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Mastermind

johngtijohngti Posts: 2,481
in The cake stop
I’m sure when I was a kid, people were scoring 30+ points. Rarely see anything above 20 these days. What’s going on there then? Are we all getting more stupid?

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  • ProssPross Posts: 36,480
    I think they must have reduced the time or the questions are longer. I watched a celebrity edition the other day (it amazes me how little celebs know, I don't expect much from reality 'stars' but presenters and reporters you would think would pick things up) and those who didn't pass all managed 8 questions in the allotted time for their specialist subjects.
  • johngtijohngti Posts: 2,481
    Could be the time I guess. I’ll have to do a bit of research!
  • DeVlaeminckDeVlaeminck Posts: 8,469
    Yeah first round I think you generally get 11 or 12 questions. General knowledge seems to be a few more - perhaps they realised the specialist subjects were often a bit tedious when the viewers can oy answer one or two.
    [Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]
  • morstarmorstar Posts: 6,072
    DeVlaeminck said:

    Yeah first round I think you generally get 11 or 12 questions. General knowledge seems to be a few more - perhaps they realised the specialist subjects were often a bit tedious when the viewers can oy answer one or two.

    Some of them are absurdly narrow topics too. So much so I’m surprised the hosts allow them.
  • ballysmateballysmate Posts: 15,903
    morstar said:

    DeVlaeminck said:

    Yeah first round I think you generally get 11 or 12 questions. General knowledge seems to be a few more - perhaps they realised the specialist subjects were often a bit tedious when the viewers can oy answer one or two.

    Some of them are absurdly narrow topics too. So much so I’m surprised the hosts allow them.
    Why I stopped watching it years ago.
  • seanoconnseanoconn Posts: 10,483
    Celebs apparently given guidance by the BBC on which books and websites to research their specialist subjects. But it’s not cheating.
    Pinno, מלך אידיוט וחרא מכונאי
  • womackwomack Posts: 566
    They had a celebrity version and a kids version on S4c recently.

    I got a load right on one person's specialist subject, Euro 2016.
  • rolf_frolf_f Posts: 16,015
    The specialised subjects are clearly dumbed down for the celebs. They are certainly a lot less bright than normal contestants but then there's no reason why they wouldn't be. It's also noticeable on Celebrity Pointless.
    morstar said:

    DeVlaeminck said:

    Yeah first round I think you generally get 11 or 12 questions. General knowledge seems to be a few more - perhaps they realised the specialist subjects were often a bit tedious when the viewers can oy answer one or two.

    Some of them are absurdly narrow topics too. So much so I’m surprised the hosts allow them.
    To be fair, it doesn't matter how narrow the topic appears to be; you can still ask difficult questions. No subject is that narrow if you delve deeply enough. But for the celebs they don't.

    Faster than a tent.......
  • rick_chaseyrick_chasey Posts: 67,642 Lives Here
    edited February 2021
    the specialist subjects round is bad TV.

    Uni Challenge FTW.

    Decent level of difficulty, good satisfaction level if you get it right, good range etc.
    _
  • johngtijohngti Posts: 2,481
    Only connect too
  • kingstongrahamkingstongraham Posts: 24,007
    edited February 2021
    I love this - which is why I was a bit surprised when he showed up on the alumni edition of University Challenge. He looked like he'd taken a wrong turn and ended up in the studio - like Guy Goma.

  • rick_chaseyrick_chasey Posts: 67,642 Lives Here
    johngti said:

    Only connect too

    Way too lateral for me. My mind does not work that way.
    _
  • rick_chaseyrick_chasey Posts: 67,642 Lives Here
    kingstongraham said:

    I love this - which is why I was a bit surprised when he showed up on the alumni edition of University Challenge. He looked like he'd taken a wrong turn and ended up in the studio - like Guy Goma.

    He was OK on xmas uni challenge.
    _
  • kingstongrahamkingstongraham Posts: 24,007
    rick_chasey said:

    kingstongraham said:

    I love this - which is why I was a bit surprised when he showed up on the alumni edition of University Challenge. He looked like he'd taken a wrong turn and ended up in the studio - like Guy Goma.

