Upon watching this show for what I'm presuming the first time,my father observed that the show's payout seemed paltry compared to the amount of brain power invested into the front game and end game. But what my dad didn't care to notice was that this game--produced and ran exclusively through Game Show Network--was created and ran primarily as a variation on the popular but now not-seen NBC daytime game "Scrabble",that a cable produced show doesn't have the prize budget of a show that is run by,say Sony Pictures,and that the whole élan of this show was that the true star of this show(besides host Chuck Woolery or whichever hostess,which happened from about season two on)was the game,a word game that is born out of the same game principles as Bingo(Language or Letters + Bingo= Lingo),and that the ability to master this game is a skill in and to itself.In other words,the money is secondary to the ability to show off one's mastery of words. As such,it's a fine watch,nothing all-too spectacular. The time constraints and game clock seem to be run rather arbitrarily,vis-a-vis the game pacing and this show would simply NOT have any character without a genuinely affable persona like Woolery mastering the ceremonies. Even though I cannot consider myself a fan,I think it's a watchable enough show that I kinda hope its still going to be renewed(assuming that it hasn't been canceled)and that they continue to tweak the game formula,prizes and all. A kind of game show for the viewer who enjoys the game itself over the promised payout.
