It was during the 100 Years of Magic celebration when I first visited Disney MGM Studios (RIP). I was around 6 and not yet into thrill rides (I thought that the Barnstormer was almost too crazy), so MGM wasn’t my demo’s favorite park.
We went with friends from out of town, so it was a new experience for all of us. As the thrill junkies headed to the end of Sunset Blvd, the rest of us traveled to the shows around the park, like Beauty and the Beast and Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular. Later, all of us came together to experience the best thing to ever happen to a Disney park ever, in my opinion, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire PLAY IT!
I can already hear the groaning, but here me out. I am a game show nerd and for the longest time, my dream job was game show host. In the 1st grade, we had to write a paragraph on our heroes. While the rest of the class wrote about their parents or aunts and uncles (one kid wrote about their dog, which is kind of weird), I wrote about Bob Barker. Yeah, I know.
Anyway, I was ecstatic walking into the studio, being in the theater in the round was a pretty incredible feeling. I was hooked the entire show, pushing my answer keys, playing along and having a great time. So, when I found out it closed, it hit me like a freight train driven by Regis Philbin.
The Studios is supposed to be “Where Showbiz takes Center Stage,” which it does to varying degrees of success currently. Lights, Motors, ACTION!, Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular and The American Idol Experience are the best at creating edutainment at its finest, by performing an exciting show while also bringing guests into its creation process. Yet, I feel like the Millionaire ideals aren’t present anymore.
Millionaire was great because it was fun for everyone. Unlike Idol where it singles out just the singers, Millionaire allowed everyone to have a shot at winning big. While Idol just has a prize of skipping the line for the real auditions, Millionaire was cool as you got real swag, like pins, apparel, and a freakin’ Disney Cruise!
The best part of Millionaire, however, was seeing the well-oiled machine that is a TV taping. The nature of the set allowed for guests to see all that goes into making a show fit for our TV screens, which is lacking at Idol, which just seems like you’re watching a show. What was even cooler was that the actual show taped there on numerous occasions, sometimes even utilizing the “audience is playing” format.
If they completely overhauled the current Idol Theater, I think they could do some fun stuff with it. They could bring a beloved game show, like Millionaire or ABC’s old Password, into the parks allowing guests to compete for cash and prizes. For Millionaire, you could have the same system as before, where you play at your seat and if you’re the highest point getter, you can go up to play. If you went the Password route, each seat could have a keyboard/iPad type set up, so guests could guess the Password as well (the current Idol judges could take the place of the “Celebrity Contestants”), with the highest correct allowed to go up on stage next.
However, my favorite idea to bring ABC game shows back into the parks is actually through their most popular reality show, Dancing With The Stars. Disney could completely overhaul the theater into the DWTS Ballroom. You get a live band and singers to be on the set and do 4 shows a day, pairing professional dancers that the park could hire with guests who could audition (similar to the Idol way). After accepted, they would be taught dances throughout the day. During the show, 3 contestants would perform with the audience voting for their favorite, with those votes being combined with the judges scores (again, similar to Idol). The winner from each show would go to a final night show, with the winner of the night winning their own coveted mirror ball trophy and a $500 Disney Gift Card.
Are these ideas kind of bizarre? Absolutely, but it brings the idea of “How TV is Made” to the parks in a more fun and entertaining way for the guests. Let me know your thoughts below and on the discussion boards.
(P.S. I still feel they should bring back the Soap Opera Bistro, just with ABC Primetime programming. I want to eat at Pope & Associates, The Bluebird Cafe and the Emily Clarke’s house)