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I m David Farrier, a New Zealander accidentally marooned in America, and I want to figure out what makes this country tick.
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Today, I mean tick a little more literally than usual, because I m diving headfirst into the world of the American game show, and I guess for me, the most iconic game show I m aware of is Jeopardy, debuting back on NBC in 1964.
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And now, here is the host of Jeopardy, Alex Trebek!
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As far as I can tell, the first ever American game show happened 26 years earlier, a radio quiz show called Information Please, which was sort of back to front because a panel of experts would be the ones playing, answering questions submitted by members of the public.
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Over the years game shows exploded.
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Now we ve got Family Feud, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, and Hollywood Squares.
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Everyone s grandma has their favourite one.
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There got to be so many game shows in America, America had to create the Game Show Network just for game shows.
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And while other TV programs like NCIS and Young Sheldon get 10 million viewers a time, shows like Celebrity Wheel of Fortune still manage to pull in 4 million, ahead of shows like Dateline, Undercover Boss and MasterChef.
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They get double what The Simpsons get.
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So, get ready for that old-fashioned American tradition of plonking yourself down in front of the TV while you attempt to guess the correct answers about things that really don t matter.
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Because this is The Game Show Episode.
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Flightless.
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Flightless.
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Flightless bird touchdown in America.
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I m a flightless bird touchdown in America.
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This is a fun one.
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It is a fun one.
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Game shows, the heart of America.
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It s what keeps the country ticking.
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It s definitely what unites people.
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Did you grow up with any game shows or did you skip that as a kid?
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I wasn t super into them.
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I do feel a little bit bad that Dax isn t on this one.
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I know, there s an elephant in the room, the person with their own show.
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He has had his own game show and he s been a clue on Jeopardy.
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See, that s big.
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That s huge.
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That s a life goal.
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It was the whole category, right?
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Armchair?
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Oh, that s amazing.
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Yeah.
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That s cool.
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You know, in New Zealand, you ve made it when you re on Air New Zealand flying around the country.
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And if you make it onto the Air New Zealand quiz, you know that you re a big deal.
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Have you made it on?
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No.
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Okay.
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It s good to still have some goals.
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Yeah.
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And that is my main goal is to get on the in-flight entertainment on Air New Zealand.
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Speaking of, if you re on Delta on certain flights, you can listen to Armchair Expert.
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That s really cool.
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Do you sometimes go on Delta and just put it on?
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No.
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I ve listened enough by the time it s gone on to Delta.
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I like the idea of in-flight entertainment being something you re in.
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I was on a plane once and I had the experience of someone watching something that I was in, which is just a very funny idea.
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And I m sure like actors must have that all the time in such weird scenarios.
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Like imagine if you guys, you re sitting next to someone that was watching you in a thing.
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Right.
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No, I mean, sometimes when I fly with Kristen and I m looking at my movies, I m like, Oh, there she is.
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So many options to see her.
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Yeah.
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It s exciting.
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Okay.
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Game shows.
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So the only one that I did get into for a bit was who wants to be a millionaire.
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We had a lot of British game shows in New Zealand.
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We had this thing from Britain called Bruce Forsythe s Generation Game.
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Have you heard of this?
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No.
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Basically, Bruce was this really incredible British presenter and his main game show was the Generation Game.
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And at the end of it, they would bring out all these prizes on a conveyor belt.
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Just so many things.
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So there d be a dishwasher, there d be $5,000 in cash, there d be a beautiful pen, there d be some lacy underwear.
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And the contestants could take home anything they remembered.
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So all this stuff would come out.
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And then they d have 10 seconds at the end to just scream as quickly as possible everything they d seen.
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And so it was a memory game, which is my nightmare because I just sort of remember the last couple of things that come out.
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No, because you don t know what things look like.
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It s a disaster.
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Well, that s just faces.
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It s not items.
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But my memory is also bad.
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But I thought that it was such a panicky end to the show because you ve got people desperately trying to remember.
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You were Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.
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Yeah, I found that one really engaging.
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And I do like Jeopardy.
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I wasn t obsessed because I don t know the answers to things.
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So that s the danger that it makes you feel stupid.
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Yes.
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Like when I m watching and people are shouting out the answers and I m like, yeah, Mount Rushmore.
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So you re not like a pub quiz person.
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I want to be so bad.
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I ve gone to so many trivia nights.
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SPEAKER_04
Oh yeah.
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You call them pub quiz.
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SPEAKER_03
Oh, sorry.
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SPEAKER_03
Yeah.
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Cause bars are pubs where I come from.
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So it s very confusing.
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Yeah, because when you were first telling me about the rehearsal, you were like, he s really into pub quiz.
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And I was like, what are you talking about?
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I do not understand the show.
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Trivia nights.
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Yes.
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So I ve gone to many and I love it.
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It s so much fun, but I don t know trivia.
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I m really bad.
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And one time I left and I was like, I hate myself.
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I have to fix this.
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And I got to get books.
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Yeah.
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You d have to hone in on a certain category and become the expert in your friend group at that thing.
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Yeah.
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That s the strategy with trivia night is you have friends for different groups.
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Yeah.
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It d be like Monica, you re the sports person.
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What?
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That s definitely not what I should be.
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Remember football episode?
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I m aware.
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Dionne Warwick?
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I m aware.
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I could never forget.
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Okay, what should my category be?
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I think your category could be maybe shopping.
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Do they have that?
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No.
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Oh man, I would be so good at that.
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There s TVs and movies, sports, medical, science, pop culture.
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You could maybe do pop culture.
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Politics maybe?
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Okay.
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Geography sometimes.
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No, well that s, I m bad at that.
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It s a lot though.
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Are you into anything, Rob?
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Are you good at a quiz?
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Music and sports are usually, but most trivia though is pop music, which I do not know.
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Yeah, not your thing.
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I was looking to see if New Zealand had any original game shows, because all we do in New Zealand is lift every format elsewhere.
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Our reality TV, we have our own Bachelor, which is such a hard watch because we re all so shy and nervous.
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SPEAKER_03
There was one season of The Bachelor where The Bachelor sort of refused to kiss anyone because he was too shy.
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So we have our own versions, but we did have, I believe this was an original New Zealand game show, and I just want to show you a little clip because it s just so good.
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It was called Tuck s Wonder Dogs.
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And it s just a show.
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I can t.
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I can t watch this.
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It s just a show where people would put their dogs through different trials and tribulations.
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So I m just going to play you guys about 20 seconds of it, because it s really good.
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OK.
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Oh, I hate it.
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Oh, my God.
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Rip off of Underdog.
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SPEAKER_03
Is there a show called Underdog?
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SPEAKER_03
Yeah.
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SPEAKER_03
Oh, no, it s not an original.
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SPEAKER_04
Wait, but it s not a game.
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SPEAKER_04
This is a game show?
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For dogs.
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Tonight on Tux Wonderdogs, King Rupert has a cavalier time on the boardwalk.
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Oh my God, he did a backflip.
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And Dexter s finally on the canvas.
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Yeah, so they re dogs sort of facing off against each other in different tasks.
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SPEAKER_02
That s like a total ripoff of Underdog theme song.
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SPEAKER_03
Oh no, so it s not an original.
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SPEAKER_03
No, no.
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The song.
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Underdog is not a game show.
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SPEAKER_03
Oh, so Underdog is a cartoon.
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SPEAKER_03
No, so Tux Wonder Dogs is a New Zealand original.
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It was a classic.
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These beautiful dogs would compete in different events and they d have to jump through hoops and whoever did it best won the prize.
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Okay.
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When was the show
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was 70s, 80s kind of a thing, maybe some 90s as well.
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It was around when I was a kid, because obviously in New Zealand, dogs are so important because we have so many sheep.
