Come On Down

If 8 out of 10 cats does something, you bet your ass that we're gonna do it too. This British game show features a panel of contestants cracking jokes about polls and statistics, with the occasional answer thrown in. Kind of like how this podcast is occasionally about game shows.

Years before Europe gave us “The Final Countdown,” the continent of Europe gave us the game show Countdown. Starting in France before emigrating to the UK, Countdown feels exactly like a game show stuffy old British people would watch and tut-tut at. Listen in to learn how it works, how incredibly dry it is, and more.

Just a word of warning: this game show is not about the defunct video rental chain. Nor is it about motion pictures at all, in fact. This week, join us as we learn what it's ACTUALLY all about, why it's completely unfair, and our suggestion for a much better name.

Lie detector tests are notoriously unreliable (as my vacated murder conviction proves), so what about using game show contestants to detect lies? That’s the goal of this celebrity-filled game show that aired on-and-off from the 60s through the 80s. Or maybe we’re lying about that… tune in and find out.

How do you encapsulate the downfall of Western Civilization in just one game show? You make people answer trivia questions correctly or you take their car away from them. Learn how Spike TV cracked the code for maximum entertainment a decade ago by putting unfortunate people into even more unfortunate situations.