Identity (game show)

Last updated

Identity
IdentityLogo.jpg
Created byTim Puntillo
Developed byReveille Productions
Presented by Penn Jillette
Narrated by Joe Cipriano
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes12
Production
Executive producers Ben Silverman
H.T. Owens
Andrew Golder
Tim Puntillo
Camera setup Multi-camera
Running time60 minutes
Production companiesA Golder Productions
Valencia Productions Incorporated
Reveille Productions
Original release
Network NBC
Release
  • December 18, 2006 (2006-12-18) – April 27, 2007 (2007-04-27)

Identity is an American game show, created by Tim Puntillo, and produced by Reveille Productions for NBC. Hosted by magician Penn Jillette (of Penn & Teller), with narrations by Joe Cipriano, the format focuses on contestants working out which facts are linked to one of 12 strangers in each episodes, through visual observations and deductions, with correct matches increasing the prize money they can walk away   up to a jackpot of $500,000 for matching all identities. Contestants have access to lifelines, denoted as "helps", which can assist at times, and may also ask questions to some of the strangers at various points during the game show.

Contents

Identity ran for only one season, beginning strongly with its premiere on December 18, 2006, before ratings declined over the course of its broadcast until its final episode on April 27, 2007. Despite plans to air a second season, NBC chose not to commission further episodes, though the format was later leased to other countries including France, Russia and the United Kingdom.

Format

In each episode, a contestant is introduced to 12 different strangers each standing on number podiums, before being given a list of 12 "identities"   each is a fact pertaining to each stranger, regarding elements such as occupations, hobbies, height or weight, age, and so forth, some of which can allude to multiple strangers. The contestants task is to try to deduce which stranger corresponds to each fact, sometimes through visual observations, and at certain points, through asking questions about the stranger's background. The strangers may provide their first name, either at the beginning or during the course of the episode, and are often dressed in misleading outfits to disguise their identity. During the course of the game show, contestants can sometimes be aided with opinions from close friends and family members attending their participation.

If a contestant decides to link a fact to a stranger, they must "seal the identity" with their own podium, to which the host Jillette will then ask that stranger if this is their identity. A correct match will increase the prize money the contestant earns, as listed in the table below:

Correct matchesAmount won
1$1,000
2$5,000
3$10,000
4$15,000
5$25,000
6$50,000
7$75,000
8$100,000
9$150,000
10$250,000
11 (and 12)$500,000

At any point during the game, the contestant may choose to quit the game with the winnings won up to that point. However, while the contestant can make one mistake with an identity (dubbed the "Mistaken Identity" help, which may not be used once the contestant reaches $250,000 with two identities remaining), a second mistake will lose them the game and leave them with nothing. At times, the contestant can rely on two lifelines (denoted as "helps") to aid them:

Other helps

In addition to the three explained helps, there are several other points of assistance offered to the contestant:

Identities and strangers

The 12 strangers stand on individually numbered podiums and are referred to mainly by number, though names are often revealed in the progress of the show.

Usually at least one identity is made blatantly obvious from physical appearance alone (blatant examples include a "Sumo wrestler" in fighting garb, and a "George W. Bush impersonator"). Celebrity strangers may be easily recognizable by the contestant or the contestant's friends (once they are allowed to help). There were no intentionally misleading costumes (e.g., a physicist dressed as a sumo wrestler when both "physicist" and "sumo wrestler" were possible identities), although strangers often break stereotypes (e.g., a female prison guard, a goateed, long-haired nuclear physicist wearing a leather jacket, or a preschool teacher dressed in a bikini). There was even a missionary wearing a bikini in one episode.

Strangers have confirmed their identities in a variety of ways; musicians, for example, have been handed instruments and asked to play if they can (similarly, opera singer Jennifer Wallace revealed her identity by holding a very high note). Some "skill" identities have been confirmed by demonstration; for example, a go-go dancer danced on stage. Sometimes strangers perform from their podiums, while others are brought to the front of the main stage. Other strangers confirm their identities with a remark which pertains to their identity. An NFL player hesitated and then signaled "It's good" with his hands signaling a field goal, while a mall Santa laughed "ho ho ho". Most follow their comment up with "Yes, I am [the identity]" (though the audience reaction often masks this), and some strangers say only that.

