WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.520 So imagine you are a television network executive, 00:00:03.700 --> 00:00:07.080 right? And you have just launched a brand new 00:00:07.080 --> 00:00:10.119 prime time show. Right. The absolute dream scenario. 00:00:10.279 --> 00:00:14.099 Exactly. The ratings come in and they are just 00:00:14.099 --> 00:00:16.059 staggering. I mean, you're pulling in nearly 00:00:16.059 --> 00:00:18.760 11 million viewers every single week. Which is 00:00:18.760 --> 00:00:21.500 a massive hit. Right. Your program is easily 00:00:21.500 --> 00:00:24.579 sitting in the top three most watched shows on 00:00:24.579 --> 00:00:26.839 all of network television. So do you renew it 00:00:26.839 --> 00:00:29.589 for another season? I mean, obviously. You'd 00:00:29.589 --> 00:00:31.769 have to be crazy not to. It seems like the most 00:00:31.769 --> 00:00:34.890 obvious business decision in the world. But in 00:00:34.890 --> 00:00:38.070 the summer of 2009, CBS looked at a game show 00:00:38.070 --> 00:00:40.710 pulling those exact massive numbers and they 00:00:40.710 --> 00:00:42.670 just canceled it entirely. Just pulled the plug. 00:00:42.850 --> 00:00:45.390 It's wild. It totally is. So today, we're taking 00:00:45.390 --> 00:00:48.049 you, the learner, on a custom -tailored deep 00:00:48.049 --> 00:00:50.689 dive into the Wikipedia archives to figure out 00:00:50.689 --> 00:00:52.549 exactly why that happened. Yeah, we're looking 00:00:52.549 --> 00:00:56.009 at the 2008 to 2009 CBS game show. Million dollar 00:00:56.009 --> 00:00:59.399 password. Our mission today is to explore how... 00:01:00.299 --> 00:01:03.200 A classic living room parlor game was transformed 00:01:03.200 --> 00:01:05.299 into this high pressure television spectacle. 00:01:06.200 --> 00:01:09.980 And what it's shockingly short lifespan reveals 00:01:09.980 --> 00:01:12.799 about the brutal kind of counterintuitive mathematics 00:01:12.799 --> 00:01:15.719 of the TV business. It really is a phenomenal 00:01:15.719 --> 00:01:18.859 case study in how television economics actually 00:01:18.859 --> 00:01:21.140 work behind the scenes. Because to understand 00:01:21.140 --> 00:01:23.739 why it was ultimately deemed a failure by network 00:01:23.739 --> 00:01:26.379 execs, we first have to understand why it was 00:01:26.379 --> 00:01:28.819 such a massive undeniable hit with audiences. 00:01:29.680 --> 00:01:31.519 The users didn't just slap a new coat of paint 00:01:31.519 --> 00:01:34.180 on a classic game. They took a very familiar, 00:01:34.519 --> 00:01:37.079 comfortable format and systematically cranked 00:01:37.079 --> 00:01:40.739 up the psychological pressure to almost unbearable 00:01:40.739 --> 00:01:42.879 degree. Okay, let's unpack this because the structure 00:01:42.879 --> 00:01:45.079 of this game is essentially a tale of two halves, 00:01:45.099 --> 00:01:46.680 right? And they feel it completely different 00:01:46.680 --> 00:01:48.599 shows. Absolutely. Night and day. So the first 00:01:48.599 --> 00:01:50.459 half is the elimination round. You've got two 00:01:50.459 --> 00:01:52.799 regular contestants pulled from the public and 00:01:52.799 --> 00:01:55.379 two celebrity guests. And they alternate playing 00:01:55.379 --> 00:01:59.290 these frantic 30 second rapid fire rounds. Right, 00:01:59.450 --> 00:02:01.510 and the core goal is what it has always been 00:02:01.510 --> 00:02:03.989 in Password. You have to correctly identify up 00:02:03.989 --> 00:02:06.950 to five words using the traditional one -word 00:02:06.950 --> 00:02:10.169 clue method. But in this early phase, the game 00:02:10.169 --> 00:02:14.750 is highly energetic. but it's fundamentally forgiving. 00:02:15.009 --> 00:02:18.129 Yeah, exactly. There's no limit on the total 00:02:18.129 --> 00:02:20.849 number of clues you can give for each word as 00:02:20.849 --> 00:02:22.729 long as you do it one word at a time. Right. 