$ale of the Century [NBC]: Episode 46

[palmer7]

When last we left John Lopez, he had won two games and a total of $54,574 in cash and prizes, plus $700,000 in his personal cash jackpot. Who wants to challenge him? (Jon, as Tournament of Champions winner, would you please hold off for at least a few episodes?) 

[redrangerdude]

I'll play

[mringgenberg]

I'll play.

[Deleted]

Checking back in.

[palmer7]

---

(drumroll)
(shot of John)


Pete Smith: (VO) So far, John Lopez has won cash and prizes totaling $54,574. Stand by to see him play for a Reuge Musical Starship valued at $22,000!



[OPENING THEME]





Tonight, one of our contestants could win a musical starship, a trip to Disney World, or a mountain estate in North Carolina!


And continue a journey towards a fortune in cash and prizes including this pair of Corvettes......

  


And hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash!




In total, over $1,000,000 on.........





(echo)






And now, here's the star of the $ale, Greg Palmer!


(the doors open and I walk to my lectern, wearing sunglasses over my regular glasses)


Greg: Oh shut up..... ugh....... thanks, Peter.... I guess. Seriously, seriously, keep it down. Ugh.... welcome to $ale, folks. Boy, I enjoyed our Tournament of Champions. And the after party lasted allllllllllllllllll weekend, which is why I...... (I shield my eyes, despite the sunglasses) Geez, does it have to be so bright in here? As I was saying, the after party lasted all weekend. We had Duran Duran, Elton John..... it was a mess, folks. Elton was challenging Mark Ronson to a piano duel, Tony kept telling us about this Dutch family he knew when he was working clubs in Sydney, and you know, I didn't think you could get a hangover from Vernors. Would you fix the light, please? (the light is fixed) Thank you. Now, the remarkable thing about it all is that our champion and I were some of the very few people that didn't drink. Please welcome John Lopez! (audience cheers) So, John.... you got to see the entire tournament, you were there for the after party. How did you like it, and why are you not hung over?

[Deleted]

The tournament was great and well, I'm a teetotaller, if that answers your second question.

[palmer7]

Well so am I. I'm a teetotaller, too. The only drinks I had were Vernors and water. I swear. What's your secret?

[Deleted]

No real secret, really. I'm just not inclined to drink since alcohol generally tastes extremely bitter to me.

[palmer7]

All right, all right. I give up. All I had was Vernors ginger ale! Maybe I'm just food drunk, I don't know. Well, enough about me. John, tonight, you are playing for a Reuge Musical Starship valued at $22,000. And, if you can survive all this week, you'll win your PCJ, all the prizes and a million-dollar cash bonus. (audience cheers)


This week, the prizes seem to be all-American, what with the Corvettes and the land package in North Carolina. Unfortunately, Stacey is not American. But this woman is. Please welcome Tori Spelling!


(Tori walks out to cheers and applause)




Hello, Tori.


Tori: Hi, Greg.


Greg: How's your father?


Tori: Still dead.


Greg: Great. Thanks for coming out here on such short notice.


Tori: No problem. The network wanted me to do it.


Greg: Why?


Tori: Because my last name has some value in this God-forsaken town.


Greg: I can tell you're going to be fun. Who do you have with us?


(as Tori introduces the two contestants, models of opposite gender bring them in and seat them)


Tori: Well, first, he's a junior in high school. Soon to be from Washington, DC, here is Lenny Jackson. And he is a supermarket clerk from Council Bluffs, Iowa. Please welcome Matt Ringgenberg.


(audience cheers)


Greg: Thank you, Tori. Matt..... what do you like about this show that keeps you coming back? [And please don't try to break the fourth wall.]

[mringgenberg]

The thrill of the competition.

[palmer7]

All right. And that's something you definitely have experience with, competition. Anything else you'd like to say?

[mringgenberg]

I'm a fan of Peanuts and the Simpsons.

[palmer7]

Favorite Charlie Brown special?

[mringgenberg]

Flashbeagle. My favorite part in that special is the Lucy Says song.

[palmer7]

All right. I like that one as well. Good luck to you today.


Lenny Jackson, you plan to move to Washington, D.C. Please tell us more about yourself, including where you are originally from.

[redrangerdude]

I'm originally from Southern California. I am a huge fan of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Power Rangers. While I was in California, I've appeared in tapings for Wheel of Fortune, Extra, and a remake of Win, Lose, or Draw.

[palmer7]

Oh, I've heard of that one. It was for the Disney Channel and it was vastly different from the original. What's your favorite season of Power Rangers? Are you watching the current one?

[redrangerdude]

I've watched every single Power Rangers season. It's hard to pick a fave, but one of them would be Time Force.

[palmer7]

Oh, that's a good one. Anything else you want to say before we start?

[redrangerdude]

No. That's all.

[palmer7]

OK then. Tori, if you would, please.


Tori: Do what?


(I give an aside glance to the camera) Greg: Well! (audience chuckles) Somebody has been skipping rehearsals. $20 to start.


(the board initializes)



Matt: $20
Lenny: $20
John: $20




Tori, we'll see you later. (Tori exits) I think I've found my Matinee Lady. Good luck to everyone, it's Monday, here we go.


1. What type of foodstuff is traditionally eaten on Shrove Tuesday?
2. Into what body of water does the Danube River empty?
3. By what name is the author Samuel Langhorne Clemens better known?
4. Mort Goldman is the father of which supporting character in the TV show Family Guy?
5. In 1943, the "One Thousand Mile War" began when Japan invaded what set of islands?


