May I Have a Word? is an animated game-show segment shown between and at the end of episodes on WordGirl. It features the host, Beau Handsome, asking three contestants, Phil, Tommy, and Emily, the definition of a particular word, such as crestfallen, fatigued, evade, or snare. The contestant who gives the correct definition wins a prize that often has something to do with the featured word, but sometimes is more random. WordGirl herself appears only once in the show in person, during the segment on the word Fumble, when she streaks in and returns Beau Handsome to his podium following the previous episode, when he was kidnapped by Seymour Orlando Smooth.
May I Have a Word? did not appear in the WordGirl movie The Rise of Miss Power. It was replaced with the Pretty Princess and Magic Pony Power Hour. However, if the movie is split into two parts (one half plays one day and the other half plays the next day), then May I Have a Word? is played in between the segments.
Audience
Here are some of the recognizable regulars seen in the audience (from left to right, front to back):
- Green-jacketed man
- Tessa from Favorite Word
- The Pointing lady from the opening cinematic
- Grey-shirted lady
- Stubble guy
- Toque guy
- Beehive lady
- Oak Street lady
- Star Sandy
Gameplay
There are three contestants, who are apparently always Tommy, Emily, and Phil. They are standing at three podiums. Beau Handsome is to the left, in another podium, there is also a screen somewhere in the headquarters, but its location is unknown. The game begins with Beau Handsome announcing the featured word, then showing several clips from the WordGirl show to give hints to the word's meaning. Then a contestant must buzz in from their podium which lights the light above them, and define the word. If the player incorrectly defines the word, then another player has the opportunity to buzz in and respond. If all three contestants buzz in at the same time and correctly define the word, they all win the round. This has happened on multiple occasions.
The Bonus Round
The bonus round is the second round of the game. Only the contestant that correctly defined the word plays this round. Three pictures are shown on the screen and the player must say which one shows the correct definition of the word. If all three contestants won the first round, then the first contestant to buzz in and give the correct answer wins. If no one correctly defined the word in the first round, the first one to buzz in and give the correct answer wins.
Prizes
The winner(s) of each round receives a prize, usually an Official WordGirl product, an Official Beau Handsome product, or something else, e.g. a tub of chocolate pudding, a cream pie. Captain Huggyface presents the prize.
Statistics
Here is a tally of the number of individual wins in the main round:
- Emily - 17 wins
- Phil - 13 wins
- Tommy - 13 wins
(In Enormous, ALL contestants were declared winners.)
Other anomalies in the scoring:
- In Bewilder, Phil gave the correct definition, but in an indirect manner, and at first was disqualified and Emily overheard Beau and said what he said and when Tommy buzzed Beau said he already gave the definition and a bewildered Tommy asked if he did making Beau so upset making no one win. But at the start of the bonus round, Beau reversed his decision and declared Phil to have won the main round.
- In Scowl, no one won the main round, but all contestants won the bonus round.
- In Stroll, Emily won the main round, but did not choose the correct picture for the bonus round.
- In Dazed, Phil won the main round, but did not choose the correct picture for the bonus round.
- In Tiff, all contestants buzzed in the same time (just like Enormous), but this time Phil ended up giving the correct answer.
- In Shatter, Emily gave the correct definition after all the contestants' podiums and buzzers were "shattered" by Huggy. Even though she couldn't buzz in, Beau asked the judges if her answer would be accepted, which it was.
- Also in Bewilder, the contestants saw a clip in which Becky changed from her Pretty Princess costume into WordGirl.
The Paradox of the Show
The game show May I Have a Word? presents several interesting contradictions. First of all, the show uses episode scenes from the WordGirl series as examples for word definitions. The announcer and contestants are fully aware of the events that take place in the series, as any fan would be. Many of the sample clips and pictures focus on the Botsford family, and in fact, at least one clip shows Becky changing into WordGirl (during Bewilder).
