EP. S2E68 — The Best and Worst of Game Shows w/ Jacquis Neal

Jacquis Neal [00:00:03] It even got down to shit like, you know, the host has to have a little bit of a big head because they figured, like, if the host has a little bit of a big head, they’re more inviting. They could take up more space, like, on the TV screen and shit like that.

Ashley Ray [00:00:17] So they’d be like, “You got a big head.”

Jacquis Neal [00:00:23] “I got this idea for you. It’s called The Price Is Right.”

Ashley Ray [00:00:25] “You look like you know so many prices in that big old head. Welcome to TV, I Say with Ashley Ray–your go-to podcast for discovering what to watch on TV and getting behind the scenes insight from the people who make the shows you love. You just heard a little tease of my chat with Jacquis Neal. This is one of my favorite interviews we’ve done. I love game shows, and we dive in. We go into the history of it. What makes a good game show host? It’s not what you would think. What makes a good contestant? And why are game shows today just not hitting like the old ones did? We get into all of it, plus some of the ridiculous new game shows. I don’t know if you’re watching the new Is It Cake? but we have got to discuss how everybody knows which one is cake. The whole show is falling apart. So, we get into that, too. Go listen. Enjoy it. By the end of this thing, you’re going to want to go watch at least three hours of Bob Barker. So, let’s get into it. Enjoy my interview with Jacquis Neal. Jacquis Neal, welcome to TV Club. I mean, here we just kind of jump right into it. You got to jump in. There’s so much TV. We don’t have time for…

Jacquis Neal [00:01:46] Yeah. You know, listen, we’ve been doing podcasts forever. People done heard everything we got to say. We are here to talk TV.

Ashley Ray [00:01:54] But listeners, you’re going to know Jacquis from Grand Crew because I’ve told you to watch Grand Crew every single day of my life–one of my favorites. Physical, which I also love. Just had a wonderful series finale. Comedy Bang! Bang!, How I Met Your Father, and most importantly, your hit monthly comedy show, Comedian Feud.

Jacquis Neal [00:02:12] Yes. Yeah. So fun. I love ripping the idea of a 50-year-old television show and just bringing it to live stages in LA. And we got you on. I got to get you on.

Ashley Ray [00:02:25] Please. I love a game show. I would love it. I would be so happy to do it. We’re going to get deep into game shows this episode with you. One of my favorite things–bad game shows that I’ve been watching lately. But before we do that, I want to talk about some recent TV news–what we’re watching right now. It was just Halloween. Did you dress up for Halloween?

Jacquis Neal [00:02:48] I did. I dressed up. I was so lazy. I wore the same costume to three different parties. I dressed up as Tom from Tom and Jerry with my partner who was Jerry.

Ashley Ray [00:03:00] Makes sense.

Jacquis Neal [00:03:00] It was beautiful. It was beautiful.

Ashley Ray [00:03:03] That’s a nice, easy costume. I feel like that’s one you can keep in the closet and go back to time and time again. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Jacquis Neal [00:03:10] Because if I’m ever solo, I don’t have to be Tom. I can just be a rat. I can be a good rat.  I can mix it up. I can. I can add some stuff to it. Yeah.

Ashley Ray [00:03:23] Mix it up. My go-to, stable costume is I have a uniform from the Rockford Peaches, which you may know from the film or TV show, A League of Their Own. But just to clarify, I was not dressed up as a character from the show or the movie. I was dressed up as just a random Rockford Peaches player, which was a real baseball team.

Jacquis Neal [00:03:46] That’s why I was confused before. I haven’t seen a League of Their Own in a very long time. But I’m from Chicago, so, like…

Ashley Ray [00:03:56] I’m from Rockford. So, for me, I grew up, like, around the corner from where they practiced. So, I have, like, my name on it. So, I just really want to clarify that I did not break SAG rules.

Jacquis Neal [00:04:07] There you go.

Ashley Ray [00:04:08] Unlike Megan Fox, who did.

Jacquis Neal [00:04:10] Oh, so many people did.

Ashley Ray [00:04:12] So many people did. And you know what? I know that SAG said it, and I think everyone kind of understood it’s one of those respect things. Don’t post a bunch of Instagram pictures promoting these movies right now. And you’re in a costume. It’s going to make it look cool. Just go be chill. If you’re going trick or treating and your kid is like, “Be the Terminator, Daddy,” you can do it. Oh, fine. Okay. But, like, don’t do what Megan Fox did. She went online. She posted on Instagram. She tagged SAG in a Kill Bill costume. She was like, “I want you to know!”

Jacquis Neal [00:04:45] “Say something.”

Ashley Ray [00:04:49] She didn’t even have candy. No excuse. She must really love Kill Bill. Is there a character that you would risk your morals to represent?

Jacquis Neal [00:05:02] Last year, I think, I was so proud of my Halloween costume that if it was this year and I had that idea and then SAG was like, “Nah,” I would I would probably be like, “Man, fuck y’all.” So last year I went as King Richard–the Will Smith movie. And I had the whole King Richard– The socks, the short ass ball shorts, everything. But on the back of my little sports coat or whatever, I ironed on “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth.”

Ashley Ray [00:05:38] Classic.

Jacquis Neal [00:05:41] So I was King Richard in the front and Will Smith on the back. I was like, “This is the perfect Halloween costume. “And if it was this year, I probably would have rocked that. You got to get that on Instagram.

Ashley Ray [00:05:54] You got to get that on Instagram. You can get away with that. You’re Will Smith on the back. So that’s a good one. That’s a good one. Yeah.

Jacquis Neal [00:06:03] Who would you risk your morals for?

Ashley Ray [00:06:06] Well, you know, my moral– No one. No one could break me down is my answer. No, actually, any character from Living Single. And it would have to be like they give me access to the Living Single costume closet that I’m sure is being kept in a museum somewhere, as it should be. And I get an hour to just dive in and take whatever I want. And then they’re like, “That’s your Halloween costume.” I would do it.

