Moneyball (game show)
Moneyball is a British game show that has aired on ITV since 30 October 2021 and is hosted by Ian Wright.
| Moneyball | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Game show |
| Created by | Glenn Hugill |
| Presented by | Ian Wright |
| Composer | Paul Farrer |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Production location | Dock10[1] |
| Running time | 60 minutes (inc. adverts) |
| Production companies | Possessed and Potato |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV |
| Picture format | 16:9 |
| Original release | 30 October 2021 – present |
Background
The primetime game show was commissioned in February 2021 with football pundit and former player Ian Wright as host.[2]
Format
One contestant plays at a time, answering up to six questions and accumulating a bank of up to £250,000.
The centrepiece of the stage is a large screen framed by a U-shaped track. The screen is divided vertically into several zones based on the phase of the game. The contestant presses a button to set the initial height of the ball at the right side, after which it is released to roll back and forth on the track. The result is determined by the zone in which the ball stops; if it covers a boundary, the zone containing the majority of the ball takes precedence.
For each question, the contestant is given a category and shown two groups of three items each. They must pair the items up to form three responses that fit the category. (E.g. given the category "Bands" and the groups "Backstreet / Jonas / One" and "Direction / Boys / Brothers," pair them up as Backstreet Boys, Jonas Brothers, and One Direction.)
If the contestant responds correctly, they roll one ball in an effort to increase their bank. The screen displays one zone with the maximum value for that question, four others with smaller amounts, and two narrow red danger zones. If the ball lands in a money zone, that amount is added to the bank. The maximum value increases from one question to the next (£10,000, £20,000, £30,000, £40,000, £50,000, and £100,000).
If the contestant either responds incorrectly or lands a ball in a danger zone, no money is added to the bank for that turn and they must play a "Danger Board." The screen is divided into five zones of equal width, three blue "Safe" zones alternating with two red "Lose" zones. If the ball stops in "Safe," the game continues; if it stops in "Lose," the contestant is immediately dismissed with no winnings.
Once per game, the contestant may play a "Clue Ball" after giving a response. The screen is divided into three zones, one per pairing, and the pairing on which the ball stops is revealed as correct or incorrect. The contestant may use this information as they see fit before locking in their final response to the question.
After any turn, the contestant may choose to end the game and attempt to cash out. The screen is divided into five zones, three wide gold ones alternating with two narrower red "Lose" zones. The contestant wins the entire bank if the ball stops on a gold zone, or nothing if it stops on "Lose."
Reception
Hollie Richardson of The Guardian praised Wright's abilities as a host and how the nature of the show enabled contestants to risk large amounts of money.[3] In the same publication, Joel Golby compared Moneyball to two other new game shows: ITV's Sitting on a Fortune hosted by fellow ex-footballer Gary Lineker and Channel 4's Moneybags fronted by the actor and DJ Craig Charles. In Golby's eyes, Wright and Charles were skilled hosts while Lineker was not, but the questions were better on Moneybags than Moneyball.[4]
In the Belfast Telegraph, Billy Weir criticised the trend of new game shows being fronted by ex-footballers, citing Wright, Lineker and Alex Scott of The Tournament.[5] Liverpool Echo writer Kate Lally found that audience on Twitter complained that the questions on Moneyball were too easy.[6]
Iain Weaver of UKGameshows.com compared Moneyball to 2003's Wright Around the World as a waste of the host's personality. He also believed that the questions were too easy, noting that he had watched three episodes without seeing a wrong answer, and found the mechanical basis of the show to be a boring "tedious gimmick" based on luck. He praised the set design, the high prizes and the large number of contestants on each show.[7]
References
- ^ "ITV commissions new prime time game show Moneyball, hosted by Ian Wright". Dock10. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
- ^ Cottrell, Imani (2 February 2021). "Ian Wright to front new ITV game show Moneyball". Royal Television Society. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
- ^ Richardson, Hollie; Virtue, Graeme; Harrison, Phil; Wardell, Simon (30 October 2021). "TV tonight: Ian Wright turns gameshow host with a high-risk new concept". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
- ^ Golby, Joel (6 November 2021). "Moneybags: with tense trivia and total chaos, Craig Charles is the new king of TV quizzing". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
- ^ Weir, Billy (11 November 2021). "Who has decided that former footballers should be the new batch of quiz show hosts?". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
- ^ Lally, Kate (6 November 2021). "ITV's Moneyball questions leave viewers all saying the same thing". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
- ^ Weaver, Iain (21 November 2021). "Weaver's Week 2021-11-21". UKGameshows.com. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
External links
- Moneyball at IMDb
- Moneyball at UKGameshows.com