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Ugly Betty and Office producer brings game show to NBC
Ben Silverman, the executive producer of Ugly Betty and The Office, has more than sitcoms up his sleeve. Silverman and friends are introducing a game show called Identity to television before the end of the year. Taking the Deal or No Deal approach to scheduling, NBC has decided to fast-track the show and air it every night over an eight night stretch between December 18th and December 22nd. Penn Jillette, one half of magic duo Penn & Teller and co-host of Showtime's Bullshit, will host.Contestants will compete for $500,000 by matching up 12 strangers with identifying characteristics - shoe size, occupation, weight, etc. The show is as much a social experiment as it is a game show. According to Silverman, Identity is a "game of first impressions." Later in the article, he says, "If there are already a lot of shows that deal with luck and chance, this is a show that plays in the psychological space."
Sounds promising, doesn't it? I think of most games as being part luck and part strategy. Types of games are defined by the proportional relationship between those two elements. Personally, I like the high on strategy, low on luck games. My stomach just can't take the anxiety that comes with chance. I hate watching those briefcases open on Deal or No Deal - eye candy or no. It's gut-wrenching. I can, however, get behind any show based partly on social psychology, produced by Ben Silverman and hosted by Penn Jillette. That's family-friendly good times in the making.
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