Minute to Win It (American game show)
One minute to win a million dollars.
Minute to Win It is an American game show where contestants use everyday household objects to complete simple tasks for a cash prize. Guy Fieri hosted the NBC original run, and Apolo Ohno later hosted a revival on Game Show Network.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Game show
- Runtime
- 42–44 minutes
- Creator
- Mattias Olsson, Jock Millgårdh
- Writer
- Bob Stone
- Director
- Alan Carter
- Location
- CBS Studio Center (2010-2011); Delfino Studios (2013-2014)
- Country
- United States
- Presenter
- Guy Fieri; Apolo Ohno
Facts from the source article.
Production
About two years before the NBC premiere, Guy Fieri's agent, after attending a meeting in France, pitched the hosting idea to Fieri. Fieri was chosen as host, and the show premiered with two back-to-back episodes on March 14, 2010, airing 27 new episodes through September. The second season of 41 episodes began December 7, 2010, with a Christmas special. Executive producers for NBC included Craig Plestis, Tim Puntillo, Mattias Olsson, Jock Millgårdh, and Estelle Bodén. NBC canceled the series on May 13, 2012. Reruns began on GSN on July 24, 2012. Citing ratings success in reruns, GSN announced a revival on February 4, 2013. The GSN version was hosted by Apolo Ohno, with Michael Binkow as executive producer. The first season premiered June 25, 2013, after a sneak preview on May 23, 2013. A second season began February 25, 2014.
Reception
In a pre-broadcast review, CinemaBlend's Kelly West praised Fieri's enthusiastic performance and interaction with contestants, noting the show could appeal to families and viewers preferring non-intellectual game shows, but criticized challenges for requiring little to no skill. In October 2010, the show won the C21/Frapa Award for best studio-based game show format at the MIPCOM Television Festival in France. Alyssa Davis of Hollywood Junket called the GSN version decent, but offered slight criticism of Ohno's hosting, stating that while he is likable, his personality is not strong enough to host a game show. NBC ratings were generally average, with episodes earning between five and six million viewers. GSN ratings were slightly better than average for the network. The May sneak preview drew 452,000 viewers; the first two new episodes debuted to a combined 875,000 viewers. The GSN version reached a series high of 596,000 viewers on August 6, 2013, as a lead-in to The Chase.
Merchandise
The first licensed merchandise was a video game by Zoo Entertainment, released November 2, 2010, for Nintendo DS, Wii, Kinect for Xbox 360, and iOS devices. In May 2011, NBCUniversal licensed Wendy's to release kid's meal toys based on five challenges. Mattel released a board game in 2011 and a card game in 2012. Sportscraft released an Ultimate Party Pack with many game challenges. A summer and holiday activity guide were also released.
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