The Reviews Are In, 'Duel' And Greenberg Get Destroyed
Monday, December 17, 2007
I still can't even figure out what the gameshow Duel is even about, but lucky for me (and us) the Washington Post got to check it out before we did. Even after reading this review I don't know how the game is played or why it's a "6-Day Event", but I know that WaPo writer Tom Shales hated the show and the host Mike Greenberg even more.
Shales on the Gameshow:
"The game is played with $5,000 poker chips placed on circles representing four answers each to a series of questions. These range from "How long does it take light to get from the sun to the Earth?" to, for the deep thinkers in the crowd, "Which celebrity has not been married to a musical artist who has sold a million records?"Shales on Mike Greenberg:
Although "Deal or No Deal" requires no knowledge of anything, the game does generate a certain amount of suspense, mainly along the lines of "how dumb will the contestant be?" On a recent edition, a contestant who vowed loudly that she wanted to go "all the way" turned down a guaranteed $101,000 prize on the hope of winning $200,000. The poor fool walked away with only a grand."
On the surface, "Duel" demands a general awareness of the world on the part of the players, but luck has a large role as well. At least Howie Mandel, "Deal's" host, is able to keep up a sense of tension, however illusory, and inject occasional hilarity. By depressing contrast, Mike Greenberg, who hosts "Duel," appears to have been born without a sense of humor (even though he is half of "Mike and Mike in the Morning," a sports-chat show on ESPN), but with an obvious contempt for all game show contestants.Ouch. That burns. I said it before and I'll say it again....this thing could be canceled before it reaches day three.
Among his witticisms: "Discretion is the better part of valor." He so mercilessly drags out the proceedings, repeating contestants' options ad nauseam, that a player named Denise at one point snaps, "Oh, just get on with it!" Thus the most honest and enjoyable moment of the show.
Repeatedly on tonight's premiere, Greenberg sucks the energy out of the air and punctures whatever little balloons of interest might be floating around. The "Star Wars"-y set suggests an earthbound space ship; it includes a sliding cattle ramp by which contestants reach the round podium where the questions are meted out.
What just happened?
Who's Ready For A Mike Greenberg Hosted Gameshow (Awful Announcing)
ABC's 'Duel' Personality? Dull and Dumb (Washington Post)
21 Comments:
ABC is only two years late to the 'poker chip' craze.
That died a quick death a long time ago.
Greenberg seems to be some type of "golden boy" at the Disney/ABC/ESPN corporate offices but he and they surely have made a huge mistake with this "stepping out" of his element. Just fine on "Mike & Mike" but needs to confine himself to that. Showing up on soap operas, calling Arena games, etc. is not helping his career. Nice that he wants to challenge himself and not stay in a comfort zone but I think it best he should do just that.
On the other hand, "Eric & Mike in the Morning" was surprisingly pleasant to watch this morning, except for the multiple times where they hyped Greeny's game show. The disrespect Greenberg seems to show toward Golic is just so consistent and thorough anymore that Golic just shines when he's not on the show. I'd wish Greenberg a fond farewell from the morning show, but the ESPN radio execs have screwed up the previous hires at every other time slot, so I'm sure they'd screw up this one as well.
An hour of reaction shots from fat people and Greenberg taking on a mid-70's Vampire Bowie look.
Why does he look like a goddamn undertaker...
He will do whatever they tell him.
Answer the question! Big money! NOW!!!
That is some serious unintentional hilarity.
The only reason they probably made this show in the first place was the writers strike.
Looks awesome to me.
I think it would be better if the show was just two Southern old men actually dueling with Greenberg as the host. Now that would be ratings gold.
The home version of Duel: it comes with a corporate ass sucking monkey mortician and a rule book with the same 3 rules printed on five hundred pages.
ONLY Greenberg would look at the ugly red-head while a babe in a low-cut dress bends over in front of him.
He has said on the show (years ago, when it was mostly listenable) that he would pretty much do whatever THE MOUSE asked him to do.
Hoo-Wa.
"ABC is only two years late to the 'poker chip' craze."
You do know who owns ESPN, right?
I love how all you sheep mimic the ESPN haters, yet continue to watch it. How shitty would it be if ESPN disappeared?
if poker was that hot -- why is ABC just joining the craze now?
this show is not poker, but it's only using poker chips trying to cash in on a dieing craze.
Was that Journey's Steve Perry? (27 seconds in)
Certainly not as bad as the Washington Post said....the poker chips are just to prove how idiotic people are on some questions...Greenberg wasn't as annoying as your typical game show host....show was passable.
Certainly not as bad as the Washington Post said....the poker chips are just to prove how idiotic people are on some questions...Greenberg wasn't as annoying as your typical game show host....show was passable.
I have the technology of a DVR (Tivo) and it was still unbearable. What were they thinking. Was there any test market whatsoever? Good bye $1,000,000. Like it will really hurt ABC.
Mike Greenberg, the host of Duel does a pretty good job but he keeps putting his pen in his mouth. This is so annoying for a television personality! I have never seen anyone do such a thing!
Funniest game show I've ever seen.
PS who the hell watches Real Deal or whatever.
This show is awful. The host refers to the contests by their job.."the Lunch Lady", the "Mechanic", etc., which is very condescending. And it is slow - slow - slow punctuated by to many commercials.
I'm not surprised I've always found greenberg to be a massive tool espically after he side stepped the golic roids story