Baggage | B+

From a casual glance, GSN's game show Baggage almost appears to be a run-of-the-mill episode of The Jerry Springer Show. People reveal shocking secrets about themselves to the crowd. Host Jerry Springer observes everyone and pretends to weigh judgment, and ultimately everyone who came on the show pretty much leaves the same sorry state of affairs.

But as much you might want to call Baggage the "Jerry Springer of game shows," there are a few key differences. There are no catfights, screaming matches or burly bodyguards. The audience is actually rooting for the contestants to be happy instead of egging them on to fight. Most importantly, the contestants gain something more than just 15 minutes of fame; they gain the potential for a date with all the first-date awkwardness already out of the way.

That's because if you meet someone through the show Baggage, you are unlikely to be shocked by someone's secrets again. The whole premise behind this dating game show is that the contestants reveal their biggest secrets and flaws so everyone can date with all their "baggage" behind them.

For a rather silly premise, Baggage has a pretty ingenious sequence of events that will keep you hooked until the last minute. First, the main contestant is introduced and then the three possible dates are brought out, each with three pieces of baggage of varying sizes to indicate the outrageousness of their secrets. From the get go, all three open up their smallest suitcases and reveal their smallest secrets to introduce a little bit of their quirky personalities.

In the second round comes the deal breaker stage. Jerry Springer opens up three medium-sized suitcases with three medium-sized secrets but doesn't reveal who they belong to. The main contestant singles one secret out as a deal breaker and the person who had that secret is eliminated.

Then it's time for the hot seat. The two remaining competitors are questioned by Jerry Springer and try to rationalize their shocking, weird and embarrassing "baggage." Of course the two try to put their best foot by insulting the other.

Finally the two open their biggest baggage and reveal their biggest secret. The main contestant deliberates for a while and then finally picks the winner, but the game isn't over just yet. The main contestant has a big red piece of baggage too and the winner gets to decide whether the secret inside it is acceptable or just "too much baggage."

This whole formula may sound contrived at first, but it really does build suspense, hilarity and shock. The small secrets aren't so bad as they are teasingly foreboding, making you wonder how much worse it will get. In one memorable episode, the middle secrets grew worse with "I'm bankrupt and live with my mother," "I've dated men in jail," and "My best friend Lisa is imaginary." Finally the show ended with the winning candidate admitting that she "cheated on all of each of [her] 14 boyfriends." All 14! The main contestant's "I was paid $1,000 to sleep with three cougars" sealed the deal. As those two walked off hand in hand, you can't help but wonder how they'll ever get dates again.

Baggageis definitely one of those shows best watched with friends. It will getting you screaming at the screen like Family Feud, plotting out who will end up with the main contestant like The Bachelor and shaking your head in disbelief like Keeping Up With the Kardashians. It's truly worthy of the cliché, "It's so bad it's good."