I can stand it

If there are two things I like in a game show, it's a fast pace and a lot of one-on-one competition. Who's Still Standing offers both.

So when I watched the show's debut, I could overlook some of its cheesier aspects, especially the post-production Christmas bits. The announcer with the ho-ho-hos got old immediately, but the rest of the show came through pretty well. Even the yelping audience and laughably melodramatic music had a certain low-rent charm.

If you've been reading this blog, you know the format features a (literally) central contestant who takes on ten competitors ringed around him. The one-on-one trivia contests flash by under extreme time pressure, and I found myself hollering answers at the screen.

Miss a question and you disappear through the floor. Except for that exit gimmick the show really has little in common with my long-lost love, Russian Roulette. And Who's Still Standing sure beats the old GSN effort for sheer pace.

Host Ben Bailey gets in a quip or three as the rounds speed by. He hardly has as much time for ad-lib hijinks as on Cash Cab, but he's not completely washed out by the format. The contestants on the debut were generally competent, though the guy with two masters degrees went down the hatch in a hurry. I don't know if the show will last, but I can see why it did pretty well in its native Israel. It's a quick and painless way to pass an hour.