Photo by HomeParking
So it turns out that blogless wonder Scott McIntyre has appeared on 5 game shows in the UK, including “The Weakest Link,” which he won. It reminded me that I hadn’t revealed my top secret game show tips yet. Of course, “top secret” really just means “logical,” but logic seems to be quite rare among many game show contestants (though I haven’t watched any in years, so I never saw ones like “The Weakest Link”).
Without further ado, here are three tips you can’t miss.
1. Don’t try to make the best guess, just make the right guess.
There was one show where two people had to guess how many hours of TV someone watched; whoever came closest won. The first person guessed 10. The second person, knowing the first person’s answer, guessed 5.
The second person was closest because the answer was 1, but guessing 5 was a bad idea. After the first person guessed 10, the only reasonable guesses for the second person were 9 or 11. That’s because the goal isn’t to get as close as possible to the right answer, but just to get closer than the other person. If you leave any room between your guesses, there’s a chance that the answer will be in between them, and the other person might be closer.
This doesn’t apply to The Price Is Right, where you lose if you go over. In that situation, it makes perfect sense to guess far below someone else, even $1.
2. When only one basket can win, put all your eggs in it.
There was another show where two people are asked a question, and they each answer true or false (they can both give the same answer). If someone’s right, they take a step forward. Three steps forward and they win.
In this case, the first person just needed to get one more question right to win, and the second person was further behind. On the next question, the first person makes a guess. What should the second person do?
Well, there’s only one thing they can do: guess the opposite of whatever the first person says. The only way they can win is if the first person gets all the remaining questions wrong, so they have to run with that.
Guessing the same answer as the first person doesn’t help when they’re ahead and just need one more to win. Either both people are wrong and nothing happens, or they’re both right and the first person wins. So the second person should just guess the opposite and hope the first person is wrong. It’s their only chance.
3. Don’t share lottery jackpots.
OK, the lottery isn’t a game show, but it’s like a game show in that you can influence the results. No, you can’t control your chances of winning–that’s completely random, and no “system” will change that. However, you can control the chances of having to split the jackpot with someone else in the event that you do win.
You do this by picking some numbers that other people don’t pick. This means numbers above 31, because people use birthdays and anniversaries to pick numbers. Then if your ticket is the one in 175 million that wins, you’re less likely to find that someone else has chosen those same numbers.
Better yet, don’t play the lottery.
Thank you, Hunter, for the honorable mention.
I had a great deal of fun taking part in the gameshows and I guess I auditioned for them for that reason… of course, winning was a brilliant bonus.
The main thing was not minding if I made a total fool of myself- either by not knowing answers or by running around a studio mock-up of a supermarket in a cash and grab type game
(I know it’s hard to imagine… but watch this space: there will be a short clip appearing online in the not too distant future
Hi Hunter,
I knew Scott was a game show winner. That’s pretty awesome. He’s the only one I “know” who ever won on one.
I’m intrigued by Scott’s comment. especially the last line. A video clip?
Barbara Swaffords last blog post..NBOTW – Determined To Be The Best
Hi again Hunter and Barbara,
Yes- I’m going to put a compilation clip online soon… just so you can all witness my tomfoolery first-hand
All I know is that I would do a lot worse on a real game show than I do from my armchair. Jeopardy would kill me in the history department. I could possibly do OK on Wheel of Fortune. There has to be some kind of weird sub-cult of people who try to get on game shows all the time.
Subscribing to comments. There is nothing to see here. Carry on.
Michael Martines last blog post..If You Have a Second, I’d Like Your Help
@ Scott, I think another good way of making a fool of yourself is to say “Come on, big money, big money!” Maybe we only do that in the U.S. I’d love to see your compilation clip!
@ Barbara, I knew someone who was on Jeopardy. He did pretty well until he blew it in the end. But I’ve never known anyone who appeared on five game shows, let alone a “strongest link!”
@ Michael, hey, I know you! I’m sure game shows are much harder when you’re actually there instead of just watching at home. And I’d probably get questions that were specifically chosen to match my weaknesses. I’ve seen some $100 questions on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire that I thought were harder than some $1,000,000 questions.
Any why can’t they make a plugin to let people subscribe to comments without leaving a comment? I don’t see why they should be connected. And why does CommentLuv only work when it feels like it?
I didn’t know that about Scott! I’m impressed. I could NEVER do that – way too shy. Interesting tips , though!
Vered – MomGrinds last blog post..Hate Mail: Apparently, I’m a Bad Mom
Hunter, with the right plugin, it is possible to subscribe to comments without leaving one. See here.
Hi – I didn’t know Scott had done that either. I’m impressed – I couldn’t do the Weakest Link. I’d wind up slapping that mean woman. Thanks for sharing the tips.
Cath Lawsons last blog post..Grilled Frog On Toast Anyone?
Interesting tips. I’ve never tried to analyze game show responses logically.
@Michael Martine – I think game show contestants are probably selected as much for their perkiness or TV likeability as they are for their brains. Maybe even more so, since the shows don’t really want too many people to win.
@Dot – Well, that means I have no hope at all. I don’t do perky.
Michael Martines last blog post..Remarkablogger Manifesto: What Do You Believe In?
Hi Hunter: These are great tips. And I’m very impressed that Scott has been on so many game shows and actually won one. I think that before appearing on a game show you need to study the rules of the game show and device strategies like the ones that you suggest here Hunter, although it looks like people go on game shows and just kind of wing it.
Have you heard of the Monty Hall Paradox? Basically, suppose you’re on a game show where there are three doors and there’s a million dollars behind one of them; you choose the first door but before the game host opens it he opens the third door and there’s nothing there; he then asks whether you want to stay with your choice of the first door or if you want to guess door number two instead: you should choose door number two because there is a now a one third probability that the million dollars are behind door one and a two thirds probability that the million dollars are behind door number two.
Marelisas last blog post..30 Things to Do in the 100 Days Left in 2008
I think you’d do well at the casinos. You’ve just shown that you are good at calculating the odds versus the evens.
@ Vered, I don’t know, I think you’d do well on a show where you have to point out fashion faux pas!
@ Michael, ah, it DOES exist!
@ Cath, yeah, I saw her on previews, and I don’t know how civil I’d be to her.
@ Dot, I’m sure that’s true. After all, their goal is to maximize the number of viewers, not give away the most money! I remember Who Wants to Be a Millionaire at one point made the questions easier because no one had won yet, and then someone won. But later, after they had given away too much money, they were told to either get harder questions or dumber people!
@ Marelisa, oh yeah, I should write about that problem. I really like how I can outsource idea generation to my readers!
@ Evelyn, I don’t think you’re likely to find me in a casino. I don’t like to play games where I expect to lose!
“I think another good way of making a fool of yourself is to say ‘Come on, big money, big money!’”
But it’s okay in private, right? Like when you’re logging into Adsense and waiting for your day’s total to show up?
Lindsays last blog post..Can You Still Make Money Blogging if You’re Not an Expert at Anything?
@ Lindsay, yes, that’s fine as long as you don’t clap while you’re saying it!
[...] a comment on my post Top Secret Tips For Winning Game Shows, Marelisa the abundance queen reminded me of the Monty Hall paradox, which deserves a post of its [...]