Power of 10 - TV-PG

High-stakes show more fun for adults than kids.

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details

TV Rating: TV-PG
Network: CBS
Cast: Drew Carey
Genre: Game Shows

Parents need to know

Parents need to know that, for the most part, this Who Wants to Be a Millionaire-style game show is fine to watch with tweens and teens. But there are some sexual references to watch out for (a few questions stray into cheeky territory with talk of people naming their private parts or having sex in airplanes, for example). That said, adults are more likely than kids to find it entertaining, anyway.

Families can talk about whether they're surprised by the opinions revealed in each survey question, as well as whether they think they're accurate. If someone had asked you the same thing, how would you -- or the various members of your family -- have responded? How much do you think a person's age, sex, race, geography, or political persuasion would affect their answers to these questions and others like them?

Message
Violence
Sex
Language

Message

Social Behavior:

You could argue that the show promotes greed, but you could also argue that it has educational value. Either way, contestants are chosen from a variety of different ages, sexes, and races.

Consumerism:

Drugs/Alcohol/Tobacco:

Violence

Sex

A few questions have some sexual innuendo (talk of naming private parts, etc.) or mention sex outright, but no graphic terms are used.

Language

Common Sense says

What's the story?

Reviewed by Kari Croop

There are plenty of similarities between POWER OF 10 and some of the most popular game shows of recent years, including Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and Deal or No Deal. There's the dramatic music and lighting, the participation of a live studio audience, and the presence of a friend or family member for moral support. But the amount of money at stake is what sets Power of 10 apart: Players can walk away with as much as $10 million. The rules are kind of complicated, but, in essence, the game works like this: Contestants compete against each other to see who can most accurately predict how the American public has responded to a variety of survey questions (shades of Family Feud, anyone?). They range from the compelling ("What percentage of American women consider themselves feminists?") to the comical ("What percentage of people believe Vin Diesel invented the diesel engine?"), and the results are often surprising -- and sometimes even a little scary.

Is it any good?

Actor-comedian Drew Carey proves an affable host and does his best to keep the action moving along, but the show suffers from a bit of a pacing problem. Because of the way it's structured, the game takes a long time to get interesting, which could cause some first-time viewers to jump ship.

Notably, the very first contestant (a 19-year-old pre-med student) on the very first episode won $1,000,000 -- which made for pretty compelling viewing. But, quite frankly, if it hadn't been for such a big upset (apparently, the producers weren't expecting to give away that kind of money so soon), the debut would've been pretty ho-hum. Still, people seem to like it -- maybe the idea of someone winning so much so soon actually gives everyone else hope.