00:02:22.770 --> 00:02:24.789 So if your partner gets completely stuck on a 00:02:24.789 --> 00:02:27.370 concept, you can just pass on it. You know, cycle 00:02:27.370 --> 00:02:29.289 through the list and even come back to that past 00:02:29.289 --> 00:02:31.870 word later if you still have time on the 30 second 00:02:31.870 --> 00:02:34.400 clock. It's designed to be fast and loose. But 00:02:34.400 --> 00:02:36.400 the interpersonal dynamic here is what makes 00:02:36.400 --> 00:02:39.539 it so wild. It really is. Because as a contestant, 00:02:39.800 --> 00:02:41.659 you're paired with one of the celebrity partners 00:02:41.659 --> 00:02:44.900 for the first two rounds. And then halfway through, 00:02:44.979 --> 00:02:47.360 the game forces you to completely switch partners 00:02:47.360 --> 00:02:49.639 for the next two rounds. Right, which is just, 00:02:49.860 --> 00:02:51.900 it's essentially speed dating for telepathy. 00:02:52.569 --> 00:02:55.069 Exactly. You have to instantly sync your brain 00:02:55.069 --> 00:02:57.750 with two completely different strangers in these 00:02:57.750 --> 00:03:01.310 tiny high -stress bursts. You give clues to one 00:03:01.310 --> 00:03:03.270 person, receive clues from them, and then suddenly 00:03:03.270 --> 00:03:05.250 you're standing across from someone entirely 00:03:05.250 --> 00:03:07.449 new. And you have to instantly figure out their 00:03:07.449 --> 00:03:10.870 vocabulary, their cultural touchstones, and, 00:03:10.870 --> 00:03:14.650 like, how their specific mind works. Which is 00:03:14.650 --> 00:03:17.949 so hard to do in 30 seconds. It is. But that 00:03:17.949 --> 00:03:20.150 mental flexibility is exactly what the game is 00:03:20.150 --> 00:03:23.759 testing. because after those four rounds, the 00:03:23.759 --> 00:03:26.479 contestant who successfully navigates that telepathic 00:03:26.479 --> 00:03:29.419 speed dating and gets the most words moves on 00:03:29.419 --> 00:03:31.620 to the million dollar password round. And this 00:03:31.620 --> 00:03:34.120 is where the entire atmosphere of the show completely 00:03:34.120 --> 00:03:36.360 changes. Oh yeah, the lights go down, the music 00:03:36.360 --> 00:03:38.560 shifts, it gets super dramatic. We move away 00:03:38.560 --> 00:03:41.199 from that loose, forgiving elimination round 00:03:41.199 --> 00:03:43.900 into the suffocating, rigid constraints of the 00:03:43.900 --> 00:03:45.780 final prize ladder. Right, so you climb this 00:03:45.780 --> 00:03:48.020 ladder in six distinct steps. You start playing 00:03:48.020 --> 00:03:51.759 for $10 ,000. Then it bumps up to $25 ,000, $50 00:03:51.759 --> 00:03:55.699 ,000, $100 ,000, $250 ,000. Which, by the way, 00:03:55.939 --> 00:03:58.000 became a guaranteed safety net in the second 00:03:58.000 --> 00:03:59.780 season so you wouldn't leave empty handed. Which 00:03:59.780 --> 00:04:03.199 is nice. And finally, the top prize of $1 million. 00:04:04.479 --> 00:04:06.039 But they don't just hand you the money for doing 00:04:06.039 --> 00:04:07.639 the same thing you did in the first half. Not 00:04:07.639 --> 00:04:11.099 at all. The brilliance of this format is in the 00:04:11.099 --> 00:04:13.590 mechanics of this final round. So the contestant 00:04:13.590 --> 00:04:16.009 is paired with the celebrity they performed best 00:04:16.009 --> 00:04:18.009 with during the elimination phase. Right, the 00:04:18.009 --> 00:04:21.129 one they clicked with. Exactly. But now the clue 00:04:21.129 --> 00:04:24.670 giver has a strict 90 second clock to get their 00:04:24.670 --> 00:04:27.550 partner to guess exactly five words. And that 00:04:27.550 --> 00:04:30.310 forgiving nature of the early game, completely 00:04:30.310 --> 00:04:33.730 gone. Yeah, it vanishes. For each word, the clue 00:04:33.730 --> 00:04:36.189 giver is only allowed a maximum of three clues. 00:04:36.589 --> 00:04:40.319 Three strikes and you're out. Wow. And while 00:04:40.319 --> 00:04:42.180 you are still allowed to pass on a word if you 00:04:42.180 --> 00:04:44.560 get stuck, you can never return to it. Once you 00:04:44.560 --> 00:04:47.379 pass, that word is gone forever. Let's slow down 00:04:47.379 --> 00:04:50.420 and visualize how this actually plays out, because 00:04:50.420 --> 00:04:52.819 this shrinking safety net is easily the most 00:04:52.819 --> 00:04:55.339 diabolical part of the game design. Oh, totally. 