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And so sheep dogs become a thing because we re always having to herd sheep into pens.
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SPEAKER_04
I see.
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So dogs are like a big part of our culture.
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SPEAKER_04
OK, that makes sense.
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One of them did a backflip.
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That was impressive.
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I did enjoy that.
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We also had another show called Top Town, which was, it s not really a game show, it s more of a reality program, but towns would compete against each other to be like the best.
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So Hamilton would go against Auckland, and they d have different physical feats and sports they d have to play.
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Oh.
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And the one town would come out on top.
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Okay.
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Did you talk to people about game shows?
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SPEAKER_03
Oh, I did.
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Yeah, I did canvas people.
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This is what other Americans loved.
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My uncontested favorite US game show is Jeopardy.
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It s unique in that you re provided the answer and have to respond with the question.
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Still requires great preparation.
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The show aspires to be equitable.
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We ve seen a guy with blindness play.
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We have seen a super
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computer play, and I love that you can have the bona fide genius, to the armchair trivia expert, to the person that is excited to get just one response correct a month, to all enjoy it.
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It brings out a great competitive side with my wife.
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We will shake hands wishing
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other a luck and, in her words, try to annihilate each other in the game.
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These all kind of seem like American values too, fitting for your show.
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I really like Family Feud and we tried as a family to do it a couple times.
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It s accessible because it s slightly an opinion and you always know one answer and it seems like a fun team sport.
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My favorite game show is Jeopardy.
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It s
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something that makes me feel proud of America because it puts our brightest folks on display.
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My favorite U.S.
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game show has got to be Supermarket Sweep.
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It would be on PBS every day after school.
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I would rush home.
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I would get my afternoon snack, turn on Supermarket Sweep, and just watch these people go crazy with their shopping cards.
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So my favorite game show is definitely Family Feud because the answers are hilarious and Steve Harvey is a trip.
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The best U.S.
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game show, whose line is it anyway?
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SPEAKER_02
It was great because all the questions were made up and the points didn t matter.
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That was the tagline.
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My favorite game show is The Price is Right.
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I watched it when I was little with my grandmother, and now I watch it at home with my daughter, who s the same age I was when I started watching the show.
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Two words, Bob Barker.
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The Price is Right is the ultimate game show.
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If you didn t spend your sick days home from school growing up watching The Price is Right, you might not be American.
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SPEAKER_10
Well, yikes.
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I spent my sick days watching Secret World of Alex Mack, Full House, Clarissa Explains It All.
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SPEAKER_09
What s Secret Life of Alex Mack?
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SPEAKER_09
What was that?
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SPEAKER_10
Secret World of Alex Mack.
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She turned into a goo.
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SPEAKER_09
She melted, yeah.
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SPEAKER_09
What?
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SPEAKER_09
It s about somebody who turned into goo!
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SPEAKER_10
The technical term for it was morph.
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She morphed.
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Because a nuclear reactor exploded near her.
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Did she ever turn out of the goo?
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Or was she just goo for the whole show?
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SPEAKER_09
No, no.
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She could morph into goo and then become herself again.
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SPEAKER_10
Oh, I loved it.
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SPEAKER_09
So she could, like, go under a door or something.
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SPEAKER_10
Exactly.
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SPEAKER_10
She would go under doors.
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SPEAKER_09
That s cool.
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The main gift is going under doors.
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She would sneak into places and fix problems.
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So, reality shows and game shows, they re like cousins.
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They are cousins.
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So it s hard to tell what s what.
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Could we say that Naked Attraction is a game show?
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Or Survivor.
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It s tricky.
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SPEAKER_09
Yeah, reality shows.
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Survivor, I mean, it s... No, I think a game show has to be contestants testing knowledge.
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It s questions and answers, and I think the joy of the game show is that you can play along at home.
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SPEAKER_10
Yeah, that s true.
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But you re watching Survivor, you can t really play along.
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You re just watching these people go through this.
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stuff.
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Whereas a game show, you re at home, it s interactive.
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And I feel like it harks back to this grand old time of people gathering around the TV before things were all out at the same time and you were like mainlining seasons all at once.
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So every Tuesday at this time, you d sit down and this thing would happen.
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And that feels really special.
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It does.
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I feel like the last big unifying game show was Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.
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SPEAKER_09
The stakes were so high.
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SPEAKER_10
Yeah.
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The prize money is really important as well.
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Without that, it s not as thrilling to watch.
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But look, I did a deep dive for this week s documentary into game show culture.
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It gets intense, Monica, as a warning.
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Oh, I m so excited and I m scared.
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I find it sort of amusing the ratings for the big American game shows tend to be about 5 million viewers, which is roughly the size of the entire population of New Zealand.
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Now I could talk about game shows all day long, but I figured the best way to learn about American game shows was to go to a taping.
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For this episode of Flightless Bird, I go deep undercover onto the set of an iconic American game show called Celebrity Family Feud.
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I ll be tagging along with Rhys Darby, the New Zealand star of an HBO show called Our Flag Means Death.
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I know Rhys from back home in New Zealand.
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He s an outsider here like me, so I m tagging along for the experience, documenting what happens.
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Do you know much about Family Feud?
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SPEAKER_09
How are you feeling about this?
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SPEAKER_08
I m blown away that we re doing it.
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SPEAKER_08
And secondly, yeah, I haven t really seen it.
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SPEAKER_08
I know it s an institution, but I ve never been big on institutions.
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SPEAKER_09
Right now, me and Reece are on a very scorching Hollywood lot.
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SPEAKER_09
I forgot sunscreen and I feel very sweaty.
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SPEAKER_09
It also feels intimidating to think I ll soon be on the same set of Celebrity Family Feud.
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SPEAKER_09
Not only have the Kardashians and Shaquille O Neal been on the show, it s hosted by the legend Steve Harvey and that moustache.
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SPEAKER_09
To be honest, I m a little worried about a New Zealander going on this giant American game show.
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SPEAKER_09
We re a shy people who don t like too much attention.
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SPEAKER_09
And a game show is the opposite of that.
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SPEAKER_09
Something I m concerned about, as New Zealanders, maybe not you so much, but we re such a low-key people, this show is the opposite.
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SPEAKER_09
It s like people are on cocaine the entire time.
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SPEAKER_09
Just to censor that, they re not actually on cocaine, that was figurative.
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SPEAKER_09
But, you know, people are so hyped.
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SPEAKER_09
Cocaine, please.
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SPEAKER_09
Make sure it s figurative, because the cops are on their way.
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SPEAKER_09
People are so hyped up, like it s hectic.
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SPEAKER_09
Can we reach the level of that enthusiasm or are we going to be like the Kiwi low-key sort of people that we are?
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SPEAKER_08
It s going to be hard not to be the latter.
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SPEAKER_08
We re going to have to put a little bit more energy in than we normally would because we are laid-back people.
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SPEAKER_08
I m less on the laid-back side of the laid-backs but maybe that s why I ve made it over here.
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SPEAKER_09
Ok, so my plan has changed a bit from my original idea of going undercover on a game show.
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SPEAKER_09
Rhys has actually added me to his team, so I ll be on Celebrity Family Feud.
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SPEAKER_09
It s the opposite of undercover.
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SPEAKER_09
I ve known Rhys for years, back from when he first appeared on Flight of the Conchords as Brett and Germaine s hapless manager, Murray.
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SPEAKER_09
There s still no better show to capture the spirit of New Zealand.
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SPEAKER_07
Are you picking on Brett again, Jermaine?
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SPEAKER_07
No.
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SPEAKER_07
I didn t pick on him.
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SPEAKER_07
It was a... You re from New Zealand as well.
