Awards. On the Sunday broadcast, August 27, Danny Bonaduce, the host of the game show Starface, made his appearance for presenting the winners for the "PlayMes" awards. On that same night, $2,000 was given away to a caller named Julie making her the biggest PlayMania winner ever. The largest amount won on a normal episode is $1,250. It was given away on the February 10, 2007 episode.
Jessica York began hosting on October 19, 2006. Beginning in late December 2006 live promos were aired from the studio during the hour before the show's start. Viewers were first able to use the premium-rate phone number to enter on the January 16, 2007 episode. The on-screen Players Lounge became defunct this night as well. As of January 31, 2007, PlayMania has given away over $418,000.[6]. The last game played on PlayMania was "Missing Link" which ended without a winner, thus the answer had to be revealed due to time running out. Beginning February 20, 2007, PlayMania broke off into two separate programs. Collectively, the programs are known as the PlayMania Block. The network is currently contemplating extending show hours even further, possibly in daytime or evening slots. [7]
Peachey, originally only scheduled to appear on US airwaves for 1 month to introduce America to the new "participation TV" format, announced on the March 31 quiznation that she is leaving PlayMania to return home to London. The April 7 quiznation was her "goodbye show", and her last night as host.
[edit] PlayMania
[edit] Games
PlayMania featured various minigames that are played throughout the program. The rewards for the games were usually cash prizes ranging from $100 - $500 in cash, sometimes reaching as much as $1,000. Any games that were not completed before the end of a day's broadcast are normally carried over to the start of the next show.
These games were the most common games featured throughout PlayMania's history.
| Game | How it is Played |
|---|---|
| Alphabuck$ | Similar to Wheel of Fortune or Hangman, this game allows players to attempt to guess a letter that is in the puzzle of a given category. If the player has letters in the puzzle, he/she will earn a small prize per letter. If any of their letters is in the puzzle, he/she has an opportunity to guess the puzzle and a correct guess wins a larger prize. |
| 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. |
| 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 phrases. |
| Movie Quotes/Television Quotes/Ad Slogans | Three quotes, each from a famous American film, television program or advertising campaign are listed, each with a cash prize beside it. The contestant must guess which quote they are attempting for and where they think it comes 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. |
| Name the Celebrity | A pixelated photograph of a celebrity is shown. The contestant must identify who the celebrity is. |
| 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. A variation on a Top 5 is the PlayMania 5. The difference is that the PlayMania crew picks the five things on the list. |
[edit] Special games
For a special occasion or promotional opportunity, PlayMania often engaged 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] Other features
PlayMania involved a second interactive feature, e-mail. The hosts read e-mails from viewers while taking a break from talking to the audience during games. Since July 13, 2006, each episode has had a requested theme for e-mails. The tone of the e-mails varies widely, from serious to silly. The host may showcase graphics that viewers have sent with e-mails, including photographs and viewer-created art.
There have been featured sponsors for a number of PlayMania episodes, usually during the first hour only. On some occasions — for instance, during the first month of the show when the main sponsor was Dick's Sporting Goods — items provided by the sponsor were given away in addition to or instead of cash prizes.
[edit] PlayMania Block
Promos began to advertise that PlayMania would offer "new ways to play" on February 20. This came in the form of two separate shows under the PlayMania banner, 100 Winners and quiznation.
[edit] 100 Winners
100 Winners offers contestants the chance to answer the game on-screen. If he/she answers correctly, he/she will choose one of the one hundred safe deposit boxes on the set, each containing a prize. The program airs from 12 midnight - 2 AM Eastern every Tuesday night through Thursday night (technically early Wednesday through early Friday morning in the Eastern Time zone). [8]
[edit] quiznation
Borrowing the title from its British predecessor, quiznation features trivia, number and word games with set cash prizes. The program airs from 12 midnight - 2 AM Eastern every Friday night through Sunday night (technically early Saturday through early Monday morning in the Eastern Time zone). [9] quiznation is nearly the same as the original PlayMania program.
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ Original Run has ended. The PlayMania Block continues on, however
- ^ This includes the 204 episodes aired before the block switch and one unaired episode. 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.
- ^ Playmania Becomes Block of Two New Shows. Retrieved on February 14, 2007.
- ^ PlayMania FAQS. Retrieved on January 31, 2007.
- ^ Hannah Peckham resume on SueTerryVoices.com. Retrieved on October 22, 2006.
- ^ Announced on January 31 show
- ^ TVWeek.com Retrieved March 5, 2007.
- ^ 100 Winners. Retrieved on February 14, 2007.
- ^ quiznation. Retrieved on February 14, 2007.