00:04:55.600 --> 00:04:57.839 So at the $10 ,000 level, you're given a board 00:04:57.839 --> 00:05:01.160 of 10 available passwords. You only need to get 00:05:01.160 --> 00:05:04.240 five correct to win the money. That means you 00:05:04.240 --> 00:05:06.500 have a massive margin for error, right? You can 00:05:06.500 --> 00:05:08.480 afford to pass on five different words and still 00:05:08.480 --> 00:05:10.860 win. Right, that's pretty generous. But with 00:05:10.860 --> 00:05:13.259 every single step you take up that money ladder, 00:05:13.759 --> 00:05:15.939 the producers take one of those backup words 00:05:15.939 --> 00:05:19.100 away. You go from 10 words to nine to eight. 00:05:19.300 --> 00:05:21.079 And by the time you reach the million dollar 00:05:21.079 --> 00:05:24.100 level, there are exactly five words available 00:05:24.100 --> 00:05:26.860 on the board. You need to get all five. You have 00:05:26.860 --> 00:05:30.259 zero passes allowed. That is just brutal. It 00:05:30.259 --> 00:05:33.699 really is. This shrinking pool of available words 00:05:33.699 --> 00:05:37.100 acts as this brilliant tightening funnel of probability. 00:05:37.959 --> 00:05:40.560 The margin for error literally evaporates as 00:05:40.560 --> 00:05:42.540 the money gets larger. Yeah, it just disappears. 00:05:43.040 --> 00:05:44.579 So I want you to think about this for a second, 00:05:44.720 --> 00:05:47.120 right? How well do you think you could mentally 00:05:47.120 --> 00:05:49.439 sync up with the complete stranger if you only 00:05:49.439 --> 00:05:51.399 had a few seconds to figure out how they think? 00:05:51.579 --> 00:05:54.319 Not well at all. Right. And then how well could 00:05:54.319 --> 00:05:57.079 you do it when a million dollars is on the line, 00:05:57.259 --> 00:05:59.639 a giant clock is ticking down your face, and 00:05:59.639 --> 00:06:01.860 you only have three chances to say the exact 00:06:01.860 --> 00:06:04.800 right word? It sounds impossible. I mean, the 00:06:04.800 --> 00:06:07.000 tension of that prize ladder works so well on 00:06:07.000 --> 00:06:10.180 television because the rules of the game rigorously 00:06:10.180 --> 00:06:13.800 constrain how human beings naturally want to 00:06:13.800 --> 00:06:15.399 communicate. Exactly. Because when we taught, 00:06:15.399 --> 00:06:17.720 you know, we use context, we use full sentences, 00:06:17.860 --> 00:06:21.160 we use hand gestures. password completely disrupts 00:06:21.160 --> 00:06:23.300 normal conversation and forces you into this 00:06:23.300 --> 00:06:26.620 unnatural, stilted rhythm. Yeah, let's look at 00:06:26.620 --> 00:06:28.500 the strict legal boundaries they put on these 00:06:28.500 --> 00:06:30.759 clues, because it's fascinating. Antonyms are 00:06:30.759 --> 00:06:33.180 perfectly acceptable. If the password is hot, 00:06:33.480 --> 00:06:36.420 you can say cold. That's standard. Right, that's 00:06:36.420 --> 00:06:39.220 classic password. But the moment you use a hyphenated 00:06:39.220 --> 00:06:42.339 word, an acronym, a coined word, or a foreign 00:06:42.339 --> 00:06:44.779 word that is an instant forfeit of the password, 00:06:44.899 --> 00:06:47.600 you break the rule, you lose the word. Ouch. 00:06:48.199 --> 00:06:51.439 And, crucially, the clue -giver must wait for 00:06:51.439 --> 00:06:53.480 a response from their partner before giving another 00:06:53.480 --> 00:06:56.240 clue. You can't just rattle off a list of synonyms 00:06:56.240 --> 00:06:59.180 like big, large, giant, huge. Right, no spamming 00:06:59.180 --> 00:07:02.279 words. Exactly. You have to speak one word, stop 00:07:02.279 --> 00:07:05.040 entirely, and wait for your partner to process 00:07:05.040 --> 00:07:08.339 it and say something back. Now, in reading through 00:07:08.339 --> 00:07:10.240 the source material, there's a specific rule 00:07:10.240 --> 00:07:12.379 about this that immediately stood out to me. 00:07:12.480 --> 00:07:14.199 Oh, I know which one you're talking about. Yeah, 00:07:14.259 --> 00:07:17.279 the rules explicitly state... that clue -givers 00:07:17.279 --> 00:07:20.000 are allowed to use multiple words to form a cohesive 00:07:20.000 --> 00:07:23.060 sentence or phrase, but only if they pause and 00:07:23.060 --> 00:07:25.600 wait for a guess between every single word. Yep, 00:07:25.699 --> 00:07:27.620 that's the one. When I first read that, I thought 00:07:27.620 --> 00:07:30.839 it was a massive loophole. I mean, it feels like 00:07:30.839 --> 00:07:33.160 it completely breaks the spirit of a one -word 00:07:33.160 --> 00:07:36.139 clue game if you can just slowly feed your partner 00:07:36.139 --> 00:07:38.379 a whole sentence. Like, why wouldn't everyone 00:07:38.379 --> 00:07:40.939 just do that? What was fascinating here is that 00:07:40.939 --> 00:07:43.199 the producers actually anticipated that exact 00:07:43.199 --> 00:07:45.470 line of thinking. They didn't just leave that 00:07:45.470 --> 00:07:48.490 in by accident. Really? Yeah. They employed a 00:07:48.490 --> 00:07:51.310 noted crucial verbalist, a professional crossword 00:07:51.310 --> 00:07:54.029 puzzle constructor named Tripp Payne, as their 00:07:54.029 --> 00:07:57.029 official word expert to police these rules. And 00:07:57.029 --> 00:07:59.870 this sentence building allowance, it isn't a 00:07:59.870 --> 00:08:02.750 loophole at all. It is a highly engineered trap. 00:08:03.069 --> 00:08:05.110 Okay, you have to explain how that is a trap 00:08:05.110 --> 00:08:07.790 because on paper, building a sentence sounds 00:08:07.790 --> 00:08:10.069 like the easiest way to win. Think about the 00:08:10.069 --> 00:08:12.389 immense cognitive load required to pull that 00:08:12.389 --> 00:08:14.870 off under the lights of a television studio. 00:08:14.930 --> 00:08:18.009 Okay. You're trying to construct a coherent, 00:08:18.610 --> 00:08:20.589 grammatically correct sentence in your head, 00:08:21.129 --> 00:08:23.550 and then deliver it one single word at a time. 00:08:23.990 --> 00:08:27.050 But after every single word you say, your celebrity 00:08:27.050 --> 00:08:31.959 partner is forced to blurt out a f— frantic random 00:08:31.959 --> 00:08:35.419 guess based on completely incomplete information. 00:08:35.580 --> 00:08:36.919 Wait, wait, let's actually try this. OK, I do. 00:08:37.039 --> 00:08:39.379 Let's say the password I need you to guess is 00:08:39.379 --> 00:08:42.799 tomato. And I decide I'm going to feed you the 00:08:42.799 --> 00:08:46.879 sentence, a red round fruit. So I start by saying 00:08:46.879 --> 00:08:51.389 A. Hopper. Red. Firetruck. Round. Ball. Oh, wow. 00:08:51.549 --> 00:08:54.090 OK, I see it now. My brain is completely like 00:08:54.090 --> 00:08:55.769 I'm trying to hold on to the word fruit, but 00:08:55.769 --> 00:08:57.710 you just yelled firetruck and ball at me and 00:08:57.710 --> 00:08:59.370 I'm instantly confused about what we're even 00:08:59.370 --> 00:09:01.590 talking about. I really thought it was a loophole, 00:09:01.730 --> 00:09:03.629 but it's actually designed to make you trip over 00:09:03.629 --> 00:09:05.789 your own tongue under pressure. Trying to maintain 00:09:05.789 --> 00:09:08.470 your focus to finish your predetermined sentence 00:09:08.470 --> 00:09:11.190 while having your own thought process constantly 00:09:11.190 --> 00:09:15.490 interrupted by jarring unrelated shouts all while 00:09:15.490 --> 00:09:18.460 a 90 second clock is ticking down. It requires 00:09:18.460 --> 00:09:20.960 incredible mental discipline. Yeah I'd completely 00:09:20.960 --> 00:09:24.080 freeze up. Most people do. It's a cognitive trap 00:09:24.080 --> 00:09:26.240 that punishes people who think they can outsmart 00:09:26.240 --> 00:09:29.080 the game. Navigating those intense mental traps 00:09:29.080 --> 00:09:32.340 requires a very specific kind of talent, both 00:09:32.340 --> 00:09:34.220 from the contestants and the production team, 00:09:34.500 --> 00:09:37.399 managing all that chaos. Oh, for sure. You would 00:09:37.399 --> 00:09:39.740 think that with the TV royalty they had grounding 00:09:39.740 --> 00:09:41.879 the show, it would be bulletproof. I mean, the 00:09:41.879 --> 00:09:44.440 host they brought in was Regis Philbin, who at 00:09:44.440 --> 00:09:46.960 that time was already an absolute icon of American 00:09:46.960 --> 00:09:49.620 broadcasting. A total legend. And the director 00:09:49.620 --> 00:09:52.269 was Mark Gentile. He was the guy who... directed 00:09:52.269 --> 00:09:54.970 the primetime high -stakes version of Who Wants 00:09:54.970 --> 00:09:57.549 to Be a Millionaire, which Philbin also hosted. 