I am among those who were a little disappointed when Whammy! premiered with a number of departures from the original PYL. However, W! addressed some of their flaws and made some nice changes for the second season.
The most notable is the addition of the Big Bank. All of the loot lost to the Whammy goes into the Big Bank, and he who hits the Big Bank space on the board must answer one question correctly to claim the cash & prizes within. This adds an element of excitement and an increased chance -- albeit small -- of hitting some really "big bucks."
Thankfully, the producers eliminated the GEM electric car (top speed: 25 mph) in favor of a more necessary internal combustion engine variety. The whammies themselves are far more easier to see on the board with the yellow background than the blue they had in season one. Also, it seems the producers have cut back a bit on the Double Whammies. They did creep across the overkill line a bit.
Todd Newton took a heap of criticism for shouting in season one, and overemphasizing a bit ("one thousand, one hundred dollars!" instead of "eleven hundred dollars"). Usually, such things come from producers instructions. I have to suspect that was the case, as Todd has dialed it down in season two.
I'm still not a fan of the oval-board (the rectangular board is more visually pleasing), and the elimination of the first question round. I also wish W! would bring back defending champions. (GSN discourages this, so they can mix up the episodes.) Still, Whammy! addressed its season one flaws and made up for them. It's not GSN's best original show, but I hope it sticks around nonetheless.
The most notable is the addition of the Big Bank. All of the loot lost to the Whammy goes into the Big Bank, and he who hits the Big Bank space on the board must answer one question correctly to claim the cash & prizes within. This adds an element of excitement and an increased chance -- albeit small -- of hitting some really "big bucks."
Thankfully, the producers eliminated the GEM electric car (top speed: 25 mph) in favor of a more necessary internal combustion engine variety. The whammies themselves are far more easier to see on the board with the yellow background than the blue they had in season one. Also, it seems the producers have cut back a bit on the Double Whammies. They did creep across the overkill line a bit.
Todd Newton took a heap of criticism for shouting in season one, and overemphasizing a bit ("one thousand, one hundred dollars!" instead of "eleven hundred dollars"). Usually, such things come from producers instructions. I have to suspect that was the case, as Todd has dialed it down in season two.
I'm still not a fan of the oval-board (the rectangular board is more visually pleasing), and the elimination of the first question round. I also wish W! would bring back defending champions. (GSN discourages this, so they can mix up the episodes.) Still, Whammy! addressed its season one flaws and made up for them. It's not GSN's best original show, but I hope it sticks around nonetheless.