User:Daniel Benfield/TNN Game Show Video Archive

From its beginnings as a country-music channel to "The National Network" to its last years as "The New TNN", what was once known as The Nashville Network (and now is, IIRC, Spike) had several good game shows and at least one big stinker (I can't seem to find anything substantial of Oblivious, sorry).

For the record, I'm not a fan of country music, and sometimes I can't stand it. That said...boy, TNN used to be fun.

LEGAL STUFF SO I DON'T GET SUED: I'm only linking to these videos, none of which were uploaded by me, for the purposes of research and as a public record. Footage ©1983-94/2000/2002-03 Reid-Land Productions/China Train Productions/The Greif Company and associated entities.

Fandango
TNN, Daily: March 8, 1983 - March 31, 1989

The network's first game show, and its most enduring. It also seemed to get nothing but better as things progressed, with an overhaul in March 1987 to offer much more and add a co-host in Blake Pickett.

Since I have this info and don't want it to go to waste...Season 5 aired from March 2-August 28, 1987, while Season 6 aired from February 29-August 26, 1988.

Original format and set
 * Taped 3/30/83 (#32361/Celebrity Week, Day 1: Teddy Wilburn/Connie Smith/Jim Ed Brown, with several fun moments and a rare incident in the bonus round; studio master with slate and timecode!)
 * ["61" is colored differently from the other digits, suggesting that it's the episode number. If it's a sequential number, this is May 31.]


 * 1985 (Joey/Janet/Tony {"Meet the Stars" Guest: Hank Williams Jr.}; has commercials, begins just before Round 1)
 * 1985 (Bob/Judy/Joey {"Meet the Stars" Guest: Rex Allen Jr.}; has commercials)


 * March-April 1986 (Monday-Thursday: Judy/Joe/Roslyn {Day 2}; "Meet the Stars" Guest: O.B. McClinton {taped 11/85}; has commercials, begins with last 38 seconds of You Can Be A Star!)
 * [One promo is for TNN's 3rd-Anniversary celebrations, beginning April 6.]
 * March-April 1986 (Tuesday-Friday: Glendon/Cheryl/Joe {"Meet the Stars" Guest: Tanya Tucker}, with Bill showing off a set mockup done by a young viewer {taped 11/85}; has commercials)

Revamped format and set
 * March-May 1987 (Stanley/David/Rich {$5,000+}; begins shortly into open {"-all-new Fandango!"})

"All-new" dropped from opening spiel, white "rectangle rim" outlines added to center of each contestant podium
 * June-August 1987 (Dave/Sharon/Billy {Day 4 - $2,750}; "Meet the Stars" Guests: Mel McDaniel, Charlie Daniels; Edgar reveals that he has no hair!)
 * [First +/-50 question mentions Joan Rivers as having a talk show in the present tense.]


 * June-August 1987 (Monday?: Larry/Joyce/David {$4,200}; "Meet the Stars" Guests: Becky Hobbes, T. Gram Brown; Larry gets credit for creativity during Round 1! has a few commercials)
 * [Before Round 1, Edgar appears to make reference to the discussion about Blake's mother on the above episode.]


 * 1987 (Clip of Blake getting her dress caught while Edgar describes an $8,500 Pontiac Sunbird SE Coupe, causing Bill to laugh and come into shot; from TNN's 10th-Anniversary video presentation)
 * [Given what car it is (plus Edgar mentioning the seven-day cruise to Alaska), this may be from March-May '87.]

Nametags removed, nameplates added to contestant podiums (as they had before the overhaul), players introduced as they were before the set overhaul (at their podiums)
 * 1988 (Priscilla/Ken/Jacquie {Champ}; player interviews and partial round)
 * May 30-August 26, 1988 (David/Pam/Steve {Champ}; has an Opryland plug and a TNN "5 Years" bumper, ends after Round 1)

Money Mania
''TNN: October 16? - December 31, 1986 (aired live for six hours every night for 11 weeks)''

A lotto game for home viewers with jackpots on offer which pretty much existed solely to get people to buy stuff through International Catalog Clearinghouse (see here for more).