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SPEAKER_07
Yeah, I know that.
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SPEAKER_07
Murray present.
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SPEAKER_07
And I m from New Zealand.
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SPEAKER_07
You re insulting me as well.
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SPEAKER_07
But it wasn t even me that... You re hurting all of us when you bring down New Zealand, okay?
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SPEAKER_09
From Concords, Rhys ended up moving to Hollywood, appearing next to actors like Dwayne the Rock Johnson in Jumanji.
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SPEAKER_09
Now he s here on Family Feud, and Rhys has decided that I should be on his team, a member of his figurative Kiwi family.
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SPEAKER_09
I m worried, and I m terrified.
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SPEAKER_09
As for Rhys, his main problem seems to be remembering the name of the charity he s going to be playing for, an environmental cause that has the most confusing name I ve ever heard.
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SPEAKER_09
Algalita Marine Research and Education.
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SPEAKER_09
Now look, this is just a quick test.
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SPEAKER_09
What charity are you playing for?
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SPEAKER_09
Because it s a complicated one and I can t remember it at all.
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SPEAKER_08
Yeah, thanks for that.
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SPEAKER_08
It s a nautical research company that also does education.
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SPEAKER_08
And it has a name similar to alligash, which I know is a beer, but it s not that.
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SPEAKER_10
It rhymes with margarita.
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SPEAKER_08
It rhymes with margarita.
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SPEAKER_08
I want to say it s alligita.
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SPEAKER_08
No, no, that s a reptile.
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SPEAKER_09
I turned to Sydney, who is Reese s PR person.
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SPEAKER_09
That s something I ve learned happens when you get famous in America.
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SPEAKER_09
You get a PR person.
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SPEAKER_09
What was the process of us getting on the show?
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SPEAKER_09
Like, did they approach us?
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SPEAKER_09
Did you approach them?
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SPEAKER_09
What are we doing here?
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SPEAKER_12
Uh, yeah, we were approached lots of email threads.
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SPEAKER_12
I m on like 65 email threads.
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SPEAKER_12
That s very, too much.
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SPEAKER_09
But- Because this show is like an empire, right?
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SPEAKER_09
This is like a big deal.
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SPEAKER_12
Oh yeah, for sure.
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SPEAKER_09
So, Reese s team is me and him, plus Samba from Reese s Pirate Show, and then there s our other Kiwi friend Fleur, and Reese s son Finn.
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SPEAKER_09
I m amazed that we each get our own trailer.
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SPEAKER_09
Having your own trailer means you ve made it.
1
SPEAKER_09
I walk inside and look around.
1
SPEAKER_09
I discover mine comes with its own DVD player.
1
SPEAKER_09
I go into the toilet for a nervous wee, and notice this carpet on the toilet floor.
1
SPEAKER_09
Gross.
1
SPEAKER_06
Name something a business deal might be made over.
1
SPEAKER_06
Lunch.
1
SPEAKER_06
That was good.
1
SPEAKER_08
I m a sound effects king.
1
SPEAKER_09
One of the most stressful things we ve discovered is that none of us on the team have really watched Family Feud.
1
SPEAKER_09
We don t know how it works.
1
SPEAKER_09
With this in mind, Samba has pulled up a Family Feud guide off the internet so we can practice.
1
SPEAKER_06
Besides a car, name something that you might not be able to fix when it breaks.
1
SPEAKER_06
A yacht.
1
SPEAKER_06
That s a high brow answer.
1
SPEAKER_06
Besides a car, name something that you might not be able to fix when it breaks.
1
SPEAKER_06
A television.
1
SPEAKER_06
TV.
1
SPEAKER_06
That s good.
1
SPEAKER_06
But so you have to just kind of think what the average person would say.
1
SPEAKER_06
But here are all the answers.
1
SPEAKER_06
Washing machine.
1
SPEAKER_06
Computer.
1
SPEAKER_06
Heart.
1
SPEAKER_06
Plumbing.
1
SPEAKER_06
Fridge.
1
SPEAKER_06
Toilet.
1
SPEAKER_06
Bike.
1
SPEAKER_09
We decided the secret was not to overthink it.
1
SPEAKER_09
Like Tom Cruise and Top Gun, don t think, just do.
1
SPEAKER_09
Suddenly, someone comes into our trailer to find out who on our team will be playing something called Fast Money.
1
SPEAKER_09
One definitive thing of a game show is having a bonus round, but it wasn t always that way.
1
SPEAKER_09
Before 1960, there were no bonus rounds.
1
SPEAKER_09
These days, it s just expected.
2
SPEAKER_03
excited Reece will play Fast Money.
2
SPEAKER_03
With that in mind, we head to hair and makeup to make sure we don t look too disgusting to go on TV in an hour s time.
2
SPEAKER_04
What s happening?
2
SPEAKER_04
I m here to get my makeup and hair sorted.
2
SPEAKER_04
Okay.
2
SPEAKER_04
And I m just saying.
2
SPEAKER_03
Every trailer is a hive of activity, Jay Farrow and his family are on the other team, and his sister Shana is getting her makeup done next to me.
2
SPEAKER_03
She s very friendly and very confident.
2
SPEAKER_03
It s weird getting your makeup done for TV.
2
SPEAKER_03
Thick, goopy layers of foundation are layered on, then you re engulfed in powder.
2
SPEAKER_03
I look at myself in the mirror and think I look like something out of Madame Tussauds.
2
SPEAKER_03
It also strikes me how many people need to come together to make a show like this.
2
SPEAKER_03
Renee is tasked with doing my hair.
2
SPEAKER_03
You re obviously involved in the hair side of the game.
2
SPEAKER_03
What are the main stresses or joys that you encounter in your job here?
2
SPEAKER_02
Well, depending on who comes in, sometimes they like to do their own so they re camera ready.
2
SPEAKER_02
We just want them to feel good about the way they look on camera, whether they do themselves or have us do it for them.
2
SPEAKER_03
I figure Renee has been to this rodeo before.
2
SPEAKER_03
Maybe she has some tips.
2
SPEAKER_03
Do you have any advice on how to win this game?
2
SPEAKER_00
Oh, remember, it s the most common answer.
2
SPEAKER_00
Whatever comes to the top of your mind is probably the best.
2
SPEAKER_03
What if I panic?
2
SPEAKER_03
What do I do then?
2
SPEAKER_00
If you panic and you say something stupid, it s good TV and you ll end up on YouTube.
2
SPEAKER_03
Reece has just slipped into the room with us.
2
SPEAKER_03
Come in.
2
SPEAKER_03
He looks excited.
2
SPEAKER_04
Algalita Marine Research and Education.
2
SPEAKER_06
Nailed it!
2
SPEAKER_06
Finally!
2
SPEAKER_03
My hair s all done.
2
SPEAKER_03
It looks just the same as when I came in.
2
SPEAKER_03
I wander around my teammates  trailers.
2
SPEAKER_03
I bump into Fleur.
2
SPEAKER_03
With so many New Zealand accents around, I could almost mistake this Hollywood lot for being back home.
2
SPEAKER_03
What s your technique going to be on the show?
2
SPEAKER_02
Listen and respond.
2
SPEAKER_03
I m just going to panic and just blur stuff out as it comes to mind.
2
SPEAKER_02
Sam, I m so scared.
2
SPEAKER_02
That s the truth.
2
SPEAKER_03
I thought I was through the nerves, but then things get real.
2
SPEAKER_03
A man called Brian approaches, clutching something in his hands.
2
SPEAKER_03
It s the iconic oval Family Feud nametag.
2
SPEAKER_03
With its yellow halo, the nametag s blue centre shines out at me, and in the middle, in capital letters, my name.
2
SPEAKER_03
David.
