TNMC
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1 December, 2001
Smush
USA is attempting a new gameshow that has the feel of one of those party type games. The idea of this one is to "smush" words together. Clues are given out for each part of the new word and contestants have to try and put it together in the proper combination. For instance: Natalie's "unforgettable" dad + a medical procedure that sticks a camera up your butt = NatKingColonoscopy. It's an idea that is mildly entertaining in the first round and improves as the show moves along.
Ken Ober makes his third attempt at being a game show host. He started out as the host of MTV's Remote Control many years ago. More recently he worked for Comedy Central in a revival of Make Me Laugh. Now he's at it again. He carries over the usual charm and easy banter that made him good in those other shows. Joining him is the scorekeeper is the model Lisa Dergan. She basically has Vanna White duties, basically standing in the background looking hot and occasionally stepping up to keep the game moving.
The game starts with four contestants and smushes linking two clues together into one word. The player with the fewest points at the end of the round is led off by Dergan to the bar, where she promises to make their favorite drink as a consolation prize. The second round involves more complex smushes of three clues to form one word. Again at the end of the round the lovely Lisa removes the trailing contestant.
The third round has the two remaining contestants squared off across the bar. This is easily the best part of the show as the smushes become a chain. A clue is given and answered. The next clue is to be tacked on to the existing smush. It goes on and on, forming a painful combination of tongue twister and the game Memory. The winner moves on to a bonus round where they can win up to $8,000.
Over all Smush is pretty entertaining. The set is not your standard game show set. Instead it's constructed like a fancy apartment, with a crowd of friends watching the contestants and Ober sitting around a table playing the game. I suspect the biggest problem the show will have in attracting an audience is getting people to watch it once. The idea sounds a bit goofy at first and I was highly skeptical until I actually watched the episode sent to me. After that my opinion increased considerably. If USA can find a way to get people to watch once, this show might be a hit.
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