History YMMV / Pyramid

* MostWonderfulSound: The Winner's Circle timer, used until 1991.

* FanNickname: The John Davidson version is commonly referred to as "''The New $100,000 Pyramid''" to distinguish it from the 1980s run. In a {{Portmanteau}}, Donny Osmond's version is nicknamed "''Donnymid''". ThisVeryWiki refers to each version by its dollar figure, as can be seen right below.

* TheProblemWithLicensedGames: ''The $1,000,000 Pyramid'' for the Nintendo {{Wii}}, easily one of the worst game show video games ever created. No Mii support (typical of Ludia's Wii games), the classic 1982-91 logo is a lie since the game otherwise copies pretty much everything from ''Donnymid'' (the version most fans hate viciously), zero computer AI (your opponents start off by scoring '''one point''' on just about every subject; they get smarter as you progress, but will never pose a challenge), laboriously slow gameplay, hideous camera angles (no shots of the Winner's Circle pyramid while you're playing it), and the $1,000,000 top prize is awarded '''every time''' you clear the Winner's Circle — thus you have no incentive to play it after clearing the game once...unless you ''really'' want to unlock the wardrobe items.

* WhatAnIdiot: Every game show has them, and word-association games with illegal clues are more prone.
** At least twice, a team managed to claim ''none'' of the boxes in the Winner's Circle. One of those instances, seen [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFyVrGOsVEg here]], was one of the few times that the contestant chose to give clues.
** At least one team on ''Donnymid'' managed to get '''zero words''' in one category in the main game.
** Those ''Donnymid'' judges, who usually required the contestant to say the Winner's Circle subject '''verbatim''', with uttering the "essence" considered unacceptable (breaking all precedent). Among others:

* WhatTheHellCastingAgency:
** John Davidson in 1991. Yes, Dick was busy with ''TheChallengers'', but they couldn't get anyone better than this?
** The many weeks where Henry Polic II (a friend of Stewart) filled-in as announcer. Stewart's earlier ''Double Talk'' (a revival of his own ''Shoot For The Stars'') proved that Polic can't host; ''Pyramid'' proved that [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofpfcP4XBQc he can't announce, either.]]
** Those who don't speak English as their primary language are naturally going to have a difficult time playing a game where the object is to describe words and phrases as quickly and concisely as possible. Despite this, ''Donnymid'' brought in Russian-born Lenny Krayzelburg for a week. He proceeded to lose '''all ten games''' against the other celeb (Picabo Street), and at least once did so poorly in the maingame that it ended after the fifth category. Considering that, the fact that players change partners for Game 2, and the many ways ''Donnymid'' screwed contestants out of qualifying for the Tournament, it seems the only reason the man was there in the first place was so nobody playing that week could qualify.

