<show's logo appears on-screen>
Dean's voice-over: Tonight, on "Inside the 'NetHosts Studio"...
<montage of photos and clips of Jay Lewis and his shows>
Dean's voice-over: He is a 'NetGame pioneer and an innovator, having been there from the beginning. He has also been called the Bob Barker of 'NetGames for hosting and producing the most popular 'NetGame of all time, "'Net Price is Right." What does he think about his success, his career and his involvement in the 'NetGames community? Find out as I talk to...Jay Lewis...tonight on "Inside the 'NetHosts Studio."
<title sequence with a video montage of many 'NetGames>
<Dean and Jay sit in director's chairs facing each other>
<studio backdrop: video monitors and large photographs featuring Jay's career>
Dean: Good evening, I'm Dean Scungio, and welcome to "Inside the 'NetHosts Studio." Tonight, I am honored to talk with one of the most influential names in the world of 'NetGames. He is the maintainer and creator of the Netgames mailing list and the 'NetGame Encyclopedia website. He is the coordinator of the longest-running 'NetGame, "'Net Match Game," which just finished up Round 37. But he is best known as the host and producer of "'Net Price is Right." He is Jay Lewis. <shot of Jay> Thank you very much for coming, Jay.
Jay: Thanks. It's great to be here.
Dean: Jay, we've got quite a lot to talk about. Let's just jump right into it. As I said numerous times before, you were involved with 'NetGames from almost the very beginning. How did you get started?
Jay: Well, my first involvement was as a player of 'NMG waaaay back in early 1995. At the time I was operating a mailing list from a UNIX account I had through University. It was very rudimentary and, near the end, it included the latest 'NMG question.
Dean: Why did you want to become a host?
Jay: Looked like fun. Chris Dickson tells me that I beat him to the punch by a couple weeks. :)
Dean: <laughs> Well, let's see...do you remember your first project?
Jay: Well, I'm still doing my very first project. LOL! "'Net You Don't Know Jack" was ended because the actual game was being offered as a REAL on-line game...didn't see any point in competing. "The All New World Wide Web Net Now You See It" lasted one game. It was a logistical nightmare.
Dean: Okay then. Let's talk about that "very first project," "'Net Price is Right." Out of all the possible game formats, why did you choose "The Price is Right"?
Jay: Well, when I started only one other netgame existed. I knew the rules of TPiR inside and out so that made it much easier. It started as a text only game and slowly evolved into adding graphics, streaming audio & FLASH animations.
Dean: Yes. The whole project has been "growing" over the years, leading to a much better, polished product. Now, you are not only the host of 'NPIR, Jay, but you are the producer as well. You do the prize research, the web design, the graphics. What do you do to prepare for a game?
Jay: Well, that depends. Sometimes I have to create game art. The copy is prepared ahead of time so that Doug can do his announcing magic. Game selection is basically whim. I take a look at what has/hasn't been played recently and go from there. Sometimes I know a few prizes that I'd like to give away, so I'll tailor the game around that.
The games are decided well in advance. Prizes are sometimes last minute (which in my case is a week before the start of an episode). Game art can take a while to do but I try and spread that work out over a couple weekends.
Dean: Jay, a big question everyone asks about the show is, "Where do you get those prizes?"
Jay: That is a secret I can't reveal. :) Generally speaking it's catalogs, on-line stores, magazines...those sorts of places. There are other sources but I'd rather not reveal those.
Dean: I must say that you have presented some rather strange items on your show! A hearse and a garbage truck come to my mind. Now, the game features those popular pricing games. Not only do you use the games from the TV show, both current and retired, but you also have some original pricing games as well. Who comes up with them?
Jay: The folks who came up with them are listed on the credits page on the site. They're just gameshow fans.
For example, Just Right is the brainchild of Brian Hamburg, who, in his own right, is a genius of the gameshow genre. He didn't want to go through the legal hassles of giving the rights away to 'Price' so I approached him about doing it as a 'NPiR pricing game.
