From Israel with pump

The last time an American network tried an Israeli game show format, it didn't work out so great. Who's Still Standing didn't stand for long on NBC, though the ratings really weren't that terrible by the network's usual standards.

But hope springs eternal, especially when you can put "money" in the title. CBS will pilot another Israeli format, The Money Pump. YouTube offers an interesting pitch tape for the show. The tape is in English, though the actual game footage is in Hebrew, of course. But there are English subtitles for us clueless Yanks.

The show gets its name from a contraption that sucks money away while the contestants dither over the answers. It's basically a money tree format with lifelines. Sound familiar? Kevin Frazier will host the American pilot. The Israeli host in the pitch tape is Lior Suchard, who makes most of his own (definitely non-pumped) money doing mentalist shows.