Cash Cab is a game show that aired on ITV in the United Kingdom from 13 June 2005 to 29 June 2006. The original programme that launched the worldwide Cash Cab franchise, it was hosted by John Moody. The questions were asked in voice over style by Annabel Raftery. The show devised by Adam Wood and Mat Steiner
Cash Cab (stylized as CA$H CAB)[1] is an American game show that aired new episodes on the Discovery Channel from 2005 to 2012, with new seasons also in 2017 and 2018. It began airing on December 5, 2005, hosted by stand-up comedian Ben Bailey, and aired its last episode on September 28, 2012. The show was revived on December 4, 2017. It is part of the global Cash Cab franchise that originated in the United Kingdom.
A game show is a type of radio, television, or stage show in which contestants, individually or as teams, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles, usually for money or prizes. Alternatively, a gameshow can be a demonstrative program about a game [while usually retaining the spirit of an awards ceremony]. In the former, contestants may be invited from a pool of public applicants. Game shows often reward players with prizes such as cash, trips and goods and services provided by the show's sponsor prize suppliers.
Discovery Channel is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by Discovery, Inc., a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav. As of June 2012, Discovery Channel is the third most widely distributed subscription channel in the United States, behind TBS and The Weather Channel; it is available in 409 million households worldwide, through its U.S. flagship channel and its various owned or licensed television channels internationally.
Benjamin Ray Bailey is an American comedian, licensed taxi cab driver, and Emmy Award winning game show host and executive producer for Discovery Channel's Cash Cab in New York City.
While Bailey's show took place in New York City, some episodes of season six took place in Las Vegas. Contestants who ultimately hailed the Cash Cab were not made aware that they were part of the game until they hired the cab and Bailey informed them of the show and its rules.
The Las Vegas Valley is a major metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The state's largest urban agglomeration, it is part of the Las Vegas MSA. The Valley is largely defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a 600 sq mi (1,600 km2) basin area surrounded by mountains to the north, south, east and west of the metropolitan area. The Valley is home to the three largest incorporated cities in Nevada: Las Vegas, Henderson and North Las Vegas. Five unincorporated towns governed by the Clark County government are part of the Las Vegas Township and constitute the largest community in the state of Nevada.
On August 8, 2007, Discovery Channel began airing a spin-off edition of the program, Cash Cab: After Dark, in which contestants were picked up near or after sunset as well as overnight and the cash value of the questions was double that of the regular version of the show. The questions were usually more difficult than the daytime version.
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, film, or any narrative work, derived from already existing works that focus on more details and different aspects from the original work.
Broadcast history
According to Variety, Discovery Channel initially ordered 40 episodes from Lion Television (with Executive Producers Tom Cohen, Allison Corn and Tony Tackaberry; with Ben Bailey being the most recent) and taping of the initial run was completed in November 2005 before the show premiered that December.[2] A new set of 40 episodes were taped and aired in 2006 and 2007. Another 80 episodes were taped in 2007 and aired through spring and summer. Another 40 episodes were taped and aired in 2008 and 2009. Another 40 episodes were taped for airing in 2010 and 2011.
Variety is an American media company owned by Penske Media Corporation. It was founded by Sime Silverman in New York in 1905 as a weekly newspaper reporting on theater and vaudeville. In 1933 it added Daily Variety, based in Los Angeles, to cover the motion-picture industry. Variety.com features breaking entertainment news, reviews, box office results, cover stories, videos, photo galleries and more, plus a credits database, production charts and calendar, with archive content dating back to 1905.
The sixth season premiered on February 14, 2011, at 6:00pm E/P. During a hiatus, Ben Bailey did a standup special recounting his time as host of the show. He correctly stated in the special that the show has been cancelled for the last two years (taping for the then-current series wrapped in 2008); however, a renewal offer was made after the standup concert was taped during 2011 returning the show to the schedule. The seventh season premiered Thursday, January 5, 2012, at 6:00pm E/P with two half-hour episodes.
