Match Game (2016)

This is chronicling the 2016-21 version of Match Game in association with Entertain the Brutes, El Dorado Pictures & Fremantle.

Game format
The object of the game was to match as many of the celebrities as they can. At the beginning of each round, one contestant had a choice of two questions (A or B) leaving the other one for the other contestant. Each contestant was read a statement with a blank at the end or near the end. Then the six celebrities wrote down their answers to fill in the blank. When finished, the contestant in control gave an answer of his/her own after which the stars revealed their answers. Each time the contestant matched he/she scored a point. The game was played in two rounds and the player who had matched the most at the end of round two won the game. The winner of the game won the right to play the $25,000 Super Match.

Super Match
The winner of the game goes on to this round where it consist of the Audience Match and the Head-to-Head Match segments for a possible $25,000. the Super Match board consist of a video monitor that's been housed by a setup similar to the 1973-78 era.

Audience Match
A two to four word fill-in-the-blank phrase is given, and it is up to the contestant to choose the most frequent responses written down in a poll of a recent studio audience. After consulting with three celebrities of the panel for help, the contestant chooses an answer they like the best or one of their own that they think of themselves. The answers are then revealed and the most frequent response to the poll is worth $5,000 while the second most frequent was $3,000 and the third most frequent was $2,000. However, if a contestant fails to make a match at all, then he or she will still receive $1,000 regardless of the outcome.

Head-to-Head Match
The contestant had an opportunity to win five times that amount (i.e. $25,000; $15,000; $10,000; $5,000) by matching another fill-in-the-blank response with a celebrity panel of his or her choice. In order to win, the contestant's response has to match exactly with the celebrity (This means multiple forms of the same word in either singular or plural are usually excepted whereas synonyms will not be) If successful, the contestant wins the big money.

Special Episodes
So far, in this version, only three episodes had special-themes in its 5th and final season from 2020 until 2021.

Shooting Blanks
For the start of the show's 5th season, on May 31, 2020 it had a very different opening where you have to "get ready to match the suspects" as the five "detectives" (excluding Mario Cantone) from the world of Crime Drama television featured Jennifer Esposito, Adam Rodriguez, Angie Harmon, Michael Chiklis & Melissa Fumero. Additionally, this episode also had a share of controversy for being "tone deaf" for airing a cop-themed episode amid protest for the late George Floyd along with handcuffs and other prison-related props being used as "decorations".

58th Episode Celebration
On September 24, 2020 in its sixth episode it had a "58th Episode Celebration" where the six celebrities who joined the festivities with Baldwin are: Jerry Ferrara, Constance Zimmer, Chris Sullivan, Caroline Rhea, Ross Matthews & Dascha Polanco. Additionally, the Super Match bonus round was a little upgraded where each of the three amounts ended in $58 in order to celebrate its 58th episode so basically instead of $2,000, $3,000 & $5,000 they were $2,058, $3,058 & $5,058 as the top prize for the Head-to-Head Match was 5x to $5,058 or $25,290 in the second half of this version.

Match Gala
On July 21, 2021 in its tenth episode it had a "Match Gala" where "It's the most glittering night of the game show season" the six panelists for this episode were: Mario Cantone, Vivica A. Fox, Antonio Brown, (Alec's wife) Hilaria Baldwin, Fred Armisen & Christie Brinkley.

Photos
Main Article: Match Game (2016)/Photos

Trivia

 * This is the second revival of the franchise to be aired on the network, the first was the daytime version from 1990 until 1991, hosted by Ross Shafer (originally Bert Convy).
 * This is the second version to be taped in New York City, the first was the original NBC version (just simply called The Match Game) that ran from 1962 until 1969 hosted by the late Gene Rayburn.
 * It's current logo is a remake of the 1978-1982 era.
 * Originally, this version was formerly once paired up with Celebrity Family Feud (hosted by Steve Harvey) along with the revival of The $100,000 Pyramid (Hosted by Michael Strahan) as part of a Sunday Night Summer block called "Sunday Fun & Games" in 2016. In 2017, the show moved to Wednesday nights since then. Additionally, on April 2, the show replaced the short-lived, five episode run period drama/science fiction series Time After Time (not to be confused with the classic 1984 song by Cyndi Lauper of the same name).
 * Before the revival, in 2001, Baldwin also played as the late Charles Nelson Reilly in an "Inside the Actors Studio" skit on Saturday Night Live (SNL).


 * The Super Match amounts along with the visual aid were originally used for the 2004 unsold pilot What the Blank! hosted by the late Fred Willard.

Links
Official Website

Casting site

Facebook Page

Match Game (2016) program description

On Camera Audience: Match Game

ABC Is Bringing Back Match Game - with Alec Baldwin as Host