The $100,000 Pyramid

I do like this show, but has anyone else noticed that they hardly ever have straight, white male contestants? That's a bizarre thing to say I know. But it's true. Why? It's up to them what they want to do, but...

Michael Strayhorn - yes I'm misspelling it because I have zero respect for him - is a horrible host. Remember when this show used to be the second most intelligent show after Jeopardy? This is Pyramid for Dummies... and it starts with the host and goes downhill from there... Sometimes they have smart, competitive celebrities - but just as often they have someone that doesn't have a single brain cell in their head - like "Housewifes" stars (for lack of a better word) and rappers or comedians who are as dumb as a mud fence... And the judges will allow just about anything to make the celebrities seem smarter than they are... the bonus round is usually a joke... They need to fire Strayhorn and totally revamp this show... otherwise its just a dumbed-down waste of time - like giving playdoh to a kid who can solve a Rubik's Cube.

I've been watching reruns of this show for the past couple of weeks, I think mostly from over five years ago, so I hopefully they've learned and it's better now. But, there have been numerous really bad choices for the celebrities. It's painful to watch. I won't mention any names, but some of these guys seem to not have any idea how to play. I get that they want a good mix of types of celebrities, but some people just aren't meant to be on a game show. Why would they have them on? Shouldn't they know how to play the game before being accepted to help contestants win? It's not fair because the contestants give excellent clues, but some of the celebrities JUST DON'T GET IT! I'd be mad! Just saying.

Otherwise, I'm really enjoying this version with Michael Strahan. I've watched this show since I was a kid and always enjoyed it. Dick Clark, Donny Osmond, and Michael Strahan have all been great hosts. I hope they keep getting intelligent celebrities on who know how to play!

This version of $100,000 Pyramid is the best remake of this show. In the early 2000s, we got the slick Donny Osmond version, which was style over substance. A few years back, we got one on GSN that suffered budget issues, weak contestants and bad celebrities. This one checks off most of the boxes accurately.

First off, host. Michael Strahan takes over the podium and he does a great job. He's friendly, upbeat and really projects a good Dick Clark vibe but with his own touch. He knows when to crack a joke, he knows when to keep the game moving, he even knows when to give the perfect clue. He doesn't do the back rubs like Clark did, but in 2019, that likely would be frowned upon.

The celebrities are pretty solid. The show moved back to NYC, where it taped in the 70s, and maybe it's just me, but it seems the celebrities from NYC are just a bit more cerebral than the ones in L.A. Not all of them are great, but more of them have been strong players than weak players.

The game goes back to the 7 in 30 format, with a set that harkens to the 80s version but modernized. No 7-11 bonus, but the Mystery 7 remains and the prizes are solid. I wish they would change the tiebreaker rule, I don't like the fastest time gets to go to the Winner's Circle format.

Speaking of the WC, the bonus round is way too easy. One of the things I liked about Pyramid was the bonus round was challenging and rewarded intelligence, similar to Final Jeopardy. This one is way too relaxed on enforcing the rules. I've watched multiple episodes where contestants would have been buzzed in the 80s version for what they say. For the big money this show gives out, we should make it a bit more of a challenge.

Overall though, this is definitely one of the better versions of Pyramid. They did a great job remaking it to follow similar format to the 80s.

When he was first selected as a co-host with Kelly Ripa, I was pretty disappointed because I thought others would have been much better. Then, I watched him and he was great.

He is absolutely the perfect person as host of this program. He is witty and really gets into the game as well.

I like some of the guests especially Leslie Jones. I love her on SNL but I watched her help someone win $100,000 and she was so overwhelmed and happy that she was a part of it. Most of the celebrities are huggers especially after helping someone win either 50G or 100G. But watching a celebrity recoil away from a hug didn't make it for me. But I understand everyone is different.

I loved seeing Rita Moreno on and she was great.