Jacquis Neal [00:06:32] Okay.

Ashley Ray [00:06:33] But I set up some really circumstantial… I guess that situation is never going to happen. So…

Jacquis Neal [00:06:39] Yeah, I think you’re safe. Yeah. By the time that happens, I’m hoping we’re off strike.

Ashley Ray [00:06:44] So I want to get into game shows. What was the first game show you loved? What kind of pull you into this genre and, like, starting the show?

Jacquis Neal [00:06:53] Yeah, honestly, I didn’t realize how much of a relationship I have with game shows until I started acting. And then even more so over the past like five, six years. But I would say the first game show that really pulled me in was Double Dare with Marc Summers. Nickelodeon show. Like, I actually credited Marv Summers. I did Double Dare Live once. He came on tour right before the pandemic.

Ashley Ray [00:07:20] We were really living with that show.

Jacquis Neal [00:07:24] We was living. And it was late 2019, too. It was right before the shit. And I got on stage, and I got to tell him he’s the reason that I wanted to become an actor because I would always… We had one of those hampers growing up that looked like a podium. It was, like, a square hamper. And, you know, I was short enough so I would always stand behind it and I would unroll the paper towel so I could get the long tube and pretend like that was my mic. My mom loved it. And I would, like, pretend like I was hosting, right? Like, I was hosting game shows and shit like that.

Ashley Ray [00:07:57] Every little kid’s dream–to host a game show.

Jacquis Neal [00:08:01] It was great. I loved it. It was great. And so, like, that got me into feeling comfortable performing in front of people and wanting to perform in front of people. And I was always pretending to be Marc Summers. So, I always, like, attribute him to being a reason I wanted to be an entertainer. So probably Double Dare and then Price Is Right.

Ashley Ray [00:08:22] Oh, absolutely. I wanted to be on Double Dare so badly. As a kid, I just kind of believed it would be a thing in my life. Like, you know, men have to get drafted to the army and every child at some point has to go on Double Dare. And I would just be like, “you have to prepare. You have to be ready for this. Could you handle it?”

Jacquis Neal [00:08:41] I feel sorry for kids. I mean, like, we always end up sounding like old people. “Get off our grass.” But I do kind of feel sorry for kids now because I have nieces and shit. And I’m like, “Y’all don’t have a game show.” We had so many game shows that were geared for us. But not only were they geared for us, but adults actually enjoyed watching them too. They don’t really have anything like that. So, it’s a bummer to me.

Ashley Ray [00:09:07] I mean, I have no idea what’s on Nickelodeon right now, but there was just a study that came out where they interviewed Generation Alpha and Gen Z. It was a study ranging from, like, 10- to 22-year-olds, asking them what they like and dislike about TV right now. And I believe it was 49% that said that they think there’s too much sex on television and that they just want TV shows that focus on friendship. So, I was like, “I guess Nickelodeon has gone in a really different direction,” because when I was ten years old, I was like…

Jacquis Neal [00:09:42] Seeking it out. Well, yeah, we had so many shows that were just all about friendship and babies being friends and teenagers– Everybody was friends.

Ashley Ray [00:09:53] And then, like, there’d be one episode where you’d be like, “Why did they have those two characters, like, hold hands like that?”

Jacquis Neal [00:10:00] Right.

Ashley Ray [00:10:01] “That’s not for me.”

Jacquis Neal [00:10:04] Yeah. And all the relationships were either manipulative or, like, you know, secretive, like Helga in Hey Arnold!

Ashley Ray [00:10:11] Ah, yeah. It was always like, “You like someone? Ew. You’re a weirdo. You probably have a gum statue in your closet.”

Jacquis Neal [00:10:23] It’s so weird. Or it was like Urkel, where it was like, “Alright, man. Leave her alone, bruh.”

Ashley Ray [00:10:27] Yeah, like, back off. You also said The Price is Right.

Jacquis Neal [00:10:32] Yeah, I got to be on The Price is Right.

Ashley Ray [00:10:34] Please tell me everything about that experience.

Jacquis Neal [00:10:37] I got to be on The Price is Right with Bob Barker.

Ashley Ray [00:10:39] Okay, now you’re really talking for real.

Jacquis Neal [00:10:42] It’s crazy. It’s crazy. Like, Bob Barker was another big influence on me just as a game show host.

Ashley Ray [00:10:48] The man practically raised me whenever I pretended to be sick so I could stay home from school.

Jacquis Neal [00:10:52] Seriously. Oh, yeah, seriously. He actually just passed away on the same day as my granddad, which was obviously sad but also, like, kind of made me smile a little bit because I watched it with my grandparents growing up a lot.

Ashley Ray [00:11:10] Did you ever think about getting one of those airbrushed shirts made with Bob Barker and your grandpa?

Jacquis Neal [00:11:16] I should. At the mall? “Come on up. You’re the next contestant in heaven.”

Ashley Ray [00:11:29] Just an idea.

Jacquis Neal [00:11:31] I might do that. I might do that. That would actually be very funny. So, yeah, Price is Right was my shit growing up. I don’t even know why. It’s such a simple game show.

Ashley Ray [00:11:40] Yeah. “How much do things cost?” And I was there like, “How much do things cost?” It’s amazing.

Jacquis Neal [00:11:49] It’s such a simple game show that has so many moving pieces and different games. And I think that’s the cool thing about Price is Right as opposed to other game shows, which is why Price is Right has stood the test of time. The concept is the game show as opposed to most other game shows where the premise is the game show. So, in Family Feud, for instance, the premise is the game doesn’t change. It’s all about the premise. But the concept of Price is Right is how much your shit costs. And they get to play so many different games to go with this concept.

Ashley Ray [00:12:28] It gets so much more exciting because you’re like, “Oh, which thing are they going to have to do? is there a new one?” It always is kind of weird and random. I remember they had a one that was a mountain climber and you had to get to the top of the mountain. It’s always just like, “What?”

