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| Genre | Word game |
|---|---|
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Home station | WGBH |
| Syndicates | PRX |
| Hosted by | Richard Sher Barry Nolan Gregg Porter Dave Zobel |
| Created by | Richard Sher |
| Produced by | Pipit & Finch |
| Executive producer(s) | Laura Sher |
| Original release | 1996 – present |
| No. of episodes | 500+ |
| Website | Official website |
| Podcast | Says You! |
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Says You! is a word game quiz show that airs weekly in the United States on public radio stations. Richard Sher created the show in 1996 with the guiding philosophy: "It's not important to KNOW the answers: it's important to LIKE the answers."
Recorded in front of live audiences in theaters around the United States, the show is produced in Boston, Massachusetts. Its format, emphasis on witty repartee, and its tagline—"a game of bluff and bluster, words and whimsy"—are reminiscent of the similarly long-running BBC program My Word! (1956–1990).
Following the death of Richard Sher on February 9, 2015, original panelist Barry Nolan took over as host for two years. In 2017, Nolan returned to his seat as a panelist and Gregg Porter[1] of Seattle's KUOW-FM was named host.
Season 21 of Says You! marked the show's 500th episode.
Format
The show features a regular group of panelists—the cast—divided into two three-person teams. The two teams are made up of the show’s original cast members and occasional guest players. Teams answer a series of questions to earn up to ten points for each correct—or humorously suitable—answer. As the host provides more clues, fewer points are awarded.
Rounds of the game
Rounds 1, 3, and 5 vary from week to week and consist of signature categories such as "What's the Difference?", "Odd Man Out", "Melded Movies", and "Common Threads", as well as a variety of miscellaneous literary wordplay.
Rounds 2 and 4 are the Bluffing Rounds. The three members of one team are given an obscure word (e.g. Cacafuego); one of them gets the actual definition, and the other two must bluff with fake definitions composed during a brief musical interlude. The other team attempts to determine the correct definition from the three presented. Points are awarded for guessing or bluffing successfully.
Each hour-long episode features a "Spotlight Round". This segment highlights memorable rounds from the show's early years, especially of former host Richard Sher. Requests for "Spotlight Rounds" are submitted by listeners.
Through the show's website, people can suggest questions and segments for the show.[2][3]
Players
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Host
- Richard Sher (creator, producer, original host)
- Barry Nolan (panelist and second host)
- Gregg Porter (current host)
- Dave Zobel (current host)
Regular panelists
- Francine Achbar
- Carolyn Faye Fox
- Murray Horwitz
- Tony Kahn
- Paula Lyons
- Arnie Reisman
Featured guest panelists
- Tom Bergeron, Dancing with the Stars
- Alan Dershowitz, Harvard professor and lawyer
- Alex Horwitz, producer and director[4]
- Lenore Shannon
- Jimmy Tingle, political humorist
- Garland Waller
- Fletcher "Flash" Wiley
Writers
- Nat Segaloff
- Dave Zobel