00:09:57.690 --> 00:10:00.450 Which is such a smart pairing. Bringing in Mark 00:10:00.450 --> 00:10:03.070 Gentile was a very deliberate choice. He knew 00:10:03.070 --> 00:10:05.789 exactly how to light a set, how to cue the dramatic 00:10:05.789 --> 00:10:08.970 music, and how to pace a show to make a simple 00:10:08.970 --> 00:10:11.950 trivia question, or in this case, guessing a 00:10:11.950 --> 00:10:14.129 single vocabulary word feel like a life or death 00:10:14.129 --> 00:10:16.730 situation. Right. They also brought in Sandeus 00:10:16.730 --> 00:10:19.529 Stewart. as a production consultant. He is the 00:10:19.529 --> 00:10:22.210 son of Bob Stewart, the original creator of Password 00:10:22.210 --> 00:10:26.470 from back in the 1960s. So you have the literal 00:10:26.470 --> 00:10:29.529 biological bloodline of the game on set, making 00:10:29.529 --> 00:10:32.220 sure the mechanics for sound. But the absolute 00:10:32.220 --> 00:10:35.299 crown jewel of this cast was Betty White. Oh, 00:10:35.320 --> 00:10:36.879 without a doubt. According to the source, she 00:10:36.879 --> 00:10:39.399 was the only celebrity to appear more than once 00:10:39.399 --> 00:10:41.919 during the show's entire run. And for those who 00:10:41.919 --> 00:10:43.919 might not know the history, she was the widow 00:10:43.919 --> 00:10:46.440 of Alan Ludden, who is the legendary host of 00:10:46.440 --> 00:10:49.259 the original Password and its various incarnations 00:10:49.259 --> 00:10:53.080 from 1961 all the way to 1980. Yeah, that connection 00:10:53.080 --> 00:10:55.240 is so important. With her appearance on Million 00:10:55.240 --> 00:10:57.340 Dollar Password, Betty White became the first 00:10:57.340 --> 00:10:59.799 person to play in all American television versions 00:10:59.799 --> 00:11:02.179 of the game. She was a living piece of television 00:11:02.179 --> 00:11:05.460 history. She really was like the Jedi master 00:11:05.460 --> 00:11:08.460 of the entire franchise. She was carrying the 00:11:08.460 --> 00:11:11.259 institutional memory of the game for nearly 50 00:11:11.259 --> 00:11:13.600 years. I love that comparison. When she walked 00:11:13.600 --> 00:11:16.019 onto that set, she wasn't just another famous 00:11:16.019 --> 00:11:18.340 actor there to promote a movie. She was the living 00:11:18.340 --> 00:11:22.000 embodiment of the game itself. The contrast between 00:11:22.000 --> 00:11:25.259 this loud, modern, million -dollar spectacle 00:11:25.259 --> 00:11:28.659 and the quiet power -game origins she represented 00:11:28.659 --> 00:11:31.620 was incredibly powerful. And that institutional 00:11:31.620 --> 00:11:34.139 memory is crucial to understanding this show's 00:11:34.139 --> 00:11:38.399 initial success. Having Philbin, Gentile, White... 00:11:38.220 --> 00:11:41.100 and the Stewart family involved, it created an 00:11:41.100 --> 00:11:43.120 immediate trust factor for the audience at home. 00:11:43.259 --> 00:11:45.200 It proved it wasn't just a gimmick. Exactly. 00:11:45.340 --> 00:11:47.259 It signaled to the viewers that this wasn't some 00:11:47.259 --> 00:11:49.740 flashy, cynical cash grab that was going to disrespect 00:11:49.740 --> 00:11:52.259 a beloved classic. It legitimized the modern 00:11:52.259 --> 00:11:54.460 version. Right. It proved to the audience that 00:11:54.460 --> 00:11:56.559 while the million dollar prize was new and the 00:11:56.559 --> 00:11:59.419 studio lights were dramatically darker, the core 00:11:59.419 --> 00:12:02.120 soul of the game was completely intact. You would 00:12:02.120 --> 00:12:04.509 think that... With that level of pedigree, the 00:12:04.509 --> 00:12:08.470 show would be absolutely untouchable. But television 00:12:08.470 --> 00:12:11.350 has a fatal flaw. And it brings us to the most 00:12:11.350 --> 00:12:13.830 baffling part of this deep dive. The cancellation. 00:12:14.110 --> 00:12:17.009 Yes. Let's look at the actual viewership numbers, 00:12:17.250 --> 00:12:20.190 because by modern standards, they are staggering. 00:12:20.970 --> 00:12:23.129 The premiere episode, which featured Neil Patrick 00:12:23.129 --> 00:12:25.070 Harris and Rachel Ray as the celebrity guests, 00:12:25.789 --> 00:12:30.269 pulled in 10 .69 million viewers. That's massive. 