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Aired: August 1998-August 1999, SyndicationHost: Michael Burger
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Soon after Pearson Television took control of Mark Goodson Productions, they launched an all-new, five-day-a-week version of MG for syndication. The new version featured a five-celebrity panel and ditched the questions' "A" and "B" notations in favor of pun-laden categories. Unfortunately, the show suffered from little clearance and many post-midnight time slots...and many of those who did see the show weren't thrilled with the updated format. Despite being guided by legendary producer Jay Wolpert, this MG faded after a single season.
Two contestants competed in two rounds of Classic MG; matches were worth one point in Round One and two points in Round Two. The questions frequently scuttled the clever double entendres evident in the earlier shows for rather crass, blunt humor. The higher scoring contestant moved on to the "Super Match," played exactly like the 1973-78 (pre-Star Wheel) years - right down to the exact same $5,000 grand prize, which didn't buy as much as it did 25 years earlier.
Bios:
Host Michael Burger had quite a television resume prior to gaining the MG gig, hosting the talk shows Mike and Maty and Home and Family, along with the game shows Personals and The New Family Challenge. Six days a week, you can catch Michael hosting the live version of Wheel of Fortune at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. He's also offered play-by-play for the recent Iron Chef USA specials on the UPN Network (also from the MGM Grand), and occasionally appears on To Tell the Truth.
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Vicki Lawrence, the star panelist, has a rich game show history, previously hosting Win, Lose or Draw and making multiple appearances on the Pyramids and Match Games dating back to Gene's version. Of course, she also spent 12 years on one of America's most popular variety shows, The Carol Burnett Show; starred for six years on the sitcom Mama's Family; and had a #1 pop hit in the '70s with The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia.