Game Show NewsNet

Balderdash by Chico Alexander, GSNN

Air time: 5pm ET/4pm CT on PAX
Host: Elayne Boosler

Players: Jeff Seastone (tour company owner orig. from Anchorage, AK) vs. Ra'nica Jackson (behavior consultant from LA)

Panel: Carlos Alazraqui ("Reno 911!") and comics Cory Kahaney & Andy Kindler

Jeff leads, 1425-1057, going into "What's Going On Here?" Today, "here" is three people walking on a beach. Are Titanic survivors renewing their wedding vows (Carlos)? Are they the oldest couple to swim across Lake Erie (Cory)? Or is it just Exercise Like the Eskimos Day (Andy)? Correct: Andy. Ra'nica is left with 7 thanks to Cory. Jeff is left with 624 thanks to Carlos, but it's enough to win.

And speaking of Carlos, he gets the call from Jeff to do the Barrage thing for a Beamer video phone package (under nine letters) or a Costa Caribbean cruise (under one)... or maybe both! They get seven to leave L A S. Jeff goes with L... And he's going to the Caribbean! Fair winds, my friend!

Family Feud by Chico Alexander, GSNN

Air time: Check local listings or familyfeud.com
Host: Richard Karn

Champions: Martinez (Patricia, Bianca, Julia, Yolanda & Juan); $475

Challengers: Pettis (Heather, Sean, Tricia, Russ & Michael)

After three boards, the Martinez family are dominating, 221-87. Time to triple for a piece of boxing gear. Russ gets gloves, while the rest of the team goes for headgear, mouthpiece, and trunks for the win, 378-221. The Martinez leave with $475.

Russ & Tricia play the Fast Money board... scoring the big money in eight. They return with $20,000 tomorrow.

Jeopardy! by Chico & Quisla Alexander, GSNN

Check local listings or jeopardy.com
Host: Alex Trebek

Champion: Steve Kaplan (law student from San Diego); $18,400

Challengers: Jen Noon (editor from Woburn, MA) and Jonathan Smillie (software trainer from Jeffersonville, IN)

Steve starts with $200 Science Guys, one of the six that he likes. BUt he starts out in the red as Jen finds the early Daily Double under the $800 clue. With $2000, she risks $900 on the discovery of Gerhard Hansen that dates back to biblical times. "What is leprosy?" Now called Hansen's disease, it's Jen's money for $2900. Meanwhile, Steve isn't doing any better, as only late in the round he emerges from the red zone with $1000 going into Double Jeopardy! against Jonathan's $4800 and Jen's $7500.

The champ starts the second half with $400 "A" in Shakespeare, finding the first Daily Double under $1200. Not too happy about having $1800, he wagers the max of $2000 on the Mediterranean setting of "A Midsummer Night's Dream." "What is Athens?" Right for $3800. From there, he springboards into the lead, as Jonathan, with $7600, finds the other Daily Double under $1600 Awards. He fronts $2000 on the award bestowed upon John Sayles, Susan Sontag, and Thomas Pynchon, paid over five years. "What is... a genuis grant?" Nope, but they are all geniuses. The MacArthur Fellowship Award drops Jonathan to $5600. At the end of the round, Jen and Steve are in a dead heat, $11,100 to $11,000 respectively against Jonathan's $6000.

Final Jeopardy! in "Bestselling Novels": Today, many who visit Santa Maria delle Grazie Church admit doing so because of this 2003 no. 1 bestseller. COrrect: "What is 'The da Vinci Code'?"

All are in with the right answer, so wagering will be a factor. While Steve bet modestly, Jen remembered the old blackjack creed: "When in doubt, put it out." She wins today with $19,103, while Steve returns to San Diego with $20,400 for a second-place finish.

Shop 'til You Drop by Chico Alexander, GSNN

Air time: 6:30pm ET/5:30pm CT on PAX
Host: JD Roberto

Players: Beth (teacher ) & Dana (service director) vs. Kimberly (assistant) vs. Elizabeth (executive assistant)

Kimberly & Elizabeth pick up a Pawley's Island rocker and a Wooster Scott artwork. Beth & Dana score a Michael C. Fina pendant and a gift card from ArtGazebo.com... and the Shopper's Special for a trip to San Francisco! Beth & Dana also score the only two questions right in an otherwise abysmal Shopper's Challenge round, giving them the 400-300 win. Actually, according to this video, it's only Dana.

