Shopper's Casino
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All of this just works. ― Todd Howard |
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 Cheaper than most local game shows.
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Shopper's Casino is an ill-fated home shopping "game show' that ran from September 7, 1987 to October 2 of that year. It starred Debbie Maffett and Jeff Maxwell.
Format
Two contestants play blackjack (referred to as 21), roulette, and chuck-a-luck (a game you probably haven't heard of). Two rounds are played each, with the winner receiving a prize also being sold to the home viewer. The winner of the show spins the "big wheel" for a bonus prize. A random game will also have a "home caller" playing with the game, with Jeff or Debbie making the bets for the caller. During a game, a bonus bell doubles the stakes.
Why It Was Ill-Fated And Cheap
- Terrible hosts, with Jeff Maxwell widely considered one of the worst hosts in the history of the genre, as he's loud, inept, and sucks at his job, tripping on his lines twice, while Debbie Maffett is clearly only there for the paycheck. In addition, Cynthia Brooke, the "Lady Luck", and announcer Don Helvey were also just happy they were working.
- The set is quite possibly the laziest excuse of a set in game show history, only consisting of the tables for blackjack, roulette and chuck-a-luck, the signs for the former two, the "Big Wheel" and its sign, the logo for the show, and the prizes. The tables are also so close together, creating shooting problems.
- Poor production quality (camera angles, lighting, etc.).
- Hideous, cheap-looking "big wheel", which, by the way, isn't even big.
- Undesirable prizes, including a Coca-Cola 100th anniversary pin set valued at exactly $499.99. No joke.
- Unexcited audience.
- Mathematically challenged: The first prize is a Coca-Cola pin set (as stated above, worth $499.99), while a later prize is an Action Max, worth $99.99.
- The commercials were all done by the same production company that made this show. All of them were direct response, and better produced than the show itself.
- Dirty Harry, the "villain" played by Tom Bronson, shouldn't be considered a "villain". He's just doing his job, as the blackjack dealer, the roulette guy, and the chuck-a-luck croupier.
- A severe betting gap in chuck-a-luck (the show only has "12 or Over" and "9 or Under"; nothing is known if the roll is 10 or 11).
- The "home caller" is clearly in the studio, using a PA system; it is speculated that the circulating episode (the premiere, September 8, 1987) was an aired pilot.
- Terrible music that sounds like someone using a synthesizer for the first time.
- It's barely a "game show", hence why the term is used loosely. It's more of an infomercial dressed as a game show, or a time-brokered program.
- By all indication, it was little more than a front for a pyramid scheme.
The Only Redeeming Quality
- Dirty Harry isn't actually an issue, since he looks and acts like how most casinos feel about giving people money (i.e. not at all).
Videos
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