* FanNickname: The John Davidson version is commonly referred to as "''The New $100,000 Pyramid''" to distinguish it from the 1980s run. In a {{Portmanteau}}, Donny Osmond's version is nicknamed "''Donnymid''". ThisVeryWiki refers to each version by its dollar figure, as can be seen right below.
* HilariousInHindsight: One contestant on ''$100,000'' listed her occupation as a "[[Manga/AhMyGoddess domestic goddess]]", which befuddled Dick Clark. When asked to clarify, she revealed that she was simply a housewife, and a few subsequent housewives introduced themselves the same way.
* MostAnnoyingSound: Donny's "OH! OH! OH! OH!" screams when someone screws up in the Winner's Circle.
* ReplacementScrappy: John Davidson was criticized by many fans for constantly screwing up, similarly to when he hosted ''TheHollywoodSquares''. Seriously, something like this should '''never''' happen:
-->'''John''': You need seven to tie and eight to win—
-->'''Judge''': (''buzzer'')
** At least twice, he had to ask on-air why the stagehands were flashing cue cards at him:
*** One involved a team who [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNHsBHtRDPs found the Mystery 7 last.]] They only needed four points to win, but by long-standing rules would play out the category to try for a trip to Aruba. John apparently didn't know this, because a stagehand flashed a cue card reading "but keep playing" and he had to ask what it meant. (To John's credit, the same thing happened later in the run and he handled it flawlessly.)
*** On ''another'' Mystery 7, he nearly blurted out the topic (which on a Mystery 7 isn't revealed until afterward, hence the "Mystery") and asked why they were flashing a card that said "don't tell".
* SpecialEffectsFailure: On at least five occasions, the slides fell out of the Winner's Circle trilons (one instance, from ''$100,000'', can be seen [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGq8BjPbWWA here]]). You have to admire the contestant for not turning around after a large plastic sheet has just slammed into the floor right behind their back!
* TheProblemWithLicensedGames: ''The $1,000,000 Pyramid'' for the Nintendo {{Wii}}, easily one of the worst game show video games ever created. No Mii support (typical of Ludia's Wii games), the classic 1982-91 logo is a lie since the game otherwise copies pretty much everything from ''Donnymid'' (the version most fans hate viciously), zero computer AI (your opponents start off by scoring '''one point''' on just about every subject; they get smarter as you progress, but will never pose a challenge), laboriously slow gameplay, hideous camera angles (no shots of the Winner's Circle pyramid while you're playing it), and the $1,000,000 top prize is awarded '''every time''' you clear the Winner's Circle — thus you have no incentive to play it after clearing the game once...unless you ''really'' want to unlock the wardrobe items.
* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: The 1996-97 pilots altered the gameplay (and the set!) ''very'' drastically. Would you believe one celebrity for ''each category''?
** ''Donnymid'', to most fans. Lax judging, a [[NoIndoorVoice hyperactive host]], bad writing (plenty of {{Unexpectedly Obscure Answer}}s in the Winner's Circle), a dark set, a loud techno theme[[hottip:*:(fun fact: even the ''critics'' said this about ''Donnymid'''s theme selection, bemoaning it as "change for the sake of change")]], six words in 20 seconds instead of seven in 30, gratuitous camera angles, etc. The kicker? It was done by the same guy who did the 1996-97 pilots. The double kicker? It was the basis for Ludia's ''$1,000,000'' game.
** Following the stuck-to-what-worked 2009 pilots which convinced fans the show could work in the here-and-now, Michael Davies' changes for the 2010 pilots were (according to him) "designed to bring the show into the 21st Century".

** ''Donnymid'', to most fans. Lax judging, a [[NoIndoorVoice hyperactive host]], bad writing (plenty of {{Unexpectedly Obscure Answer}}s in the Winner's Circle), a dark set, a loud techno theme, six words in 20 seconds instead of seven in 30, gratuitous camera angles, etc. The kicker? It was done by the same guy who did the 1996-97 pilots. The double kicker? It was the basis for Ludia's ''$1,000,000'' game.

* HilariousInHindsight: One contestant on ''$100,000'' listed her occupation as a "[[OhMyGoddess domestic goddess]]", which befuddled Dick Clark. When asked to clarify, she revealed that she was simply a housewife, and a few subsequent housewives introduced themselves the same way.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: An August 1973 episode had Fannie Flagg and Bill Cullen as celebrity guests. Fannie and her partner chose the category "Name Of The Game", and the subject was TV game shows. Dick Clark said that he was surprised that Fannie chose it and Bill didn't because "he's emceed most of these shows!" The first subject was ''ThePriceIsRight''.
* WTHCastingAgency:

* ThatOneLevel: Recurring celebrity guests grew to hate categories that involved naming people, especially if the full name was required. This hatred later became a RunningGag, and was [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] in the category "I Hope It's Not Names", which led to the list of "Things a ''Pyramid'' contestant might think about."

-->'''Judge''': (''buzzer'') [[hottip:*:(to be fair, there ''were'' eight words per category in the early days, and at least one team did get all eight)]]

* MissedMomentOfAwesome: An August 1973 episode had Fannie Flagg and Bill Cullen as celebrity guests. Fannie and her partner chose the category "Name Of The Game", and the subject was TV game shows. Dick Clark said that he was surprised that Fannie chose it and Bill didn't because "he's emceed most of these shows!" The first subject was ''ThePriceIsRight''.