Dean: Interesting. Can you tell me about some other original pricing games?
Jay: Well, I just mentioned Just Right.
There is also Stamp Out where the contestant must Stamp Out the wrong pair of numbers in a price with the correct pair.
Pyramid Game is kinda like Pathfinder. There is a 5-level pyramid of numbers. The top digit is the first digit in the price of the car. One of the next two digits below it is the right second digit in the price and so on down the pyramid. You had to move down the pyramid and find the right price of the car to win. There were also two "small prizes" (ala Pathfinder) if you made a mistake.
Cash Cards involves guessing if four prices are True/False. Each right guess is one pick off the 56-space board. Behind 52 spaces are cards from a deck of cards. Face cards are the number in thousands of dollars going up to Aces worth $20,000. If the player finds a Joker, they lose everything won up to that point. They can always stop and take their winnings or take another pick. The max payout is $100,000.
It's Your Bet starts with three prizes (one <$100, one <$1,000, one <$10,000) and a bank of $6,000. The player must guess the price of the three prizes. The difference between the guess and the actual price is subtracted from the bank. After the three prizes have been priced they may keep the prizes and money left in the bank or risk it all one last time. The fourth prize is always a luxury car. They must guess the price of the car within the amount left in the bank. If they're successful, they win the car, the other three prizes and any money leftover. If wrong, however, they lose everything.
Finally, the newest game is called This Way & That. A circular board is divided into eight parts, each with a price. The contestant must move a pointer so that the top arrow points to the right price of the prize on top and vice-versa.
Over the course of the game, I've tested and rejected about 30 game ideas. The biggest reason for rejecting an idea is that it's a minor variation on an already existing game. The other reasons include too difficult to win, too complicated or just plain dumb.
Pyramid Game was played once and even though I designed a kinda-cool new board, it might not be played again. It's a bit too much like Pathfinder.
Dean: Quite interesting. I'm sure that you'll have many other new games to come, Jay. Now, I want to talk about 'NPIR's web page. Most of the game is played by E-mail, while the web page is used to display the items and the pricing games. Do you prefer playing by E-mail, web pages or chat rooms?
Jay: Probably Email. It's much faster than creating graphics upon graphics. But I like the look of the webpage too. Chatrooms/Instant Messengers are only useful when the game requires a LOT of email to be exchanged (Card Game, Clock Game come immediately to mind).
Dean: Are you the only person who works on the web page?
Jay: Except for the audio that Doug does, it's 100% me. I write all of the copy, edit the graphics, organize the shows, source the prizes/prices and source The Price Was Right items. No one helps.
Dean: Your site has won the praise of the players because of the Flash opening, the graphics and the site's layout. Do you get the chance to use the web page as an experiment in web design?
Jay: No, that's for paying gigs :) Seriously, the only thing I used from 'NPiR on another page is the highlighted text when you pass over it.
Dean: We talked about how you basically run everything. What is the daily procedure during a game's production?
Jay: I'd like to say there is one, but there isn't. I read and respond to a few emails (more if it's while the game is in swing). I try and do the graphics before hand to minimize the time between a deadline and posting to the website. Once the bids (or pricing game guess) are in, I go to work editing the gameboard (or getting the next IUFB/SCSD ready).
Dean: You used to respond to each and every IUFB reply and put that in the transcript.
Jay: Yes. I stopped that for two reasons. Firstly was the sheer number of bids. When it regularly topped 70 bids it was too time consuming to try and make 70 comments and try to have 75% (or more, usually less) be funny.
The other reason was that people just didn't "get it." I would insult some people and lay some great zingers down. I always called it the "Don Rickles Treatment." Don Rickles insults everybody, in a good naturedly way, regardless of sex or ethnicity. I would try and zing everyone on the same level. I just got too many complaints and axed it. It was never meant to be hurtful, just a laugh at your expense...then the next guy's expense and the next guy's and so on and so on...
