Don’t Forget the Lyrics
on Fox
By
Ally Matteodo
Fox’s Don’t Forget the
Lyrics is once again our choice for Best TV Show of the Week.
Airing on May 8th at 9:00 p.m. ET, this particular episode featured
returning fan favorite and New York private eye Joey McBratney competing to win
the million-dollar jackpot.
As is typical on the program,
host Wayne Brady offered Joey nine song categories, ranging from ballads to TV
Themes, with the tenth row as the million-dollar song. Joey chose pop music as
one of his categories and had the choice of either singing “Karma Chameleon” by
Culture Club or “A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton. Choosing “Karma
Chameleon,” Joey sang along, exactly like karaoke, with the words in front of
him. All of a sudden, the words dropped out and Joey had to fill in the blanks
for the remainder of the verse. As he went further along in the game, the
number of words to fill in became larger and larger. Joey was also able to call
upon three “backups” when he could not fill in the verses: three multiple-choice
answers, two friends to help him, or having some blanks filled in with the
correct words to jog his memory. When Joey successfully completed a lyric, the
amount of money he won doubled. Joey ended up being stumped on the Ray Charles
song “Hit the Road Jack,” but still won 200,000 dollars.
Don’t Forget the Lyrics
is light-hearted and a delight to watch, especially for viewers who enjoy
music. Wayne Brady is a warm and endearing host who, unlike other TV game show
hosts, never makes caustic remarks, choosing instead to encourage the
contestants and cheer them on. The song categories exemplify a wide range of
genres and offer viewers a chance to learn song lyrics themselves. The show is
not like American Idol in that the contestants are not judged on the
quality of their voice; the only thing they are judged on is their ability to
finish the lyrics. In this respect, everyone in the studio audience and at home
can identify with the contestant: Joey is just a regular guy who just happens to
be good at remembering song lyrics, and who was chosen for the show. Don’t
Forget the Lyrics is enjoyable for anyone who likes to sing, and it is a
pleasure to watch a “little guy” compete and win. Contestants sing the songs
with a lot of flair and enthusiasm, and sometimes Wayne Brady joins them singing
backup. The program’s atmosphere is one of all-around fun and positive energy,
and reminds viewers that sometimes it’s not what you sing, but how you sing it,
that matters.
Best TV Show
of the Week
The Parents
Television Council -
www.parentstv.org
New to the PTC?
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