Jacquis Neal [00:12:42] I’ll do you one further. They had that song–that yodel song. I loved that shit.

Ashley Ray [00:12:51] I just want to go watch some old Price is Right now. So, do you know a lot about the history of game shows because you’re, like, breaking all this down for me?

Jacquis Neal [00:13:17] I mean, dependent on the game show, yes. I do know how they used to pick hosts and, like, the parameters for hosts.

Ashley Ray [00:13:26] Well, yeah, how do they? It is such a specific skill. I have seen people who I love, as, you know, actors, comedians, whatever, try to host me, and it’s bad. It’s such a niche thing. How do they pick these people? What is it?

Jacquis Neal [00:13:45] Well, it’s changed a lot recently because now it is about, like, “What celebrity can we get to host a game show?” Even Pat Sajak is about to step down from Wheel of Fortune. And American Idol…

Ashley Ray [00:13:58] Oh, yeah. Ryan Seacrest is coming in.

Jacquis Neal [00:14:02] I will give Ryan Seacrest credit. He is, like, a true host. He’s a celebrity now.

Ashley Ray [00:14:11] But I would say first and foremost, he is a host always.

Jacquis Neal [00:14:15] Yeah. It’s so funny. It even got down to shit like, you know, the host has to have a little bit of a big head because they figured, like, if the host has a little bit of a big head, they’re more inviting. They could take up more space, like, on the TV screen and shit like that.

Ashley Ray [00:14:30] So they’d be like, “You got a big head.”

Jacquis Neal [00:14:32] “I got this idea for you. It’s called The Price Is Right.”

Ashley Ray [00:14:39] “You look like you know so many prices in that big old head.

Jacquis Neal [00:14:44] Yes. Yes. And they also would try to stay away from actors per se. They would like to go to people who were presenters, like radio deejays or newscasters or interviewers or things like that, because the thing that makes a game show host good… Obviously charisma and all these things like that. But it’s really the ability to comfortably think on your feet and not improv in a way of, like, comedy, but just improv in the way of, you know, I can very quickly know which lane to go down based on anything you say at any given moment. And you have, like, just the calm voice. And you can keep things moving. It was a timing thing, too. Like, they always picked people who were good with timing–who knew, like, “All right, let’s let this breathe a little bit.” They would have a lot of radio deejays. Go back to those old school– Like, Alex Trebek, Pat Sajak, Bob Barker–all of them. The greats. It would always be, you know, people who are presenters.

Ashley Ray [00:15:52] Is there someone doing it right now who you think is doing a great job? What game show host–? Or any competition host now, I guess, because now you’ve got Chopped. You’ve got all these kinds of shows with hosts.

Jacquis Neal [00:16:07] Yeah. Yeah. I mean, not really, but that’s not a knock on them. I just think it’s a knock on that the game show has changed. You know, you don’t get too many new game shows now.

Ashley Ray [00:16:21] Well I mean we just got Snake Oil with David Spade.

Jacquis Neal [00:16:24] I’ve not watched it yet. Have you?

Ashley Ray [00:16:26] I have watched it. I don’t really like it, but I don’t… To me, it’s just very silly. The concept doesn’t pull me in. And that’s what I need for a game show. I’m just like, “I don’t care about the stakes here. I don’t care about these, like, inventions.” But it seems like one of those things where if they had a host or someone from news, it would be a little better because it is about finding these fake inventors, I guess. So, most of the time I was just like, “Why is David Spade here?”

Jacquis Neal [00:17:06] Right. It’s weird because I feel like they are too polished. But inherently they’re not polished because, like, the acting profession requires us to kind of be a little more loose. So, I feel like they overcorrect on the polished, where it’s just like, “Oh, you’re trying to be a game show host instead of just trying to be yourself.”

Ashley Ray [00:17:31] Yeah, exactly. I do think that Nicole Byer is doing a pretty amazing job.

Jacquis Neal [00:17:39] Great.

Ashley Ray [00:17:39] And I mean, it’s a different kind of format with Nailed It! because, I mean, it’s not really a game show environment because the winner is often someone who you’re like, “Oh, their cake didn’t fall apart.” She’s creating a different environment. But I also love her on Wipe Out. And to me, anytime I see she’s hosting something, I get excited.

Jacquis Neal [00:18:00] My niece actually loves Nailed It! And so, when Nailed It! came on the TV one time, she was like, “Oh, I love this show.” I got to flex with her and be like, “Oh, that’s my homie.”

Ashley Ray [00:18:11] “That’s my girl.”

Jacquis Neal [00:18:12] She’s like, “You know her?” So that’s cool, too. I think if you can get a kid to like your show, you’re a good host.

Ashley Ray [00:18:19] Yeah, exactly. And I mean, I’m just a stoned adult watching it. And every time they show those bad cakes, I laugh. I don’t care how many times I see a bad fondant; I am laughing every time.

Jacquis Neal [00:18:34] It’s so funny.

Ashley Ray [00:18:34] And then when Nicole, like, just can’t even take it. You can tell she has to break because she is eating the worst thing she’s ever tasted. That’s what I think, for me, makes a good current game show. Have you watched Is It Cake on Netflix?

Jacquis Neal [00:18:50] I watched an episode.

Ashley Ray [00:18:52] I’ve seen almost every episode of Is it Cake? So, the first season is good because they don’t get real cake experts. They get people who… It’s kind of a bit like Nailed It! They are like, “I can cook. I’ve done making things, but I’m not amazing. But let me try to see if I can do this.” And mostly you couldn’t tell which one was cake. But they were really easy objects. So, it was kind of like, “Okay, they all had to make a brick.”

Jacquis Neal [00:19:19] Okay. Okay.

