Celebrity Name Game has been a long time coming. It's been in development for some time with various incarnations of the game being proposed, considered, rejected, and shelved. Fortunately the idea persisted and now we have another daytime game show that is both enjoyable to watch and fun to play along with.

Game Overview

The game is hosted by Craig Ferguson, who is perfectly suited to this kind of game show.

He's quick, funny, and really seems to connect with the contestants as well as the celebrities. Each game features two sets of two contestants (with an existing relationship -- they aren't strangers), and two celebrities.

The main idea here is that contestants (and celebs) must guess the names of celebrities or fictional characters based on clues given by another team member. This works a lot like Password.

Round One

In the first round, each pair of contestants is matched up with a celebrity. This round is played separately -- one pair and their celebrity goes first, followed by the second pair. Two categories are revealed, and the first pair of contestants chooses one (leaving the other for the second team).

The contestants stand across from each other with screens behind each of them. The celebrity stands in the middle and must deliver the clues, alternating between the team members, for the contestants to guess the names associated with the category they've selected. There are 10 available names valued at $100 each, for a possible bank of $1,000.

Round Two

In the second round, the celebrities swap teams. This round works the same way except that now one of the contestants gives the clues to his or her other team member and their celebrity. There are 10 available answers valued at $200 each, for a possible bank of $2,000.

Round Three

In the third round, the celebs get a little bit of down time. One contestant from each team comes up to a Family Feud style podium, and Ferguson gives the clues. The first contestant to buzz in can answer and earn the money associated with the clues, but if he or she is wrong the money goes into the opposing team's bank. The first answer is worth $100, the second $200, the third $300, and so on. Team members take turns going up to the podium to answer.

The object of this round is to be the first team to get to $3,000 (including the money earned in the first two rounds), and in so doing, move on to the final round.

The Final Round

In the final round, both celebrities stand in front of one of the screens. The screen itself is divided up into ten sections, each one numbered.

One person from the team of civilian contestants starts off giving the celebrities clues to these names. Here, the names can be just about anything, from people to places to buildings. The items are revealed one at a time, and this first contestant has 45 seconds to deliver clues for the celebs to guess as many of them as they can.

Then, the second contestant comes out and has an additional 30 seconds to try to get all ten squares uncovered and guessed correctly. If this happens, the team wins $20,000. If not they leave with the $3,000 they won in the third round.

If an illegal clue is delivered (spelling out a word, using a word that's part of the answer, etc.) the round is over.

Why Should You Watch Celebrity Name Game?

There's one very simple reason why you should tune in and watch Celebrity Name Game: it's a lot of fun. Ferguson is always "on" and the celebrities usually seem to be have a great time playing. (Of course there are always a few who look dazed and confused, but even they can be enjoyable to watch in a certain way.)

My kids (a teen and a tween, both boys) watched the first few episodes with me. Neither of them are very in-tune with the world of celebrities, but they both laughed and really enjoyed the show. For those of us who fancy we'd be pretty good at a game like this, it's great fun to play along with.

Give Celebrity Name Game a try - I think you'll become a regular viewer in no time!