2
SPEAKER_03
Do I get to keep this after the show?
2
SPEAKER_04
You get to keep this after the show.
2
SPEAKER_03
And was this custom printed for me as David Farrier or is this just a generic David?
2
SPEAKER_03
We just have like 600 Davids.
2
SPEAKER_03
This is the one that we chose.
2
SPEAKER_03
How many times have you pinned a name on a contestant on the show?
2
20,000.
2
SPEAKER_03
I marvel at how many families must have competed on Family Feud.
2
SPEAKER_03
I mean, there have been over 3,000 episodes since the show started on ABC back in 1976.
2
SPEAKER_03
Back then it was hosted by Richard Dawson, not to be confused with Richard Dawkins.
2
SPEAKER_03
These days the production is a bit like a conveyor belt.
2
SPEAKER_03
Today, for example, they re recording our episode, then there are another five that Steve Harvey will do straight after.
2
SPEAKER_03
It s getting close to our time now.
2
SPEAKER_03
I approach Samba Chute, an actor and comedian who s also on Our Flag Means Death.
2
SPEAKER_03
Born in Mauritania in Northwest Africa, he s been in America a little longer than me, but like me, Samba s still battling to make sense of it all.
2
SPEAKER_05
How are you feeling about all of this?
2
SPEAKER_05
I m super excited to embarrass myself in front of every American watching.
2
SPEAKER_03
I feel like we ve got this weird advantage where we re all New Zealanders.
2
SPEAKER_03
So if it goes wrong, we can kind of just be like, we didn t know what was going on.
2
SPEAKER_03
We re New Zealanders.
2
SPEAKER_03
You don t quite have that excuse.
2
SPEAKER_03
I hear a bit of an American accent.
2
SPEAKER_05
My excuse is going to be, I grew up in Ethiopia.
2
SPEAKER_05
I don t know any of this.
2
SPEAKER_05
I m going to try and win, because it s important for the Alligator Fund of Education and Research that Reece has been talking about.
2
SPEAKER_05
I think we re going to do good.
2
SPEAKER_05
We ve got a good range of people here, very international, very diverse.
2
SPEAKER_05
We ve got youth, we ve got travel experience, we ve got brains, we ve got wackiness.
2
SPEAKER_03
I am a little bit concerned.
2
SPEAKER_03
I sat next to one of the other contestants from the other team, and they seemed very confident and assured.
2
SPEAKER_03
And that panicked me a little bit, because as New Zealanders, we re not that assured.
2
SPEAKER_03
Are we going to be OK?
2
SPEAKER_05
You re going to be OK.
2
SPEAKER_05
People don t realise that New Zealanders are very shy and quiet people.
2
SPEAKER_05
But those make for the best predators.
2
SPEAKER_03
I wish that was true.
2
SPEAKER_03
But New Zealanders are very much like our namesake, the kiwi, is in the bird, not the fruit.
2
SPEAKER_03
Kiwi birds are shy and quiet and utterly useless.
2
SPEAKER_03
Everything eats kiwis.
2
SPEAKER_03
They can t fly and they can t defend themselves.
2
SPEAKER_03
They re the opposite of a predator.
2
SPEAKER_03
I mean, that s why this show is called Flightless Bird.
2
SPEAKER_03
I m marooned here, utterly useless, flightless, barely able to fend for myself.
2
SPEAKER_05
I ve seen some memes, I ve seen how people embarrass themselves.
2
SPEAKER_05
I know Steve Harvey because I ve seen his stand-up comedy, but I do not know anything about this show.
2
SPEAKER_05
So he s a stand-up comic?
2
SPEAKER_05
Yeah.
2
SPEAKER_05
Does he still perform or does he just do this now?
2
SPEAKER_05
Apparently he s retired now, but he s been doing stand-up comedy since the 80s, 90s.
2
SPEAKER_03
There s a ton of Steve s old comedy on YouTube, but these days the 65-year-old lives and breathes TV shows.
2
SPEAKER_03
He has perfected the art of being the ultimate host.
2
SPEAKER_03
The Steve Harvey Morning Show, The Miss America Competition, Judge Steve Harvey, and of course Family Feud, Celebrity Family Feud, and Family Feud Africa.
2
SPEAKER_03
He has no less than seven Daytime Emmy Awards.
2
SPEAKER_03
More meme than man at this point, he founded a company called Steve Harvey Global and writes self-help books with titles like Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man.
2
SPEAKER_03
A production person indicates things are about to get real.
2
SPEAKER_04
Any last thoughts before we leave?
2
SPEAKER_04
This is it, man.
2
SPEAKER_04
I let things come to me in the spur of the moment.
2
SPEAKER_04
And I think I ll keep that up, especially on something like this, which I think is the aim of the game, really.
2
SPEAKER_04
Because if you overthink, you re not going to hit the jackpot.
2
SPEAKER_04
And it s all about me getting that money for that.
2
SPEAKER_03
Yeah, the charity.
2
SPEAKER_03
What is the charity that we re playing for?
2
SPEAKER_04
Yeah, it s a great charity.
2
SPEAKER_04
So they collect all the plastics from the oceans, which is very important, and get rid of the microplastic and they... Sounds really good.
2
SPEAKER_03
I d love to get some money to them.
2
SPEAKER_03
What is the company or the organisation that I should make my checkout to?
2
SPEAKER_04
Readily available online to find the title of.
2
SPEAKER_04
We don t like to go on about it because they are, you know, they re not an egotistical company.
2
SPEAKER_04
They keep to themselves.
2
SPEAKER_04
They ve given themselves a difficult name.
2
SPEAKER_04
And the name, by the way, is...
2
SPEAKER_04
Algalita Marine Research and Education.
2
SPEAKER_03
Like Eminem, my palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy.
2
SPEAKER_03
This is it.
2
SPEAKER_03
The show s about to start.
2
SPEAKER_03
This is the single most American thing I ve ever done or ever will do.
2
SPEAKER_03
Stay tuned for more Flightless Bird.
2
SPEAKER_03
We ll be right back after a word from our sponsors.
2
SPEAKER_03
Flightless Bird is brought to you by Framebridge, which makes it easier and more affordable than ever to frame your favorite things.
2
SPEAKER_03
I ve just got five things back from Framebridge.
2
SPEAKER_06
What did you get?
2
SPEAKER_03
I got some art.
2
SPEAKER_03
I had New Zealand, some photos I took myself.
2
SPEAKER_03
My friend gave me a big painting of a cat.
2
SPEAKER_06
Oh, my God.
2
SPEAKER_03
And what s cool about them is they can frame things that aren t just flat art.
2
SPEAKER_06
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They re so easy to work with.
2
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It s such a good gift idea.
2
SPEAKER_03
And it arrives back at your house all beautifully packaged.
2
SPEAKER_03
And it s like Christmas.
2
SPEAKER_06
Yes, it is.
2
SPEAKER_06
I just got a piece of art.
2
SPEAKER_06
It s a drawing of Femaleman s Bar in New York, which I love.
2
SPEAKER_06
And I was just on Framebridge figuring out what frame I want it.
2
SPEAKER_03
I also got a big pink pig framed in a big green frame.
2
SPEAKER_03
It looks really good.
2
SPEAKER_03
So just go to framebridge.com and upload your photo or they ll send you the packaging so you can just see in the actual piece into them straight away.
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SPEAKER_06
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Just go to framebridge.com, promo code bird, framebridge.com, promo code bird.
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Flightless Bird is brought to you by Helix Sleep.
2
SPEAKER_03
I ve had my Helix mattress now, which was delivered in the mail.
2
SPEAKER_03
I ve had it for about six months and I m sleeping really well.
2
SPEAKER_03
Apart from a ghost that I had problems with, which is going to be another episode.
