Cash Cab
Cash Cab
TV-G | 05 December 2005 (USA)
SEASON & EPISODES
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  • Reviews
    Pluskylang Great Film overall
    Beystiman It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.
    Salubfoto It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.
    Invaderbank The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.
    lexlaser Best game show EVER! I love trivia shows and Ben Bailey and his fares have such a great time, and it's not nearly as stuffy as the studio shows. I hope I catch Ben and his Cash Cab when I visit NY!
    Christopher T. Chase Okay, it's official...Ben Bailey has the best job in the world.What other job could you possibly have where people break out into smiles and raucous, joyous laughter the moment they recognize you? Stand-up comedian? True, that IS the other job...and did I happen to mention that happens to be Ben's "day job", too?This outgoing every-guy with the classic "Noo-YAWKUH'S" face and a way with snappy patter that would make Bob Eubanks green with envy is the host of what has to be TV's first 'mobile game show'. CASH CAB awards its lucky fares with all the money they can make during their trips, by answering Trivial Pursuit-style questions for different amounts of money, with those amounts growing in size as the difficulty of the questions increases. If the passengers make it successfully to their destination, it culminates in the chance to double their total winnings by answering a "Video Bonus" Question. It's a one-chance-only query with an accompanying visual clue that has to be answered correctly, or the players lose everything and leave with only a free cab ride. Unlike a lot of fluffy game shows (save a few like JEOPARDY), CASH CAB is one of the few where you can actually learn something from the questions, plus you get what is at times a visually-stunning travelogue of New York. I have actually started making a list of several of the destinations people go to on the show! The best thing about it, though, is Ben. Without having him as host, it probably wouldn't be the same...or as engaging as it is. Yes, like a lot of hosts, he does have some snappy comebacks and quick quips, and mugs shamelessly for the various cameras in and outside of his rig. But he does all of this while concentrating on driving, rattling off questions for the contestants and managing to be funny all at the same time. Let's see anyone else pull off that kind of 'multi-tasking.'And though I'm sure quite a bit of selective editing goes on putting the shows together, by no means is this an easy contest. Because CAB'S big twist is "three strikes and you're out!" If the players get three questions wrong before the end of their trip, as Ben explains from the very beginning, he has to pull over and eject them from the ride at that point, no second chances or do-overs. And I've seen just as many people wind up walking (or hailing another cab) as I've seen win. The point is that the show is everything you want from a great game show...it's informative, entertaining and addictive. And amazingly, rather on the most logical channel where you'd expect to find it, GSN (Game Show Network), it comes to us courtesy of The Discovery Channel. As long as they can convince Ben to stay on for new episodes, I'm a fan, and my DVR will always be set for a season pass.
    caa821 All of the five others who have previously commented regarding this program have been complimentary, and I couldn't agree more.I'm pretty quick to notice and be irritated by, say, Howie Mandel's saying "change your life" about 40 times per show; Bob Saget may be one of the most annoying presences on the planet; and the delays in conveying the information on their game shows, the mindless conversation and delays between questions and answers, etc., cry out for pressing the "mute" button.However, having just discovered this program for the first time recently, I find the whole show enjoyable. It has spontaneity, something others in the genre lack. And even though the driver/host does delay slightly in revealing whether answers are correct ( but only sometimes) it's not at all excessive in my opinion.Overall, the varied contestant base is interesting as well - from only slightly more intelligent than the proverbial "post" to sharp. With three "games/trips" per episode, things move along, and if you get a particularly unappealing passenger/contestant, their on-screen time is mercifully brief.There is also amusement galore. I enjoyed th man and woman who won a decent amount, several hundred, and then missed the video question to double the loot. They weren't a couple, because she called her boyfriend, using this prerogative of the game, since the two of them couldn't identify the "element" from which diamonds are derived. Among all three, they came up with "coal," rather than carbon. Hell, I'm no chemistry or science buff, but almost everybody I know could have gotten that one. And most folks I know are well-aware "coal" is not a chemical element.Finally, there's one detail I'm surprised none of the others added. {(One did wonder about how driver obtained the questions, and whether his attention to driving might be diverted.) But I've traveled to NYC a lot and ridden in many taxis. This guy is far superior - even if he has to juggle the driving along with his other activities - to any those with whom I've ridden. He's also one of the few not from the Middle East or India/Bangladesh/Pakistan, Russia or another former SSR country.}A refreshing, interesting, humorous, and (thankfully!!) quick-moving presentation, with a thoroughly pleasant and engaging host.
    lirving-1 When described as a "game show taking place in a NYC cab", it doesn't sound all that interesting...maybe downright weak. However, this show manages to take a completely mundane act -- getting a cab ride -- and turn it into a really fun, exciting, and sometimes extremely funny show! The first four "general knowledge questions" of each cab ride are worth only $25 each, which is paltry by today's game show standards. But that's part of what makes it so charming; the answers are actually facts that common people often actually know! (Thus, the low-scale payout of only $25.) Everyone enjoys being right, and they get more and more pumped as the ride goes toward their destination. Questions eventually go up in value and in difficulty. And then there's the ever-popular "Red Light Challenge," which I won't spoil by describing. The only thing to watch out for is the "three strikes and you're out!" rule, and it is completely enforced! Thankfully, contestants have one mobile shout-out (cell phone provided) and one street shout-out (ask a stranger right out of your cab window!). Both are fun, and often helpful. Anyway, my 12-year-old LOVES this show, and part of it is because she can answer some questions herself, much like the first few questions of the "Millionaire" game show. The questions are reasonable (and even educational) and the reaction of the cab riders is almost always amusing -- wouldn't YOU be incredulous to find yourself on a game show just because you hailed a cab? Add to that the fact that Ben Bailey's facial expressions are often hilarious. All in all, it has become our family's absolute favorite show. As Ben would say, "So whaddaya say? You in?"