-->'''Judge''': (''buzzer'')

*** One involved a team who [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNHsBHtRDPs found the Mystery 7 last.]] They needed only four points to win, but by long-standing rules would play out the category to try for a trip to Aruba. John apparently didn't know this, because a stagehand flashed a cue card reading "but keep playing" and he had to ask what it meant. (To his credit, the same thing happened later in the run and he handled it flawlessly.)

** At least one team on ''Donnymid'' managed to get ''zero words'' in one category in the main game.
** The ''Donnymid'' judges, who usually required the contestant to say the Winner's Circle subject '''verbatim''', with uttering the "essence" considered unacceptable (breaking all precedent). Among others:

* ReplacementScrappy: John Davidson, who was stiff and bland and often forgot the rules — in other words, the same traits that got him into this Trope on ''HollywoodSquares''. Seriously, something like this should '''never''' happen:

* TheProblemWithLicensedGames: ''The $1,000,000 Pyramid'' for the Nintendo {{Wii}}, easily one of the worst game show video games ever created. No Mii support (typical of Ludia's Wii games), the classic 1982-91 logo is a lie since the game otherwise copies pretty much everything from ''Donnymid'' (the version most fans hate viciously), zero computer AI (your opponents start off by scoring '''one point''' on just about every subject - they get smarter as you progress, but they'll never pose a challenge), laboriously slow gameplay, hideous camera angles (no shots of the Winner's Circle pyramid while you're playing it), and the $1,000,000 top prize is given away '''every time''' you clear the Winner's Circle - thus you have no incentive to play it after clearing the game once, unless you really want to unlock all the wardrobe items for some reason.

### The Winner's Circle pyramid, the show's centerpiece (having been in every version and pilot), was ousted for the first time in the franchise's history in favor of what were only described as "seven surrounding screens". Combined with the whole "give clues through charades" aspect, this would seem to have thrown out the foundational Winner's Circle rule of "Don't use your hands."

'''Unacceptable Guesses:''' Babysitter / Things A Babysitter Does [[hottip:*:(This was actually in the 1996 pilot, but listed here because that pilot and ''Donnymid'' had the same producer.)]]

* TheProblemWithLicensedGames: ''The $1,000,000 Pyramid'' for the Nintendo {{Wii}}, easily one of the worst game show video games ever created. No Mii support (typical of Ludia's Wii games), the classic 1982-91 logo is a lie since the game otherwise copies pretty much everything from ''Donnymid'' (the version most fans hate viciously), zero computer AI (your opponents regularly score '''one point''' on just about every subject), laboriously slow gameplay, hideous camera angles (no shots of the Winner's Circle pyramid while you're playing it), and the $1,000,000 top prize is given away '''every time''' you clear the Winner's Circle.

* FanNickname: The John Davidson version is commonly referred to as "''The New $100,000 Pyramid''" to distinguish it from the 1980s run. In a {{Portmanteau}}, Donny Osmond's version is nicknamed "''Donnymid''" in game show fan circles. ThisVeryWiki simply refers to each version by its dollar figure.

* ReplacementScrappy: John Davidson, who was stiff and bland and often forgot the rules — in other words, the same traits that made him a Replacement Scrappy on ''TheHollywoodSquares''. Seriously, something like this should '''never''' happen:

** As further proof of his incompetence, there were at least two instances where he had to ask on-air why the stagehands were flashing cue cards at him:
*** One involved a team who [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNHsBHtRDPs picked a Mystery 7 card last.]] They needed only four points to win, but were allowed to play out the category to try for the trip to Aruba. John apparently didn't know this, because a stagehand flashed a cue card reading "but keep playing" and he had to ask what it meant. (To his credit, the same thing happened later in the run and he handled it flawlessly.)
*** On ''another'' Mystery 7, he almost blurted out the topic (which on a Mystery 7 isn't revealed until afterward, hence the "mystery") and asked why they were flashing a card that said "don't tell".

* TheProblemWithLicensedGames: ''The $1,000,000 Pyramid'' video game for the Nintendo Wii, easily one of the worst game show ports ever created. No Mii support (typical of Ludia's Wii games), the classic 1982-91 logo is a lie since the game otherwise copies pretty much everything from ''Donnymid'' (the version most fans hate viciously), zero computer AI (your opponents regularly score '''one point''' on just about every subject), laboriously slow gameplay, hideous camera angles (no shots of the Winner's Circle pyramid while you're playing it), and the $1,000,000 top prize is given away '''every time''' you clear the Winner's Circle.