Really didn't work – the show gave more than it made, and lost $2,000,000!


 * October 31, 1986 (15-minute clip of an $11,000 Jackpot drawing, with mention made of someone winning $6,000 last night)

Top Card
TNN, Daily: April 3, 1989 - March 26, 1993

The show that replaced Fandango was just as good. Jim Caldwell returned to hosting following his one season of Tic-Tac-Dough, and does pretty well here. In March 1991, Jim and Blake were replaced by Dan Miller and Paige Brown.

Originally, the questions could be about anything. In 1989 or '90, this was limited to being all about music...which in turn was further cut down to solely country music by the end of the run.

Jim Caldwell and Blake Pickett (1989-91)
 * April 3, 1989 (Premiere: Larry/Lisa/Steven; low audio {alternate copy})
 * 1989 (Monday-Thursday: Sandy/Barry/Debi {Champ})

Slightly different format (big thing: all music questions), less-flashy set
 * August 1, 1990 (Gail/Jim/Pam {$2,400}; small bits cut out, nothing big)
 * August 2, 1990 (Paul/Susan/Jim)

Dan Miller and Paige Brown (1991-93)
 * March 25, 1993 (2nd-to-last: Holly/Ron/Sharon {Day 3}; begins at Ron's intro)
 * March 26, 1993 (Unannounced Finale: Dawn/Terry/Sharon {taped 1992})

10 Seconds
TNN, Daily: March 29, 1993 - March 25, 1994

Pretty much half of Name That Tune, with Bid-A-Note as the front game and Golden Medley as the bonus round. Originally, the Jackpot started at $2,500 and increased by $500 per day until won; later on, the starting point was dropped to $1,000.

Jackpot starts at $2,500
 * March 29, 1993 (Premiere: Marie vs. Tom {Jackpot: $2,500}; no player intros or credits)
 * March 30, 1993 (#2: Leigh Ann vs. Tom; no open nor credits)
 * March 31, 1993 (#3: Rodney vs. Leigh Ann; has one commercial, no open nor credits)
 * April 2, 1993 (#5: Mae vs. Rodney; no open nor credits)


 * 1993 (John vs. Glenn {Jackpot: $8,500!})
 * [Not sure whether this belongs here or below. Might be April 14.]

Jackpot starts at $1,000
 * 1993 (Thursday: Freddy vs. Randall {Jackpot: $1,000}; has commercials)

Rockin' Bowl
TNN: 2000

Appears to be kinda obscure, but hey that's partly why I do these things: it's pretty much "extreme bowling", which sounds kinda stupid but really isn't.


 * February 8, 2000 (University of Kansas vs. Purdue University)
 * March 3, 2000 (A member of Western Illinois University's team invades ECW, and some fun ratings-based banter ensues; amusingly, this didn't air on TNN but rather "ECW Hardcore TV", which was syndicated during the period ECW aired on TNN)
 * May 2, 2000 (Round 2: University of Kansas vs. St. John's University)


 * May-June? 2000 (Semifinals: University of Illinois vs. Western Illinois University {Parts 4, 5, 6, and 7})


 * May-June? 2000 (Finals {and Finale?}: Western Illinois University vs. Indiana State University {Parts 4, 5, 6, and 7}; who will win $10,000?)

Taboo
TNN: 2002 - February 7, 2003 (40ish episodes; taping began Fall 2002)

...Holy crap, what a mess. I don't doubt that Taboo can be made into a good game show, but this isn't it. Mostly because they're trying way too hard to be "edgy" and "hip".

A pre-debut press release calls the show "unspeakable fun". Yeah, no, it's just unspeakably bad.


 * 2002 (Jaime/Amy/Jeffrey vs. Victoria/Gordon/Scott {Part 3}, with Chris making reference to a new "TABOO!" sound effect and the bonus subject being a very thinly-veiled bunch of product plugs)
 * 2002-03 (Staci/Micah/Liisa vs. Brion/Tiffany/Jon {Part 3}, with Wheel of Fortune as a subject in the bonus game!; ends shortly into credits)