{alltv} Cedric's 'Worth What' set for debut

Hoarders, hoggers, pickers, pawn brokers, scavengers.

Every day there are more and more TV shows about them, ranging from the sublimely entertaining to the downright trashy and stupid.

This recent trend in reality TV taps into the public's dream of getting something valuable for virtually nothing. It's lottery culture, in a way.

Part of that is luck -- you know, buying a cheap painting at a flea market, removing the frame and discovering the handwritten confession of Jack The Ripper or something. But adept purveyors will assure you that part of it is skill, too.

That's where the new game show It's Worth What? -- which is hosted by well-known comedian Cedric The Entertainer and debuts Tuesday on NBC, and Wednesday on Citytv -- can be of service. It's a preparatory course for people who dream of out-smarting everyone and walking away with the hidden gem at the garage sale.

"I thought I was pretty good, but there definitely were times that I realized, I have no idea what stuff costs," Cedric The Entertainer admitted.

"We all assume we have our expertise, be it the price of women's shoes or what houses cost. You just think that you know.

"But there was one episode where we had vacation rentals, and nobody knew that the Playboy Suite in Las Vegas was that expensive per night. Like, I had no idea."

Hey wait a minute, isn't that another show on NBC and Citytv?

Oh wait, The Playboy Club doesn't debut till the fall, never mind.

In each episode of It's Worth What? contestants are tasked with discerning the comparative value of various items. The challenges increase in difficulty with as much as $1 million US in prize money on the table.

"There are those hidden gems that all of us hope or think we have when we're cleaning out grandma's old chest or something," Cedric said. "We think, 'Oh man, what if I look it up and I have a pearl necklace from the Titanic or something?'

"But on top of that, we mix in modern items, like when a brand new Bugatti sports car comes out on stage. I think people would want to watch the show for that reason, the curiosity of finding out what things cost for real."

Notwithstanding Cedric's theory on why people would want to watch, what were his reasons for wanting to host?

"I grew up in that real golden age of TV game shows -- Let's Make a Deal, The Price is Right, Match Game," Cedric recalled. "As a kid, I loved the idea of being a host on a game show or being (a contestant) on a game show.

"So this was a great opportunity, especially as a live performer, to be able to have that immediate and constant contact with someone who's playing the game and be the ringmaster of the whole thing.

"And it's really fun on a show like this because you never know what's coming out next."

For example, contestants on It's Worth What? were asked to choose which is more valuable, a dress that belonged to Princess Diana or a white suit and cape that belonged to Elvis Presley.

"You would assume, 'Well, she was a real princess,' " Cedric said. "But then you've got people who are just Elvis fanatics and who knows what they would pay for an Elvis suit that he performed in?

"So that's where you start to go, 'I'm just not sure.' "

One thing that is for sure is hoarders, hoggers, pickers, pawn brokers and scavengers are TV's hottest trend.

To the networks, that definitely is worth something.