Written by Jennifer Amato
Paper! Snow! A ghost!
Though my favorite episode of Pyramid is the fictitious one on Friends where Joey can’t answer a question to save his life, I have always enjoyed the show $100,000 Pyramid. I still catch reruns of the original to this day. I particularly like how this new revival is basically identical to the original show, so it does not lose any of its magic.
For the first half of the new episode, Anthony Anderson fell flat both as a hint-giver and a guesser, but Sherri Shepherd was on point. She was an awesome player on either side of the table, and I enjoyed watching her enthusiasm as the game progressed. Then, it was great to see Rosie O’Donnell going up against Kathy Najimy in part two of the series opener. The comediennes really made the show come to life.
I’m also a fan of Michael Strahan and think his personality is a perfect fit for this game show as host. His crowning moment tonight was when he said to Anthony Anderson, “You’re not black, you’re black-ish,” playing off the title of Anderson’s sitcom.
I challenge any viewer to not look at the TV screen as the hints are being revealed, guess the correct answers and not get hooked. Trivia and guessing games become an addiction, and Pyramid is no different. Although, the first Winner’s Circle featured clues about types of cars, states that begin with the letter “M” and hair colors – categories that are way too easy to win $50,000, in my opinion. There were no moments at all during the hour when I was screaming at the TV in frustration. I like to see a challenge and have contestants really work for their money; plus, it makes me feel a lot smarter when the questions are difficult and I am able to answer them on my own. However, the show is very entertaining nonetheless.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10
