Minute to Win It on NBC

By Ally Matteodo

Minute to Win It, a game show on NBC, offers fun, family friendly entertainment earning it the title Best TV Show of the Week.  Airing on Tuesday, August 10th, at 8:00 ET/PT, this is a great viewing choice for those interested in a clean, fun show.  Hosted by Guy Fieri, a notable All-American chef and television personality who appears frequently on the Food Network, this game show picks contestants who compete in a series of 60 second tasks in an attempt to win 1 million dollars.  Each contestant faces 10 challenges that increase in difficulty, and failure to complete the task results in a loss of life.  Each contestant receives three lives, but once all lives are gone the game is over.  At different junctures the contestants are able to leave the competition with the money won up to that point, but the crowd usually encourages them to keep going, and often contestants find the prospect of winning a million dollars too great an opportunity to pass up.  The games are simple and can be played by anyone at home with standard household items.  For example, in one called “Bottoms Up,” the contestant must knock six cans off of counters with a yo-yo tied around their waist.  In another, called “Mega Bubble,” the contestant must blow a soap bubble, and then blow the bubble through a hoop.   

During this episode twin sisters, Becky and Jesse O’ Donohue, competed.  In a tag-team type structure the girls decided who would undertake each challenge.  With their boyfriends in the audience cheering them on, along with the gentle encouragement of Fieri, the girls channeled their support into an impressive completion of six of the tasks.  Unfortunately, the girls could not complete the “Propeller Head” challenge, a task where the contestant must send three propeller sticks across the stage into a clothes basket.  The girls used up the last of their lives on this one, but still walked away with $50,000.  Not only can the family enjoy watching these games at home, they can also try playing with materials most of us have on hand, fostering the friendly spirit of competition and revelry, and maybe even go on to compete on the show one day and win some money to help bring their own dreams to fruition.       

Best TV Show of the Week

The Parents Television Council - www.parentstv.org