    He was OK on xmas uni challenge.
    He didn't open his mouth once! The captain was constantly trying to confer, but basically was talking to herself.
  • DeVlaeminckDeVlaeminck Posts: 8,469
    University Challenge is OK but after a while you realise the art and classical music questions are drawn from a fairly small pool of composers and artists - my knowledge of either subject is close to nil but I can still guess around 1 in 5 of those questions - if in doubt Beethoven or Matisse are a fair shout. If it's a British composer it's a 1 in 3 between Britten, Elgar or Vaughan Williams.
    [Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]
  • capt_slogcapt_slog Posts: 3,877
    Mastermind.

    I mentioned this a little while ago, in 'trivial things that annoy you'.

    The questions have become much more convoluted, and especially so in the specialist round. This means that they get less questions and also that the contestants have often lost the thread by the time they get to the point of the actual question.

    The example i quoted then was ...

    "Kenneth Williams grew up in xyz, he had a difficult relationship with his father, but got on very well with his mother, what was her maiden name?"

    At one time it would have been "What was Kenneth Williams' mother's maiden name?", and in those days we had scores up in the 30s


    The older I get, the better I was.

  • rick_chaseyrick_chasey Posts: 67,642 Lives Here
    capt_slog said:

    Mastermind.

    I mentioned this a little while ago, in 'trivial things that annoy you'.

    The questions have become much more convoluted, and especially so in the specialist round. This means that they get less questions and also that the contestants have often lost the thread by the time they get to the point of the actual question.

    The example i quoted then was ...

    "Kenneth Williams grew up in xyz, he had a difficult relationship with his father, but got on very well with his mother, what was her maiden name?"

    At one time it would have been "What was Kenneth Williams' mother's maiden name?", and in those days we had scores up in the 30s

    Yeah they're easier questions.

    Same with uni-challenge. They usually give you a couple or a few stabs at answering it - if you know one bit of the question but not the answer you can usually be sensible and deduce.
    _
  • laurentianlaurentian Posts: 2,241
    I think some of the lower scores on Mastermind are down to the fact that they now don't seem allowed to interrupt and give the answer prior the the whole of the question being read out - the quicker you can get the answer, the more questions you will be asked and subsequently score higher - I guess this is the producers trying to "even it up" by ensuring everyone has the same number of questions asked in a round
    Wilier Izoard XP
  • hamish_mctavishhamish_mctavish Posts: 142
    Also, they have to leave time for John Humphrys to have his cringe-worthy interview with the winner.
  • focuszing723focuszing723 Posts: 6,005
    capt_slog said:

    Mastermind.

    I mentioned this a little while ago, in 'trivial things that annoy you'.

    The questions have become much more convoluted, and especially so in the specialist round. This means that they get less questions and also that the contestants have often lost the thread by the time they get to the point of the actual question.

    The example i quoted then was ...

    "Kenneth Williams grew up in xyz, he had a difficult relationship with his father, but got on very well with his mother, what was her maiden name?"

    At one time it would have been "What was Kenneth Williams' mother's maiden name?", and in those days we had scores up in the 30s

    They should just accumulate the response time. Some topics could require more complex questions.
  • elbowlohelbowloh Posts: 7,078
    I never enjoyed mastermind as the specialist rounds are just too obscure for you to play along with.

    Now, University Challenge i always enjoyed and think i could get a decent score most weeks.
    Felt F1 2014
    Felt Z6 2012
    Red Arthur Caygill steel frame
    Tall....
    www.seewildlife.co.uk
  • kingstongrahamkingstongraham Posts: 24,007
    Worst words to hear on University Challenge for me are "listen to this piece of classical music, and ..."
  • elbowlohelbowloh Posts: 7,078
    kingstongraham said:

    Worst words to hear on University Challenge for me are "listen to this piece of classical music, and ..."

    You can often guess the classical stuff as someone mentioned above (can't be arsed to scroll through to see who).
    Felt F1 2014
    Felt Z6 2012
    Red Arthur Caygill steel frame
    Tall....
    www.seewildlife.co.uk
  • kingstongrahamkingstongraham Posts: 24,007
    elbowloh said:

    kingstongraham said:

    Worst words to hear on University Challenge for me are "listen to this piece of classical music, and ..."

    You can often guess the classical stuff as someone mentioned above (can't be arsed to scroll through to see who).
    There's only three French composers from what I've heard on UC, and everything else is Tchaikovsky.
  • tetley10tetley10 Posts: 693
    There seems to be a lot of dumbing down in the country.
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