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IMDb > "Win Ben Stein's Money" (1997) > IMDb user comments
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3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
A fun game show, 28 January 2000
Author: Maniac-9 from St. Louis, MO

Forget all that I Wanna Be a Millionaire junk, this is a real game show. The only thing those other shows got going for them is that they are giving away large amounts of money. If they had the same show but only with a smaller amount of money no one would watch. On Win Ben Stein's Money it's a lot more fun. They have cool names for all the categories and it's fun to see Ben Stein pretending to be annoyed when someone takes his money. Plus how often on a gameshow do you get to compete against the host.

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2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
Simply the best on TV!, 20 October 2001
Author: OWUbear from Delaware, OH USA

This show, as other user comments will tell you, is about three contestants who go up against Ben Stein to win $5000. In the first round, Ben asks the questions and the three contestants answer. If their answers are in the form of a question, Ben affixes a "Dunce" cap to their heads. At the ends of the first round, the lowest scorer is eliminated and the money (s)he won is returned to the pot. Ben then takes that contestant's place, leaving Jimmy or Nancy to ask the questions. As Ben promises, "From this point on, I have no knowledge of the questions to be asked." The game goes on. In the event of a tie in either round, there is a tie-breaker question. After both rounds are finished, the "Best of Ten Test of Knowledge" happens. It's just Ben and the highest-scorer. Ben's isolation booth is ritzy, decorated with a painting and a beautiful background. The challenger just sits on a stool in front of a cracked wall and a light bulb hanging from the ceiling. If Ben wins, the contestant keeps the money already won from Ben. If the contestant wins, money flies from the ceiling and Ben takes some from the safe, cheerfully cursing at his loss. If there is a tie, then the contestant keeps the money already won plus $1000. I still have a "Let me watch Ben Stein in peace" ticket given to me for Christmas by my sister. I miss Jimmy, especially since I saw him on David Letterman last summer.

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2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
A funny, smart game show, 2 September 1999
Author: sgauss from Winfield, IL

Win Ben Stein's Money is a game show that requires some brains (unlike Wheel of Fortune) but is funny and doesn't take itself as seriously as Jeopardy. The show is hosted by Ben Stein, who is probably most famous for his appearances as a teacher in "The Wonder Years" and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", along with Jimmy Kimmel as the smart-ass side-kick.

There is a lot of shtick, and good interplay between Stein and Kimmel that gives the show both humor and likeability. Kimmel is funny and rude, but occasionally crosses the line to gross or mean. Special theme episodes are occasionally shown, such as a recent cross-dressing episode. Another fun bit, is that if a contestant answers in the form of question, ala Jeopardy, they are forced to wear a dunce cap.

The premise of the show is that Stein has put up $5,000, which he will try to keep the contestants from winning. The exact financial details might vary somewhat - fine print at the end of the show hints at this. Stein competes against the contestants, usually successfully.

The show starts with 3 contestants, who choose from five categories, with various joke/scatological titles. Questions are assigned a dollar value for correct answers, and in the first round have a $50 follow-up. At the end of the first round, the contestant with the lowest winnings is dropped, and replaced by Ben Stein. At the end of the second round, the contestant with the highest winnings is selected to go on to the "Best of Ten Test of Knowledge", a one-on-one contest directly against Stein. The constestant and Stein are locked in isolation booths (one of the jokes is that the contestant's booth has a bare lightbulb, steel stool, and cracked plaster, while Stein sits in a booth with paneling, and an overstuffed chair). The contestant and Stein are given the same ten questions, and if the contestant beats Stein is given all $5000 dollars put up by Stein.

The show airs on Comedy Central, Monday-Friday, twice in the evening.

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3 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Best Game Show There Is, 31 October 1999
Author: genius-15 from USA

With the possible exception of The Millionaire, which has only been on a few times and is not a regular series. Unlike Trebek, Sajak, and all those other phonies who pretend they actually knew the answer that none of the contestants did, Ben Stein is the real deal. He plays along and admits that he doesn't always know the answers (though he knows most of em). And unlike the silly Jeopardy show, contestants dont have to phrase their answers in the form of a question (which is truly idiotic). Jimmy Kimmel (who also co hosts the immensely entertaining Man Show) is a funny guy and a good co-host too. My only objection is that the prize budget should be higher.

