Suddenly Filter started being more about pop culture stuff. Representing then newer direction of the channel. The newer G4 run also had the Completionist, a famous now controversial YouTuber. He gotten caught scamming people long story. Despite all of this, there's something that deeply gotten under my skin.
Something I always wanted to get off my chest for years. When a particular show you used to look forward to watching on TV. I still haven't seen anything like it since then. This was before achievements & trophies were a thing in gaming too. I used to be a huge fan of the show called Cheat! Not to be confused with another show called Cheaters that had reruns on the same channel.
Vastly different concept, Cheaters was exposing people cheating on their boyfriends/girlfriends. Cheat! was more about something I recalled loving growing up. Back when many video games had cheat codes. Some of which actually made em more fun to play. You sorta gotta look for em in newer games now sadly. Honestly, it's better I start from the beginning.
Cheat! used to be sponsored by Pringles yes as in the famous potato chip company. The original host was Cory Rouse that really made it an fun show to watch. You can tell he absolutely love this job. I don't recall any bad episodes with him either. There's some cool themes Rouse done they never done again. One episode was filmed at a paint ball location.
I previously taken my oldest nephew to a paint ball location. Sure it can get dangerous but still a lot of fun. At one point, he was driving an go-kart. Most G4 fans heavily remembers this version of the show. I'm personally calling it the golden Cheat! era. Later into this version's run became known as Cheat, Pringles Gamers' Guides.
Following the merger of a few channels. Cheat went back to it's original name. Following a dispute with Pringles not much is known about it. Eventually Rouse left the show following a particular October episode. I think he knew the direction the channel going in wasn't for him. Keep in mind, we still haven't gotten to what greatly disappointed as well as piss me off yet.
Obviously they had to replace Rouse with a new host. Kristen Holts now following her marriage, Kristen Adams. The result was notably mixed by the audience. Some of them including myself felt she didn't properly fill Rouse's shoes. The other half welcomed it simply because she was a beautiful woman.
Not trying to come off sexist either. She wasn't a gamer neither was Adam Sessler. Despite Sessler was a host on X-Play for many years. Later on, Adams continued the format through X-Play. Yeah what used to be it's own show gotten reduced to being part of another show. Adams never took the concept to exciting directions like Rouse previously had.
Rouse brought in real passion as well as creativity to the show. You can tell Adams was simply told what to do that's it. Sure you could blame the shift from using cheat codes to playing without em. In order to earn achievements/trophies being a notable factor in it's decline. Then again, Rouse could've kept the show fun to watch had he stayed.
I always been mixed towards Adams for a long time. She played a huge part in ruining Cheat!'s legacy. A better host would've prevented it becoming part of another show. Then again, this era of G4 already lost it's identity. They started airing non video game stuff daily. People wondered why the channel died out the way it did?
Cheat! was a show that made cheating in games fun. More recently, it brought back memories for older games. This version of the show still meant a lot to people. After Rouse left, the show never truly recovered. I even felt the editing in Rouse's episodes was way better. Not many episodes Adams done going to held up well overtime.
To me, this insane decline for a classic video game show was mind blowing. It went from being one of their finest to "What's that?" Even the MTV 2 version of Celebrity Deathmatch was better than this!!! Rouse was essential to the show surviving the merger. I don't wanna say Adams lacks talent. She previously was on American Idol years ago.
Obviously she should've went for a more musical job than this. You can tell she just didn't work at all. Again they only used her to keep men interested. Such a cheap tactic to use indeed. To be brutally honest, she wasn't that hot to me even back then. It's just sad such an iconic G4 show fell this hard!!! Possibly the worst in history of the entire channel for that matter.
Cheat! brought in a rather unique perceptive to using cheat codes. Not only that, Rouse spicing things up kept things interesting. Pringles or not, he was a major factor in that show's success. You can tell G4 didn't do their research what made Cheat! such a hit with people. Sadly if G4 kept going, Cheat! still would've gotten canned.
Either run of G4 had major issues. I'm glad Cheat! wasn't involved with the newer G4 run. Rouse was ideally the perfect host for the show. Honestly, they should've canceled Cheat! after he left. In that regard, I would've never felt the way I do following Adams hosted the show. Let's put it this way, Drew Carey had major shoes to fill to replace Bob Barker on The Price is Right show.
Carey been a worthy successor to that legacy. In comparison, Adams never came close to Rouse's greatness!!! I think another major reason why Rouse worked better. The way he interacts with the audience. It comes off like he's one of your greatest gamer friends. He wants to make sure you're having fun.
I never once felt that with Adams at all. In fact, I felt she was just doing it to get paid that's it. You can even tell at times how bored she is. I also heavily disliked the look of the show started with her hosting either. I prefer the classic Pringles tie in appearance. To me, it just felt like they had to quickly put something together.
It just didn't look like the same love neither care went into that whatsoever. I know it's been many years since Cheat! quickly discontinued while X-Play went on much longer. X-Play was among G4's longest shows. It felt like to "save Cheat!" they had to make it an session in that. Let's be honest, that further sink everything!!!
Adams had much lesser time to get things ready for those sessions. They started distancing the sessions on that show. You knew something wasn't right!!! Such a disgrace to that legacy Rouse started. I always been this passionate towards the original Cheat! series with Rouse. You just can't recreate such content anymore.
I always heavily disliked the newer version with Adams. Obviously a lot of factors led to it's demise. The beginning was when Rouse left the show. I'm sure Rouse went on to great things following the show. Honestly, I'm so mixed regarding this. I don't even think this going to be enough. For fellow Cheat! fans that felt exactly how I do.
Then you already know nothing was remotely as disappointing on the channel than this!!! Filter didn't last long when it became more pop culture. I know some might consider that a bigger offense. At the same time, even that version of the show kept people voting involved. Let's be more honest, neither were actually those shows anymore!!!
Filter was becoming more anything pop culture slowly moving away ranking things. Cheat! was becoming more of an after thought with Adams. It just never was the same ever again. It's truly disheartening G4 allowed such a downfall to happen. I'm glad G4 gone once again. If you could find any Rouse episodes I highly recommend check em out.
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