00:12:30.409 --> 00:12:32.649 It ranked as the number three show for the entire 00:12:32.649 --> 00:12:35.070 week on broadcast television. And it didn't drop 00:12:35.070 --> 00:12:38.009 off either. Later in the second season, an episode 00:12:38.009 --> 00:12:40.110 with Craig Ferguson and Serena Williams pulled 00:12:40.110 --> 00:12:43.840 in over 10 .4 million viewers. Across the entire 00:12:43.840 --> 00:12:46.779 2008 to 2009 television season, the show finished 00:12:46.779 --> 00:12:49.799 at the 42nd most viewed program overall. Those 00:12:49.799 --> 00:12:51.820 are numbers that network executives today would 00:12:51.820 --> 00:12:54.059 dream about. So you have a top 50 show bringing 00:12:54.059 --> 00:12:56.980 in 10 to 11 million people an episode, featuring 00:12:56.980 --> 00:12:59.440 universally beloved stars and capturing the cultural 00:12:59.440 --> 00:13:03.580 zeitgeist. And yet, in August 2009, CBS Entertainment 00:13:03.580 --> 00:13:05.980 president Nina Tassler officially canceled the 00:13:05.980 --> 00:13:08.700 series. Just ended it. And her reasoning. The 00:13:08.700 --> 00:13:10.820 source article states that despite the massive 00:13:10.820 --> 00:13:13.820 overall ratings, the audience skewed to a quote, 00:13:14.200 --> 00:13:16.899 very old demographic that advertisers simply 00:13:16.899 --> 00:13:19.960 didn't want. Yeah. Here's where it gets really 00:13:19.960 --> 00:13:21.860 interesting because I have to stop and push back 00:13:21.860 --> 00:13:24.500 on this logic. OK, go for it. How can a major 00:13:24.500 --> 00:13:27.840 corporation justify throwing away a top tier 00:13:27.840 --> 00:13:31.000 weekly show with nearly 11 million viewers just 00:13:31.000 --> 00:13:33.379 because those viewers happen to be older? I mean, 00:13:33.539 --> 00:13:35.830 eyeballs are eyeballs, aren't they? If 10 million 00:13:35.830 --> 00:13:38.149 people are watching a commercial, who cares what 00:13:38.149 --> 00:13:41.190 year they were born? It sounds completely counterintuitive, 00:13:41.190 --> 00:13:43.769 I know. But if we connect this to the bigger 00:13:43.769 --> 00:13:46.509 picture, we have to look at the fundamental economics 00:13:46.509 --> 00:13:49.690 of broadcast television. OK. Broadcast networks 00:13:49.690 --> 00:13:52.769 don't actually make their money by selling television 00:13:52.769 --> 00:13:54.950 shows to viewers. Yeah. They make their money 00:13:54.950 --> 00:13:57.169 by selling viewers to advertisers. Right. The 00:13:57.169 --> 00:13:59.029 advertisers are the real customers. Exactly. 00:13:59.179 --> 00:14:02.679 And advertisers pay a massive premium for a very 00:14:02.679 --> 00:14:05.620 specific, highly coveted slice of the population. 00:14:05.980 --> 00:14:09.200 The 18 to 49 year old demographic. It's like 00:14:09.200 --> 00:14:12.299 owning a restaurant that is packed to the brim 00:14:12.299 --> 00:14:14.259 every single night. There's a line out the door. 00:14:14.620 --> 00:14:16.840 But every single customer in the building is 00:14:16.840 --> 00:14:19.799 only ordering free tap water and the complimentary 00:14:19.799 --> 00:14:22.120 bread. That is a perfect analogy. It doesn't 00:14:22.120 --> 00:14:24.460 matter how full the room is if nobody is actually 00:14:24.460 --> 00:14:26.799 buying the product that keeps the lights on. 00:14:26.879 --> 00:14:30.419 Precisely. And the reason advertisers care so 00:14:30.419 --> 00:14:33.899 deeply about that 18 to 49 age bracket comes 00:14:33.899 --> 00:14:37.559 down to brand loyalty. How so? Well, the advertising 00:14:37.559 --> 00:14:40.659 industry operates on the assumption that older 00:14:40.659 --> 00:14:43.480 viewers are firmly set in their ways. If you're 00:14:43.480 --> 00:14:46.580 65 years old, you already know what brand of 00:14:46.580 --> 00:14:48.460 car you prefer to drive. You know what toothpaste 00:14:48.460 --> 00:14:50.679 you like. You know what laundry detergent you 00:14:50.679 --> 00:14:53.399 trust. You're not easily swayed. Right. A slick 00:14:53.399 --> 00:14:55.879 30 -second commercial is highly unlikely to change 00:14:55.879 --> 00:14:58.350 your mind. But a 25 -year -old is still figuring 00:14:58.350 --> 00:15:01.590 all of that out. Exactly. A 25 -year -old's consumer 00:15:01.590 --> 00:15:04.129 habits are still unformed. They're buying their 00:15:04.129 --> 00:15:06.769 first car, choosing their first mortgage, picking 00:15:06.769 --> 00:15:09.429 a brand of diapers for their first child. That 00:15:09.429 --> 00:15:12.169 makes so much sense. Advertisers want to capture 00:15:12.169 --> 00:15:14.629 them now, so they remain loyal customers for 00:15:14.629 --> 00:15:18.529 the next 40 years. Therefore, high total viewership 00:15:18.529 --> 00:15:21.269 is completely irrelevant to the network if the 00:15:21.269 --> 00:15:23.669 people watching aren't the demographic that's 00:15:23.669 --> 00:15:25.509 actively buying the products during the commercial 00:15:25.509 --> 00:15:29.799 breaks. Wow. So they built a show so perfectly 00:15:29.799 --> 00:15:33.279 tailored to honor the legacy of Password bringing 00:15:33.279 --> 00:15:35.580 in Betty White and the original creators family 00:15:35.580 --> 00:15:38.320 and treating the rules with absolute reverence. 