Scrabble/YMMV

YMMV Tropes related to the Board Game:

Difficult but Awesome: Learning the official two letter word list can be this, but is basically a must for anybody who wants to be competitive at this game.
- Also, getting a "Scrabble" (creating a word that uses all 7 letters in your rack), which is an instant 50 points to the player who builds it.
Game Breaker: "Q" and "Z" can become this if placed on a bonus tile. Merely placing one of these on a Triple Letter tile guarantees 30+ points from that tile alone.
Germans Love David Hasselhoff: The game is very popular in Senegal.
The Scrappy: The letter V, especially late in the game, can become The Millstone due to its inability to form any two letter words and knocking off 4 points off of your score if your opponent plays off his letters first.
They Changed It, Now It Sucks: The recent rule change permitting proper names ruffled a few feathers in the United Kingdom, except it was widely misreported by the media and only appears in a newly-launched variant of the game. The rules of the original game haven't been changed, so words beginning with capital letters are still invalid.

YMMV Tropes related to the Game Show:

Accidental Innuendo: A female contestant selected two "P" tiles and said "Chuck, I guess I'll have to take a 'P'." Cue uproarious laughter from Woolery and the audience, and a quick trip to Dick Clark's Bloopers specials.
Replacement Scrappy: Steve Edwards, who hosted the 1990 pilot.
They Changed It, Now It Sucks: Many fans' opinion of the 1993 revival, which had a smaller set and much lower budget, among other things. A rather bad change was that the bonus squares went into a Bonus Sprint pot (which began at $1,000) instead of directly to the contestants, reducing their desire to hit them immediately...much to Chuck's dismay.
What an Idiot!: Sang, the record holder for most time spent in the Sprint round, about 87 seconds, in part due to overeager buzzing-in and blowing at least two words with only one letter missing. His opponent bombed on at least two of the same words.
- One year earlier, John set the record for most time spent in the Sprint round, 62.9 seconds...AND HE WON!!, thanks to his opponent, Lysa, blowing it.^[1] You have to see it to believe it.