On April 18, 2012, it was announced that Cash Cab would end its 7-year run.[3]
On March 27, 2017, Discovery announced it was working on episodes that will feature "appearances from notables in comedy, film, and TV".[4] On June 5, 2017, original host Ben Bailey confirmed he would return for a new season.[5][6] Season 8, which also aired on Discovery, premiered on December 4, 2017.
On May 14, 2018, Discovery announced that Season 9 would be returning in July 2018. Season 9 premiered on July 27, 2018 with a special Shark Week episode to coincide with the 30th Anniversary of Shark Week.[7]
Rules
When the potential contestants enter the cab and state their destination, they are made aware that they are in the Cash Cab as ceiling lights and a fanfare plays inside, accompanied by the host's greeting. While the only rules given on-camera after the introduction and before asking "Do you want to play?" pertain to his or her driving and the "three strikes and you're out" rule, the contestants are also informed that once their traveling begins, the cab will not take detours of any kind unless directed by a police officer, stop sign, traffic light or other legal means of diverting traffic. Bailey or Melewski offers them the chance to get out of the cab if they do not wish to play, and contestants who choose to play the game must stay in the cab until they reach their destination or get three strikes.
For the first two seasons, the first four questions were worth $25 each, the next four questions were worth $50 each, and any question thereafter was worth $100. In Cash Cab: After Dark - and beginning with the regular episodes of Season 3 - all of the money values were doubled to $50, $100 and $200. Beginning in the fourth season, some games were designated as Double Ride games, making the question values $100, $200 and $400.
Each wrong answer earns the contestant(s) a strike. On the third strike, they forfeit all their winnings and Bailey or Melewski will immediately pull over and kick them out of the cab. Once players have exited the Cash Cab, a camera crew from the trailing production van is already on the street waiting to tape their departure.
Red Light Challenge
When a contestant has won at least $200 or $300 in a normal game or an After Dark game - or at least $400 or $600 on a Double Ride - and the cab is forced to stop at a traffic light, Bailey or Melewski will announce a Red Light Challenge. He or she reads a question that has multiple correct answers – usually four to seven – and the passenger(s) have 30 seconds to give those answers; they do not always have to give all of the answers. Since there is no penalty for an incorrect answer, giving all the correct answers in the allotted time is worth $250 – or $500 during Double Ride games – regardless of how many incorrect answers a contestant might also blurt out along the way. The contestant does not receive the extra $250 (or $500) if the 30-second time limit runs out; it is also not counted as a strike, and the contestant doesn't lose any accumulated money. While only one Red Light Challenge is usually played per game, beginning in Season 4 there are multiple Red Light Challenges during certain games – at least two per game – with the second for accumulating at least $1,000.
Shout-Outs
Contestants have two forms of help known as "Shout-Outs" at their disposal during the game; each can be used only once, and neither may be used on a Red Light Challenge or a Video Bonus. In the Mobile Shout-Out, the contestant makes a phone call to someone they choose by means of a cell phone - either provided by Bailey or Melewski - or one belonging to a contestant. The call can take up to a maximum of 15 seconds before the contestant has to give an answer, with the result being either additional money or a strike. The contestant may also elect to use a Street Shout-Out, in which Bailey or Melewski immediately pulls the cab to a curb so that anyone on the sidewalk can be asked for help, without any official time limit. A second Street Shout-Out is included on a Double Ride. In the revived Cash Cab, the Mobile Shout-Out was replaced by the Social Media Shout-Out, in which Ben activates Facebook Live so that those on the site may help the contestant.[8]
Video Bonus
Should the passenger(s) reach the destination without striking out, Bailey/Melewski offers a choice: the option of leaving the cab and keeping the prize money that they have won, or they can stay and try to double their money by risking it all on a Video Bonus question. Bailey/Melewski plays a video clip and asks the contestant(s) a single question based on its content. If the question is answered correctly, the contestant(s) win double what they have earned so far, but if they are wrong, they lose all of their money "at the very last moment", as Bailey says, and "leave with nothing but a cab ride".
