Let It Be Written

So, I think it's that time of the month where I write a post that's considerably less serious, and actually might be a lot more fun to think about.

I've recently been thinking about an idea for a game show. The show would be called, as the title of the post is written, "Let It Be Written." In case you guys try to stay away from cliches that your parents and grand parents used--and good on you if you're one of those people--"Let it be written" is the start of a (once) popular phrase that is said in it's entirety, "Let it be written. Let it be law."

The reason for this title, before I begin to describe the show's format: Game show networks love when cliches are part of their title. For one, the Whammy show is actually called "Press Your Luck!" Many other shows tend to do this, too, I just don't feel like listing them all. The point is, the show title already has that "catchy" value that network producers seem to look for.

The show/game: The idea for the game came from going through a list of written names at work, while also deciphering their comments. One worker, named Jamie, has what I would deem to be "masculine handwriting." However, I have no idea what his or her actual gender is, and I have not and will not ask(ed).
That said, the game wouldn't completely revolve around a document being actually written, but it's still in a part of the game and makes sense in the context of the whole game play. For example:

Phase 1: In this part of the game, contestant(s) would be given a quote on screen IN TEXT, i.e. NOT in written form, from a famous person. They would get 30 or so seconds to answer who the quote was written by and in what document/book/etc they wrote it in. If they can at least answer 1 of the 2, they get a certain amount of points (If they answer both, they get a certain more amount of points, and are given another textual quote). If they are unsure then they can say, "Skip!" and move to phase 2. If they are unsure, but still have a "Pass" option--which each contestant starts out with 2 per contest--then they can pass the doc over to the other contestant. In this case, they risk going down points, but if they guess incorrectly they lose X amount of points. So, it's a risk/reward strategy. If the contestant guesses the NAME of the writer, it will be assumed they also know the gender of the writer, therefore they win the points from Phase 2 without playing. If the contestant ONLY remembers which book, etc. the quote was written in, they get X minus 5 points of guessing the name.

Phase 2: In phase 2, the document is shown WRITTEN by the original writer. They have a 50/50 shot at guessing if the document is written by a man or woman for X minus 5 or 10 points of getting the name right in Phase 1. This might seem a little cheesy, but it will help keep contestants in the game simply by guessing.

The game is played in 3 rounds with each round having at least 3 sets of 2 phases as time permits, and each round getting harder--i.e. the quotes and writers will be deemed more obscure than the previous rounds. At the end of round 2 a winner is named for the amount of points they have over the other contestant. They move to round 3 to get two "very hard" difficulty level quotes. If they get them right, they win the game and the grand prize. In round 3, the winning contestant has a certain amount of money locked that they could walk away with if they so chose. But here's the interesting part: In order to use "Clues"--a lifeline only accessible in the grand-prize round--they will have to pay X amount of money from their bank to access them (this is similar to buying a vowel on the Wheel of Fortune). And the kicker is, they get an UNLIMITED amount of clues and 2 skips, which means they will have to use clues sparingly if they hope to go home with X amount of money plus whatever they would win for the grand prize. (Obviously the time they have to answer would get harder in rounds 1 and 2, but perhaps more time given to them in the final grand prize round since the quotes are harder)

Now, as many of you know: I love being creative. It's an avenue I use basically on the daily with music, writing, etc. That said, I also love getting feed back! Let me know what you guys think of the idea, and hit me back with suggestions to bolster the excitement of the game! I'm sure there are other ways that could get people glued to their television screens! I feel like this kind of show would have a Jeopardy type audience and contestant field. So whatever ideas you have, gear them along those lines!

If I get more ideas, or you guys can think of ways to tighten up the format, then I would seriously consider pitching this to a network! And, of course, anyone who has usable ideas will be granted the title of Co-Creator!

Thanks a bunch!

- PatInTheHat