Mastermind

You know, I had seen this show years ago somehow and it still holds up all these years later! If you don't know, Mastermind is probably the most intellectual game show on earth (unless you know another).

So it goes like this - when you register for the show you have to give them an area of expertise you want to be quizzed on during the first round of the show. You can pretty much pick anything you want as long as there's enough material to base questions on. Examples of topics include: European Birds, Anne of Green Gables Novels, J.R.R. Tolkien, The life and career of Bishop William Colenso. So they go out and get experts to come up with really detailed and specific questions which you'd better actually be an expert, if you want a chance to answer. Then in round two it's time for general questions.

Here are some example general knowledge Questions: "Which metallic element has the symbol W standing for wolfram which was an old name for it?" , "Which English born ballerina married the Panamanian diplomat Roberta Arias in 1955?" "Sinead is the Irish equivalent of which English girls name?"

Answers: Tungsten , Margot Fontaine , Janet <- Highlight text for answers

Yes it's not exactly Who Wants to be a Millionaire is it? Okay and you really have to check out the site to see the set, because even a description can not do justice to it. (Still) You are basically in a single chair being bombarded with these questions at a vigorous pace, in the dark, under a spotlight.

What I love most about it though is if you win you get essentially nothing. By essentially I mean if you keep winning eventually you get a cup/trophy or something, but all this is done pretty much just for bragging rights about how smart you are. Only in England, got to love it.

Posted at 03:20 PM to TV By: John Fairley