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Studio City, CA – Filming for the NBC import of “The Cube”, called “Minute to Win It” with host from Food Network fame, Guy Fieri began on Friday in Studio City.

NBC introduces food host Guy Fieri to the masses. Possibly another show debacle for the network.

The show introduced a set of challenges for it’s contestants that involve using everyday household objects and making complicated stunts with them. It’s almost like Nickelodeon’s “Double Dare” but without the extreme messiness!

The obvious advantage of using everyday items is the show saves tons in production costs especially when the game play takes place directly on the stage with very few props.

Each contestant must complete a series of ten tasks to be completed in one minute or less to win the grand money prize of $1 million. In pursuant of that, the lower money levels that can be obtained are: $1,000; $2.500; $5,000; $10,000; $50,000; $75,000; $125,000; $250,000; $500,000. If $50,000 is won, the contestant keeps that if they fail at tasks after that. If they lose before earning $50,000, they walk away with nothing.

Some tasks that were given to game competitors on Friday’s show included the following: Pulling tissues out of a box with one hand; hitting three soda cans off of another one with a ball of yarn; sucking M&Ms candy up with a drinking straw and placing them atop other straws; riding a bath rug around an obstacle of bath instruments one of which was a toilette plunger; pulling-up M&Ms candy placed on top of a pencil with two strings; and one contestant’s feat was to move cookies into her mouth using only her face muscles.

Rules of challenges are not clearly stated by Fieri, or the announcer. There is a chance the show will add some narration in post production later.

Players get multiple chances if they fail a task. But, only two and they’re called “lives” which represent doppelgangers of there own selves. An exception was made when one contestant could not complete the first task. After missing it the first time, the director of the show stated that they were going to give her a “mulligan” due to nerves. When the contestant failed it a second time. Guess what? Production stopped the show, cleared the stage. Then re-started the whole show over again from the very beginning with a new first task for the player. Really? Did executive producer Mark Burnett leave the set of “Our Little Genius” and go straight onto this one? No game show Standards & Practices in sight, and a “game show” lets a contestant re-start their game.

“Minute to Win It” openly states that every contestant on the show is given the challenges ahead of time and are allowed to practice them at home. I really lost interest at that point. It’s not fun watching contestants re-do something that they’ve already done a number of times at home, even if they still fail the task on-stage.

During day one of filming, there was no explanation given to why contestants practice at home. One possibility might be due to the fact that contestants are given only two lives compared to nine lives given on “The Cube”. Then, why not just add more lives?

With the NBC Pubic Relations Department on a walk-out due to the Conan O’Brien upheaval, NBC really can’t afford another show controversy.