Dean: Could you possibly imagine an entire episode of 'NPIR in a chat room?
Jay: Just ask Mike Klauss. Years ago, when I was in a larger circle of ICQ friends we played ICQ Games. Mike hosted ICQ Price is Right (of which I was a big winner) flawlessly. It came off well but without the graphics I don't think it's 100% the same. That shouldn't diminish in anyway what Mike did. I applauded him then and applaud now his efforts.
Dean: I'll have to ask him about that if and when I see him. Earlier, I called you "the Bob Barker of 'NetGames," solely because you are hosting his show. Do you ever purposely try to emulate Bob when hosting?
Jay: Chuck Woolery referred to it as "Boiler Plate Language." It doesn't matter who says it, the language is built into the game. There is no better way to explain the showcase rules than "..if you are the winner and are less than $100 away from the retail price of your own showcase you win BOTH showcases." No need to change it.
Dean: Yes. That reminds me of those baseball play-by-play announcers who call the Little League World Series games. They sound like they're calling a big league game because it's all the same terminology. Now, Jay, we've spent quite a bit of time talking about "'Net Price is Right." But you have been involved in a few other games. Most notably is "'Net Match Game." What are your thoughts about the early versions of 'NMG?
Jay: Well, having no solid recollections of Match Game, I had nothing to compare it to. Looking back it was, and remains, quite faithful to the 70s original as opposed to the 60s original. I actually dropped out for a year, which back then was four or five games.
The number of rounds were limited to September to April/May. I know people might be wondering why but you have to remember this was 1994/95. Most people who used the net were University students and would be offline when not in school.
Dean: Since then, it has become a year-round game. How did you become the game's current coordinator?
Jay: In, oh, 1996 or 1997 Aaron Solomon was leaving university and wanted someone to take over his duties. He and I, being good friends and my experience doing a game made me seem like the obvious choice I guess.
Dean: We've gone through 37 full games now. Have you ever hosted a question yourself?
Jay: I have indeed hosted a number of questions but I try to host as few as possible. It's a combination of not really having enough time to deal with the emails and being lousy at writing a good question.
Dean: You once hosted a version of "'Net You Don't Know Jack." Earlier, you said that the creation of the official "YDKJ: The Net Show" led to your game's cancellation. I was looking through the Google Groups Usenet archive, and I found posts of your game on alt.tv.game-shows. Were the questions you used copied from the CD games?
Jay: They all were except for one about an exotic sports car company that made tractors. I didn't see the need to write them myself.
Dean: Then there was another game you hosted called <takes a breath> "The All New World Wide Web Net Now You See It." This lasted only one game, but was there anything special about it?
Jay: The only thing special was that it was totally played on a website. No text version, full-on graphics only. The downside was the extreme amount of work needed to maintain the website. The game required over 100 pages of HTML and there were forms and tons of graphics...a total logistical nightmare.
Dean: A hundred pages?! How come?
Jay: It was truly faithful to the original. There was one page for the index, one for scores, pages for the big boards, and there were four Letter, Letter, Letter puzzles which each needed a graphic and a page. 100 may have been a slight exaggeration but the work it took to get it all together made it seem like 100,000.
Dean: Why did this game rely on the web page so much?
Jay: It was only available as a webgame. There was no text version available, by design. Hence the name The All New World Wide Web etc.
Dean: Now, there was another game you made that was quite popular called, "12 Questions." It featured a shared $1 trillion jackpot to the winners of a grueling quiz. That game was played only once. How come?
Jay: Well, the idea was dreamed up with the bonus round of "Chain Reaction" in mind. Six questions seemed like too few so...12 questions, 12 zeroes, a shared jackpot beginning at $1 Trillion.
It was only a one time deal to see if anyone would be interested in playing such a ludicrous game. By ludicrous I mean the pay-off. Interest was there but I gave my word that it would be a one time only thing unless there was interest in doing it again. Of course, I also didn't expect to give the jackpot away on the first show.
