Identity

Penn Jillette can't pull off the illusion that he's as likable as Howie Mandel. [22 Dec 2006, p.75]

“Identity” is to game shows what a gastric bypass is to dieting: a choice that defies convention and social niceties.

Considering how hard people on shows like "Survivor" and "The Amazing Race" work for their prizes, there's something almost unseemly about giving people prizes for not much more than showing up.

A degraded update of What's My Line?

Now, you may be saying, "There he goes again, that elitist toad." But believe me, even Paris Hilton, Britney Spears and Bill O'Reilly would think this show was stupid.

Problem is, the show is more comfortable with cliché than subtlety.

One's first impression of "Identity" is likely to be that it is a miserably tedious mess, a reaction that probably will grow stronger the further one slogs into the Big Muddy that is the show.