Ashley Ray [00:19:21] So the second season, they try to make it harder with harder things. They also got more experienced bakers. They have people who on TikTok are like, “I have millions of followers. I’m so famous for being the person who makes things out of cake. Whatever.” The thing is, though, when you’re trying to make harder things, you can always tell which one is cake. And in the first three episodes of the second season, every single baker gets eliminated almost immediately. Like, the girl who is like, “I taught these other people actually. I wrote a book about it”–she’s the first one eliminated because even though she had the best thing, it’s just like, “It’s not a roller skate. That is cake.”

Jacquis Neal [00:20:00] Yeah.

Ashley Ray [00:20:01] “And there’s a real roller skate right there.” And you just see in the middle of production, they’re like, “We have got to find a way to make this harder. Everybody is losing.” And so, then they go, “Oh, well, now you can pick multiple props to hide your cake.”

Jacquis Neal [00:20:16] But it kind of goes to what I think is different about game shows now. And, you know, I don’t know if you noticed this, but they are bringing back a lot of game shows from, like, yesteryear. $2,000 Pyramid. Press Your Luck. Like, all these shows are trying to come back because, you know, they’re starting to realize the classics are the classics for a reason. But I think what was different with the host, for instance, nowadays is everything is so pre-produced in a way that it wasn’t back in the day. For instance, with Price is Right, Bob Barker used to do that show like it was a live taping, even though it wasn’t. But a taping was 60 minutes. The commercial breaks were as long as commercials were going to be, and that’s how long he stood on stage. He would talk to the audience, he would get the countdown, and be like, “We’re coming back in ten!” He just knew how to fuck. It was like it was a live production. And same thing with Family Feud with Richard Dawson. Like, those tapings were short. It was like a live production, right? And I’ve been to a taping with Drew Carey, and he does it like a TV show. A taping takes, like, 90 minutes plus. And they’ll stop and start and do all these things and do all the setups because that’s where he thrives. That’s fine. I think that’s okay. Or even I was on Celebrity Feud this year…

Ashley Ray [00:21:37] You’re living life.

Jacquis Neal [00:21:42] It was a beautiful thing. I really loved that experience. We lost, but I loved it. And Steve was great.

Ashley Ray [00:21:47] What was Steve like? Did he give you advice? I just feel like he’s one of the guys who’s always giving people advice.

Jacquis Neal [00:21:53] In every commercial break, he would go out and talk to the audience and give advice for, like, 10 minutes. We could not hear him because the stage is actually surprisingly fucking huge. So, it would sound like somebody 20 feet away from you talking intimately with somebody–you could barely hear–in, like, a huge soundstage. So, you could really not hear unless you were actually focused in. But we were also talking to each other and shit, so we were not really paying attention.

Ashley Ray [00:22:20] And he’s just out there whispering in women’s ears. “Think like a man!”

Jacquis Neal [00:22:25] “Act like a lady. Think like a man.” That’s all he was doing. But when I tell you this man–who’s a legend, who’s been on television for 30 years almost–was struggling with cue cards. Oh, I probably shouldn’t be saying all these secrets. But it was just like, “Oh, it’s because these people are, like, so used to TV and not used to presenting.” Steve butchered my name two or three times and had to be reminded. Bob Barker did not see my name on a cue card–did not have it phonetically spelled out like Steve had. He just saw my name tag. To this day, he’s one of the only white men to get my name right the first time he ever tried it. To this day. And that man was, like, 80 at that time. And he just looked at my name. “Jacquis!” I was like, “What the fuck?” It was crazy. And so even with that–the second season–what made the first season so magical was just like, “We just have an idea. Let’s bring people on to do it.” And then they get successful, and now they’re like, “Oh, we got to actually produce this a little. We got to do blah, blah, blah.”

Ashley Ray [00:23:35] “Yeah, we have really kind of written out segments,” is what it feels like versus that ability to, I think, make people who aren’t used to being on TV feel comfortable because that’s a big part of it. If you don’t know how to deal with contestants, who are coming down, who, like, you know, this is the first time they’ve probably ever been in front of a camera, that making TV experience is so different. You’ve been on so many game shows, and you told me what makes a good host–a big head. But what makes a good contestant? Like, did you bring it? What makes a good contestant on these shows?

Jacquis Neal [00:24:12] So I’ve been on three game shows, actually. I have been on The Price Is Right, I was on Feud, and then I was on another show called The Idiot Test a long ass time ago.

Ashley Ray [00:24:21] I kind of remember that.

Jacquis Neal [00:24:22] With Ben Gleib or Gleb.

Ashley Ray [00:24:25] Yeah. Yeah.

Jacquis Neal [00:24:26] So with The Price is Right, how they used to do it at least was they used to stand in line hours before they let you in. And they would have plainclothes producers just kind of scoping everybody else, seeing who’s personable, yada, yada, yada. And now they just do auditions and shit, which I did for Idiot Test. So, I think, like, what makes a good contestant–dependent on the show you’re on, obviously… Let’s get the obvious ones out the way first. Excitement. I don’t think you need to have charisma. You really don’t. I think people think you do. But the host has charisma.

Ashley Ray [00:25:06] Yeah. Like, I feel like on Jeopardy! sometimes people try a little too hard to be clever.

Jacquis Neal [00:25:11] They try a little too hard. James Holzhauer or whatever his name is–it was too much. Like, “Bro, be a nerd. It’s okay. Yeah, it’s okay.” Like, for instance, when I host Comedian Feud, I have two, like, comedian captains, and they bring their teams and shit. We play a full game. And then whoever wins that plays five members of the audience for the second game. And a lot of times that’s where most of the laughs come in, even though we got ten funny people on stage for the first half. And it’s always fun and it’s rowdy and it’s a good ass time. But a lot of times the biggest laughs come from when the audience is on stage because I get to drive them more. Like, I tell them, “You ain’t got to be funny. I don’t need you to be funny. I just need you to be yourself.” And so, I get to drive that a little bit more. You also still have five other comedians and things like that. And these people aren’t charismatic or anything like that, but people are naturally funny when they get in situations that they are not used to being in. You know what I’m saying?