Double Ride
Beginning in Season 4, this rarely occurring part of the show happens when randomly selected passengers are able to win double the amount of money of a normal game. The first four questions are worth $100, the second four are worth $200 and the rest until the end of the game are worth $400. The "Red Light Challenge" is worth $500.
Record payouts
The current record of $6,200 won on one ride is held by Sam Meyer (riding solo, on a Double Ride, taking and winning the Double-or-Nothing Video Bonus question) on the episode that aired May 18, 2009.[9] This topped the old record held by contestants Sean Devney and Steve Irolla, two New York City tour guides who won $4,100 after answering the "Video Bonus" question correctly. They reached their final destination with two strikes (both on $200 questions).
On April 21, 2009, Discovery aired a charity episode of Cash Cab for its 250th episode featuring two rides by boat crew members from Deadliest Catch. Time Bandit co-captain Andy Hillstrand and Josh Harris, son of Cornelia Marie captain Phil Harris, went against Sig Hansen (captain of the Northwestern) and his two brothers. All cash values were doubled from the Season 3 payouts, the passengers received a second Street Shout-Out, and all money earned was donated by the passengers to the charities of their choice.
In the Cash Cab: Las Vegas episodes, filmed in May 2010 and broadcast beginning in August of that year,[10] celebrities play for charity and civilians play for themselves. Guests have included Mayor of Las Vegas, Oscar Goodman, comedian David Brenner, the band Neon Trees and magicians Penn & Teller. The prizes are sometimes doubled in a "Double Down Ride", just like on the regular show. In the event they strike out or miss the Video Bonus question, their charities receive $500, though some celebrities decide to also chip in with the amount of money lost, out of their own pockets.[citation needed]
On December 4, 2017, Discovery aired a special Celebrity Edition, where as the unsuspecting passengers hailed the Cash Cab, they were joined by celebrities to help them, featuring NCIS: New Orleans actor Scott Bakula, actor & comedian Gilbert Gottfried, and Friends actor Matthew Perry.[11]
Taglines
The show's tagline in the first two seasons was: "There are 13,000 cabs in New York City, but there's only one that pays you!" Starting in season three, the tagline was modified: "There are 13,000 cabs in the streets of the Big Apple, but there's only one that pays you!" On Cash Cab: After Dark, the tagline is: "Every night, 13,000 cabs hit the streets of the city that never sleeps, but there's only one that pays you!"
Cash Cab: Chicago
During Season 6 of Cash Cab, a new spin-off series, Cash Cab: Chicago, hosted by comedian Beth Melewski and using the same rules as its New York counterpart, aired. The spin-off was cancelled after one season, but rerun episodes are aired along with Cash Cab episodes in syndication.[12] Ben Bailey stated that the show was created during contract renewal negotiations.[13]
Production
A support van tails the Cash Cab, containing producers and a camera crew for the various street shots. The staff provide logistical information and questions by way of a walkie-talkie and earpiece worn by the host. The Cash Cab is equipped with ten cameras: one on the host, three on the passengers, one pointing forward from the back window of the cab, and three (front, left and right) in the advertising shell on the roof of the cab showing the passing streetscape. The rear of the cab behind the seats contains ten recording decks and other production equipment.
The lighting and the music that go off when contestants enter the cab consist of a switchboard that is connected to an iPod and the car stereo. The Video Bonus monitor is a DVD player that is embedded to the back of the front passenger seat.
Some contestants are randomly picked as they walk along the sidewalk, while others are selected in advance. Even so, those picked in advance are told that the cab is supposed to take them to the show on which they will appear. The cab turns out to be the show itself.[14]
Near the end of the game at the player's destination Ben Bailey or Beth Melewski appears to present the cash won. In reality, this cash is a prop and used for on-air purposes only. The winnings, which must be taxed, are sent via check.[14]
The Cash Cab in New York is a Toyota Sienna minivan[15] with the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission call sign "1G12" in the first two seasons and during the After Dark shows. A new cab with the call sign of "7N78" has been used since, which also features new headliner lighting.[16] In Season 8 and 9, the call sign of the cab has been "31Z8".
