GSN's latest original effort debuts tonight.

It's not related to game shows, but that doesn't neccessarily make it a bad thing.

http://www.gsn.com/specific_page_elements.php?link_id=S81

Looks to be a very interesting program. They're even going to cover the PA Lottery Fix, it appears.

I was watching "Cold Pizza" on ESPN2 this morning, and they made mention of this for the fact that it's the first time that Rosie Ruiz has spoken up since stumbling into the Boston Marathon like she did... and she STILL says she ran the whole race. Yeah, right.

Additionally, their bug said it was from "Game Show Network", not GSN (uh-oh). To which the hosts said, "that was from Game Show Network????".

I kinda wondered why some other network wouldn't pick up on something like this, but I think GSN deserves some credit for this. Wish I could see it, but don't have digital. I'm sure someone will write a review.

I'm going to check this out. I'm always up for a documentary if the subject is reasonably interesting, and it looks like GSN's got some good ones here.

The network is giving the show lots of airings to be sampled. Its unlikely, but imagine if this show does for the network what 'Behind the Music' did for VH-1 in '97.

You would have a point except what the hell does "Anything To Win" have to do with game shows? At least BTM had something to do with music (which used to be VH1's focus when it was on).

Nick also pointed out GSN's other problem. There's no way on God's green earth, no matter how much they try, they will ever shake their game show image.

Well, but it does have to do with games in general, which is GSN's focus now. And I could definitely see this being GSN's most successful original yet - I mean, I don't ever recall seeing as much positive media attention for other GSN originals as I have for this show.



You're right, and GSN has apparently realized this and given up. They're still trying to expand into different types of programming, but they're no longer trying to distance themselves from game shows. Otherwise, we wouldn't be seeing things like "That 70's Hour" and the upcoming IGaS revival.

This show rubs me the wrong way. The celebration of cheating is not something I personally want to watch.

It's not really a celebration. Kinda like E!'s True Hollywood Story is not a celebration of drug use and bankruptcy.

Next week is the MIT Blackjack team story. The problem is, they didn't cheat.

Counting cards will get you thrown out of most casinos, so that may not be a behavior to emulate, either.

As far as the subjects on E!, they seem to be famous for more than just drug use and bankruptcy. Is Rosie Ruiz known for anything other than cheating?

It'll get you thrown out, but not because it's cheating, because the casino phears that you will take them for a lot of money.

While it's certainly within their rights, it's about the most hypocritical thing about the gambling business.

The casino has no problem with people trying to card count...so long as they're not too good at it.

And the show isn't called "Cheating to Win". They simply did something out of the norm. The Press Your Luck saga would be another perfectly logical entry for this series if they hadn't already done it. So would the British Millionaire story, which of course WAS a case of cheating.

Good point, Matt. You could just as easily say that Branch Rickey "went outside the norm" in 1947.

I think the most interesting stories will not be ones where people cheated outright, although I'd like to see one on Danny Almonte in the Little League World Series. The most interesting stories will be ones whose actions were technically permissible but possibly unsportsmanlike.

I've always been surprised that GSN didn't pick up the rights to the Bashir documentary that ABC ran. It fits on the station and I'd think it would rerun well.

It surprises me that GSN isn't more inclined to think internationally. I've said before that there are probably any number of English-language game shows produced in other countries that could provide cheap, plentiful, first-run programming for them. Countdown in particular would seem an obvious choice, because there you don't have the country-specific Q&A element.

Another obvious choice : Deal or No Deal...unless Endemol's contract with NBC prohibits this...buy the daily from the UK and see what happens! :)

I don't think the daily DoND would fly with a US audience. It's VERY British. Not that that's a bad thing in and of itself, but I don't think the average GSN viewer would handle the culture shock very well.

Joe Six Pack: "A thousand pounds of what?"

But then they'll think, "Why do they always pick leotard?"