Ashley Ray [00:26:10] Yeah.

Jacquis Neal [00:26:12] And so I think, instead of charisma, you just kind of have to be comfortable in your own skin. If you are a stoic, quiet motherfucker, you can be a stoic, quiet motherfucker on a game show. Like, the host will make it work. The host is going to make it work, you know what I’m saying? So, I think, like, that is what makes a good contestant. Don’t try to perform. Just be yourself. Be okay with looking stupid, which a lot of people are not. That’s what gets people nervous. They’re like, “Am I going to look stupid?”

Ashley Ray [00:26:50] I always used to be afraid of, like, “What if I end up on, like, Who Wants to be a Millionaire and when I answer, I look dumb?” I end up on The Price is Right and I’m like, “I don’t know. I think the soap is $1,000,000.” I’m like, “Why did I say that?”

Jacquis Neal [00:27:04] Well, honestly, that’s going to make good TV because people are going to roast you at home.

Ashley Ray [00:27:09] Oh, absolutely.

Jacquis Neal [00:27:11] That’s going to make good TV. I love that. Somebody said… I asked the question, “What is something you would hate to accidentally swallow?” on Comedian Feud in Fast Money. And one of the contestants–it was an audience member–said, “Ibuprofen.” And when I tell you I lost it… What a weird thing. Like, I get what he was saying, but just, like… It was so silly and so dumb, and he was so embarrassed. But, like, people still talk about that answer sometimes who saw that show. They’re like, “That shit was so funny.” Like, that’s what makes a fun show is just being yourself and being okay looking stupid.

Ashley Ray [00:27:58] What’s the game show you want to be on that you– You’ve been on so many, but–

Jacquis Neal [00:28:02] I still want to be on Wheel of Fortune.

Ashley Ray [00:28:03] Yeah. Yeah.

Jacquis Neal [00:28:04] I’m too dumb for Jeopardy!

Ashley Ray [00:28:05] I am too dumb for Jeopardy! unless it was, like, maybe pop culture or, like… There are some categories I’d be like, “Okay, I could come on.” They do, like, a Black history Jeopardy!, let’s go. But no, I could not most of the time. And Wheel of Fortune–I think I’d be good. I don’t know. I feel like I understand the nervousness of being in front of the crowd. Like, that one–I feel like I’d be really stressed.

Jacquis Neal [00:28:32] You know, I will say this. It’s stressful. It’s stressful because, like, you’re second guessing yourself so much. Also, are you competitive? Are you a competitive person?

Ashley Ray [00:28:41] I am. Yes. But when it comes to–I don’t know–game show things, I can be very, like, “Fair’s fair.” But when it’s something like spinning a wheel and when it’s games of chance and stuff, that’s when I get a little fired up.

Jacquis Neal [00:29:00] I think the other thing that makes a good game show contestant–you got to be competitive. Even for the chance ones, you have to want to beat everybody on it.

Ashley Ray [00:29:13] I got to get competitive. I got to get in the game.

Jacquis Neal [00:29:16] You watch The Challenge?

Ashley Ray [00:29:17] Yeah.

Jacquis Neal [00:29:18] That show is inherently meant for assholes. But the biggest asshole moment of all time in the game show is when, on the challenge, there’s a dude named Johnny Bananas. It was the first season ever where whoever won the challenge, it was the two partners. They did something weird where, like, you know, you had a partner, you guys won together. But within the final, each partner still has certain things to do that was timed, so you could decide which one of the two partners who won had the best time. And whoever had the best time got to decide whether they wanted to split the money with their partner who had just won or keep it all. And at this point, it was the biggest prize ever. It was a $1,000,000 prize. And it was the first time it happened. There are three teams that win–third place, second place, and first place. Third place and second place both split. Johnny Bananas and his partner Sarah, who were rivals– It was a season called Rivals. So, it was two people who were rivals who had to work together, and they generally become friends by the end. They become friends, they squashed everything, they were good, and he took the fucking money. He took it all. And it was like the Red Wedding in Game of Thrones. I was shocked. And I had Johnny Bananas on a podcast a couple of years ago, and we talked about that moment. And he recognized that, like, “Oh, it was the biggest asshole moment I’ve ever had in my life.” And it kind of ruined his life for, like, six years.

Ashley Ray [00:30:54] Absolutely it did. People, like, hated him. I have a hard time with, like, dating game shows because I’m always like, “None of this is real.” The only one I kind of thought–I gave it a shot–was 90 Day Fiancé. They tried to do a… I don’t know if you’re familiar with that franchise–if you watch it. They tried to do a game show spinoff called 90 Day: Love Games. And it was basically–

Jacquis Neal [00:31:19] Ooh. No, I didn’t know that.

Ashley Ray [00:31:20] Oh, nobody does because it was on Discovery+ not on TLC. No one watched it except for me. And they had couples from, like, different 90 Days come on and basically play love games where they had to, like, prove how much they knew about their partners. But it was all shot during COVID. So, they’re all at home just doing this over Zoom, basically. And you see these people in real time getting so mad at each other–the couples. Like, at one point, one of the husbands just storms off and is like, “I’m done. I’m sick. I can’t do this anymore.” And then the host is like, “Well, let’s just keep it moving.” And it is some of the best, wildest television I’ve ever seen for a game show. And then I don’t even know if it’s still on there, but, like, nobody knows about it.

Jacquis Neal [00:32:11] I kind of want to watch it. It sounds like The Newlywed Game but for more toxic couples. These couples are… I don’t want to say they’re all toxic.

Ashley Ray [00:32:25] It’s some couples where if you ask a question like, “So when’s the last time you checked his phone?”, that’s going to cause issues with this group of people.

Jacquis Neal [00:32:34] “When did you last betray each other’s trust?” “Yesterday.”