I'm very interested in backing up what I say with my actions. I said one game and one game there was. I am tinkering with the format to possibly bring it back but I've got enough going on right now.
Dean: It'd be interesting to see the public reaction if it happens again. You are the maintainer of the Netgames mailing list, where all, if not, most, of our games can be seen. Why are you the one who handles it?
Jay: I created it first :) I thought a devoted list for netgames would be a great way to centralize the game community. Everyone who is subscribed wants to play the games. Not everyone on, say GS-L, wants to play netgames. Those people don't have to be bothered with our little posts.
Dean: And there's also a web page you handle called "The NetGames Encyclopedia." Over there is a big listing of almost all 'NetGames ever created. How did this come about?
Jay: Someone mentioned that a list of games would be a great idea. It was started twice and flopped miserably both times. I got behind the idea and steamrolled it into existence with help from a number of other people, yourself included. <Dean nods> I think of it as being akin to the Encyclopedia of TV Gameshows for netgames.
Dean: Makes sense to me. Now, Jay, you've had years of experience in hosting, in production. Is there a particular style, format or convention to your games that you've developed over time?
Jay: Not really. Because every contestant is different, I find I have to change my style. If one were to stand out, it's probably that I tease people.
For example, Chris Wolvie had a lengthy preface before his showcase bid and I ribbed him a bit over it. Of course, I think that's great because you can see our personalities come out a bit. It also gives it a more realistic aura. Now, that doesn't mean I want every person to write a 1,000-word essay when they email. I've edited heavily before.
Dean: What experiences have you gained from hosting and producing?
Jay: Patience. Web design for sure. I'd even have to say some FLASH work too.
Dean: To paraphrase something I've said before, "Real life before virtual life." Obviously, our personal lives take precedence over our virtual "hosting duties." How do you manage to run your 'NetGames and still keep up with your normal daily routines?
Jay: Well, I'm lucky that my day is flexible. However, most of my stuff happens after 5 PM (Eastern) so that doesn't cut into the day. As far as weekends, nothing happens on weekends with the game. Should something come up, and it does, I just extend the deadline around whatever came up.
Dean: Let's talk about the other games, "the genre," if you will. Besides your own, what are your favorite 'NetGames and hosts?
Jay: At the risk of playing favorites, "Idiot Savants" and Bill Neuweiler's "Now You See It." Truth be told, I don't play many games because I don't have the time.
Dean: But you have made many celebrity appearances, Jay. What's it like to be a contestant or a celebrity on those other shows?
Jay: I win...a lot...and BIG :) They're fun shows to play a good exercise of trivia powers and well hosted/maintained.
Dean: I've discussed the "gentleman's agreement" of hosting someone else's game with other hosts. Your thoughts about that?
Jay: It's paramount. If some clown came along and did a sloppy version of "FastTalkers," for example, it could hurt the reputation of the original game.
NBC doesn't do shows CBS are doing (outright, anyway). Why should "VBS" be any different? It's one thing when you have permission, but when you don't, I, and others, will defend the other hosts' games vigorously.
And that works both ways. If someone who steals came up with an original idea and someone tried to copy *THAT*. I would defend them equally.
Dean: That's great to hear that support. Um, what would you say to those people who think the whole idea of 'NetGames is just pointless, stupid, or a waste of time?
Jay: I'd say they're probably right. However, this is no worse than "Star Trek" fans meeting aboard their "starships" in their local towns. If we were as knowledgeable about Shakespeare as we are about gameshows, we'd all have doctorates and teach in Universities. It's all whatever turns your crank.
Dean: Then why do we play them?
Jay: I think people play because it gives them an opportunity they might not get in real life. As for hosting...I don't even know why *I* do it.
Dean: Ah, but you did say it "looked like fun."
Jay: Yup...past tense. Dunno if I would host now if I were starting out again.
Dean: I think you would. Do you have any pet peeves about 'NetGames?
