Wanna Bet?

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Celebs wager on stupid human tricks for charity.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

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Kids say

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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that although overall this game show is age-appropriate for most tweens and up, there is a fair amount of double entendre. Both male and female performers/contestants are congratulated on their looks, and the betting celebrities occasionally wager on whether the contestants will succeed at their challenges based on their appearances. Since the contestants aren't competing directly with each other, there're are fewer snarky, judge-type comments than on other reality contests.

  • Some stereotypes are reinforced, albeit fairly lightly. For example, in a men-against-women competition, the men allow the women twice the time to complete the task ... but the women are amateurs, and the men are pros. A fair number of comments are made about how people look.
  • Not applicable.
  • A fair amount of double entendre -- for example, one contestant is described as having the most talented tongue in town (although viewers later find out that it's in regard to his talent for tasting things).

What's the story?

The premise of WANNA BET? is simple. Ordinary people who can perform some pretty odd stunts -- from hula-hooping a tractor tire to skiing over fresh eggs without breaking them -- get the opportunity to perform in front of the cameras, while minor celebrities like Corbin Bernsen bet on whether or not the contestants can pull it off. The celebs get $25,000 to work with; the winner gives their pot to charity.


Is it any good?

 

The scary thing about this show is the way it sucks you in. On paper, the premise sounds like it would be dreadful -- and yet, by the end of the first stunt, you can't help but cheer along with the performer.

British hosts Ant and Dec are charming -- and smart enough to keep the action moving. But ultimately, it's not the celebrities and the periodic, mildly off-color quips that offer the most entertainment. It's the stunts -- like the team of women who pit-stop a car against a team of professional men -- who get you cheering and laughing. Bottom line? It's silly, frothy, and an oddly fun way to spend an evening.


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about how the performers accomplish their various challenges. How do you think they learned to do such out of the ordinary things? Why do you think the contestants want to perform? Is it just to help win money for charity, or could they have other motivations? Why do people want to be on television?


This review was written by Anne Louise Bannon
Teen, 15 years old
April 9, 2008
 
Cool And For Charity
I just saw it. It's realy cool!

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 
Fun game show for the whole family
ABC is trying to clean up primetime by airing more family-friendly shows like "Wanna Bet?". However, there is a fair amount of innuendo and double entendres which gave the series premiere episode its TV-PG D rating. "Wanna Bet?" has gotten poor reviews from critics calling it unoriginal and imitating YouTube, but this show is more family-safe than YouTube. There could be a G-rated video on YouTube, yet there could be links to PG-13 videos and potentially offensive comments. All in all, "Wanna Bet?" is safe for the whole family and a great alternative to YouTube. I hope it doesn't get canceled, though.

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This review was written by Anne Louise Bannon
TV rating:TV-PG
Network:ABC
Genre:Game Shows

This review was written by Anne Louise Bannon
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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