On the other hand, the audience is filled with characters who actually inhabit the WordGirl series. They live their lives in Fair City, and they would therefore have no idea of who WordGirl really is. Huggy is a regular on the game show, although he is also in the series. Tommy is also shown as a character in several WordGirl episodes. And with the episode Tell Her What She's Won!, Becky is shown watching May I Have a Word?, meaning that the show (which reveals her secret identity) is being broadcast to households (and villains) all over Fair City.
What does all of this mean? Nothing, really. It's simply an interesting concept to ponder. The series and the game show are both fun ways of teaching kids how to use words properly, and that's what's really important.
Episodes
- The 2007-2008 episodes were season 1.
- The 2009 words were season 2.
- The 2010-2011 words were season 3.
- The 2012-2013 words were season 4.
- The 2015 words were season 5.
2007 words:
Word | Orig Airdate | Main winner | Bonus winner | Main prize | Bonus prize |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hurl | 9/3/2007 | Tommy | Tommy | Official WG 10-ft Paper Clip | Giant Stapler |
Pounce | 9/14/2007 | Emily | Emily | Dr. Two-Brains Balloon | Captain Huggy Face Balloon |
Stroll | 9/21/2007 | Emily | no one | Official WG Jet Pack | Official WG Jet Pack w/bubble action |
Devour | 9/28/2007 | Emily | Emily | Official WG Largest Stalk of Broccoli | Official WG Largest Baby Carrot |
Dazzling | 10/5/2007 | Tommy | Tommy | Official WG Giant Disco Ball | no prize |
Soar | 11/23/2007 | Emily | Emily | Official WG Soar-like-an-eagle Hang Glider w/attached eagles | Official WG Eagle Wings |
Swerve | 11/30/2007 | Tommy | Tommy | Official WG Unicycle | Stationary Bike |
Smash | 12/21/2007 | Phil | Phil | Official WG Styrofoam Statue of Dr. Two-Brains | Use of Mr. Botsford and his grape-stomping skills for a week |
Scowl | 12/28/2007 | no one | ALL | State-of-the-art Official WG Six-wheeler Motorcycle | Official WG Tunnel-To-The-Center-Of-The-Earth-Mobile |
2008 words:
Word | Orig Airdate | Main winner | Bonus winner | Main prize | Bonus prize |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Enormous | 2/18/2008 | ALL | ALL | Official WG Enormous Ball of Rubber Bands | Official WG Shetland Pony |
Dazed | 2/15/2008 | Phil | no one | All-expense paid trip to the moon | Astronaut food for the trip to the moon |
2009 words:
Word | Orig Airdate | Main winner | Bonus winner | Main prize | Bonus prize |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Evade | 2/16/2009 | Emily | Emily | Official WG Balance Beam | WG Portable Windshield |
Disguise | 2/17/2009 | Tommy | Tommy | Official WG Trunk Full of Disguises | Cheerleader Disguise |
Fatigued | 3/23/2009 | Tommy | Tommy | Official WG Trampoline Bed | Official WG Trip to Hawaii |
Stench | 3/24/2009 | Phil | Phil | Official WG Huge-gantic Fan | Year's Supply of Stench-B-Gone Perfume |
Snare | 4/30/2009 | Phil | Phil | Official WG Snood | Official WG Snare |
Crestfallen | 5/1/2009 | Emily | Emily | Official WG Broom (and dustpan, which Beau throws in) | World's Biggest Bottle of Bubbles |
Silhouette | 5/4/2009 | Emily | Emily | Official WG Movie Screen | Your Very Own Parade |
Petrified | 10/23/2009 | Tommy | Tommy | Official WG Microphone | Your Very Own Stage to Perform |
Hover | 6/19/2009 | Emily | Emily | Official WG State-of-the-art Hovercraft | Official WG Hovering Device for your elephant |
Tiff | 7/13/2009 | Phil | Phil | Official WG Huge Cream Pie | Another Cream Pie |
2010 words:
