It is extremely obvious that this show was made in the wake of Who Wants to be a Millionaire's popularity. The set almost exactly remade from it (save the addition of the multiple podiums), the sound-effects are nearly identical and the premise and feel virtually the same.
However, this is not Who Wants to be a Millionaire, although it comes fairly close. What makes this game different is the addition of the team and the Terminator. The team-play gives a fresh variance from it's predecessor, and the fact that the captain can either accept or eliminate any answer gives it another fresh element. In every other team-based game-show, the individual members of the team choose their answers. Here it still boils down to that one individual, although he gets constant suggestions instead of life-lines. The Terminator is the most original part of this show, which randomly will choose one team member to challenge another for their share in the money. My favorite part of the show, however, is when the host actually shows the captain the money, when he takes it out in front of them and fans it around a bit. I love game-shows, I really do, and in every other show I've seen you always lose your concept of money; you never quite remember exactly how much you've won. This grounds the contestants back into reality, forcing them to come to terms with what they can easily walk away with.
This show does have it's flaws. The questions are inconsistent, and can vary from the mundanely simple to the impossibly hard. I haven't seen them ever find a stride that's challenging, but still possible to answer with a fair bit of certainty. As I mentioned before, the set is FAR to reminiscent of Who Wants to be a Millionaire, in fact it's nearly identical. When they choose teams, I always found it annoying that they never showed the eliminated contestant's answer. And, finally, they wait far too long between answering the question and revealing the answer. It's a constant element to the show that begins to wear on a person after a few rounds.
However, the host is amiable and, as with the best of them, unobtrusive. However, much as he doesn't take anything away from the show, he really doesn't ADD to the show. But I suppose that this is preferable to one of the extremes.
Despite it's flaws, this really is an enjoyable show. It takes from Who Wants to be a Millionaire it's better components, while adding new aspects to keep it fresh. While the result is not nearly as good a show as that which it borrows from, it creates a better game-show than most others.
However, this is not Who Wants to be a Millionaire, although it comes fairly close. What makes this game different is the addition of the team and the Terminator. The team-play gives a fresh variance from it's predecessor, and the fact that the captain can either accept or eliminate any answer gives it another fresh element. In every other team-based game-show, the individual members of the team choose their answers. Here it still boils down to that one individual, although he gets constant suggestions instead of life-lines. The Terminator is the most original part of this show, which randomly will choose one team member to challenge another for their share in the money. My favorite part of the show, however, is when the host actually shows the captain the money, when he takes it out in front of them and fans it around a bit. I love game-shows, I really do, and in every other show I've seen you always lose your concept of money; you never quite remember exactly how much you've won. This grounds the contestants back into reality, forcing them to come to terms with what they can easily walk away with.
This show does have it's flaws. The questions are inconsistent, and can vary from the mundanely simple to the impossibly hard. I haven't seen them ever find a stride that's challenging, but still possible to answer with a fair bit of certainty. As I mentioned before, the set is FAR to reminiscent of Who Wants to be a Millionaire, in fact it's nearly identical. When they choose teams, I always found it annoying that they never showed the eliminated contestant's answer. And, finally, they wait far too long between answering the question and revealing the answer. It's a constant element to the show that begins to wear on a person after a few rounds.
However, the host is amiable and, as with the best of them, unobtrusive. However, much as he doesn't take anything away from the show, he really doesn't ADD to the show. But I suppose that this is preferable to one of the extremes.
Despite it's flaws, this really is an enjoyable show. It takes from Who Wants to be a Millionaire it's better components, while adding new aspects to keep it fresh. While the result is not nearly as good a show as that which it borrows from, it creates a better game-show than most others.