Jay: Sometimes it feels like there are too many. Some take forever and a day to play just a single round. Probably my biggest peeve is the people who copy games that someone else is doing.
Dean: What is the future of your current projects?
Jay: "Cancellation." I can see 'NPiR going for maybe a couple more years at the outside then *pfft*
Dean: I agree. I have a feeling 'NPIR will always be popular, and you'll never retire...like Bob.
Jay: Well, that's kind of you but I *will* hang it up someday and end the game.
Dean: Do you have new future projects in the works?
Jay: No. One netgame is enough for now.
Dean: What do you see in the future for 'NetGames?
Jay: Possibly more interactivity. I don't know how much more it can evolve to be honest.
Dean: So you believe that we've gotten as far as we can in interactivity?
Jay: How much more interactive can it get, really? The players are emailing the hosts directly and, in some cases, getting real time responses.
As far as automation, it's already been done. Stan Ryckman had a ScrabbleBot that was nothing short of ingenious. There was a guy who had two bots on IRC. One was Jeopardy and the other was Scattergories (I think) who got slapped with a lawsuit by those useless Sony lawyers. He changed the names and I don't even know if they're in use today. That's actually a reason why you never hear the S-word on 'NPiR. I haven't even bought one of their products in years.
Dean: Heh heh. Well, now we have to go to the rapid fire questions. Let's see...what is your favorite game show?
Jay: That's a tough one. Probably "The Price is Right" and "Big Brother" judging by the stuff displayed around. :)
Dean: Who is your favorite game show host?
Jay: Bill Cullen is probably my favorite all-time host. Rayburn, Barker, Clark are all close too.
Dean: What is your favorite game show bonus round?
Jay: Hmm...pretty tough to beat The Winners Circle from "Pyramid."
Dean: What is your favorite game show catch phrase?
Jay: "Come on down!"
Dean: What game shows would you like you be on as a contestant?
Jay: "Wheel of Fortune," "The Amazing Race," "Big Brother," "Fear Factor" even though I'd probably never do the second stunt.
Dean: Who would be your partner on "The Amazing Race"?
Jay: My brother or my good friend Steve. He's really into the second series of TAR. We've even looked into applying for TAR3...Canadians are ineligible to apply, unfortunately.
Dean: Why do you like "Big Brother" so much?
Jay: Because I dare to bear the brunt of the scorn of my peers?
We're in a time when critics and viewers complain about how derivative TV is. Every show is 20/30-something white folks yukking it up, living lives they'd never afford. A show comes along that breaks every rule of TV and is totally different from anything before it.
Dean: Why do you want to be on it?
Jay: It sounds cliche, but the experience. A half-mil will pay the bills for a little while and Lord knows there's no celebrity exposure from the show. It just seems like a neat thing to try for a few weeks...or months. :)
Dean: What game shows would you like you be on as the host?
Jay: Price, "Weakest Link" if I thought I could keep a straight face.
Dean: What is your favorite game show sound effect?
Jay: Not a single favorite, but the collection of sounds from "The Chair" were all pretty cool.
Dean: What is your least favorite game show sound effect?
Jay: The second generation women's ring-in effect from "SexWars." Why anyone would think a yowling cat would make a good effect...*shudder*
Dean: And finally, what is your favorite curse word?
Jay: With varying degrees of emphasis, you can convey any feeling with "sonovab***h" very effectively. :)
Dean: <laughs> Well, that's all I have, Jay. Thank you very much for coming. I want to mention before you go that you all can find "'Net Price is Right" at http://npir.pbl.org. "The 'NetGames Encyclopedia" is at http://nge.pbl.org. Also, you can visit Jay's personal page at http://www.geocities.com/jaylewis.geo/.
You've been a great informative guest, Jay. Thanks again for coming.
Jay: Thanks. I've had a great time.
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DISCLAIMER: Portions of this transcript were edited and/or recreated.
RYAN'S EPISODE | DOUG'S EPISODE | JAY'S EPISODE