2
SPEAKER_03
I love this mattress.
2
SPEAKER_03
It s the best mattress I ve had.
2
SPEAKER_03
I don t know if it s just because New Zealand mattresses are no good, but this Helix one, I really love.
2
SPEAKER_06
It actually speaks to how good it is, the fact that you can go back to sleep.
2
SPEAKER_06
You wake up every day to this ghost at 3am and then you re able to go back to sleep.
2
SPEAKER_03
Yeah.
2
SPEAKER_03
I m going to explain it in the Halloween episode.
2
SPEAKER_03
When I nap, I now go to sleep as well.
2
SPEAKER_03
When I used to nap, I d nap for 20 minutes.
2
SPEAKER_03
Now I m in a deep sleep and I wake up about two hours later, which you witnessed when I came in here all dopey one day.
2
SPEAKER_03
It s because of that frigging bed.
2
SPEAKER_03
Helix Sleep has a quiz.
3
SPEAKER_03
It takes just two minutes to complete and matches your body type and sleep preferences to the perfect mattress for you.
3
SPEAKER_05
They have so many different mattresses to choose from.
3
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Soft, medium, firm.
3
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They have ones that are good for cooling you down if you sleep hot.
3
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Spinal alignment, like it s very, very custom, which is awesome.
3
SPEAKER_03
Yeah, I took the Helix quiz and got matched with quite a firm mattress because my spine is really bad.
3
SPEAKER_03
And I think that s part of why I m sleeping so well.
3
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Mmm, that s awesome.
3
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3
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If you don t like it, they ll pick it up for you.
3
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But I think you probably will like it.
3
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Helix is offering up to $200 off all mattress orders and two free pillows for our listeners at helixsleep.com slash bird.
3
SPEAKER_03
Well, that s a good dramatic point to stop.
3
SPEAKER_03
Really dramatic.
3
SPEAKER_05
I want more.
3
SPEAKER_03
Rob actually sent me Steve Harvey s book in the mail.
3
SPEAKER_03
Act like a lady, think like a man.
3
SPEAKER_05
Okay.
3
SPEAKER_03
But I do appreciate you sending it to me.
3
SPEAKER_03
Bit insulted you thought I needed it.
3
SPEAKER_03
But yeah, Steve Harvey, he is a legend.
3
SPEAKER_03
I knew him from memes in New Zealand.
3
SPEAKER_03
I d never watched the show, but I knew about Family Feud just because of that face and that mustache and that beaming smile.
3
SPEAKER_03
It s all in the subtle looks and the moments and he
3
SPEAKER_03
makes that show come together.
3
SPEAKER_03
If there was no Steve Harvey, Family Feud would not work.
3
SPEAKER_03
And seeing that face in front of me, that mustache and that big bald head, it was like heaven.
3
SPEAKER_03
I felt like I was in a meme and it was truly wonderful.
3
SPEAKER_05
He s an institution.
3
SPEAKER_05
I think it s very hard to be a game show host and do that well.
3
SPEAKER_05
You re nervous for these people, Dax would say.
3
SPEAKER_05
You get very anxious, but you have to be on and you have to be supportive.
3
SPEAKER_03
Yeah, because of course they re full of nerves.
3
SPEAKER_05
Yeah.
3
SPEAKER_05
And you have to chit chat and you have to be elevated, but you can t be too over the top.
3
SPEAKER_05
You ve got to keep the energy high for everyone.
3
SPEAKER_05
I mean, it s like a lot.
3
SPEAKER_03
And you re dealing with people that aren t used to being on TV a lot of the time, like a family on family feud.
3
SPEAKER_03
You re working with amateurs essentially, right?
3
SPEAKER_03
So what can you do?
3
SPEAKER_03
You re giggling a lot right now.
3
SPEAKER_03
Something evil has occurred to you.
3
SPEAKER_05
It s not evil.
3
SPEAKER_05
I just remembered my experience with a game show.
3
SPEAKER_03
Oh, okay.
3
SPEAKER_05
So we said Dax hosted a game show.
3
SPEAKER_05
He did.
3
SPEAKER_05
But also Dax and Kristen hosted a game show.
3
SPEAKER_05
He s involved in two game shows.
3
SPEAKER_05
They hosted a game show that the Ellen team produced.
3
SPEAKER_05
Right.
3
SPEAKER_05
It was called Family Game Fight.
3
SPEAKER_05
It was super fun.
3
SPEAKER_05
But I worked on that project and I helped with the scripts a little bit.
3
SPEAKER_05
And the filming of that game show was chaos.
3
SPEAKER_03
I m interested to compare it to my experience, which I go into soon.
3
SPEAKER_03
But what is the filming like?
3
SPEAKER_05
I mean, there s a lot of moving parts to that, and it was season one.
3
SPEAKER_03
They re finding themselves, right?
3
SPEAKER_05
Everyone s finding themselves.
3
SPEAKER_05
Yeah.
3
SPEAKER_05
Lots of different sets to have to move around.
3
SPEAKER_05
They got huge dumps of water poured on them over and over and over again.
3
SPEAKER_03
I ve seen clips of that on YouTube and it was full on.
3
SPEAKER_03
Just the logistics on a set of having a lot of water is also just another crazy thing because that stuff probably has to be cleaned up and reset all the time.
3
SPEAKER_05
Exactly.
3
SPEAKER_05
And so then you re running back upstairs to get into a new outfit for a new setup.
3
SPEAKER_05
You have to dry the hair.
3
SPEAKER_05
It was a lot for them.
3
SPEAKER_05
But it was also funny because I went into the control room.
3
SPEAKER_05
There s a teleprompter in these shows and things change based on what is happening in the moment.
3
SPEAKER_05
So it is panic in that room.
3
SPEAKER_03
So there s some poor person doing rewrites, furiously typing things in, trying to make the narrative all make sense.
3
SPEAKER_05
Yes.
3
SPEAKER_05
And it s like, okay, 13 points.
3
SPEAKER_05
Okay.
3
SPEAKER_05
We got to move forward in the script because when they say 13 points, I mean, it was chaos.
3
SPEAKER_03
What was the level of fun versus stress?
3
SPEAKER_05
I mean, game shows are fun, right?
3
SPEAKER_05
People are winning money and people are excited and it s really fun to give money away.
3
SPEAKER_05
It s just a beautiful thing, but it was stressful.
3
SPEAKER_03
What you said about dumping water reminded me of this New Zealand kids show where they would dump goo on people, which reminds me of your show.
3
SPEAKER_03
Your little person probably was part of that goo.
3
SPEAKER_03
But they do that on Nickelodeon, right?
3
SPEAKER_03
Yes, they do.
3
SPEAKER_03
Slime.
3
SPEAKER_03
Yes, slime.
3
SPEAKER_03
They stole that for a New Zealand show as well.
3
SPEAKER_05
Can they just do their own thing?
3
SPEAKER_03
No, it s really hard to come up with original game show.
3
SPEAKER_03
It s really difficult to do.
3
SPEAKER_03
We steal everything.
3
SPEAKER_05
That is reminding me of kids game shows on Nick.
3
SPEAKER_05
What was that tribal one?
3
SPEAKER_04
Guts, Legends of the Hidden Temple and Guts.
3
SPEAKER_05
And Guts, I loved those.
3
SPEAKER_04
I did too, yeah.
3
SPEAKER_04
What s Guts?
3
SPEAKER_04
That sounds very visceral.
3
SPEAKER_04
There was a mountain, like physical competition.
3
SPEAKER_05
Right.
3
SPEAKER_05
I remember there was one part where they climb in an ear.
3
SPEAKER_05
What are you talking about?