Melewski's Cash Cab is also a Toyota Sienna minivan with the Yellow Taxi call sign "4472".
Broadcast and syndication
As of March 2017, reruns air on Cozi TV and on Game Show Network. The New York City version reruns air on the Quest network in the UK. On October 26, 2009, MGM Television announced that the reruns would begin airing on local stations in September 2010.[17] Stations are allowed the option to air the series as a daily strip or as a weekend series. GSN began airing the series starting on March 13, 2017.
On March 27, 2017, Discovery announced it was working on new episodes that will feature guest hosts from "the worlds of comedy, film and TV" as the drivers. Despite initial reports that he would not return,[18] Bailey did host the revival episodes.[19]
On July 27, 2018, a new season of Cash Cab premiered, also hosted by Ben Bailey. The first episode of the new season had a Shark Week theme.
Hollywood Squares is an American game show in which two contestants play tic-tac-toe to win cash and prizes. The show piloted on NBC in 1965, and the regular series debuted in 1966 on the same network. The board for the game is a 3 × 3 vertical stack of open-faced cubes, each occupied by a celebrity seated at a desk and facing the contestants. The stars are asked questions by the host, and the contestants judge the truth of their answers to gain squares in the right pattern to win the game.
Press Your Luck is an American television daytime game show created by Bill Carruthers and Jan McCormack. It premiered on CBS on September 19, 1983, and ended on September 26, 1986. In the show, contestants collected spins by answering trivia questions and then used the spins on an 18-space game board to win cash and prizes. The contestant who amassed the highest total in cash and prizes kept his/her winnings for the day and became the champion. Peter Tomarken was the show's original host, and Rod Roddy was the primary announcer. John Harlan and Charlie O'Donnell filled in as substitute announcers for Roddy on different occasions. Press Your Luck was videotaped before a studio audience at CBS Television City, Studios 33 and 43, in Hollywood, California. The show was a retooling of the earlier Carruthers production Second Chance, which was hosted by Jim Peck and aired on ABC in 1977. A revival of the show will be hosted by Elizabeth Banks starting June 12, 2019, on ABC.
Family Fortunes is a British television game show based on the American game show Family Feud. The programme ran on ITV from 6 January 1980 to 10 January 2003, before being revived by the same channel in 2006 under the title All Star Family Fortunes.
Greed is an American television game show that was first broadcast on Fox in November 4, 1999 and last broadcast on July 14, 2000 with the total of 44 episodes in one season. Chuck Woolery was the show's host, with Mark Thompson serving as a primary announcer. The game consisted of a team of contestants who answered a series of multiple-choice questions for a potential prize of up to $2 million. The program's tagline is "The Richest, Most Dangerous Game In America".
Win Ben Stein's Money is an American television game show created by Al Burton and Donnie Brainard that aired first-run episodes from July 28, 1997 to January 31, 2003 on Comedy Central. The show featured three contestants who competed to answer general knowledge questions in order to win the grand prize of $5,000 from the show's host, Ben Stein. In the second half of each episode, Stein participated as a "common" contestant in order to defend his money from being taken by his competitors. The show won six Daytime Emmy awards, with Stein and Jimmy Kimmel, the show's original co-host, sharing the Outstanding Game Show Host award in 1999.
The Joker's Wild is an American television game show that has aired at different times since the 1970s. Contestants answer questions based on categories determined randomly by a mechanism resembling a slot machine. The show's title refers to the game's slot-machine mechanism also having jokers.