In cases where the stranger is prepared to demonstrate his or her identity, but the contestant selects the wrong stranger for that identity, the mistaken stranger will be asked to try to demonstrate that identity, only to refuse at the last moment and confirm he is not that identity. Strangers that were prepared to demonstrate their identity but were not given the opportunity (the player loses or quits the game) may be asked to demonstrate this when the full answers are revealed to the player.

Interactive game

During the program's broadcast in December 2006, Identity was accompanied by an interactive game, in a similar arrangement to other NBC game shows such as Deal or No Deal and 1 vs. 100 . Designed as an at-home game open to residents of the continental United States called "The Identity Challenge", players who participated were chosen at random and could win won $10,000 by choosing which of five strangers represents a product, or a profession related to the advertised product. [1]

On the first two nights, three of the five were revealed to be incorrect throughout the game, and the answer was revealed before the final commercial break. On the next three, there was no such narrowing; all five strangers remained throughout the show. To encourage viewers to watch television commercials during the show, the correct answer to the "Identity Challenge" question was revealed during a related commercial within the first 20 minutes of the show. [1] The interactive feature was later dropped before the program's sixth episode on March 16, 2007.

Ratings and episode air dates

Episode numberAir date Rating Share18–49Total Viewers
1December 18, 20067.6124.512.1
2December 19, 20065.493.08.4
3December 20, 20065.593.08.5
4December 21, 20066.1113.19.2
5December 22, 20065.092.47.4
6March 16, 20075.8102.98.7
7March 23, 20073.781.85.5
8March 30, 20074.881.66.4
9April 6, 20074.181.75.8
10April 13, 20074.481.96.3
11April 20, 20073.361.44.7
12April 27, 20073.571.55.0

International versions

CountryNameHostChannelPrizeYear aired
Albania Të panjohuritArdit Gjebrea TV Klan 20,000January 10, 2021 – present
Argentina Los desconocidos de siempre Alex Caniggia El Trece AR$2,000,000January 9, 2023 – August 19, 2023
Azerbaijan Kim kimdir?Azer Axsham (2008–2010)
Vusal Murtuzaliyev (2017–2018)
Azad Azerbaijan TV 10,000 2008–2010
2017–2018
Bulgaria Скрита самоличност
Skrita samolichnost
Gerasim Georgiev - Gero NOVA 100,000лв 2024 TBA
Chile IdentityVivi Kreutzberger Mega Cl$50,000,000March 22, 2010
China 猜的就是你Zhang ShaogangGuangxi TVGift pack of family's dreamJanuary 2, 2013
Denmark Identity-hvem er hvem? Thomas Mygind Kanal 5 500,000kr February 14, 2008
Finland Tuntemattomat Jaakko Saariluoma MTV3 €30,000January 11, 2008 – June 12, 2009
France IdentityJean-Luc Reichmann TF1 €150,000February 14, 2009 – June 5, 2010
Georgia ინტუიცია
Intuitsiya
Nika Kavtaradze Imedi TV 20,000 May 13, 2010 – mid-2010s
Greece Tαυτότητα
Taftótita
Miltos Makrides Star Channel €150,0002007
Hong Kong 亮相 Eric Kot TVB HK$200,000May 5, 2008
Italy Soliti ignoti – Identità nascoste
Soliti ignoti – Il ritorno
Fabrizio Frizzi (2007–2012)
Amadeus (2017–present)
Rai 1 €250,000
€500,000 (2017–present)
2007–2012
2017–present
Israel מסדר זיהוי
Misdar Zihui
Shlomo Baraba Channel 10 500,000June 13, 2007
Mexico IdentidadAndrés Bustamante Azteca 13 MX$250,000July 18, 2007
Russia Интуиция
Супер-Интуиция
Intuitsiya
Superintuitsiya
Viktor Loginov TNT 1,000,000 руб.
500,000 руб.
September 7, 2007 – April 27, 2013
Singapore IdentityMuhammad Syamim Mediacorp Channel 5 (2007–2009)
Events TV Plus (2017–present)
S$100,000August 27, 2007 – December 26, 2009
October 19, 2017 – present
South Korea 공통점을 찾아라Suh Kyung-Suk SBS 50,000,000 March 2008
Spain Identity Antonio Garrido La 1 €100,000July 16, 2007 – September 15, 2008
Thailand ใครคือใคร Identity Thailand Kathsepsawad Palakawong na Ayuthaya MCOT Channel 9 (2013–2014)
Workpoint TV (2015–2016)
฿100,000February 7, 2013 – February 13, 2016
Turkey Kimsin Sen?Mustafa Sandal Star TV 150.000 TL February 14, 2010 – 2010s
Ukraine Інтуїція (1–4 season)
Суперінтуїція (5–9 season)
Intuitsiya
Superintuitsiya
Andriy Domanskyi (1–2 season)
Alexander Pedan (3–4 season)
Serhiy Prytula (5–9 season)
Novyi Kanal 50,000 January 8, 2010 – December 30, 2011
August 27, 2015 – May 13, 2020
United Kingdom Identity Donny Osmond BBC Two £10,0002007

