We almost killed Jason Hattie to get this picture.

From the ashes of last year’s Louis’ Talk Show rises a new Monday night feature: Game Show.

While Game Show is essentially indistinguishable from Talk Show — the same host, the same ’80s music and the same kitschy prizes — it focuses more on the audience participation factor that was always the best part of Talk Show. It does away with the monologue, the wet blanket co-host Paul McMurtry and the occasional dud of a guest.

This year, Game Show emulates all of our favourite game shows of the past — Jeopardy, Family Feud, Value Village Showcase Showdown, Minute-To-Win-It and Putt for a Million — and adds its own twist.

And by a “million” they really mean the possibility to win maybe five bucks and a pint of beer.

Jason Hattie, the host of the now lapsed Talk Show and the new Game Show, seems totally in his element as a game show host. He carries around a skinny, Bob Barker-like microphone and chats up the contestants, subjecting them to light-hearted razzing. Dan Smolinski, the co-host, serves as a sounding board for Hattie, while also saying everything in an over-the-top announcer’s voice.

“It’s basically me and Dan, who used to help on Talk Show and manages Louis’, doing a series of mock television game shows and rip-off TV games,” said Hattie. “It’s kind of like Talk Show in the way that it’s like a Talk Show but there are no cameras and you couldn’t actually watch it anywhere unless you went. You come down, you sign up and you put your little name tag on and hopefully you get called up. And hopefully it’s not overly embarrassing.”

For the very first Game Show, the Sheaf had a team for Family Feud. The categories were basically borrowed straight from the ’70s, which made them considerably more difficult. The prizes, however, were well worth the effort.

“We just came up with the super amazing prize wheel. It’s basically a collection of all our five dollar bills and all our Value Village items and any other goofy stuff we find throughout the week,” said Hattie.

Among some of these items was a 30-pack of Mr. Noodles, a disturbing stuffed rat and a variety of framed unicorn pictures (great for re-gifting).

Game Show seems, so far, to attract a lot of the same people who went to Talk Show over the last two years. But Hattie is not fazed by the lack of newcomers.

“Here’s the pitch: there’s no cover, it’s on a Monday night, there’s nothing else to do on a Monday and there’s a good possibility that you will win…things.”

He means beer, you guys!

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Photo: Margie de Jager