Whammy! is an American television game show that aired new episodes on Game Show Network from April 15, 2002 to December 5, 2003. The main goal of the game is to earn as much money and prizes as possible through collecting spins by answering trivia questions correctly, then using those spins on a gameboard to win various prizes and cash amounts while attempting to avoid the show's eponymous character, the "Whammy." Contestants who do land on a Whammy lose all their prizes accumulated to that point; four Whammies eliminates a contestant from the game. The program is an updated version of Press Your Luck, which originally aired on CBS in 1983–86. The series was taped at Tribune Studios and was hosted by Todd Newton, with Gary Kroeger announcing.
Quicksilver is an American game show that saw contestants answering trivia questions that more often than not resulted in responses that were unintentional puns. The show aired on USA Network from July 27, 1994 to December 23, 1994, with reruns continuing until October 13, 1995 and was produced by Stone Stanley Entertainment. Ron Maestri hosted.
The $128,000 Question is an American game show which aired from 1976–1978 in weekly syndication. This revival of The $64,000 Question was produced by Cinelar Associates and distributed by Viacom Enterprises.
Temptation: The New Sale of the Century is an American syndicated television game show loosely based on both the original Australian and American Sale of the Century versions, plus the 2005 Australian version, also titled Temptation. The show began airing in syndication on September 10, 2007, with the last first-run episode airing on May 23, 2008. Reruns continued until September 5, 2008.
BrainSurge is an American children's game show that aired on Nickelodeon and was hosted by Jeff Sutphen. The show taped its first season in February 2009, and debuted on September 28, 2009. The show's format was adapted from the Tokyo Broadcasting System game show Brain Survivor. The U.S. version was created by Scott A. Stone, creator of kid's game shows Legends of the Hidden Temple, Fun House, Paradise Run, and The Mole, and Clay Newbill, executive producer of The Mole and Shark Tank.
BrainRush is a live-action game show on Cartoon Network, hosted by Lamorne Morris and, to a lesser extent, Sarah Karges. It first aired on June 20, 2009, with its last episode airing on July 22.
Cash Cab is an Australian music trivia game show hosted by James Kerley, except for the third season, where he was replaced by Charlie Pickering. It is part of the global Cash Cab franchise that originated in the United Kingdom. The first two seasons of the series were filmed in Melbourne, with the third being based in Perth and the fourth based in the Gold Coast. The programme airs on the Australian subscription television music channel, Channel V.
Cash Cab is produced by Castlewood Productions and began airing on September 10, 2008 on Discovery Channel (Canada) and Discovery HD. It is hosted by comedian Adam Growe. The game show airs in Canada instead of the American version of the series, which airs on the affiliated US Discovery Channel network. Cash Cab is the English version of the Cash Cab franchise available in Canada; the French version is called Taxi Payant, and airs on V.
Cash Cab airs on Fuji TV, premiering in March 2008. It is hosted by Shinya Ueda and Teppei Arita of Cream Stew; Fuji TV announcer Toshihiro Ito hosted the first 3 episodes. It is filmed in Tokyo, Japan.
Hip Hop Squares is an American television game show originally hosted by New York City radio personality Peter Rosenberg, which debuted on MTV2 on May 22, 2012. The show is a licensed format of CBS Television Distribution's Hollywood Squares featuring mostly rappers. The MTV2 version of the show was taped in Brooklyn, New York. The VH1 version was taped in Hollywood, California.
Tipping Point is a British television game show which began airing on ITV on 2 July 2012, and is presented by Ben Shephard. Four contestants answer general knowledge questions to win counters which they use on a large coin pusher arcade-style machine. Only the winner at the end has a chance to take home any money; the others leave with nothing except any non-cash prizes they may have won during the game.
Idiotest is an American television game show broadcast by Game Show Network (GSN). Hosted by Ben Gleib, the series features contestants in teams of two competing to answer brain teaser and puzzle questions. The winning team advances to a bonus round for an opportunity to increase their winnings to $10,000. The series was announced at GSN's upfront presentation in March 2014, and the first episode premiered on August 12 of that year. In December 2018, the first season became available to watch on Netflix.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