3
SPEAKER_05
Do you remember that?
3
SPEAKER_04
No, that was a different one.
3
SPEAKER_05
What was that?
3
SPEAKER_02
It s a giant mountain.
3
SPEAKER_02
There s like a big ear you re crawling into.
3
SPEAKER_05
Oh, you re right.
3
SPEAKER_05
Guts was, they were in different colors on Guts.
3
SPEAKER_04
Yeah.
3
SPEAKER_04
And at the end they had to climb the mountain and they re like... Why Guts?
3
SPEAKER_04
Cause, tough.
3
SPEAKER_04
Like you ve got Guts.
3
SPEAKER_04
Oh, you ve got Guts.
3
SPEAKER_04
Right.
3
SPEAKER_04
I was thinking of some sort of medical show.
3
SPEAKER_05
I think there might have been slime involved in Guts.
3
SPEAKER_04
Probably.
3
SPEAKER_05
If I remember correctly.
3
SPEAKER_04
Everything in Nickelodeon I think of that era had slime.
3
SPEAKER_05
No, there was another one where it was two contestants.
3
SPEAKER_04
I know what you re talking about.
3
SPEAKER_04
Was it Double Dare?
3
SPEAKER_05
Yes, Double Dare.
3
SPEAKER_05
Oh my God.
3
SPEAKER_05
And one of the challenges is they had to climb into this big ear.
3
SPEAKER_05
And I think they had to like retrieve stuff out of the ear.
3
SPEAKER_04
Yeah, like flags they were getting.
3
SPEAKER_04
It was like an obstacle course, but gross.
3
SPEAKER_03
Why was it an ear?
3
SPEAKER_03
To be gross.
3
SPEAKER_03
Yeah.
3
SPEAKER_03
Wow.
3
SPEAKER_05
Yes.
3
SPEAKER_05
And I don t remember there being slime, but there might ve been slime.
3
SPEAKER_05
And then Legends of the Hidden Temple was a big one.
3
SPEAKER_05
Man, Nickelodeon really pulled out some good game shows.
3
SPEAKER_05
I forgot about that.
3
SPEAKER_03
Yeah, it s cool.
3
SPEAKER_03
I like it how game shows can be played by kids and adults as well.
3
SPEAKER_03
That s kind of nice.
3
SPEAKER_03
It s very interactive.
3
SPEAKER_03
And essentially, like the adults are doing the same thing as the kids.
3
SPEAKER_03
They re still getting dunked on with water.
3
SPEAKER_03
It s the same sort of shit.
3
SPEAKER_05
Exactly.
3
SPEAKER_05
Maybe that s why we like it.
3
SPEAKER_03
It s kind of like Full of Wonder.
3
SPEAKER_03
I think of Spelling Bee as well, those shows.
3
SPEAKER_03
Borderline between quiz and game show, I don t know.
3
SPEAKER_05
Reality quiz game, it s all a blur.
3
SPEAKER_03
The borders blur.
3
SPEAKER_05
I do want to play one clip, real quick, before we move on.
3
SPEAKER_05
This is the Newlywed Game.
3
SPEAKER_02
Karate school is a really good, a really good answer.
3
SPEAKER_05
It s such a great answer.
3
SPEAKER_03
That s the thing that makes it magic is the unpredictable nature of what people under pressure will blur it out.
3
SPEAKER_04
Oh, there s so many good family feud ones.
3
SPEAKER_03
Oh, there s so many good moments.
3
SPEAKER_03
Yeah.
3
SPEAKER_03
Including our one.
3
SPEAKER_03
We ve all been let inside this big studio building, gone down a lift, twisted and turned along a hallway, and are finally in this big open room.
3
SPEAKER_03
There are two rows of chairs, both facing each other.
3
SPEAKER_03
Our team sits in one, and Jay Farrow s team on the other, so we re eyeballing each other.
3
SPEAKER_03
Because we re in America, everyone is on their phone, posting, livestreaming, TikToking.
3
SPEAKER_01
Y all know what it is.
3
SPEAKER_01
It s the battle of noises today.
3
SPEAKER_01
That s all I m going to say.
3
SPEAKER_01
You know what it is.
3
SPEAKER_03
Eventually we re told to shut up, and one of the crew from Family Feud talks us through how this whole thing will work.
3
SPEAKER_03
I thought getting instructions would be quite helpful, but they go on for so long and somehow manage to make everything even infinitely more confusing.
3
SPEAKER_03
I realize I still have absolutely no idea how this game show works.
3
SPEAKER_03
I ve never watched an episode all the way through.
3
SPEAKER_03
It s something about trying to guess the answers that someone else has already answered?
3
SPEAKER_03
Or something?
3
SPEAKER_05
It s risky to buzz in early.
3
SPEAKER_05
Here s why.
3
SPEAKER_03
I turn to Reece.
3
SPEAKER_03
He also looks slightly panicked.
3
SPEAKER_03
It s nice to know it s not just me.
3
SPEAKER_03
Fleur was the same.
3
SPEAKER_04
I m totally blacked out.
3
SPEAKER_03
It s worse.
3
SPEAKER_04
It s constantly worse.
3
SPEAKER_03
We re then marched onto the set.
3
SPEAKER_03
The set s huge.
3
SPEAKER_03
It s the size of a small New Zealand town.
3
SPEAKER_03
It s bonkers.
3
SPEAKER_03
I ve been on game show sets in New Zealand, and this makes them look like pokey backyard productions.
3
SPEAKER_03
There s a studio audience already there, and a hype man on stage getting them fired up.
3
SPEAKER_03
To be honest, trying to record an audio documentary while taking part in a game show on American TV is kinda stressful.
3
SPEAKER_03
I m so busy trying to
4
SPEAKER_01
capture all these moments, I haven t taken any of the instructions in.
4
SPEAKER_01
And remember how that producer earlier said it moves like a train?
4
SPEAKER_01
But they weren t lying.
4
SPEAKER_01
Suddenly, without any real warning, Celebrity Family Feud just starts.
4
SPEAKER_01
For the first five minutes, I thought it was a rehearsal.
4
SPEAKER_01
Then I clocked, this is actually the real thing.
4
SPEAKER_01
This is what will end up on TV.
4
SPEAKER_01
It s like being strapped onto a rollercoaster, and there s no way to get off.
4
SPEAKER_04
Lovely to be here.
4
SPEAKER_04
Lovely to have you.
4
SPEAKER_01
Like Dax always teasing my accent, it s good to see Steve Harvey ripping into Reese s.
4
SPEAKER_03
Anyway, let s meet everybody else.
4
SPEAKER_03
I have my team, consisting of David Farrier, Samba Shoot, Fleur Saville, and Finn Darby.
4
SPEAKER_04
Have yourself a good time.
4
SPEAKER_01
Look, I don t know if good was the word I d use, but it was certainly a time.
4
SPEAKER_04
Give me Shaina, give me David.
4
SPEAKER_01
I was second up against Shaina, who I d met in the makeup trailer earlier.
4
SPEAKER_01
It was time to answer some important questions involving American culture.
4
SPEAKER_04
Name something a man might put in his weak old underpants to make them smell better.
4
SPEAKER_04
Shaina.
4
SPEAKER_04
Air freshener.
4
SPEAKER_01
With her lightning fast buzzer reflexes, Shaina gets 13 points for that.
4
SPEAKER_01
David.
4
SPEAKER_01
Deodorant.
4
SPEAKER_01
Deodorant.
4
SPEAKER_01
Deodorant was apparently a more popular answer, so I get 17 points.
4
SPEAKER_01
I m becoming so American I answered with a more American answer than an American.
4
SPEAKER_04
Pass or play?
4
SPEAKER_04
Play.
