Million Dollar Money Drop: reviews

The US version of Million Dollar Money Drop, the next game show format to be hosted by Eddie McGuire in Australia, has attracted mostly good reviews, despite the fact that a mistake ha caused the show to invite two contestants back.

The show, based on a UK format, piles up $1m in front of contestants who wager the money on general knowledge questions, only to see it slowly disappear before their eyes through a trapdoor.

When two contestants lost $800,000 on one question, viewers cried foul on the answer: “Which product was sold in stores first? The (a) Macintosh Computer (b) Sony Walkman or (c) Post-It Notes”.

When they answered C) they lost $800,000 but 3M later confirmed that the ‘Press and Peel’ which is the original name for the ‘Post-It Note’ was sold in stores in 1977. FOX is inviting the couple back despite the fact they also bombed out in the next question.

But reviews have found enough drama to keep them interested.

Washington Post said:
Just a dose of the show leads to sweaty palms and heightened anticipation – always a good sign. It’s funny how little it takes: Everything about the way “Million Dollar Money Drop” is built relies on one modern game-show trope after another, from the Lucite platforms, to the seizure-inducing laser light show, to the manufactured responses (the audience’s; the contestants’), to the ladies who hurry onstage to help rearrange the bundles of cash for the next round. What would make “Million Dollar Money Drop” more attuned to the times would be an epilogue at the end of the show, when people like Gabe and Brittany are forced to watch a significant portion of whatever they do win plummet down a hole labeled “federal and state taxes.”

NY Post said:
During each round, the contestant team must choose from three or four possible answers. From the screener copy sent by Fox, the categories all seem to be pop culture-y, so the more contestants know about celebrities, and pop culture, the better. Got it? Good. And so is the show. Yes, it feels like the illegitimate child of “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire,” and “Deal Or No Deal,” but I’ll bet you a million bucks, viewers will go for it anyway.

However, Variety said:
The title notwithstanding, “Million Dollar Money Drop” is a dime-a-dozen idea — a modest twist on the familiar gameshow template that draws from multiple big-money contests but owes its primary debt to “Deal or No Deal.” Granted, that simple-minded NBC program enjoyed a surprisingly durable run, but in terms of sustainability ultimately wasn’t as leggy as its miniskirted models. Similarly, Fox might get some short-term mileage out of “Money Drop’s” get-rich-quick (or not) formula in these recessionary times, but as alternative franchises go, the gimmick doesn’t feel like a stock to buy and hold.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPawPOdrmww[/youtube]