The end is my issue and all the mushy stuff should be said via monitors but once earnings are determined it should be posted on monitors and just have back room contestant walkout to their fate and for dramatic reaction.. it's just weird watching one of them know outcome but have to be poker faced walk they talk the overkill cheese.. Just Oddddd
17 Reviews
Good idea, but I smell a rat...
rcoulter-314391 January 2018
At the time I wrote this, there were 6 other reviews and I read them all. My favorite was by "atlasmb". I must admit, the concept for this game is intriguing -- you get money in your "game bank", you answer crappy trivia questions to hope to get more in your bank, but if you miss the answer, you have an equal chance of losing money in your bank. Then at the end of the round you have to perform an act where you can only lose money. Each time the odds of gaining or losing money are 50/50. So it's basically a demented PLINKO ripoff. The Price is Right might have a lawsuit (snicker).
Now here's the part that bugs me -- there are several phases of the game where drama is intentionally built. I'm not talking extemporaneous drama (like people just saying what's on their minds), NO, I mean scripted drama, like on your basic crappy reality show. It's all too-well rehearsed, and no amount of editing can hide that. I gave this show a 5/10 because I don't even know if this show is "real". And we'll never know...everyone involved has (no doubt) signed legal documents that if they come forward they get their pants sued off.
So welcome to the new world of reality game shows, where actors replace contestants, and life just gets more disappointing. Nice try producers, just make more Hell's Kitchens...at least Gordon makes me laugh.
Now here's the part that bugs me -- there are several phases of the game where drama is intentionally built. I'm not talking extemporaneous drama (like people just saying what's on their minds), NO, I mean scripted drama, like on your basic crappy reality show. It's all too-well rehearsed, and no amount of editing can hide that. I gave this show a 5/10 because I don't even know if this show is "real". And we'll never know...everyone involved has (no doubt) signed legal documents that if they come forward they get their pants sued off.
So welcome to the new world of reality game shows, where actors replace contestants, and life just gets more disappointing. Nice try producers, just make more Hell's Kitchens...at least Gordon makes me laugh.
Good Game, Too Much Drama
etes9724 May 2020
I actually like the game and the fact that they seem to gear it towards contestants who are the unsung heroes of the world. I'm not a huge fan of the immense amounts of drama that are added. It's almost more like a reality show at points. When the game ends and the two contestants have to stand there with tears in their eyes and profess their love for each other for 5 minutes before saying what needs to be said, I cringe a little. That whole portion of the show could be rewritten and be more concise so that it still gives has the same "wow" factor with less pain for the at home audience.
Made myself watch an entire episode...
aeasmmikey10 January 2017
Holy moly, this is painful. Kind of reminds me of that weird game show hosted by Ryan Seacrest a couple of years ago where people were kept underground in NYC...and then they were brought up to compete, then taken back down...they actually lived in this bunker... Oh, Lord, that was weird.
This compares. When somebody watches a good trivia show, they truly do not care about the contestant...except to feel superior to them when they get stuff wrong. This is a show that involves a couple, and then they separate the couple, and the couple professes their undying love for each other, and every question involves one or both telling a very boring, long story about why they are answering this way....interspersed is "I love you!" "I love you, too!" and speeches about their kids, and their hardships...
and this is AN HOUR. With one set of contestants. And then there are green and red balls, and then a rip-off of Plinko, and then some weird twist at the end when one half of the pair has to either accept a contract or tear it up..
I am not making any of this up. I wish I was.
This compares. When somebody watches a good trivia show, they truly do not care about the contestant...except to feel superior to them when they get stuff wrong. This is a show that involves a couple, and then they separate the couple, and the couple professes their undying love for each other, and every question involves one or both telling a very boring, long story about why they are answering this way....interspersed is "I love you!" "I love you, too!" and speeches about their kids, and their hardships...
and this is AN HOUR. With one set of contestants. And then there are green and red balls, and then a rip-off of Plinko, and then some weird twist at the end when one half of the pair has to either accept a contract or tear it up..
I am not making any of this up. I wish I was.
Love this show!
bonnie-4787211 July 2020
Too many words, not enough fun
YxlsMom14 July 2017
I enjoy watching this show--in fast forward with brief pauses to watch the trivia answers and then for the question and then to watch the ball(s) fall. I can watch an entire episode in about 15 minutes. There is their phrase that the contestants can win over $12 million, but I have yet to see anyone even get more than $2 million before losing some/most/all of it. There is soooooo much talking and so little actual game. I really don't like listening to someone's long, drawn-out thought process as to which answer to choose or which of 7 numbered places to put the ball in. This show would be better if there were more game, less talking, and actual real chances at contestants winning more than $1-2 million.