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Fun game show, 10 January 2008
9/10
Author: Grace Zeh (filmgirlgz@gmail.com) from Chantilly, Virginia, USA

First off, I must say that this is a fun game show. Also, I haven't if I've seen every episode. However, I do know the show fairly well. Every time I've watched it, I've had a lot of fun playing along and watch. The thing I like most about it are the questions. Despite the fact that I don't know that many answers, I still have fun playing along. I hope the Game Show Network keeps it on so I can play along and watch again. If that happens, I will be really happy. Before I wrap this up, I'd like to say that I'll always remember this show in my memory forever. Now, in conclusion, I hope that you catch it one day before it goes off the air for good.

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Finally a game show worth watching, 18 October 2005
Author: Hopper-2

Win Ben Stein's Money was a novel concept for a game show: contestants compete with each other and the host in a trivia contest to win some or all of the host's $5000. The show will always be memorable for me as the only game show I can stand to watch. Most game shows are too serious to be enjoyable, and those that aim to be more entertaining are usually too obvious and cheesy.

Putting Ben Stein and Jimmy Kimmel together made this show different. Ben, aside from being very smart, is a very funny man. His boring monotone turned him into an icon through roles in Ferris Bueler's Day Off and The Wonder Years. He has the perfect voice for the crude humour of Win Ben Stein's Money. You can't help but laugh when this intelligent, dignified, expressionless and utterly uncool-looking old man swears at the judges, flips Jimmy the bird or knocks over a safe.

Jimmy Kimmel was clearly chosen to create an "Odd Couple" contrast to Ben. He has raised the bar for shockingly inappropriate comments from a game show host.

The questions are interesting, the topics are hilarious, and it's great fun to see a host actually compete with the contestants. You have to watch the end to see if Ben wins or loses. Giving Ben a vested interest in the outcome of the game adds great entertainment value because the competition brings out the best and worst in him. Truly a delightful game show experience.

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I came to enjoy this A LOT more than "Jeopardy!", 22 February 2008
Author: S.R. Dipaling from Topeka,Kansas,USA

I was once,many many many many moons ago,a "Jeopardy!" enthusiast. I could name off practically all the Tournament of Champions winners,watched the shows religiously and even tried out for the show,twice,both for the College Tournaments. Alas,no success. But I think what turned me off on that show was the fact that,among other reasons,the producers were far TOO willing to muck the formula of this show,adding in hokey,pointless Celebrity shows,gussying up the prize budget to make it look like something more like "The Price is Right" or "Wheel of Fortune" and worse still,making the returning champion format become indefinite (DAng You,Ken Jennings!!!). In short,to me,that show had traded in the integrity of being a sharp,intelligent quiz show in favor of ratings.

So around 1998,I found myself tuning in with much more enthusiasm to this Comedy Central offering. Going with the brash and bold premise of having the host,Ben Stein,put HIS money up for the prize,with he becoming one of the contestants after the first player is eliminated.Flanked by an irrepressible wiseacre(in seasons 1 thru 3,future talk show host and faux-misogynist Jimmy Kimmel,seasons 4 and 5 sexy little sprite Nancy Pimental,season 6,Jimmy's heavier,sardonic cousin SAl Iacanno),the show moved at a straight,quiz-to-question format and featured some seriously difficult questions,ranging in dollar amounts of $50(relatively easy;to me,QUITE easy) to $500(gnerally VERY tough),and the winner of the front-game had to have one more,ten question quiz format(reminiscent of quiz shows of yore like "21" or "The $64,000" Question,minus the scandal of course)head-to-head with Ben for all five grand.

Between the humor incorporated into naming the categories(which only went one question deep;one favorite was "The Wedding was so awful,at the reception they served Pacelbel") to the afore-mentioned wise-ass of Jimmy,Nancy,Sal or even Ben himself,I found this show both challenging and delightful. Half-hours flew by and even though the contestants rarely won a whole lot of dash,you'd better believe they earned every dollar of it. I'm not sure why the network decided to not keep this show running,but I'm glad that GSN has it and hope they keep it for a long,long time. Worth a look-see,whether familiar with it(As I was) or unfamiliar. Feel free to play along,too!