4
SPEAKER_04
We re going to play.
4
SPEAKER_04
Let s play, let s play, let s play.
4
SPEAKER_01
Look, I m not going to recap the whole show, we d probably get sued by NBC, but let s just say the whole experience was very confusing for all of us.
4
SPEAKER_04
Reese.
4
SPEAKER_04
Passed away is a nice way of saying someone died.
4
SPEAKER_04
Name a not-so-nice way.
4
SPEAKER_03
I d like to say… cocked it.
4
SPEAKER_01
It cuts to see Harvey s face that s just doing that blank look he does so well.
4
SPEAKER_01
No one understands cocked it, which is Kiwi slang for when someone dies.
4
SPEAKER_03
Rhys tries to explain… You know, as in, what happened to that guy?
4
SPEAKER_03
Oh, he s cocked it.
4
SPEAKER_03
He s cocked it?
4
SPEAKER_03
He s cocked it.
4
SPEAKER_03
Wait a minute.
4
SPEAKER_03
Carcass.
4
SPEAKER_03
Well, because it s short for carcass.
4
SPEAKER_01
We all chip in, trying to make Steve Harvey understand the word.
4
SPEAKER_03
It s got an R in it.
4
SPEAKER_03
Carc.
4
SPEAKER_01
Carc.
4
SPEAKER_03
Carc.
4
SPEAKER_03
Carc it.
4
SPEAKER_03
Oh.
4
SPEAKER_03
Carc it.
4
SPEAKER_04
Carc it.
4
SPEAKER_04
Carc it.
4
SPEAKER_04
What the hell s going on?
4
SPEAKER_01
I guess while I ve been struggling to make sense of America, this game show makes me realize that America is struggling to make sense of New Zealand, too.
4
SPEAKER_04
Oh, he s carc d it.
4
SPEAKER_04
This game s going to hell right here.
4
SPEAKER_01
The game rolls on, and I remember that when you re on a rollercoaster, it s hard to know where on the rollercoaster you are, or how much you have left, or how much has gone by.
4
SPEAKER_01
In between rounds, I check in with my teammates.
4
SPEAKER_01
How are we feeling about this?
4
SPEAKER_03
How are we doing?
4
SPEAKER_03
Well, the pressure s on, but I m feeling quietly confident.
4
SPEAKER_03
I mean, we re slightly ahead.
4
SPEAKER_01
A woman approaches us, telling us we re doing a great job.
4
SPEAKER_01
I assume she s on work experience.
4
SPEAKER_01
Maybe an intern.
4
SPEAKER_00
Your role is to give us feedback?
4
SPEAKER_00
What?
4
SPEAKER_00
What s your role in this?
4
SPEAKER_00
You re giving us feedback?
4
SPEAKER_00
I m the executive producer.
4
SPEAKER_01
As liberal as I like to think I am, just like that I m reminded I m a massive sexist.
4
SPEAKER_01
Turns out a woman can be an executive producer.
4
SPEAKER_01
Amazing.
4
SPEAKER_01
In my short experience, Americans love giving positive feedback to your face, even if they secretly hate something, and I m here for it.
4
SPEAKER_01
The end of the game arrives, and it s all down to Reese.
4
SPEAKER_04
Have you all talked it over?
4
SPEAKER_04
We talked it over.
4
SPEAKER_04
Okay.
4
SPEAKER_04
Darby Licious, your team wins the game.
4
SPEAKER_04
Flat out.
4
SPEAKER_04
You give it to me, your team wins the game.
4
SPEAKER_04
If it s not there, the Pharaoh fam will win the game.
4
SPEAKER_04
Oh my God.
4
SPEAKER_04
Here we go, if you heard your bedroom door open while making love, who would you hope not to see?
4
SPEAKER_04
My ex.
4
SPEAKER_04
Father, when?
4
SPEAKER_04
My ex!
4
SPEAKER_01
Turns out, Rhys did really good.
4
SPEAKER_01
We just won Celebrity Family Feud.
4
SPEAKER_01
I have no doubt my contribution of uttering the word deodorant was a huge contributing factor.
4
SPEAKER_01
We just won the game.
4
SPEAKER_03
We won the game, David!
4
SPEAKER_03
I ve got a tension headache.
4
SPEAKER_01
A win also means we get to play the fabled game show bonus round, Fast Money.
4
SPEAKER_01
And right from the start, Rhys is on fire.
4
SPEAKER_03
$25,000 for Algalita Marine Research and Education.
4
SPEAKER_01
Watching on from behind my podium, I feel Reese s entire career has led him to this point.
4
SPEAKER_01
It s like the answers have been implanted in his head, like in a Nathan Fielder experiment.
4
SPEAKER_01
Reese ends up getting 198 points, which is really high.
4
SPEAKER_01
Then Samba did his round to seal the deal.
4
SPEAKER_01
And just like that, $25,000 for Reese s confusingly named charity.
4
SPEAKER_01
And a revelation.
4
SPEAKER_01
For only the second time in Family Feud history, someone had given all the number one answers.
4
SPEAKER_04
Reese gave all the number one answers.
4
SPEAKER_04
Zebra, Spouse, Dwayne The Rock, Temple in Spain.
4
SPEAKER_04
All number one answers.
4
SPEAKER_01
Somehow, Reese had managed to fully inhabit the mindset of an American.
4
SPEAKER_01
It was an incredible feat of acting, statistically making Reese more American than previous contestants, like the entire Kardashian family.
4
SPEAKER_01
And just like that, it s over.
4
SPEAKER_01
We re led back out into the harsh sunlight of the studio lot.
4
SPEAKER_01
I feel ill.
4
SPEAKER_01
Reese feels good.
4
SPEAKER_03
It s hard for me to ever feel anything.
4
SPEAKER_03
But in all honesty, as close to ecstatic as I ve felt recently, and when he said that I was the second only person in history to get all of those right or whatever.
4
SPEAKER_01
Do you feel it was skill or chance or a combination of both?
4
SPEAKER_03
The one thing I m good at is thinking very quickly on the top of my feet.
4
SPEAKER_03
The feet are very important.
4
SPEAKER_03
I position them in a certain way.
4
SPEAKER_03
I take everything like it just comes and then it s meant to happen because it s all part of the delusion I ve created in my head.
4
SPEAKER_03
Come back to me.
4
SPEAKER_03
I m proud in a way that the very few skills I have have been brought out today and shown to the world.
4
SPEAKER_01
And thanks to this experience, I ve been shown the inner workings of a definitive American institution, that of the game show.
4
SPEAKER_01
And even more importantly, perhaps, Americans have been shown a new phrase for dying.
4
SPEAKER_01
Carked it.
4
SPEAKER_01
Had you heard of Carked It before?
4
SPEAKER_01
Never.
4
SPEAKER_02
First of all...
4
SPEAKER_01
Oh thank you, we won!
4
SPEAKER_02
I m so proud of you!
4
SPEAKER_01
$25,000 to our charity.
4
SPEAKER_01
What s the name of it?
4
SPEAKER_01
To Clean the Oceans, the Algalida Marine and Research.
4
SPEAKER_01
And nothing else, it just ends at research.
4
SPEAKER_01
The name doesn t even make sense.
4
SPEAKER_02
Oh my god.
4
SPEAKER_02
That was really exciting.
4
SPEAKER_02
I was fully in.
4
SPEAKER_02
I was anxious for you guys.
4
SPEAKER_02
I m impressed you said deodorant, because I think I would have said Arm and Hammer.
4
SPEAKER_02
Baking soda is what they make, but then I would have lost.
4
SPEAKER_01
It s such a strange scenario, because when I said that it s like a roller coaster, it honestly, it does just start and you realize you can t run away.