** ''Donnymid'', to most fans. Lax judging, a [[NoIndoorVoice hyperactive host]], bad writing (plenty of {{Unexpectedly Obscure Answer}}s in the Winner's Circle), a dark set, a loud techno theme, six words in 20 seconds instead of seven in 30, gratuitous camera angles, etc. The kicker? It was done by the same guy who did the 1996-97 pilots. The double kicker? It was the basis for Ludia's video game.

'''Unacceptable Guesses:''' Babysitter / Things A Babysitter Does[[hottip:*:(This was actually in the 1996 pilot, but its listing here is because both that pilot and ''Donnymid'' had the same producer.)]]

** John Davidson in 1991. Yes, Dick was busy with ''TheChallengers'', but they couldn't have found anyone better than this?

** Non-native English speakers are naturally going to have a difficult time playing a game where the object is to describe words and phrases as quickly and as concisely as possible. ''Donnymid'' cheerfully ignored this, bringing in Russian-born Lenny Krayzelburg for a week. He proceeded to lose '''all ten games''' against the other celeb (Picabo Street), and at least once did so poorly in the maingame that it ended after the fifth category. Considering the language barrier, the fact that players change partners for Game 2, and the many ways ''Donnymid'' screwed contestants out of qualifying for the Tournament, it seems the only reason Krayzelburg was there in the first place was so nobody playing that week could qualify.

*** One involved a team who picked a Mystery 7 card last. They needed less than seven points to win, but were allowed to play out the category to try for the bonus prize. John apparently didn't know this, because a stagehand flashed a cue card reading "keep playing" and he had to ask what it meant. (To his credit, the same thing happened later in the run and he handled it flawlessly.)
*** On ''another'' Mystery 7, he almost blurted out the topic (which, on a Mystery 7, isn't revealed until afterward, hence the "mystery") and asked why they were flashing a card that said "don't tell".

** Non-native English speakers are naturally going to have a difficult time playing a game where the object is to describe words and phrases as quickly and as concisely as possible. Why, then, they brought in Russian-born Lenny Krayzelburg as a guest for a week of Donnymid episodes boggles the mind. He lost ''all ten games'' against his celebrity opponent, Picabo Street, and on at least one occasion did so poorly in the front game that Picabo and her partner didn't even need to play a third subject.

* ComplacentGamingSyndrome: Both 7-11 and Mystery 7 underwent some changes following their introductions.
** Mystery 7 was originally its own category (always in the bottom-right slot, using the same font as the others), but teams almost always chose it first. On April 23, 1984 it was changed to being a "behind-the-category" bonus (like the 7-11) and given its own unique logo.
** 7-11 (debuted April 11, 1983) originally had two options — try for all seven words and $1,100, or "play it safe" for $50 per word. Not many people took the latter, and the option was dropped on January 21, 1985; the choice returned, giving $500 per word, in the 2009 pilots.

* TheProblemWithLicensedGames: ''The $1,000,000 Pyramid'' video game for the Nintendo Wii, easily one of the worst game show ports ever created. No Mii support (typical of Ludia's Wii games), the classic 1982-91 logo is a lie since the game otherwise copies pretty much everything from ''Donnymid'' (the version most fans hate viciously), zero computer AI (your opponents regularly score '''one point''' on just about every subject), laboriously slow gameplay, hideous camera angles (no shots of the Winner's Circle pyramid while you're playing it), and the $1,000,000 top prize is given away '''every time''' you clear the Winner's Circle. It really is [[DarthWiki/{{Ptitlew9bltta3dv6n}} a horrible video game]].

