SET REPORT!
Exclusive! (updated: April 5, 2011)

GSN began filming their own rendition of “Lingo”, a game show that they brought-back in 2002 that lasted until 2007. It was hosted by Chuck Woolery.
Satellite TV
Today’s updated “Lingo” has as its host Bill Engvall (Blue Collar Comedy) who is holding his own without the help of a co-host. Past “Lingo” shows featured a host and a female co-host. There were talks earlier that GSN was scouting for a co-host for Engvall. We aren’t sure what happened with that.

At an early taping of the show last week it was difficult to stay focused on the game play. After sitting through three consecutive shoots, it got easier. A lack of enthusiasm from the host and contestants didn’t help keep interest either. Readers should keep in mind that the show is still in it’s early stages. Surely momentum is expected to pick-up as production progresses. They have forty tapings to get through to complete the full season. The production schedule has them filming six episodes per shoot day (four days per week).

How the Game is Played:

The game is played with two pairs of contestants, two players to a team, that try to out-guess each other by solving five-lettered word puzzles. They are introduced while standing atop stairs before walking down onto the stage. One member from each team pulls a numbered ball from their bunch of twenty. Whomever pulls the ball with the highest number plays first.

LINGO set!

The half-hour word game show is broken-up into four rounds. In each round contestants must solve the word puzzles based on a clue given to them by Engvall. First, teams are shown their “Lingo” boards which are displayed on a digital monitor. Contestants are given a set of twenty physical numbered balls in which they select individual balls to play “Lingo”. For each number on the “Lingo” board, there is a numbered ball to match it. The numbers on the balls are facing away from contestants who pull the balls which look like sliver mini-bowling balls.

The object of the game is for a team to solve the most word puzzles and gain control of the board in order to block-off the most letters on the “Lingo” board to get five in a row and claim “Lingo”. The team that does that, wins that round.

The words that they are solving are also shown on the same digital monitor. With each solved word, the winner of the round gets to choose two numbered balls. Contestants have five chances to solve a word puzzle.

If a team calls-out a word that is not a “word”, the other team takes control of the board. If a team plays all of their five chances without solving the word, the game play goes to the other team and that team gets an additional letter to help them solve the word.

Out of each team’s pool of numbered balls they might pull a red ball called a “stopper ball” in which case, this forfeits their chance of blocking-out any numbers on their “Lingo” board and the other team takes control. A team can also pull a “prize” ball in which this case, they win a prize that might be a free one-year subscription to Netflix DVDs.

Words solved in the first round are worth $100. Second round words are worth $200, and third round words are worth $500. In the fourth and final round, called “Bonus Lingo”, players can double their winnings with the first word that they solve in that round. Each additional word that they solve, the money is doubled each time. The grand prize of $100,000 can be won if a team solves five words (without clues) in sixty seconds! The team gets to keep the money that they earn if they don’t win the $100,000. One team earned $10,000!

Spoiler Alert! Spoiler Alert!

An audience member commented that the set reminded them of “Tron”. Each team plays at the end of a strip of a lighted runway, and a purplish/bluish archway marks the teams’ separate play areas.

Duo member teams consisted of boss/employer; girlfriend/boyfriend combination’s.

The most entertaining part of the show filming was when a contestant yelled-out a “P—-” word that had the clue “it comes with cream”. The word can’t be repeated in this article. However, the show had no problem letting the contestant play the word and allowed it to come-up on the display board.

GSN will air the series later this year.