Lingo: GSN Reviving Game Show with Bill Engvall

GSN has announced that they’re resurrecting their popular word game show, Lingo. They aren’t calling venerable host Chuck Woolery back into action though. The host of this version will be Bill Engvall, the comic who starred in his own comedy series on TBS that was cancelled in 2009, The Bill Engvall Show. Here are the details from a GSN press release…

GSN LAUNCHES PRODUCTION ON “LINGO,” HOSTED BY COMEDIAN BILL ENGVALL
From the Producers of “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?”

(SANTA MONICA, Calif.) JANUARY 13, 2011 – GSN announced today that it is starting production on LINGO, a mystery-word game show. Produced by “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?”‘s ZOO Productions (a division of ALL3MEDIA group), LINGO will be hosted by popular comedian Bill Engvall. Well known to audiences as the star of the TBS series “The Bill Engvall Show” and as a co-star of “Blue Collar TV,” Engvall will be joined by a co-host who has yet to be cast. Airing as a daily strip show with an initial run of 40 episodes, LINGO will premiere on GSN in June 2011.

“Bill Engvall’s humor is a great fit for our audience,” says Kelly Goode, SVP, Programming for GSN. “We look forward to his joining our first-class line-up of talent.”

“I look forward to the new challenge of hosting a game show,” says Engvall. “I have lots of experience yelling answers at a TV set, and will certainly bring that expertise to my new role as host of LINGO.”

Engvall now joins a GSN talent roster that includes Jerry Springer, Sherri Shepherd, and Carrie Ann Inaba.

Known for his talent at sharing the humor in everyday situations, Bill Engvall is one of the top comedians working today — and among the busiest. He is a multi-platinum-selling recording artist, a Grammy nominee, and has starred in and served as executive producer of the half-hour TBS sitcom, “The Bill Engvall Show.” His feature films include “Bait Shop” with Billy Ray Cyrus and “Delta Farce” with Larry the Cable Guy and D.J. Qualls. Prior to his big screen debut, Engvall was one of the stars of the sketch comedy show “Blue Collar TV” on the WB network. The ensemble cast included Jeff Foxworthy and Larry the Cable Guy.

LINGO is an update of a show of the same name that has been on GSN’s air since 2002, and has consistently been one of the network’s highest-rated and most durable shows. The rights to LINGO are controlled by All3Media International and licensed to ZOO Productions.

In LINGO, two teams of two contestants are given the first letter of a five-letter mystery word and five chances to identify it correctly. When a team guesses a word correctly, they earn points and a chance to win on their bingo-style Lingo card. In the final round, the team with the highest number of points earns the chance to correctly identify as many words as they can in two minutes, and another chance to achieve “Lingo” — now for even higher stakes.

Barry Poznick, John Stevens and Charles Steenveld of ZOO Productions, and J.P. Williams of Parallel Entertainment will serve as Executive Producers.

LINGO will be produced by ZOO Productions, producers of the smash hit “Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?” With more than 350 hours of original programming since its inception in 1994, ZOO has quickly become one of the U.S.’s premiere production companies for reality with the emphasis on comedy. Other ZOO productions include the “Celebrity Scavenger Hunt” for NBC, “Southern Fried Stings” for truTV, MTV’s “Busted,” and WE TV’s “Joan Knows Best.” Owned by London-based ALL3MEDIA, ZOO’s programming can be seen in over 150 countries worldwide.

Beverly Hills-based Parallel Entertainment has produced the Blue Collar Comedy projects, as well as a wide range of other entertainment projects, including feature films, DVD premiere films, and specials for network and cable television, including “Larry the Cable Guy’s Hula Palooza Christmas Luau,” “The Bill Engvall Show,” “Bill Engvall: Aged and Confused,” Larry the Cable Guy’s “Tailgate Party,” “Lisa Lampanelli: Long Live The Queen” and the feature motion pictures “Witless Protection,” “Delta Farce” and “Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector.”

Bill Engvall, Parallel Entertainment and Zoo Productions are represented by the law firm of Del, Shaw, Moonves, Tanaka, Finkelstein & Lezcano.

About GSN
GSN is a multimedia entertainment company that offers original and classic game programming and competitive entertainment via its 75-million subscriber television network and online game sites. GSN’s cross-platform content gives game lovers the opportunity to win cash and prizes, whether through GSN’s popular TV game shows or through GSN Digital’s free casual games, cash competitions and social games. GSN is distributed throughout the U.S., Caribbean and Canada by all major cable operators, satellite providers and telcos. GSN and its subsidiary, WorldWinner.com, Inc., are owned by DIRECTV and Sony Pictures Entertainment. For further information, visit GSN at www.gsn.com.