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Picture of a TV show: The Price Is Right
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Picture of a TV show: Press Your Luck
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Press Your Luck

1983
Three contestants one a returning champion competed in this game of strategy. The game consisted of two rounds, each with two parts. In the first part of each round, host Tomarken read a toss-up question; the first to signal is given a chance to answer. That response, plus two other possible answers are then listed, with the other two contestant then given a chance to choose from the three listed answers. A correct answer earned the first contestant three spins and his/her opponents one spin each. Four such questions were played; the players used the spins to accumulate cash and prizes on an 18-space board. One contestant at a time is in control of the board; he/she stopped a randomly-flashing cursor by pressing his signal device (and usually the scream "STOP!"). The contestant wins whatever appears in the lit space a cash amount, a prize, perhaps an extra spin or other action space ... or it could be a Whammy, which caused the contestant to lose all he/she had accumulated in that game. The Whammy was an animated devil who starred in the sequences, which played when a contestant lost his winnings. As long as a contestant is in control of the board, he/she can continue to press their luck and possibly lose their accumulated winnings on the next spin or elect to pass his/her remaining spins to an opponent (the leader or the player in second place, depending on who passes), meaning he/she must use those spins. Any player who lands on four whammies is eliminated from the game; the high scorer after two rounds is the winner and returns. Only the winner keeps what he/she had won; a player continued until winning five shows, until defeated or winning $25,000 (later $50,000, then the winnings limit at CBS). The most famous contestant on "Press Your Luck" was Michael Larson, who memorized the flashing patterns of the gameboard cursor. Putting his knowledge to use, he racked $110,000 in cash and prizes during his 1984 appearance on the show (which was broken into a two-part show); the game was soon redesigned by the producers to prevent future fortune-hunting gameplay. For years, "Press Your Luck" reruns aired on the USA Network; Game Show Network was scheduled to begin airing reruns of the show starting in September 2001. "Press Your Luck" was based on the 1977 game show, "Second Chance," which was largely identical to the later game show.
Picture of a TV show: Double Dare
shows

Double Dare

1986
Two teams of two children, ages 9 through 13, competed in this classic kiddie game show of questions and physical challenges. At the beginning of each show, the two teams (each with such names as "Wacky Wormheads" or "Slimy Superkids") competed in a physical challenge (described below). The winner of the physical challenge would gain control of the first round questions. Host Summers asked the question, to which the team could answer for $10 or "dare" (i.e., challenge) the opposing team to answer for $20. However, the opponents could "double dare" (ergo, challenge back) the original team to answer; the original team could then answer for $40 or complete a "physical challenge," an often messy stunt that had to be completed within 10, 15, 20, or 30 seconds. "Physical challenge" stunts could include one team member wrapping his/her partner in a giant "tortilla shell" and drop hot sauce on it; having to throw three balloons filled with fingerpaint at a target, while having to select from a tub that also had water balloons inside; and catapulting condiments onto a giant hamburger while the partner held the bun and patty. Completing the physical challenge was worth $20; however, losing the physical challenge meant the other team got the money and control of the questions. The opposing team also got control of the questions if the other team answered incorrectly (as well as the cash if the question was dared or double-dared). Two rounds were played, with the second round values worth $20, $40 and $80. The team with the most money after two rounds won and advanced to the Double Dare Obstacle Course, a series of eight often very messy obstacles the team had to clear within 60 seconds to win a grand prize. Each team member alternated duties, but each time, the object was to retrieve a flag and hand it to his/her partner. Each flag was worth a prize, and if the team retrieved all eight flags, they won a grand prize (usually a trip). Several variants of "Double Dare" aired through the years, including a family version and a syndicated "Super Sloppy" entry (similar to the above description, except the stunts were exponentially messier).
Picture of a TV show: Baggage
shows

Baggage

2010
"Baggage" is a dating game show with a difference. In order to advance in the game, you must show your potential match every embarrassing piece of Baggage about yourself. In the first round, three women enter with three suitcases each; small, medium, and large. They can alternatively be three men with a woman as the main contestant. The main contestant brings with them a huge red bag containing a shocking piece of Baggage that is revealed at the end of the night. The three women open their smallest piece of Baggage, which is normally an annoying habit, something they did as a child, or another comical secret. The main contestant gives their views on each of the cases, and then is presented with three medium ones. These contain more embarrassing secrets, and each belongs to one of the three women, but it not revealed who until the main contestant decides which case they will eliminate from the game. The women then claim their baggage, and the one who owns the eliminated case exits the game. The remaining two face off by opening their biggest suitcases, which hold their deepest and darkest secret, and the main contestant must choose which secret he finds less shocking. The owner of the worse case is forced to leave. The winning woman is given three choices of what is inside the red bag, and professes which they would react to the most. The big red bag belonging to the main contestant is opened, and the chosen woman must choose whether she can live with the secret. If she cannot, the main contestant is told "that they have too much baggage" and must leave.
Picture of a TV show: Deal or No Deal
shows

Deal or No Deal

2005
The United States' version of "Deal or No Deal" was based on the Netherlands game show that had premiered in 2002. The main objective of the game was identical: Select a case containing a mystery cash amount, then - after being asked to narrow the field of cases by a certain number at various intervals - decide whether to take a cash buyout offered by an unseen "banker" ("Deal") or reject the offer and continue eliminating cases ("No Deal"), knowing he/she could win the grand prize of $1 million ... or far less. Each new game begins with 26 cases, each randomly distributed and held by a sexy model. The contestant chooses one case, which is placed at his/her contestant's podium. The cash amount inside could be as little as 1 cent ($.01) or as much as $1 million. The player then is asked to eliminate six of the remaining cases, calling out the corresponding numbers one at a time. After each number is called, that case is opened, revealing one of the 26 cash prizes; that prize is then eliminated from play. After the six cases are opened, host Mandell receives a call from The Banker, who makes an offer to buy back the player's case. The offer is based on the cash amounts still in play; although this initial offer is fairly small, it is usually higher if more of the small amounts - usually, those under $10,000 - were taken out of play. If the player chooses to accept the offer ("Deal"), he/she presses a button at his/her podium to confirm the decision. At that point, his/her game ends, the amount inside the case, and the cases remaining in play are revealed. However, should the contestant refuse The Banker's offer ("No Deal," which always happened at least on the early deals), he/she is then directed to eliminate five cases from play, after which another deal is offered, which - depending on what prizes are eliminated during this round - may be higher or lower than the previous offer. Subsequent rounds have the contestant eliminating four, three and two cases from the remaining field, with Banker deals after each elimination round; thereafter, the contestant withdraws one case each time. During these latter rounds, the contestant often received advice from a group of supporters (his/her family, friends and others) on whether to accept or decline the offer. This process continues until two cases remain - the player's and the one yet to be eliminated - and one final deal is made. Should the contestant refuse the final offer, one of two things may happen. If the game's outcome is rather anti-climatic (i.e., only very small amounts remain), the contestant's case is opened and he/she wins the cash amount inside. However, if at least one of the large amounts remains in play, he/she is offered a chance to swap cases and then given another final deal; after the player's decision, the player's case is opened and he/she wins accordingly. "Deal or No Deal" premiered on NBC in December 2005 with a week's worth of shows to promising ratings; a second set of five episodes in Februrary and March 2006 did just as well, earning a twice-weekly spot on the NBC prime-time schedule. During each game, home viewers are invited to play a "Lucky Case" game, in which they enter - via their cellular telephone keypad - which of six cases they believe contains the $10,000 grand prize. Those who select the right case are entered into a random drawing, with four winners selected (one from each time zone) to win the $10,000 prize.