This show does not even deserve the title of “show.” Shows are supposed to be entertaining. This one is not.
The premise of “The Chair” is this: contestants vie for up to $250,000 by answering questions, ala “Who Wants to be a Millionaire.” The twist is that contestants sit in a special chair equipped with a heart rate monitor. They have to keep their heart rate under a certain target before they answer questions, or else they lose money from their total for every second over that target. Making it even more interesting (supposedly) are random surprises called “heart stoppers” designed to boost the contestant”s heart rate over the limit. These stoppers range from flames shooting up around the chair to a stuffed alligator dropping from the ceiling. To top it all off, tennis legend and reporter favorite John McEnroe is the Regis of this program.
It”s not enough to make it even passably interesting. McEnroe is as stiff as Anna Kournikova is eye candy. His attempts at comedy are pathetic (“Now you understand why this is the toughest game in town.” Uh, right ), and his attempts to make “You may not answer the question” the next “Is that your final answer?” just make it even more grating.
To make this even worse is the fact that FOX has its own show called “The Chamber” airing Fridays at 8 p.m. in which contestants are put in a chamber (surprising, ain”t it?), where they undergo a variety of environmental conditions while trying to answer similarly easy questions. Will it be better? That”s not asking much. Will it be good? Doubt it.
The producers are trying their best to make “The Chair” seem imposing, but it just comes off as pathetic. I mean, when you”re basing a program around a reject from the La-Z-Boy factory, it”s hard to be compelling.