** As further proof of his incompetence, there were at least two instances where he had to ask on air why the stagehands were flashing cue cards at him:
*** One involved a team who picked a Mystery 7 card last. They needed fewer than 7 words to win, but of course were allowed to play out all 7 words for a shot at the prize. John apparently didn't know this, because a stagehand flashed a cue card reading "keep playing" and he had to ask what it meant. (To his credit, the same thing happened on a later episode, but he handled it flawlessly that time.)
*** And on ''another'' Mystery 7, he almost blurted out the topic (which, on a Mystery 7, isn't revealed until afterward, hence the "mystery") and asked why they were flashing a card that said "don't tell".

* TheProblemWithLicensedGames: ''The $1,000,000 Pyramid'' video game for the Nintendo Wii, easily one of the worst game show ports ever created. No Mii support (typical of Ludia's Wii games), the classic 1982-91 logo is a lie since the game otherwise copies pretty much everything from ''Donnymid'' (the version most fans hate viciously), zero computer AI (your opponents regularly score '''one point''' on just about every subject), laboriously slow gameplay, hideous camera angles (no shots of the Winner's Circle pyramid while you're playing it), and the $1,000,000 top prize is given away '''every time''' you clear the Winner's Circle. It really is DarthWiki/SoBadItsHorrible.

* TheProblemWithLicensedGames: The recently-released "The $1,000,000 Pyramid" game for the Nintendo Wii is easily one of the worst game show ports ever created. No Mii support, slapping the old-school logo on the Donnymid set, using the asinine 6-per-subject scoring format, zero computer AI (your opponents will regularly score ''one point'' out of six on just about every subject), laboriously slow gameplay, and the $1M top prize is given away ''every time'' you clear the Winner's Circle. It really is SoBadItsHorrible.

** ''Donnymid'', to most fans. Lax judging, a [[NoIndoorVoice hyperactive host]], bad writing (plenty of {{Unexpectedly Obscure Answer}}s in the Winner's Circle), a dark set, a loud techno theme, six words in 20 seconds instead of seven in 30, gratuitous camera angles, etc. The kicker? It was done by the same guy who did the 1996-97 pilots.

* SpecialEffectsFailure: On at least five occasions, the slides fell out of the Winner's Circle trilons (one instance, from ''$100,000'', can be seen [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGq8BjPbWWA here]]). Amazingly, not one of these instances caused the receiving contestant to turn around, not even with a massive sheet of plastic slamming onto the floor from several feet up!

** On another episode, a team picked a Mystery 7 card last. They needed fewer than 7 words to win, but because of the BonusSpace, they were allowed to play all seven words for the prize. John apparently didn't know this, because a stagehand flashed a cue card reading "keep playing" and he ''asked on-air'' what it meant. And on ''another'' Mystery 7, he asked what the "don't tell" cue card meant — it meant that he was not supposed to reveal the subject of the Myster 7 category before it was played.

* SpecialEffectsFailure: On at least five occasions, the slides fell out of the Winner's Circle trilons (one instance, from ''$100,000'', can be seen [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGq8BjPbWWA here]]). Amazingly, the sound of a large plastic sheet slamming into the floor from several feet up never caused a receiving contestant to turn around and face the Pyramid prematurely.

* HilariousInHindsight: One contestant on ''$100,000'' listed her occupation as a [[OhMyGoddess "domestic goddess"]], which befuddled Dick Clark. When asked to clarify, she revealed that she was simply a housewife, and a few housewives who appeared on subsequent episodes introduced themselves the same way.

### '''Category:''' Characters In ''The Wizard Of Oz''.\\
'''Unacceptable Guess:''' Things In ''The Wizard Of Oz''.
### '''Category:''' Things Mick Jagger Would Say.\\
'''Unacceptable Guesses:''' Mick Jagger; I Am Mick Jagger.
### '''Category:''' Tools.\\
'''Unacceptable Guess:''' Things In A Toolbox.
### '''Category:''' Things On A Cave Wall.\\
'''Unacceptable Guess:''' Things In A Cave.
### '''Category:''' Things A Babysitter Says.\\
'''Unacceptable Guesses:''' Babysitter; Things A Babysitter Does.[[hottip:*:(This one was actually from the 1996 pilot, but its being here is justified due to them having the same producer.)]]

** John Davidson in 1991. Yes, Dick was busy with ''The Challengers'', but they couldn't have found anyone better than this?