Word | Orig Airdate | Main winner | Bonus winner | Main prize | Bonus prize |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Collection | 9/7/2010 | Phil | Phil | Official WG Super-charged Trampoline | Official WG Mystery Package |
Doze | 9/13/2010 | Emily | Emily | Official WG Waterbed | Official WG Gigantic Hair Dryer |
Elegant | 9/14/2010 | Emily | Emily | Official WG Velvet Cape | Official WG Gigantic Boom Box |
Shatter | 9/15/2010 | Emily | Emily | Official WG Rope Swing | Official WG Tub of Chocolate Pudding |
Smudge | 9/16/2010 | Phil | Phil | Official WG Life-size Beau Handsome Cutout | Official WG Larger-than-Life Beau Handsome Cutout |
Binoculars | 10/11/2010 | Tommy | Tommy | Gift Certificate for a Bird-Watching Trip with Beau Handsome | Official Beau Handsome Bird Watching Hat |
Imitate | 11/8/2010 | Emily | Emily | Official Beau Handsome Microphone | Official Beau Handsome Microphone Storage Box |
2011 words:
Word | Orig Airdate | Main winner | Bonus winner | Main prize | Bonus prize |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bewilder | 1/3/2011 | no one | Phil | Go Cart | Official WG Pogo Stick |
Perspire | 2/8/2011 | Tommy | Tommy | Official WG Absurdly Large Launch Ramp | Official WG Frozen Treats |
Strenuous | 4/1/2011 | Tommy | Tommy | Official WG Weight Bench | Official WG Crane |
2012 words:
Word | Orig Airdate | Main winner | Bonus winner | Main prize | Bonus prize |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apprehend | 9/10/2012 | Phil | Phil | Official Captain Tangent Pirate Costume | Official Captain Tangent Pirate Ship |
Clutch | 9/12/2012 | Emily | Emily | Official WG Dune Buggy | Official WG Sand Dune |
Console | 9/13/2012 | Phil | Phil | Official WG Rocket-powered Merry-Go-Round | Official WG Microphone Cleaning Kit |
Flicker | 10/29/2012 | Emily | Emily | Official WG Hover Board | Official WG Non-hovering Skate Board |
Cower | 12/28/2012 | Tommy | Tommy | Official WG Indestructible Shield | Official WG Clown for a Day |
2013 words:
Word | Orig Airdate | Main winner | Bonus winner | Main prize | Bonus prize |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dangle | 3/11/2013 | Tommy | Tommy | Official WG Supersized Dictionary | Official WG Gargantuan Calculator |
Recline | 6/14/2013 | Phil | Phil | Official WG Lemonade Pitcher | Official WG Beach Umbrella |
Fumble | 8/7/2013 | Tommy | Tommy | Official WG Extremely Valuable Diamond-encrusted Egg | Tube of official WG super-glue (to fix the egg Huggy broke) |
2015 words:
Word | Orig Airdate | Main winner | Bonus winner | Main prize | Bonus prize |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wedged | 6/24/2015 | Phil | Phil | Official WG Rocket-powered Trapeze | Official WG Two-person Rocket-powered Trapeze |
Inflate | 6/19/2015 | Emily | Emily | Official Beau Handsome Giant Inflatable Head | Pump for your giant inflatable head |
Scamper | 6/12/2015 | Emily | Emily | Official WG Super Duper Supercharged Super Ball | 200 More Official WG Super Duper Supercharged Super Balls |
Irritable | 7/8/2015 | Tommy | Tommy | Official WG Supercomputer | Every Single Book Ever Written |
Consume | 7/10/2015 | Emily | Emily | Lifetime Supply of Animal Crackers | Lifetime Supply of Milk |
Discard | 6/10/2015 | Phil | Phil | Dance Lessons from Beau Handsome | More Dance Lessons from Beau Handsome |
See Wikipedia:List of WordGirl episodes#May I Have a Word episodes for more info.
Gallery
Behind the Scenes
Trivia
- 2014 was the only year to not feature any new words due to a repeat of the same feature words.
- Some countries outside of the U.S. that aired WordGirl did not include this segment in order to air commercial breaks.
- Emily is the winner for the entire segment but Tommy and Phil are tied for second place.