[DeMarkay]

Uh, I'm pretty sure Heart presenters aren't local... that's a national radio network is it not?

That’s where you’re wrong. Between 6:30am and 4pm, Heart is networked in the UK with local regions taking over from 4pm to 7pm.

Heart is then networked again from 7pm right though until 4pm the next day.

Scotland is exempt from 6:30 am to 7pm as shows are local and broadcast from Glasgow.

I’m sure the presenters in question are either Ed & Gemma from Birmingham or Jagger and Woody from South Wales.

[TVFan]

What's the definition/ cut off of celebrity in the case of a quiz/gameshows?

I think I've seen local Heart presenters on something like The Chase; they're obviously not A-listers, but are known by a section of the public and have a following.

I’m not really sure, but there can be a situation where certain people are too famous for the regular edition, but not famous enough for the celebrity version:

twitter.com 

[Gary Baldy]

You already listed some of the reasons, but here's what I think:

Anyone who's won too many shows before
Anyone with a criminal record
Anyone who's already been on the same show, unless they're a celebrity
Anyone who's a celebrity, unless it's a celebrity edition of the show
Anyone who is an employee of the production company or broadcaster, and their families
Anyone proven to have cheated when previously on a show

How do they define celebrity though?

Rob Curling was on public Eggheads once.
Henry Kelly, famous for roughly the same sort of thing, was on Celebrity Pointless.

Are “reality stars” celebrities? I recall Jade Goody being on public Eggheads once too- a lot of the ITV2/BBC3/E4 shows great reality stars as celebrity. But then Ashleigh from BB15 was on Lingo as a member of the public. Zoe Burkett from Pop Idol 1 was on Big Brother 15 as a member of the public. A few months back, a former Apprentice contestant appeared on Countdown as a member of the public, but then you have people like Thomas Skinner doing the celebrity circuit even though his claim to fame is still “being a contestant on the apprentice”.

Frederick Forsythe the author was on public Eggheads.

Actress Emma Williams was on public Beat the Chasers, even though all the chasers recognised her as a celebrity.

There was a woman from Honeyz on The Voice as a member of the public, Kevin Simm from Liberty X also won it as a member of the public.

Sophie Evans, West End star, appeared on a celebrity edition of Pointless and then appeared on public BGT a few years later. Loren Allred sang Never Enough on the Greatest Showman, one of the biggest films of all time, and appeared on BGT as a member of the public.

A few years ago there was an actress from Eastenders whose name escapes me who took a supermarket job because she was skint and out of work- so the whole “we can’t have celebrities on because they’re already rich” doesn’t always really work- if the actress in question went on the public version, would people be saying “why isn’t she on the celebrity version?”

So who determines where “member of the public” ends and where “celebrity” starts?

[Jon]

I’m not really sure, but there can be a situation where certain people are too famous for the regular edition, but not famous enough for the celebrity version:

I feel like this was a conversation on Fingers on Buzzer podcast Jenny Ryan and that comedian do once.

I think there is a simple answer here and that is it ‘depends’. Presumably anyone of any fame level can apply for things like The Chase or Eggheads and it’s up for the producers if they want them or not. Presumably if you were famous enough, you’d rather just get paid to go on the celebrity version. But there is probably aren’t any arbitrary rules on whether people are celebrities or not.


Talking of Gregg Scott, wasn’t he on Countdown as a contestant in more recent years?

[Neil Jones]

How do they define celebrity though?

And there is the problem. I have no idea who any of the people in your post are, aside from Rob Curling, Henry Kelly and that Thomas bloke from The Apprentice.

I mean by rights they could go and find some excentric act from BGMT that Stephen Mulhern was fawning over and really wanted to go through to the next round, and then the person of that could claim to be a "celebrity" as well - claim to fame being appearing on BGMT with a silly act.

[Gary Baldy]

And there is the problem. I have no idea who any of the people in your post are, aside from Rob Curling, Henry Kelly and that Thomas bloke from The Apprentice.

I mean by rights they could go and find some excentric act from BGMT that Stephen Mulhern was fawning over and really wanted to go through to the next round, and then the person of that could claim to be a "celebrity" as well - claim to fame being appearing on BGMT with a silly act.

Yes- it seems like there are some people that are somewhat on that “border” between member of the public and celebrity.

[Andrew]

if you go on a reality TV show and get more than 15 minutes of fame, you’d probably qualify as a Celeb, particularly on celebrity quiz shows that have a lot of episodes and a lot of participants (such as Weakest Link, Pointless Celebs)

If you don’t get more than 15 mins of fame and nobody remembers that you came 10th in The Apprentice 10 years ago you probably fall in that black hole where you’d not be famous enough for the Celeb quizzes and be declined from the civilian ones.

[Johnr]

Charles Ingram cheated and has certainly had an extended 15 minutes of fame since!

Recall he was even on a celebrity Weakest Link and then Wife Swap at one point!

[XIII]

TBH I don't mind people doing multiple gameshows, Most don't do it to win because you're more likely to lose but because it's a fun experience not to mentioned while you might get criticised online, you've done more than the armchair critics by getting on the show in the first place.

[Brekkie]

I think too with the more intelligent gameshows there is a small pool of contestants who want the challenge of doing them all, probably doing it more for the quizzing than the prize money.


Celebrity is a funny thing though and different to all people - Leo Reich has been on House of Games this week having previously been on regular Pointless. He was the only one of the four I'd never heard of but is famous enough to have his own HBO/Netflix special.