Primeval Lingo

A few comments on the GSN Schedule board insist on how good the original 1987 Lingo was. This is just the usual older-is-better chatter you see so often on Internet game show boards. The original version did introduce the basic gameplay, which was and remains rock-solid. But otherwise the format left a lot to be desired.

Michael Reagan was a competent host at best, and co-host Dusty Martell was way too loud and big-haired. (Okay, it was the eighties.) The bonus round lasted forever and the show generally moved like molasses. No wonder Lingo died after a single season. Not to mention that the show went bust and stiffed some contestants of their winnings.

But you don't have to take my word for it. Sample an episode yourself. The ep definitely shows promise, but it would take a lot of format tweaks before Lingo went on to bigger and better things.

By the way, on the latest published day July 3, Bill Engvall's Lingo took four of the top ten slots in GSN's ratings, including number one. And the contestants didn't get stiffed, either. To show what a blowout week it was for Engvall, Lingo took eighteen daily top tens in the latest ratings period June 27-July 3. Richard Karn's Family Feud was second with sixteen. Though Karn did get two number ones compared to Engvall's one.