Ashley Ray [00:32:37] Yeah, and just watching most of the men not know anything about these women that they brought to another country. But, God, I love 90 Day Fiancé. I’m watching it still. I’ll never stop watching.

Jacquis Neal [00:32:48] I don’t watch that many reality shows.

Ashley Ray [00:32:50] Yeah? You draw a line here between game shows and reality shows. You see, I feel like a lot of people just kind of conflate all of that really together.

Jacquis Neal [00:33:01] I don’t conflate them. I don’t play them. I do think they are in the same world. I recognize that. But it is a lot more truncated than a reality show. I think even a competition reality show is different to a degree because one of the cool things about game shows–outside of shows like Jeopardy! and shit like that–once you’re on, you’re on, and you’re gone, right? And even if you’re on multiple times, we don’t get to know that much about you.

Ashley Ray [00:33:31] I know when someone is on the Price is Right, they’re not going on there because they want to get more Instagram followers. Like, they’re not trying to create an arc over several episodes. They are trying to win a trip to Virginia.

Jacquis Neal [00:33:44] That’s it. Sweet home Virginia.

Ashley Ray [00:33:48] And you’re like, “Really? That’s the main–? Oh, come on.” But you also get a car!

Jacquis Neal [00:33:54] I had a chance to win a car, and I lost that shit.

Ashley Ray [00:33:56] How did it feel to lose a car?

Jacquis Neal [00:33:59] I didn’t care until I saw the episode. Like, so, here’s the thing about The Price is Right is the way it’s set up is you continually have something to look forward to on the show. So, I was part of the first four to come on down. I was a second on stage. I had a chance to win a car–lost that game. So disappointed, but now I get a chance to look forward to the wheel. I spun the wheel. I won the wheel.  So, I got to the Showcase Showdown. And then when I lost the Showcase Showdown, I was disappointed. But now you’re just riding the high of “I was just on The Price is Right.”

Ashley Ray [00:34:37] “And I made it to Showcase Showdown! The best part of the show!”

Jacquis Neal [00:34:43] The best part of the show. So, yeah, I’m disappointed, but, like, that was a dope ass hour of my life. And so now I get to go home and tell the stories and yadda, yadda, yadda and get excited to watch it. And so, when I sat down to watch it, I was like, “I can’t believe I lost that shit.”

Ashley Ray [00:35:01] Looking back, what was the defining question or moment you knew, like…?

Jacquis Neal [00:35:07] Of that one? Yeah. So, like, the pricing game I got to play wasn’t even a popular one, which made me mad too. It was one where I had to, like, guess if four different prices were true or false–the price. And however many I got correct was how many chances I got to choose the correct price of the car. I only got one correct. I only got one chance. And the price I chose was $42 more expensive than the actual price of the car. So, they put two numbers that were close together.

Ashley Ray [00:35:37] That’s how they get you.

Jacquis Neal [00:35:38] They were less than $100 together. And I knew it was one of those. And if I would have had two chances, I would have won the car. But I only had one. And I didn’t even recognize that. I didn’t even recognize that until I watched the episode. Like, I was like, “Oh, that shit was so close, man!” because you’re just in it.

Ashley Ray [00:35:57] I don’t even know how you focus. I just feel like I would be anxious. And I don’t get nervous in front of crowds, but now I’m trying to think and do math and the lights and I just… And Bob Barker’s there.

Jacquis Neal [00:36:10] That’s the job of the host. The host gets you through it.

Ashley Ray [00:36:14] Calm you down. So, you don’t watch a lot of the modern game shows.

Jacquis Neal [00:36:35] I do. I mean, one of the worst game shows I saw recently was one on Netflix called Awake. It was so funny. I watched the whole fucking season.

Ashley Ray [00:36:43] Oh, I think I heard about that. What was this one about?

Jacquis Neal [00:36:45] It was the one where, like, a whole bunch of contestants had to stay awake for 24 hours and count quarters.

Ashley Ray [00:36:52] Why did they have to count the quarters?

Jacquis Neal [00:37:00] Just to–the next day–be like, “How many quarters did you count?”

Ashley Ray [00:37:06] That doesn’t tell you how long someone stayed awake. What does that have to do with anything?

Jacquis Neal [00:37:12] I have no idea. It was such a bad– I watched every episode. It was during the pandemic. It was, like, the beginning of the pandemic, so it was the perfect, like, mindless show to watch. But it obviously did not get a second season.

Ashley Ray [00:37:26] That doesn’t even sound hard. I think I could stay away for 24 hours.

Jacquis Neal [00:37:29] Oh, yeah, you can stay awake. But, like, when I tell you what… Okay, so I will say this. The staying awake for 24 hours is not inherently hard, especially for somebody like myself who has insomnia. But the amount of quarters these people were counting were, like, six figures of quarters, so…

Ashley Ray [00:37:47] But does counting orders make you tired?

Jacquis Neal [00:37:51] No. I hope not. But I think the premise that they set up was your brain would forget at a certain point–past a certain number. Like, by the time you get to $10,000 in quarters, you’re probably, like…

Ashley Ray [00:38:07] Well, yeah.

Jacquis Neal [00:38:09] You got to have a system.

Ashley Ray [00:38:10] Yeah, my first thought was, like, “What kind of system are you doing? Are you just counting number of quarter or value of quarter?”

Jacquis Neal [00:38:19] Are you doing fours?

Ashley Ray [00:38:21] And then dividing if you want. Yeah.

Jacquis Neal [00:38:23] It was not a good show.

Ashley Ray [00:38:25] You have not watched Is It Cake? but you did watch a bunch of people stay awake for 24 hours and count quarters.

Jacquis Neal [00:38:32] Yeah. And I do watch reality shows.

Ashley Ray [00:38:37] What are you watching? What shows are you watching?

Jacquis Neal [00:38:38] I’m a reality show watcher where I’ll watch the show when I need to. The only show I watch continually is The Challenge.