The video also serves to further the notion that contestants may have been farmed from central casting... don't really know for sure, though.

Shop 'til You Drop round for a trip to London: Beth & Dana rack up wedding gifts in the form of gift certificates from Diamond.com & Marshalls, Whirlpool microwave, vtech phones, Moen faucet, and an Armani lamp. Total take: $2501!

Street Smarts by Chico Alexander, GSNN

Check local listings or streetsmartstv.com
Host: Frank Nicotero

Players: Denise (sales associate from LA) vs. Kevin (waiter from Burling, CT)

Panel: Yeny (Sacramento), Joe (Oakhurst, NJ), and Adam (LA)

Adam goes three-for-three in the Pick Your Brain round, giving him $900 to Denise's $1800 going into the Wager of Death: Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton came back for a road trip in the reality show, "The WHAT Life 2"? The "That's hot" answer: Simple.

Denise takes Adam, and Kevin goes with Yeny. We go to Yeny's first. "The Sucky Life". Wrong is a good bet, but Kevin loses EVERYTHING. Now to Adam: "Simple." Right is good... but Denise wagered nothing, so it doesn't matter anyway. She wins $1800... unless she wants to risk it.

"I'm going to take the money and run."

Wheel of Fortune by Jason Block, GSNN

Check local listings or wheeloffortune.com
Hosts: Pat Sajak & Vanna White

As we inaugurate a president, let's inaugurate the Thursday edition of
"5-Star Getaways" week. The $1,000 Tossup is a THING. John misses, and Erin Ackern solves ONE-HOUR MASSAGE for $1,000. She is a substitute teacher from Rhode Island. Kristin Metrolier is from LA and is a recent college graduate. The John who missed is John Rich from San Antonio. He is a sales rep.

The $2,000 Tossup is ON THE MENU. Erin misses and Kristin solves SPARKLING WATER for $2,000. She is on the board and starts this round which is AROUND THE HOUSE. She misses a vowel and it's over to John. He hits Bankrupt and over to Erin. Erin misses, back to Kristin. She misses and it's back to John. He hits the $2,500 wedge and 2 L's. He hits and picks up the $10,000 wedge. But he misses a vowel, and its over to Erin. She misses a vowel, over to Kristin who solves PLUSH COTTON TOWELS for $2,900. She has $4,900.

The Jackpot round is sponsored by our friends at Centrum Silver Vitamins. The prize added to the wheel--a trip to the Carlton Hotel in London, England. Airfare provided by Virgin Atlantic Airways. (Ready. Jet Set. Go.) It's worth $8,646. The category is SAME NAME. John starts. He controls the wheel for most of the round, but bungles the solve. Over to Erin. She hits and picks up the Free Spin and the Ricardo Beverly Hills GC in successive spins. She misses, uses the Free Spin and misses again. Over to Kristin who misses and as luck would have it, it's back to John who solves correctly MADISON SQUARE & OLIVE GARDEN for $5,000. Tight match going into the Mystery Round.

The mystery round prize is that 2005 Kia Rio worth $12,800. The category---WHO IS IT? Erin starts and hits bankrupt. Over to Kristin. She controls the wheel for the rest of the round. At her last spin she hits the $3,500 wedge and 2 N's. She solves THE GENIE OF THE LAMP GRANTED HIM THREE WISHES for $14,450. And she adds $3,000 more for $17,450 when she answered ALADDIN. Her total is $22,350.

The $3,000 tossup is next. It's QUOTATION. Erin ups her total to $4,000 with YOU'VE GOT MAIL. She starts this round which is PHRASE. But it's FINAL SPIN TIME. And Pat makes the wheel beg and plead...and hits the $5,000 wedge. It's $6,000 a wedge. Erin had the puzzle right after the buzzer sounded. But Kristin capitalized and solved AT A MOMENT'S NOTICE for $6,000 and a nice total of $28,350. John leaves with $5,000 and Erin leaves with $4,000.

Can Kristin add to her all cash total? Let's find out. The category is THING. With the normal 6 and her choices of MPCU we have:

P _ S S _ _ R _

The PASSWORD was no. And after you see this: the password was OH NO. For the 2nd time this week, we would have had a $100,000 winner if the puzzle was solved. But Kristin leaves with $28,350. Great total, but we could have had two huge winners this week in the bonus round...