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An Awesome Game Show, 2 November 2006
8/10
Author: michael_the_nermal from United States

"Win Ben Stein's Money" was one of the best shows that aired on Comedy Central when "South Park" and "The Daily Show" were rather new. It was highly creative and almost always witty and funny. Ben Stein, best known as a character actor and commercial spokesperson with a monotone voice and tweed sweater, comes to life as both host and contestant. He and co-host Jimmy Kimmell had an excellent chemistry, and their exchanges of jokes and insults were among Comedy Central's finest moments. Very few of the questions were dumbed down for mass consumption, and the show's entertaining and quick pace made it a welcome contrast to the dull and ridiculous "Who Wants to be a Millionaire." The show did suffer a bit when Nancy Pimental took over as co-host, as she lacked Jimmy's chemistry (he later went on to co-host the insipid "Man Show"), but she was fairly competent as a comedian. Ben showed his true talent as an entertainer here, and it resulted in his short-lived spin-off, "Turn Ben Stein On." If your cable providers offer The Game Show Network, due yourselves a favor a catch a rerun of "Win Ben Stein's Money" if you're not too busy. You won't regret it.

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I love this show!, 14 June 2005
Author: Teenie-1 from Warwick, Pa.

People really ought to start lightening up and enjoy humor for what it is, be it gross-out or straight-laced. This show offers both kinds of laughs with its off-the-wall categories and cocky comments from Jimmy Kimmel. To see Ben Stein's expressions when the categories are announced is a laugh in itself. When he makes a mistake, his expressions of shock are priceless. And Jimmy really manages to rub it in. Ben really gets his thinking cap on and it's really fun to see just how much this man really knows. The Clear Eyes commercials did nothing for him - this is his show, by all means. It's all harmless fun, offered by Game Show Network. If you're offended, change the channel! If you're not, then enjoy the fun and laugh a lot.

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A great game show but comedy central abused it, 12 March 2003
Author: edmundmuskie from America

I used to watch this show when it was on after The Daily Show for many years. Late in the evening the show would follow the Daily Show at 7:30 and again at 11:30. I never really watched the Daily Show then but I always watched this. This was a hilarious show. Ben Stein, who had been a bit part actor for years finally got his own show and he got a game show.

What we did not know about this very recognizable face was he was an accomplished intellectual as well as a speechwriter for Richard Nixon. He is undoubtedly respectable and this show was perfect for him. He and co-host Jimmy Kimmel would take on three contestants. In the first round there would be five questions with funny titles leading into the questions.

One of the contestants would pick the title leading into the question. One of the three would buzz in after they figured out the question. After the question was picked another question would go in its place. After a very short first round the person was eliminated. The person with the lowest score was eliminated. In the first round question prizes were 50-100-150.

In the second round the two contestants competed with Ben himself while Jimmy Kimmel took over the hosting duties. The question values were 200-300-400-500 In the final round Stein would answer ten questions asked by Jimmy Kimmel and his final opponent would answer the same questions. Whoever would win would take away five thousand dollars of Ben Stein's actual money, his salary.

This was a great game show. I know Stein was a Republican but he was a good Republican. He was very funny and had a lot of great moments. His most famous contestant probably was the hippie Wampus, which is an Indian word for love. I loved the studio. It had all kinds of knick-knacks and it was fun. This game show did not falter at the opportunity to make fun of itself or other game shows.

I loved the special ‘Who Wants to Win Ben Steins Money.' That was inspired and funny. After Kimmel left I liked Nancy Pimental but I never got to see the third co-host. Comedy central moved the show in its final days to five O'clock, a time I couldn't watch it. I was in class. Anyways if this show was on at it's 7:30 time it would have stayed on. I hope Stein is able to do something else.

As for Kimmel he has his own show now but I could not stand the Man Show. Anyways this is a fine game show that will make you think and make you laugh. To add insult to injury the show was replaced by Beat the Geeks. And look where that show went. If you get a chance watch this show when it is on Comedy Central in reruns.

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