Fun Game Show
bsmith44122 February 2017
It is great to see game shows make somewhat of a comeback. After putting up with over a decade of reality shows, it is nice to see something that is quick paced and fun, and the people on the show actually have morals.
The Wall is a game that does require some skill in answering questions because some of the questions are challenging to say the least. Chris Hardwick comes across as a nice guy who really wants the contestants to do well.
The game itself is kind of interesting because the dropping of the game balls turns it into a game of chance more than anything. That being said, it is fun to watch and there are several opportunities to make big money. My entire household enjoys this show.
The Wall is a game that does require some skill in answering questions because some of the questions are challenging to say the least. Chris Hardwick comes across as a nice guy who really wants the contestants to do well.
The game itself is kind of interesting because the dropping of the game balls turns it into a game of chance more than anything. That being said, it is fun to watch and there are several opportunities to make big money. My entire household enjoys this show.
Too much yakety yak.
socrfan-6083418 May 2020
It's fun to watch
timmerritt-985088 January 2021
Some of the other reviewers on here are annoying. Not everything has to have some profound meaning or premise. When I'm in the mood to watch something like that, it's what I do. When I'm in the mood to watch something exciting, I watch this show. The worst part about this show is the weird, melodramatic, heartfelt speeches the contestants do. It's obvious that the producers ask everyone to do this. That sort of thing isn't exactly new to game shows. Everyone always has some interesting fact about themselves or their family and some heartfelt b.s. that adds some level of emotion for the viewer. I personally find that stuff annoying. But it absolutely makes sense why they do it. They could stand to take it down a few notches. If they did that, it would be even more of a solid show. If you like games of chance with a little bit of strategy and some trivia, you will like this game. It's exciting to watch. If you're a pretentious dolt who thinks every game show should be like Jeopardy or some other game that already exists, don't watch it.
Like Playing The Slots With Overly Dramatic Strangers
atlasmb12 January 2017
"The Wall" is a game show where a married couple competes against The Wall for money. And The Wall is very impressive: 4 stories tall, a massive video display, complete with built-in cameras. The host, Chris Hardwick, says the show is designed to provide "good opportunities for good people". We might wonder how they defines "good people".
In the first four episodes, the contestants include s school teacher, two marines, a parole officer, a police officer and couple that gives free donuts to police and fire personnel. Obviously, giving service--especially in the government sector--is what makes one good. As far as I know, this is the first game show with a political/philosophical agenda.
The game-play involves dropping balls down the wall, like a giant pachinko machine, and seeing if they land in slots designated as large money amounts or smaller money amounts. You can count the number of slots and their values to determine the odds of getting big bucks or not. But some balls subtract money, making it even more a game of chance. Yes, there are (embarrassingly easy) multiple-choice trivia questions involved at some point, but they only serve to distract one from the randomness of the outcome.
The ideal contestant is someone who (besides working for the government) is not too smart, likes gambling (e.g. dice, the lottery, or slot machines), likes to be the center of attention, is overly dramatic, voices every thought, and is superstitious. Expect to see every game show cliché. Expect contestants to give inane reasons for choosing certain numbers. Expect them to talk to the balls, perhaps even kiss them. And you can definitely expect them to provide lengthy, sometimes irrelevant justifications for their trivia answers.
The first couple is from Akron. So is LeBron James, producer of the show. A coincidence? Or just a totally random outcome, like The Wall?
If you like games of skill, try "Jeopardy". If you like games of chance that last an hour, "The Wall" may be for you.
In the first four episodes, the contestants include s school teacher, two marines, a parole officer, a police officer and couple that gives free donuts to police and fire personnel. Obviously, giving service--especially in the government sector--is what makes one good. As far as I know, this is the first game show with a political/philosophical agenda.
The game-play involves dropping balls down the wall, like a giant pachinko machine, and seeing if they land in slots designated as large money amounts or smaller money amounts. You can count the number of slots and their values to determine the odds of getting big bucks or not. But some balls subtract money, making it even more a game of chance. Yes, there are (embarrassingly easy) multiple-choice trivia questions involved at some point, but they only serve to distract one from the randomness of the outcome.
The ideal contestant is someone who (besides working for the government) is not too smart, likes gambling (e.g. dice, the lottery, or slot machines), likes to be the center of attention, is overly dramatic, voices every thought, and is superstitious. Expect to see every game show cliché. Expect contestants to give inane reasons for choosing certain numbers. Expect them to talk to the balls, perhaps even kiss them. And you can definitely expect them to provide lengthy, sometimes irrelevant justifications for their trivia answers.