00:15:38.340 --> 00:15:41.440 Yep. And that exact authenticity is what attracted 00:15:41.440 --> 00:15:44.399 the older nostalgic demographic that ultimately 00:15:44.399 --> 00:15:46.600 got the show canceled. They were literally punished 00:15:46.600 --> 00:15:49.139 for respecting their own history. It is a harsh 00:15:49.139 --> 00:15:51.470 reality of the business. But, you know, while 00:15:51.470 --> 00:15:53.269 American advertising metrics may have killed 00:15:53.269 --> 00:15:55.590 the network broadcast, the pure mechanics of 00:15:55.590 --> 00:15:57.490 the game were simply too good to stay dead. Oh, 00:15:57.490 --> 00:15:59.690 definitely. This format had a massive second 00:15:59.690 --> 00:16:02.309 life globally and digitally, which really proves 00:16:02.309 --> 00:16:04.909 that the game itself was fundamentally flawless. 00:16:05.049 --> 00:16:07.429 The afterlife of the show is incredible. It found 00:16:07.429 --> 00:16:09.529 an immediate home in reruns on the game show 00:16:09.529 --> 00:16:12.690 network and later on buzzer. But the international 00:16:12.690 --> 00:16:14.730 footprint is what really proves your point. It 00:16:14.730 --> 00:16:17.500 was huge overseas. This exact format was adapted 00:16:17.500 --> 00:16:19.440 all over the world. In France, it was called 00:16:19.440 --> 00:16:21.980 Mode de Pass, and it was so successful it ran 00:16:21.980 --> 00:16:25.320 for seven years. Seven years. Yeah. Brazil had 00:16:25.320 --> 00:16:28.259 Mega Senha with a top prize of one million Reyes. 00:16:28.779 --> 00:16:31.179 There were highly successful versions in Indonesia, 00:16:31.519 --> 00:16:34.200 Mexico, Spain, Greece, Turkey, and even a pilot 00:16:34.200 --> 00:16:37.500 shot in the UK. And we can't forget the merchandising, 00:16:37.779 --> 00:16:41.759 which was vast. Endless games put out physical 00:16:41.759 --> 00:16:45.289 board game versions. there was a 2010 day -to 00:16:45.289 --> 00:16:48.490 -day desk calendar. Nice! But, most notably, 00:16:48.990 --> 00:16:51.529 it thrived in the early days of digital adaptation. 00:16:52.340 --> 00:16:55.360 iToys made a handheld electronic version, and 00:16:55.360 --> 00:16:57.779 Real Arcade published a digital version for the 00:16:57.779 --> 00:17:00.679 PC, the Mac, and the early iPhone. Which is such 00:17:00.679 --> 00:17:02.740 a delicious irony, right? You have a television 00:17:02.740 --> 00:17:05.480 broadcast deemed quote -unquote too old by American 00:17:05.480 --> 00:17:07.720 television executives, and almost immediately 00:17:07.720 --> 00:17:10.000 it spawns a highly successful app on the iPhone, 00:17:10.539 --> 00:17:12.680 literally the newest, most cutting -edge technology 00:17:12.680 --> 00:17:14.640 of the time. It makes perfect sense, though, 00:17:14.640 --> 00:17:17.319 when you think about why a parlor game translates 00:17:17.319 --> 00:17:19.839 so well to a smartphone screen. The mechanics 00:17:19.839 --> 00:17:23.549 of password requires zero physical space. You 00:17:23.549 --> 00:17:26.430 don't need to render a massive 3D world or complex 00:17:26.430 --> 00:17:29.289 physics engines. You just need words on a screen. 00:17:29.819 --> 00:17:32.940 and a simple logic puzzle. Oh, right. It's super 00:17:32.940 --> 00:17:36.059 lightweight. Exactly. It was the absolute perfect 00:17:36.059 --> 00:17:39.339 candidate for early mobile gaming apps when developers 00:17:39.339 --> 00:17:41.680 were desperately looking for addictive quick 00:17:41.680 --> 00:17:43.660 burst entertainment. That makes a lot of sense. 