Russian Roulette
Players are given the question, and must challenge someone else to answer it. Each question in round one is worth $150, which is the stake
each player is given. A right answer makes that person safe. A wrong answer causes that player to play Russian Roulette. In addition, that player forfeits all money won to the challenger. After each right answer, another Drop Zone is added, up to five out of six.
Russian Roulette
The player must pull a lever in front of them. Red circle lights spin around the six Drop Zones. If a red light surrounds the player in jeopardy, the Drop Zone opens, and that player is out. If the drop zone is not red, the player is safe, and the game continues.
If time runs out during a round, the player in the lead steps out of the Drop Zone, and the rest play Russian Roulette. If there is no leader, Mark pulls the lever.
Round two answers are worth $200 each, and play is similar to before, and
questions have four choices.
Questions in round three are worth $300, and the challenger can either take
the question, or pass it to the sole opponent. This continues with gradually more difficult questions until someone falls, or time expires, and the player with the least money is dropped.
In the bonus round, the player answers five questions in sixty seconds.
Every ten seconds, one drop zone opens. If the player can successfully
get the five answers, he or she wins $10,000. A wrong answer ends the
game, and the player drops, with $500 for each right answer.
The player can skip over any question. After getting the $10,000,
the player can give up the $10,000 to play Russian Roulette one more time
for $100,000. The odds are determined by the time used in the bonus (if the
player has 21 seconds left, four zones are open, if nine or less are left,
it's five out of six, and so forth). The player pulls the handle, and if the
Drop Zone doesn't open, he or she gets the $100,000. Otherwise, he or she
drops, and that player keeps whatever was won in the main game.
SEASON TWO CHANGES:
The soundtrack got more percussion all around (that's a good thing), the studio got bigger, with more lights (good too), and the rest of the changes relate to game play.
The length of the spin is determined by how long the handle is held down, not determined randomly as before.
Round two questions are worth $250, not $300.
The Killer Questions bonus round is different: a contestant must answer ten three-choice questions in 60 seconds to win the $10,000. If the contestant stumbles or runs out of time, $300 per right answer is awarded.
TRAVIS' REVIEW:
SET: The set is superb. The players are positioned in what look like the chambers of a six-cylinder revolver, green strobe lights are everywhere, and the bridge Mark enters from is nifty. The last part really seals the deal: the sixty lights surrounding the players tick away the time for the Killer Questions, with every tenth light turning red to signify a drop zone opening. Tres cool! + 1.0
MUSIC: The musical package is all great: the opening theme conveys the danger of the show, the think music is cool, even the "Let's play Russian Roulette!" sting is great. I especailly like the background music for the Killer Questions. + 1.0
HOST: Third time's a charm for Mark L. Walberg. From such asinine shows as Free 4 All and The Big Date, Mark has found his place. He reads questions well, interacts with the players properly, and even engages them in a bit of smack talk at the appropriate times. + 1.0
GAMEPLAY: It's a bit strange to see players passing questions to opponents rather than answering them, but the strategy is there. The idea of never knowing how long a round will last is cool too. The first season bonus round was something rarely seen, with computation questions, word anagrams, and such. The second one swapped out that for three-choice queries, but the excitement is still there. +0.9