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The second season of “Pawnography”, the quiz show spin-off of the long-running reality show “Pawn Stars”, recently debuted on History.  It’s the network’s first game show since the short-lived yet fondly remembered hard quiz “History IQ”.

Long gone are the Eye Q clips, the headlines from The InQuirer and the history haiku segment.  They’ve since paved way for three cast members from “Pawn Stars” to go head-to-head against two civilian contestants – all moderated by the star of “Titus”, Christopher Titus.

Basically, one or two cast members play against the civilians in an effort to avoid having treasured items from the Golden and Silver Pawn Shop in Vegas end up in the players’ hands.  And here is where the monotony begins.

Every question in the main game is a multiple choice question – and the participants (be you civilian or part of the pawn shop staff) must wait for the last of the four choices to appear before someone can buzz in and answer.

It made me think of another short-lived yet well-remembered music quizzer “Triple Threat”.

As you’ll (eventually) see, players on “Triple Threat” can buzz in after the first of four choices is revealed.  Trick is if you buzzed in just after the first choice is exposed, you’re committed to that answer by default and, statistically, have a 25% chance of being right (that is, unless, you spot the right answer in a flash).

That’s something “Pawnography” should try in its third season to change the format a smidge.

Aside from this quibble, “Pawnography” is a good show – whether or not you’re a fan of “Pawn Stars”. (And I’ve never watched “Pawn Stars”.)

When word came of James Garner’s passing over the weekend, it was hard not to think of an old friend from Dayton.

He was a big fan of “The Rockford Files”. He was such a big fan that whenever he missed work due to illness, he’d watch reruns on cable or on VHS tapes. He recommended many others, myself included, to do same when any of us were sick.

I’ve long since lost touch with him. I think I can safely assume he has all the episodes of “Rockford” on DVD by now – and he spent part of Sunday watching a bunch of episodes.

Would that he did so in good health.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”

Matthew 5:9

As a game show fan, I’m not sure which recent stunning solution moment is more stunning.

If you watch “Wheel of Fortune” with any regularity, you likely saw this a few weeks ago.

This next video requires a bit of a setup. For the last several months, I’ve been watching the Myrtle Beach, South Carolina-based game show “Sqrambled Scuares” (misspellings are intentional). While all the contestants come from the Myrtle Beach area and all the prizes are provided by merchants in said area, you can easily understand the game from any English-speaking part of the world.

Instead of a wheel, players collect their winnings from a four-by-four grid of squares – most of which also hide letters in the solution to the identity of a person, place, thing or title. Included within the grid are “missers” (squares that hide no letter, no prize or no extra points – forcing the end of the player’s turn) and “placers” (squares that place a certain letter in its proper word and position). If no placer is found, then the letter is simply placed in the proper word in the leftmost empty position on the board.

With me so far? Now, here’s the full and most recent episode below. The stunning solution comes in the first round of the game.

Both players who turned in these amazing performance know their respective games front and back. As I see it, mastering the game is only part of a winning performance.

Much has been written and said of the apparently unorthodox game play of Arthur Chu, the defending champion of the long-running quiz show “Jeopardy!”

It’s been the talk of talk radio, social media and the round-the-clock news networks. As CNN reported, “Breaking from the typical game-playing strategy of going through one category from top to bottom, Chu jumps all over the board – throwing his opponents off with his unpredictability – and upping his chances of finding the prized daily doubles early on.”

Some have been critical of Chu’s strategy – going so far as to call him a mad genius and a villainous, perhaps greedy, champion.

My question is this: Where were you people during Chuck Forrest’s reign of terror? A look at his games and you’ll see this is really nothing new.

Back when you had to relinquish your championship crown after five straight wins, Forrest won more than $70,000. He later won the 1986 tournament of champions and racked up an extra $100,000 for his efforts.

Forrest has since played in reunion-style invitational tournaments. He was seen just a few weeks ago in the Battle of the Decades – and – spoiler alert — his bounce-around strategy helped him advance in said tournament.

In page 130 of “The Jeopardy! Book”, published a few years after Forrest won more than $170,000, Forrest said, “I bounced around the board. That throws people off because you know where you’re going, where to look on the board, and the other players can’t move their heads to keep up with you.”

Does this sound familiar when you speak of Chu’s current winning streak? At the end of the day, I would not be surprised if Chu picked up a copy of “The Jeopardy! Book” at his nearest library, read the first-person account of Forrest, put that strategy to work and end up making a fortune.

On this 50th anniversary weekend of the long running “Doctor Who” franchise, let’s turn the clock back to – well – last weekend.

Greg “Greggo” Wicker, one of the most creative people I’ve ever worked with, recently debuted a “Doctor Who”-themed game show called “Shut the TARDIS!” at the Geek Creation Show, a convention held in New Jersey.

This game combines trivia from “Doctor Who” with the dice game “Shut the Box”. (And if you’re a game show geek like me, “High Rollers”, one of Alex Trebek’s pre-“Jeopardy!” projects, should come to mind.)

Enjoy.

One of my favorite former co-workers of all time, Elizabeth Googe, has been back in the Pine Belt for some time. She recently accepted a public relations job with the Hattiesburg chapter of the Salvation Army.

Liz has kept both my TV and radio co-workers updated on various projects – including the recent angel tree and red kettle programs.

Take it from someone who’s heeded advice. Donations of gifts and to red kettles can make a difference.

So – break open that piggy bank or wherever you keep your spare change, grab those coins, keep an ear out for the ringing of the bells – and donate to the Salvation Army.

Remember a few years back on “The Price is Right” when a contestant in the fabulous showcases turned in a perfect bid? Recall this happened in Drew Carey’s first season as host and, per the rules, a winning bid that is within $250 of the retail price of the showcase results in a double showcase win.

Regarding that controversy from some time ago, the powers that be at CBS should’ve seen it coming. Here’s why (watch the whole thing, please; the item up for bid and the pricing game, since retired).

I was working the morning shift at WDAM –- where we got a live video feed of the World Trade Center minutes after the first plane crash. We wondered how this could happen. Terrorism didn’t cross my mind at the time –- just a freak accident.

Later, “The Today Show” went live to all time zones; still later, the second plane crashed. Then, all discussions of the accidental turned into discussions of the deliberate.

We all know what happened next. We must never forget.

Word is ESPN and Keith Olbermann have repaired the bridge that was napalmed in 1997. Olbermann will host a late night show of sports highlights and interviews starting late next month on ESPN2.

Previously, he signed on with TBS to lead their postseason baseball coverage.

I’m sure a lot of you miss him as a news commentator – and really wanted to hear his takes since the recent George Zimmerman verdict. The thing is – I’ve missed him as a sports guy.

He was a lot more fun when he uttered phrases such as “They’re not gonna get him!” and “From way downtown – BANG!” than “Rush Limbaugh, today’s worst person in the world!”