4
SPEAKER_01
It s just happening and it s on.
4
SPEAKER_01
And there wasn t really a warning.
4
SPEAKER_01
Steve Harvey just walked out on stage.
4
SPEAKER_01
And it begins.
4
SPEAKER_01
And they gave us that half hour of instructions, very specific instructions, which none of us took in.
4
SPEAKER_01
But it s weird because once you begin, it s such a finely tuned machine.
4
SPEAKER_01
You kind of know where to walk and what to do.
4
SPEAKER_02
Wow.
4
SPEAKER_01
So when they say come up to the podium, you know which direction to walk in and it all just sort of happens like magic.
4
SPEAKER_02
Very naturally.
4
SPEAKER_01
Yeah.
4
SPEAKER_02
Oh my gosh, this is so exciting.
4
SPEAKER_02
OK, why do you feel ill?
4
SPEAKER_01
I was so nervous.
4
SPEAKER_01
It s all out of my control.
4
SPEAKER_01
It turned me into this deranged maniac, clapping the whole time.
4
SPEAKER_01
I m grinning and I m doing it and I m thinking, why am I doing this?
4
SPEAKER_01
This isn t me at all.
4
SPEAKER_01
But something infects your brain on that set and you just turn into this kind of very basic clapping monkey.
4
SPEAKER_02
Oh my God.
4
SPEAKER_02
And did you have any more times up there other than deodorant?
4
SPEAKER_02
What else?
4
SPEAKER_02
Tell us everything.
4
SPEAKER_01
You got to watch the show.
4
SPEAKER_01
I honestly didn t want to get sued by NBC.
4
SPEAKER_01
I did one other answer that really fell flat.
4
SPEAKER_02
Oh my God.
4
SPEAKER_02
Of course you didn t show us.
4
SPEAKER_01
I kept that out.
4
SPEAKER_01
That s just for the show.
4
SPEAKER_01
I did another answer that was just really weird and off.
4
SPEAKER_01
Oh, it was that thing again of what would you put in your underwear?
4
SPEAKER_02
Oh, they ask it again.
4
SPEAKER_01
oh it s all a blur and for some reason i just blurted out food because i thought some sort of nice smelling food you could use to override a bad smell but i just looked like an idiot but it wasn t an idiot in a funny way it was just kind of a puzzling like has he got
5
SPEAKER_01
got a problem, a kind of issue.
5
SPEAKER_00
Yeah, exactly.
5
SPEAKER_01
And so it was a weird answer.
5
SPEAKER_01
Honestly, I didn t put it in the documentary cause it was just so weird.
5
SPEAKER_01
It would have just fallen flat like it did on the show.
5
SPEAKER_00
Well, now that I ve given you praise for your really good job, there s another moment.
5
SPEAKER_00
Yes.
5
SPEAKER_00
I m going to give you a big slap on the wrist.
5
SPEAKER_00
You are so great job.
5
SPEAKER_00
Good for you for being honest and keeping that in.
5
SPEAKER_01
I was mortifying.
5
SPEAKER_01
So this woman bounded over to us, giving us random bits of feedback and just, I don t know, my brain, instead of going, you were the executive producer running the show, because I thought, in my defense, I thought they d be in like some office or the control room.
5
SPEAKER_01
They were dancing around the floor the whole time, interacting with everyone.
5
SPEAKER_00
That s what they do.
5
SPEAKER_01
But I was so mortified.
5
SPEAKER_00
Okay, and do you think you re going to take that into your life and make better decisions?
5
SPEAKER_01
I m taking it into my life, and I am going to not assume when a woman bounds up to me that she is an intern on the show.
5
SPEAKER_00
Do you think if it was a male, you would have still felt like it was an intern?
5
SPEAKER_00
You might have.
5
SPEAKER_01
Look, I m really worried.
5
SPEAKER_01
I am questioning everything, because I think if it was, I d probably be like, oh, wow, you re the CEO of the company or something.
5
SPEAKER_01
I m joking.
5
SPEAKER_01
It wouldn t be that bad.
5
SPEAKER_01
No, it was a real insight into my default brain setting.
5
SPEAKER_01
And it was bad.
5
SPEAKER_00
No, but it s good to get checked.
5
SPEAKER_00
Because we all do this.
5
SPEAKER_01
It s just mortifying to do it in front of her and in front of everyone else around me.
5
SPEAKER_01
Everyone caught it.
5
SPEAKER_00
But at least you have kind of an excuse because it kind of sounds like you re doing it for the podcast.
5
SPEAKER_00
Like, who are you?
5
SPEAKER_01
Totally.
5
SPEAKER_01
Yeah.
5
SPEAKER_01
State what your role is here, please.
5
SPEAKER_01
Yeah, so that was not my greatest time.
5
SPEAKER_01
Also, there was so much lead up to the moment.
5
SPEAKER_01
You get there so early and you re just waiting and waiting and you re getting worried and you re figuring out what to wear and your makeup and all that stuff.
5
SPEAKER_01
And then suddenly it s just happening and it s out of your control and then you re spat out onto the lot and being driven home.
5
SPEAKER_00
Oh my god.
5
SPEAKER_00
Wow, wow, wow.
5
SPEAKER_00
Well, I loved this.
5
SPEAKER_00
I m definitely going to go and watch
5
SPEAKER_01
You should watch our episode.
5
SPEAKER_01
Yeah, it s been to air.
5
SPEAKER_01
I got a bit of feedback from people, which was all pretty funny.
5
SPEAKER_01
And I forgot it was actually on that night.
5
SPEAKER_01
So all these texts came in and I was like, Oh, the episode must ve gone out.
5
SPEAKER_00
How was it watching yourself?
5
SPEAKER_01
Oh, I would never.
5
SPEAKER_01
I didn t watch it.
5
SPEAKER_01
No, I ll never watch it.
5
SPEAKER_01
No, I can t watch it.
5
SPEAKER_01
Never.
5
SPEAKER_01
I could think of nothing worse.
5
SPEAKER_00
We re watching it together.
5
SPEAKER_01
I ll get so sweaty.
5
SPEAKER_01
I get so nervous.
5
SPEAKER_01
It s just watching yourself back is the hardest thing.
5
SPEAKER_00
It s rough, but it s funny for me to watch you watch yourself.
5
SPEAKER_01
Oh great, this will be great.
5
SPEAKER_01
So your game shows, I think this makes me a bit more American.
5
SPEAKER_00
I m going to give you 3000 points.
5
SPEAKER_01
Oh, thank you.
5
SPEAKER_00
Because you won the most iconic American game show.
5
SPEAKER_01
We won Family Feud.
5
SPEAKER_01
I won Family Feud.
5
SPEAKER_00
Oh my God.
5
SPEAKER_01
It s actually all Reese and Samba that did all the hard work.
5
SPEAKER_00
I think you should put that on your Raya profile.
5
SPEAKER_00
Cause it s pretty hot to have won Family Feud.
5
SPEAKER_00
One celebrity Family Feud.
5
SPEAKER_01
Family Feud champions.
5
SPEAKER_01
Wow.
5
SPEAKER_01
It s so good.
5
SPEAKER_00
It s a big deal.
5
SPEAKER_01
Yeah.
5
SPEAKER_01
Dating apps is going to be a future episode by the way.
5
SPEAKER_01
And I m very excited to get into the culture of American dating apps.
5
SPEAKER_00
Oh, this is exciting.
5
SPEAKER_00
Easter egg.
5
SPEAKER_00
How fun.
5
SPEAKER_00
I m so glad you did this.
5
SPEAKER_00
What a delight.
5
SPEAKER_00
You re more American than me today.
5
SPEAKER_00
Yes.
5
SPEAKER_00
Just today.