Power of 10
By Kari Croop,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
High-stakes show more fun for adults than kids.
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What's the Story?
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.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
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?
TV Details
- Premiere date: August 7, 2007
- Cast: Drew Carey
- Network: CBS
- Genre: Game Shows
- TV rating: TV-PG
- Last updated: February 28, 2022
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