Trivial Pursuit
Host: Wink Martindale
Announcer: Randy West
Run: Family Channel, mornings
Premise: Twelve (later, nine) contestants play a knockout game, and the three winners vie for cash and a trip.
Play: The twelve contestants are seated at desks with a keypad, and Martindale asks them a four-choice question. The players have 10 seconds to enter their response after Martindale begins. The point value for each question starts at 1,000, and decreases 1 for each hundredth of a second until an answer is chosen. The points start to tick away as soon as the question is revealed on the screen. An incorrect answer is worth nothing. After five questions are played, the top six scorers move on to the next round, the losers are out. Round two is just like the first one, and the three top scorers move on to the main game.
Main Game
The three winners compete to fill up their own personal game board. The board consists of six colors, with two sections. Each right answer fills in one section, and twelve right answers will win the game.
In round one, the players go down the line, starting with the player on the left, and choose one of the six categories from the regular game: Geography, Entertainment, History, Arts and Literature, Science and Nature, and Sports and Leisure. After choosing a topic, Wink reads a question. A right answer means that the player scores that wedge, but a wrong answer allows the two other players to jump-in and steal that section. After that, the next player chooses a topic from the board; but each topic can only be chosen once in the round. After everyone gets two questions, round two begins.
Round two uses TV and movie categories, and plays like round one, but the "Bonus Question" is no win play. One topic on the board hides a "Bonus Question." The player is asked a question from the topic like normal, but if that question is answered correctly, the player then gets the Bonus all by himself. A film clip from a TV show or movie, or a still photo is shown, and a question relating to that is asked. A right answer is worth $100 and the player can choose any pie piece and fill in one section. A wrong answer on the Bonus means that the question is dead, no one else can try it.
After twice around in round two, the Speed Round begins.
Speed Round
In round three, a toss-up question is asked, and whoever jumps-in and is right gets control. That
player chooses a category (normal board) and plays until he or she misses. Then, the other players
can jump in. If no one is right, a toss-up is asked. This continues until a player gets two pieces for each
category. $500 is won and the right to play the bonus round. If time runs out, the player with the most
pie pieces wins the game.
Bonus: The contestant answers questions from the six categories, and aims to get one right in
each in 45 seconds. $100 is awarded for each right answer, or $1000 for a filled pie, and a trip
to a California resort. If necessary, the player can go back through and pick up any missed categories
until time runs out.
TRAVIS' REVIEW:
Set: The floor is painted to resemble part of the Trivial Pursuit board game, the background has two video screens for the categories, clips, and other stuff.
Gameplay: While this format is preferable to the actual board game, the first part of the game is just plain dull. Even "Millionaire's" Fastest Finger round is more exciting.
Music: The theme is based on the "Chopsticks" tune at the beginning, and is not memorable beyond that.
Host/Announcer: Wink Martindale is good as host, and Randy West does an excellent job opening the show.