Drop in and stay a while

Just watched the new year's first episode of Who's Still Standing. The annoying Santa Claus narration was gone, which improved things immediately.

But I did notice some odd rules discrepancies. The episode ran through two complete games. One of them was played with two passes for the central contestant, one with three. And the second game allowed the main contestant to walk away after just three rounds, instead of the five rounds necessary on preceding shows.

Guess they taped the second game earlier or later than some others, and tinkered with the rules in the meantime. But what they hey, the rounds were still fast-paced and entertaining, and Ben Bailey seems to be getting more relaxed outside the taxi.

I see that the BuzzerBlog crowd voted Million Dollar Mind Game the best new show of 2011. Which proves there really is no disputing tastes. I could barely stay awake through that Russian-based snoozer with its funereal pace and numbingly difficult questions. Who's Still Standing, rules discrepancies or not, is a whole lot more fun and moves a whole lot faster.