The first couple is from Akron. So is LeBron James, producer of the show. A coincidence? Or just a totally random outcome, like The Wall?
If you like games of skill, try "Jeopardy". If you like games of chance that last an hour, "The Wall" may be for you.
Melodramatic
rmmil23 June 2020
The premise is simple, the gameplay is too. I won't fault it for that.
My issues with this show are that 1) The participants are all the exact same: Really stupid living saints. Meaning, while being "great" people, they obviously have lower-than-average intelligence, making their easy trivia questions way harder than they should be (I believe gameshows pick "dumb" people on purpose, to lower the prize value given away, and to make the audience at home feel "smart" by comparison), 2) For a "feel good" game show, most of the episodes end with (what I'm assuming will be) a lifetime of trauma for the contestants, when the show often ends with an individual being told by a smiling loved one that they just threw away millions of dollars. How "uplifting". 3) Cliched! Cliches galore! I really hope the 1:1 conversations were written for the contestants, it's so cheesy!
Chris Hardwick does a serviceable, if unenviable, job hosting, as he tries to piece back together the shattered psyche of his contestants, but I think he's good at that due to his years of experience (at his other job) of trying to make the most of a terrible situation (TWD).
The worst aspect of this show is that, in the end, every episode is a repeat of the last, nothing ever changes, and you forget the contestants 5 seconds after they leave the screen, meaning this show gets very boring after watching 2-3 episodes.
Chris Hardwick does a serviceable, if unenviable, job hosting, as he tries to piece back together the shattered psyche of his contestants, but I think he's good at that due to his years of experience (at his other job) of trying to make the most of a terrible situation (TWD).
The worst aspect of this show is that, in the end, every episode is a repeat of the last, nothing ever changes, and you forget the contestants 5 seconds after they leave the screen, meaning this show gets very boring after watching 2-3 episodes.
Seems scripted
fabcrawford12 July 2019
Sappy crappy
MustBeGus21 November 2021
With the amount of hyper-produced schmaltz that spews out of the mouths of these contestants, this show would be more at home on Bravo. Life is tough for everyone. If I thought I deserved to be on a game show everytime things get rough, I'd be a millionaire. Your parental status and breeding "skills" do not make anyone more interesting and/or more deserving.
Over dramatic
paulstein1320 December 2020
Do you need to have a sob story to be on the show? Do you need to yell at an inanimate object falling, trying to convince it to defy gravity? Should we believe the ball they push into the floor is the same one that pops out at the top? There's a fair amount of showmanship I'm not willing to ignore in this show.
Too long, should be 30 minutes
edblackham25 May 2020
This should be a half hour show. Just play. Less talk, and because they are stretching it out for an hour, the contestants end up rambling. I skip forward 30 seconds whenever they're talking. The worst parts are when the person heads to the back, and they have to talk for a minute about how much the love the other person. Then, after they come back, it's even worse. Agonizing over it and blah blah blah. I end up watching this hour show in about 20 minutes.
If they have to keep it at an hour, add more questions. I don't need 30 seconds of why they chose the number 6.
Cruelty celebrated
jbailey-780709 April 2023
The show is the epitome of how low American TV has sunk. It is a celebration of cruelty. The show is despicable and the procduxers, writers, and everyone involved should be shamed doe exploiting people and creating opportunities for life changing wealth that is snatched away for the sake of "entertainment." The general premise is designed to make it "funny" to make people have to poco between the known and unknown. Hopefully it will be canceled soon. The host seems to revel in the cruelty and demeaning nature of the show. I hope the host and producers never experience the same cruelty and emotional pain they inflict for the sake of profits and entertainment.
Terrible chance
Top1c3xot1c6 November 2017
Warning: Spoilers
The wall goes from 7 at top to 14 at bottom that's 1/14 shot even with ten chances for millions round. Way too much talking dragging out of show. At start states 1or 7 represents the most chances of getting the highest figures which are at 2 and 13 at bottom right and left. So then balls were placed firstly on those two sides magically the two balls end up in the middle somewhere at bottom 7-8. By that stage it's too late to take it back and the couple has to adjust to the misinformation. This is the tactics the host plays. Double up / triple up prior says potentially chance to land on 2/3 millions. Both times double up sure enough the balls don't land on same figures as insinuated. Free green balls at start add up 50k however the red balls add up to millions at end. The contract tricks the guy to go for the safe option of roughly 1/10 of the wall. That's if the wall hasn't already been down to zero when somebody risks it all only to go home with nothing. Impossible odds you'd get better odds on roulette or horses. Difficult game to understand at first with different rounds and balls and wall size amounts.
See also
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