(buzzcodes and initials, please)

[palmer7]

1. What type of foodstuff is traditionally eaten on Shrove Tuesday?
(buzzcode: 20)
*John buzzes in (48)*
John?
John: Pancakes
But most people call it Mardi Gras. You draw first blood.
(ding)


Matt: $20
Lenny: $20
John: $25


2. Into what body of water does the Danube River empty?
(buzzcode: 68)
*Matt buzzes in (61)*
Matt?
Matt: Mediterranean Sea
(wrong)
Oh no.... the other one. The Black Sea. You lose $5, down to $15.



Matt: $15
Lenny: $20
John: $25



3. By what name is the author Samuel Langhorne Clemens better known?
(buzzcode: 50)
*John buzzes in (50, BULLSEYE!)*
John?
John: Mark Twain
Yes, sir, and you go to $30.
(ding)


Matt: $15
Lenny: $20
John: $30


4. Mort Goldman is the father of which supporting character in the TV show Family Guy?
(buzzcode: 17)
*John buzzes in (19)*
John?
John: Neil
Yep, and you move to $35.
(ding)


Matt: $15
Lenny: $20
John: $35


5. In 1943, the "One Thousand Mile War" began when Japan invaded what set of islands?
(buzzcode: 93)
*John buzzes in (33)*
John?
John: Aleutian Islands
Correct, going to $40.
(ding)


Matt: $15
Lenny: $20
John: $40




[INSTANT BARGAIN]



That sound means it's time for an Instant Bargain. John, you have a $20 lead over Lenny. How about this?


[TOP GUN ANTHEM]


(Mitch and Kelly pretend they're pilots from Top Gun as they stand there, arms crossed, wearing shades and the outfits)



Tori: John, you can take off for the skies as you become a fighter pilot for a day. Come experience the thrill of being a fighter pilot for a day as you and a friend engage in air to air combat with the original civilian dog fighting school! Your first flight will be a practice session, focusing on maneuvers. During your second flight, it's time to engage the enemy and put your dog fighting skills to the test! You'll use the maneuvers you've learned in a variety of tactical air combat situations, and will engage in 10 dogfights. Plus, everything will be recorded for posterity. Furnished by Cloud9 Living. This prize is normally priced at....


$3,990


But is yours on $ale of the Century for only....


$5


(audience cheers as I join them)


Greg: Well, now this is something. You get to be a fighter pilot for a day. You're not afraid of heights, are you, John?

[Deleted]

Unfortunately, I'm not big on heights, so I'm afraid I'll have to pass.

[palmer7]

Not even if I throw in $410 for hypnotherapy? Going once... going twice.... (audience shouts suggestions)

[Deleted]

(Doesn't budge)

[palmer7]

No sale. The man does not feel a need for speed. (audience chuckles, I walk back to my lectern)


And Lenny and Matt are shaking their fists. Back to the questions.


1. What did Ray Tomlinson send in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in late 1971?
2. In Greek mythology, whose death in the Aegean Sea, near Samos, was caused by melting wax?
3. What biblical figure was the founder of Judaism?


(buzzcodes and answers, please)

[palmer7]

1. What did Ray Tomlinson send in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in late 1971?
(buzzcode: 50)
*Lenny buzzes in (34)*
Lenny?
Lenny: e-mail


(question mark appears on the lectern)
More information, please.

[redrangerdude]

Oh sorry. The first email.

[palmer7]

That's what we wanted, you're finally on the board.
(ding)


Matt: $15
Lenny: $25
John: $40



2. In Greek mythology, whose death in the Aegean Sea, near Samos, was caused by melting wax?
(buzzcode: 78)
*John buzzes in (58)*
John?
John: Icarus
Yeah, flew just a little too close to the sun. You go to $45.
(ding)


Matt: $15
Lenny: $25
John: $45



3. What biblical figure was the founder of Judaism?
(buzzcode: 11)
*John buzzes in (34)*
John again?
John: Abraham
Correct again, you go to $50.
(ding)


Matt: $15
Lenny: $25
John: $50



[FAME GAME]


And as we go into the first Fame Game, John pulls away for a $25 lead over Lenny. $10 going up on the board. Looking for a famous person.


I am a politician, born in Marylebone, London on October 9, 1966. From the age of seven, I was educated at two independent schools. I entered Heatherdown School's top academic class almost two years early. At the age of thirteen, I went on to Eton College in Berkshire, following my father and elder brother. My early interest was in art. The following autumn I passed the entrance exam for the University of Oxford, and was offered an exhibition at Brasenose College. After leaving Eton in 1984, I started a nine-month gap year. For three months I worked as a researcher for my godfather Tim Rathbone, then Conservative MP for Lewes, during which time I attended debates in the House of Commons. Through my father, I was then employed for a further three months in Hong Kong by Jardine Matheson as a 'ship jumper', an administrative post. Returning from Hong Kong, I visited the then Soviet Union, where I was approached by two Russian men speaking fluent English. I was later told by one of my professors that it was "definitely an attempt" by the KGB to recruit me. While at Oxford, I was a member of the student dining society the Bullingdon Club, which has a reputation for an outlandish drinking culture associated with boisterous behaviour and damaging property. My period in the Bullingdon Club was examined in a Channel 4 docu-drama. After graduation, I worked for the Conservative Research Department between September 1988 and 1993. The Conservatives' unexpected success in the 1992 election led me to hit back at older party members who had criticised me and my colleagues, saying "whatever people say about us, we got the campaign right," and that we had listened to our campaign workers on the ground rather than the newspapers. I revealed I had led other members of the team across Smith Square to jeer at Transport House, the former Labour headquarters. I was rewarded with a promotion to Special Adviser to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Norman Lamont.


(buzzcode and answer, please)

[palmer7]

(buzzcode: 33)
*John buzzes in (37)*
John?
John: David Cameron


Soon to be ex-Prime Minister, you are correct. (audience cheers)


Where's the $10, Tori?