Ashley Ray [00:38:46] Do you consider, like, a Survivor or a Big brother to be a game show? Or is that competitive reality?

Jacquis Neal [00:38:54] I think Big Brother is more competitive reality and Survivor is more a game show.

Ashley Ray [00:39:02] Okay.

Jacquis Neal [00:39:03] One of the fun things I love about game shows or even board games is, like, “We are playing this right now until it ends.” And usually, the end is in one session. Whereas Survivor for instance–if I can go to sleep and wake up and strategize, now, we’re moving over to like, you know, a military situation. I think the funny thing about game shows is you don’t have that much time to think. You kind of have to make your decisions based on just what you already know. And as a kid who was very good at school but did not study because I was very much a “If I don’t fucking know it, I’m not going to go know it. I’m not going to go home and read a book 12 times in a row to remember it. Like, it must not be important for me to know.”

Ashley Ray [00:39:58] I mean, I do want to know what you think of Jeff Probst as a host.

Jacquis Neal [00:40:04] As a host? Oh, I think he’s a great host.

Ashley Ray [00:40:06] Recently, a lot of Survivor fans have been sick of Jeff.

Jacquis Neal [00:40:10] Oh, really?

Ashley Ray [00:40:11] Yeah. There’s people in the Survivor community–they want a change. They’re tired of Jeff.

Jacquis Neal [00:40:16] Interesting.

Ashley Ray [00:40:17] But, yeah, I don’t know.

Jacquis Neal [00:40:20] I think that’s also just where we are. Like, you know, people will probably be sick of Bob Barker, too. We just have too many options. We just have too many options. Like, we know we have options.

Ashley Ray [00:40:32] But that’s his whole job.

Jacquis Neal [00:40:34] That’s his whole job. Like, why would you want to see anybody else do it? Unless he wants to step down.

Ashley Ray [00:40:41] Yeah, if it’s his call, okay. But don’t… Jeff, if you’re listening–and I know you are–don’t bow to these Survivor heads who have lost sight of what the show really means.

Jacquis Neal [00:40:52] Do it until 2050.

Ashley Ray [00:40:54] As long as you want.

Jacquis Neal [00:40:54] 30 more years.

Ashley Ray [00:40:56] Until the waters rise and there’s no more islands for you to go to.

Jacquis Neal [00:41:01] Until everybody survives, you stay on Survivor.

Ashley Ray [00:41:05] You survive. You’re the main one.

Jacquis Neal [00:41:07] You survive. You’re the host. You’re the host. I mean, like, unless he’s done something. Like, with Chris Harrison from Bachelor, he had to go, obviously. So, unless he’s done some shit like that, then alright. But if it’s just like, “We just want a new host,” then fucking stop watching the show. There’s a whole show where the floor is lava.

Ashley Ray [00:41:28] The Floor is Lava. They’re doing Squid Games. They’re doing real Squid Games.

Jacquis Neal [00:41:32] I’m actually excited about that. I’m excited about that one.

Ashley Ray [00:41:36] I’m very Team I Don’t Know Why They’re Doing This. And it seems like it goes against everything the show is about.

Jacquis Neal [00:41:44] 100%. That’s why I want to watch it.

Ashley Ray [00:41:46] If someone also asked me, like, “Do you want to do it?” I would go, “Yes, absolutely. Please.”

Jacquis Neal [00:41:51] I think that’s what I base my favorite game shows off of or shows that I like–if I wanted to do it. Like, I would want to do Squid Game because my competitiveness and my ego thinks I could be good at it.

Ashley Ray [00:42:05] I think I’d be good at it.

Jacquis Neal [00:42:07] Jeopardy! I have no interest in. I don’t watch Jeopardy!

Ashley Ray [00:42:10] I don’t watch it much.

Jacquis Neal [00:42:11] “I would suck at this.”

Ashley Ray [00:42:12] Unless it’s, you know, “Oh, they’re doing a special one.” Celebrity Jeopardy! because I know it’ll be easy. I’m like, “Okay.”

Jacquis Neal [00:42:18] Yeah. Yeah. “I know they’re going to dumb down these questions.” Yeah.

Ashley Ray [00:42:21] That’s always good.

Jacquis Neal [00:42:23] “Who was the president that dated Marilyn Monroe?” I can do that.

Ashley Ray [00:42:30] And I’m like, “Oh, my gosh. I’m so much smarter than this person from The Young and the Restless. Look at me.”

Jacquis Neal [00:42:34] I know. I know. I actually do not like celebrity versions of game shows.

Ashley Ray [00:42:40] Why?

Jacquis Neal [00:42:42] Not because they’re not more fun, which is funny because Comedian Feud is essentially a celebrity–

Ashley Ray [00:42:47] Yeah. You literally do one of those.

Jacquis Neal [00:42:50] It’s more closer to Celebrity Feud than regular Family Feud. But–you know–gotta sell tickets to make money. But it’s not because I don’t like the celebrities. And, again, I was on Celebrity Feud so, like, I’m talking shit about a show I was on. They’re not playing for anything!

Ashley Ray [00:43:06] Yeah, the thing is that I’m always like, “Let them keep it. They did the work. I don’t care if they’re celebrities. Let them keep the money.”

Jacquis Neal [00:43:13] You do get paid to be on the show. So, I’m just going to say that real quick. I’m just gonna say that real quick.

Ashley Ray [00:43:18] I didn’t know that part. Okay.

Jacquis Neal [00:43:21] We get paid more than what you would win if you were a regular family. I’m just gonna say that.

Ashley Ray [00:43:31] Okay. Never mind. You play for the charity of your choice if you enjoy it.

Jacquis Neal [00:43:35] You’re playing for the charity for sure. This is fucked up. We did not win. And as a team, collectively, we made more money just getting paid than the charity got paid.

Ashley Ray [00:43:47] Wow.

Jacquis Neal [00:43:49] You know… It’s not my money. I also think this is what makes a good game show host again. Even when I’m hosting like Comedian Feud or when I’m watching, I genuinely get happy when I see people win.

