My Review of NBC's New Game Show "Identity"

The newest game show on NBC is called "Identity". So what makes it different or better from the other thousand game shows on the television? Good question. We are living in a time of reality TV and new game show overload. So was it a good idea for NBC to launch yet another game show? Well, if you take a look at their current game show line-up you may think it was a great idea. Deal or No Deal has been a run away hit, but I think they may be falling flat on their face with 1 VS 100. Have you seen some of the idiotic questions they ask on that show, along with the not so bright contestants? Plus, Bob Saget as a host? I think they need to do a little research with that decision.

So where does this leave their new show "Identity"? Depending on your view, they could have done a little better with the host. Personally I don't like Penn, or was it Teller? But I guess they couldn't use Teller since he really doesn't speak. However, once you get past the heightened volume of Penn's voice, the game is pretty interesting and ironic. In America we are constantly being told how we should not "profile" people or "judge a book by its cover". Yet in this game, that is exactly what you have to do in order to win money. They do not disclose the names of the players, and the contestant's job is to figure out which identity matches with one of 12 "strangers". I have yet to see them place a "stranger" of Arab decent for the contestant to pick them as a Muslim or worse, since this would be racial profiling, but the other "strangers" have been pretty interesting. They have tried to have a fairly wide range of "strangers" and "identities" to choose from, such as the alligator wrestler, the kidney donor, or the crime scene investigator.

Personally, I think NBC may be on a role here. Despite the semi-annoying host, I think the show holds the viewer's attention and keeps you wanting more. So far they have used fairly smart contestants so the "drool factor" isn't there to have to look past, which means you can focus more on the actual game and get more involved. NBC also has a Play & Win game, just like with Deal or No Deal, to try to keep the viewer tuned in until the end. As for the amount of money at stake, the largest amount is $500,000. I'm thinking that once the show proves itself worthy, they may try to raise the dollar amount you can win.

All in all, I really enjoyed the show. It has the same feel and excitement factor as Deal or No Deal. They even have Penn pulling the old "let's find out if he's an alligator wrestler....after this..." and they break away to commercial. I think the show would be even more successful if they either had a different host or they would actually allow Penn to be more unique and less like a clone of Howie. At least they don't have the "strangers" come out and say "Hello Penn". I can tell you one thing: Will I continue to watch the show, even with the small areas that need some work? Yes. It intrigued me and now I think I'm a fan. It's an interesting concept for a game show, especially with our social standards in the US and I think that's what will make people tune in for me. It's almost taboo to sit and watch people being "labeled" for money, but it seems to work.

Will this be enough for the show to continue? I hope it is. But, I decided to browse the NBC site for a list of casting for up coming shows and they have a few more new game shows up there sleeves. I hope with all of the returning shows and the news ones, "Identity" won't get lost among them.