Your Place or Mine? (TLC)

You have to wonder whether the creators of YOUR PLACE OR MINE ever heard George Carlin's early-'70s riff on game shows, in which he talked about contestants risking their own furniture, which was then taken away when they got the question wrong. Because that's almost what happens on this show. Competing families answer trivia questions; whoever wins each round either claims a room full of new furniture -- which cameras immediately film being placed in their home -- or "steals" the competing family's prize furniture. In the latter case, cameras show the goods being removed from the first house and being put in the winning family's house.

This is probably one of the better family-oriented game shows on TV. Viewers can participate by trying to answer the trivia questions, some of which kids are actually likely to get before their parents do (like "Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?"). The producers have done an excellent job making the show fair to all members of the family, and the rules encourage everyone to work together. In the bonus round, the youngest member of the family even gets to choose who will answer the next question based on the topic, offering a way to participate without having to know some of the trickier answers.

The show's only "off" note is the fact that the families can steal each other's prizes, which may strike some kids as unfair (especially with cameras capturing the prizes being "taken away" from the original winners). But if you explain that it's all part of the rules and that everyone knew what they were getting into, it probably won't be a sticking point.

TV Rating: TV-G
Network: TLC
Cast: Cameron Mathison
Genre: Game Shows
Where to watch: TLC