Ashley Ray [00:44:07] I love seeing people win, especially when they have a little backstory.

Jacquis Neal [00:44:11] Oh, yeah. I get emotional with it. Like, look, I’ve been poor. I’ve been poor. I grew up on the South Side of Chicago. And so, I also know how much 20k can change a situation, even if it’s temporary, or just the excitement of people who, like, don’t get to do things like this. You know, like, we’re actors–we’re entertainers. So even though it’s hard for us, on the outside looking in, we get to be on TV, and we get to be in writers’ rooms and shit like that. So, like, that’s exciting, right? But for some of these people who get on game shows, this is, like, the most exciting thing they’ll ever do or have ever had. And, like, you can see that genuine excitement.

Ashley Ray [00:44:53] Their family is going to be like, “Oh, you remember when so-and-so was on this?” They’re going to record that. They’re going to keep it on DVD, VHS, the file, everything.

Jacquis Neal [00:45:01] Yeah. And so that makes it really fun for me. I really enjoy seeing that and, like, I enjoy that aspect of game shows. And also, when you get celebrities on these shows, celebrities tend to make moments about themselves. But sometimes I’m just like, “Just play the game, bro. You’re not this dumb. You are playing it up.”

Ashley Ray [00:45:29] “We see what you do here, okay?”

Jacquis Neal [00:45:33] The one show that is fun now and another one I wish they’d bring back… I do like Pyramid because even though it is a celebrity–that’s been the model of the show forever–but you are playing for somebody who is not a celebrity. So that’s different. I do like that. I wish they would bring back Hollywood Squares.

Ashley Ray [00:45:54] It was so, so good. I loved Hollywood Squares. There’s just so many people who’d be so good on it. It’s like I Love the ’90s and ’70s where I’m like, “Bring it back because there’s so many comedians and improv people who would be famous if you let them do this.”

Jacquis Neal [00:46:11] It would be dope. And then you can get new stars. That’s how Richard Dawson…

Ashley Ray [00:46:14] Exactly.

Jacquis Neal [00:46:16] He started doing Family Feud. He was on shows, but then he was on a Match Game. And people were like, “Oh, we love him.” And they gave him his own show. And now Family Feud is, like, 50 years old.

Ashley Ray [00:46:27] Jacquis, this has been so fun. I have loved talking game shows with you. I’m literally just going to go put on the Bob Barker channel so I can, like, get work done today. Any plugs? Where can the people follow you? When is the next show?

Jacquis Neal [00:46:43] First, thank you for having me on. I truly enjoy… I didn’t know what we were going to talk about today. So, any time I get to talk about game shows for an hour is a happy ass hour for me.

Ashley Ray [00:46:55] That’s what we try to do here at TV Club.

Jacquis Neal [00:46:57] Yeah, it was beautiful. It was beautiful. If you’re ever in LA, Comedian Feud is always a good time. Come through. We have a real face off podium. We have a real Family Feud system that was built by a computer engineer.

Ashley Ray [00:47:14] Dang.

Jacquis Neal [00:47:14] We do it right, so it will simulate being on the real thing. And if you like to get high or watch high black comedians do improv, come to pass that blunt at UCB Theater every month as well. I host that too. It’s every Friday. The 10th of November.

Ashley Ray [00:47:32] Well, then go this week! Then go! I’ll be there!

Jacquis Neal [00:47:35] Oh. Hell, yeah.

Ashley Ray [00:47:37] I saw Laci post about it, and I was like, “Oh, I got to go that.” Jacquis, thank you so much for joining me. And listeners, we have talked a lot today about the SAG strike–the actors’ strike. If you would like to support the actors who are still out on the picket line, you can go join them. If you’re in LA or New York, you can drop off food and water if you don’t have time to walk. And if you’re not there–if you’re in another part of the country–you can donate. You can donate money to the Entertainment Community Fund, which helps non-actor Hollywood crew members who suffer hardships due to the strike. You can donate at entertainmentcommunity.org. And make sure to direct your gift to the Film and Television category when asked. And TV Club, make sure you’re caught up on… I mean, first of all, some of these game shows I’ve talked about. If you have not gone to watch the new season of Nailed It!– And also, they changed the format a bit for Nailed It! Now it’s the same contestants throughout the whole season.

Jacquis Neal [00:48:30] Really?

Ashley Ray [00:48:31] It’s like Nailed It! Challenge. And they, like, get better as the show goes on. So, by the end, you’re like, “Oh my gosh, this person actually made a really beautiful cake.” The Morning Show is another one. The finale is coming up soon, and we are going to be talking about it. The Golden Bachelor? I’m still crying to it every week. And I love that the women have just come up with the wildest alliances. And then they all still just, like, cry when they’re sent home. And Gary is having the hardest time still being nice about it. He’s just really struggling. But the Golden Bachelor–it’s doing great. And then, you know, all of our animated shows are back, and we haven’t had a moment to really sit and discuss, so we’re going to be doing something with that. So, Bob’s Burgers. The new Krapopolis, which I am watching, and I am laughing. But every time I laugh, I am like, “Is this just because I took Latin and I’m a nerd? Like, what? Is everyone laughing?” I don’t know. But also, Rick and Morty is back, so we’re going to be getting into all of the animation domination that is back in our lives on Sundays. Thank you so much for listening. I hope you loved this. I loved this. And, you know, we’ll be back next week with another episode. TV, I Say with Ashley Ray is an Earwolf production made by me, Ashley Ray-Harris. It’s engineered by Abby Aguilar, produced by Anita Flores, executive produced by Amelia Chappelow. And our original theme song is by RaFia. It means so much to me if you go rate, review, subscribe. Follow TV, I Say. Let us know what you think and tell your friends. Share with your Golden Girls. Tell your Boys. If you love my TV recommendations, let everyone you know know. For special TV Club members, join my Patreon.