PlayMania Show Review: A New Interactive Gameshow on Game Show Network

 It is Thursday night, June 1, 2006.  I am watching GSN, the game show network.  The show on is called PlayMania.  It airs every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night from 10 PM - midnight (Pacific Standard Time).  I just discovered this show while surfing through the Dish.  After viewing it for a few minutes, I was intrigued.  The set-up is quite simple.  It is an interactive show that gives viewers the chance to win money from home.

The show's concept is that a host introduces a variety of puzzle games each usually with multiple answers.  For example, the game I first saw asked viewers to name the Top 5 highest grossing Jim Carrey movies.  The #1 answer was worth $150, and #2 was for $80.  The remaining movies were worth less and less.  

To have a chance to win, you need to send a text message which gives you the opportunity to make it onto the board of upcoming contestants.  It is very difficult to make it onto the board (which is constantly updated on your TV screen) as so many people are trying.  You are limited to 10 text messages per show and each text costs 99 cents.  Other restrictions apply.

If you are lucky enough to make it onto the board, you recieve a call from the show and are put on TV, live with the chance to give your answer.  The show example I saw, the Jim Carrey movies took about 30 minutes to complete.  Dozens of people kept trying to say Ace Ventura.  It wasn't in the Top 5, though.  The show does not list the wrongly guessed answers so you need to keep track of them yourself so you don't repeat one if you are on air.