00:17:43.839 --> 00:17:46.740 A fundamentally strong game format transcends 00:17:46.740 --> 00:17:50.299 localized demographic quirks. The universal human 00:17:50.299 --> 00:17:52.960 appeal of restricted communication under immense 00:17:52.960 --> 00:17:55.940 pressure works just as well in French, Spanish 00:17:55.940 --> 00:17:58.589 or Indonesian as it does in English. Yeah. The 00:17:58.589 --> 00:18:01.049 language changes, but the sheer panic of trying 00:18:01.049 --> 00:18:03.210 to read a stranger's mind with only one word 00:18:03.210 --> 00:18:05.710 remains exactly the same. To wrap up our deep 00:18:05.710 --> 00:18:08.210 dive today, we've traced the incredibly strange 00:18:08.210 --> 00:18:10.890 journey of Million Dollar Password. It started 00:18:10.890 --> 00:18:13.269 as a brilliantly updated classic that pushed 00:18:13.269 --> 00:18:15.869 the boundaries of human communication and tested 00:18:15.869 --> 00:18:18.269 the limits of cognitive load. It really did. 00:18:18.509 --> 00:18:21.910 It became a wildly popular top -tier hit that 00:18:21.910 --> 00:18:24.789 was ultimately sacrificed to the cold, calculating 00:18:24.789 --> 00:18:28.220 demographic models of American advertising. And 00:18:28.220 --> 00:18:31.660 finally, it proved its underlying genius by transforming 00:18:31.660 --> 00:18:35.440 into an unstoppable global format and a pioneer 00:18:35.440 --> 00:18:38.140 in mobile gaming. It's a testament to the fact 00:18:38.140 --> 00:18:41.380 that a good game is simply a good game. no matter 00:18:41.380 --> 00:18:43.839 what a network executive spreadsheet says. It 00:18:43.839 --> 00:18:45.859 really is. And before we go, I want to leave 00:18:45.859 --> 00:18:48.740 you, the listener, with one final, unmentioned 00:18:48.740 --> 00:18:52.180 detail from the rule book to ponder. Ooh, okay. 00:18:52.440 --> 00:18:55.400 According to the source, once a contestant successfully 00:18:55.400 --> 00:18:58.460 clears the $100 ,000 level, they are presented 00:18:58.460 --> 00:19:00.619 with a massive choice of whether to risk it all 00:19:00.619 --> 00:19:02.619 to keep climbing. Right, the big gamble. But 00:19:02.619 --> 00:19:04.799 before they make that choice, the host actually 00:19:04.799 --> 00:19:07.480 allows them to look at the exact passwords for 00:19:07.480 --> 00:19:11.170 the upcoming $250 ,000 level. They get to see 00:19:11.170 --> 00:19:13.190 the words before they decide whether to risk 00:19:13.190 --> 00:19:15.150 their money. Wait, really? Oh, wow. They let 00:19:15.150 --> 00:19:16.849 you look at the test before you decide to take 00:19:16.849 --> 00:19:20.549 it. Yes. And I want you to imagine that specific 00:19:20.549 --> 00:19:23.809 agonizing moment. You're standing under the hot 00:19:23.809 --> 00:19:26.730 studio lights. The music is pulsing. You're looking 00:19:26.730 --> 00:19:29.509 at a piece of cardboard with six words on it. 00:19:29.750 --> 00:19:31.730 My palms are sweating just thinking about it. 00:19:31.990 --> 00:19:34.529 Right. In a fraction of a second, you aren't 00:19:34.529 --> 00:19:37.569 just reading vocabulary. You must evaluate your 00:19:37.569 --> 00:19:40.130 celebrity partner's intelligence, their cultural 00:19:40.130 --> 00:19:42.930 background, their generation, and your own ability 00:19:42.930 --> 00:19:45.809 to describe those exact concepts without using 00:19:45.809 --> 00:19:48.190 a hyphen, an acronym, or breaking any of the 00:19:48.190 --> 00:19:50.309 rules. That's intense. It shifts the game from 00:19:50.309 --> 00:19:53.289 a fun word puzzle into a high -stakes psychological 00:19:53.289 --> 00:19:55.950 evaluation of a near stranger. That is genuinely 00:19:55.950 --> 00:19:58.529 terrifying. We started this deep dive wondering 00:19:58.529 --> 00:20:01.250 about the brutal math of television cancellations. 00:20:01.789 --> 00:20:04.509 But in that moment on stage, the most brutal 00:20:04.509 --> 00:20:07.289 math isn't about network demographics or advertising 00:20:07.289 --> 00:20:09.690 premiums at all. Not at all. It is calculating 00:20:09.690 --> 00:20:12.529 the exact contents of your partner's brain in 00:20:12.529 --> 00:20:14.950 five seconds flat. Would you risk everything 00:20:14.950 --> 00:20:16.869 you've just won based on a quick glance at a 00:20:16.869 --> 00:20:19.670 piece of cardboard? A tough call. Something to 00:20:19.670 --> 00:20:21.430 think about. Thanks for joining us today, Lerner. 00:20:21.589 --> 00:20:22.309 We'll see you next time.