Related Research Articles

<i>The Weakest Link</i> (British game show) British television quiz show

The Weakest Link is a British television quiz show, mainly broadcast on BBC Two and BBC One. It was devised by Fintan Coyle and Cathy Dunning and developed for television by the BBC Entertainment Department. The game begins with a team of nine contestants, who take turns answering general knowledge questions within a time limit to create chains of nine correct answers in a row. At the end of each round, the players then vote one contestant, "the weakest link", out of the game. After two players are left, they play in a head-to-head penalty shootout format, with five questions asked to each contestant in turn, to determine the winner.

<i>Hollywood Squares</i> American television game show

Hollywood Squares is an American game show in which two contestants compete in a game of 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penn Jillette</span> American magician and actor (born 1955)

Penn Fraser Jillette is an American magician, actor, musician, inventor, television presenter, and author, best known for his work with fellow magician Teller as half of the team Penn & Teller. The duo has been featured in numerous stage and television shows, such as Penn & Teller: Fool Us and Penn & Teller: Bullshit!, and is currently headlining in Las Vegas at The Rio. Jillette serves as the act's orator and raconteur.

<i>Card Sharks</i> American television game show

Card Sharks is an American television game show. It was created by Chester Feldman for Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions. The game features two contestants who attempt to predict the outcome of survey questions to gain control of a row of oversized playing cards, then determine whether the next card drawn is higher or lower. The title Card Sharks is a play on the term "card sharp", a person skilled at card games.

Concentration is an American television game show based on the children's memory game of the same name. It was created by Jack Barry and Dan Enright. The show featured contestants matching prizes represented by spaces on a game board, which would then reveal portions of a rebus puzzle underneath for the contestants to solve.

<i>You Bet Your Life</i> American radio and television comedy quiz game show

You Bet Your Life is an American comedy quiz series that has aired on both radio and television. The original version was hosted by Groucho Marx of the Marx Brothers, with announcer and assistant George Fenneman. The show debuted on ABC Radio on October 27, 1947, moved to CBS Radio debuting October 5, 1949, and went to NBC-TV and NBC Radio on October 4, 1950. Because of its simple format, it was possible to broadcast the show on both radio and television but not simultaneously. Many of the laughs on the television show were evoked by Groucho's facial reactions and other visual gimmicks; the two versions were slightly different. The last episode in a radio format aired on June 10, 1960. The series continued on television for another year, recording a season on September 22, 1960 with a new title, The Groucho Show.

<i>Jackpot</i> (game show) American game show

Jackpot is an American and Canadian television game show produced by Bob Stewart which saw contestants attempting to solve riddles in order to win cash and prizes.

<i>Think Fast</i> (1989 game show) American TV series or program

Think Fast is an American children's game show which aired on Nickelodeon from May 1, 1989, to March 30, 1990, with reruns airing weekly until June 29, 1991.

<i>Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour</i> Hybrid game show

The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour is an American television panel game show that combined two panel games of the 1960s and 1970s – Match Game and Hollywood Squares – into an hour-long format.

<i>Battlestars</i> (game show) American television series

Battlestars is an American game show that aired on NBC during the 1980s. The program's concept was developed and produced by Merrill Heatter, featuring a six-celebrity panel. The object of the game is to "capture" the celebrities by lighting up numbers positioned around triangle shapes, inside of which sat each panelist. Similar to Hollywood Squares, which Heatter also co-created and produced, the celebrities are asked questions by the host, and the contestants judge the truth of their answers in order to light up the numbers.

<i>All-Star Blitz</i> American television game show

All-Star Blitz is an American game show that aired on ABC from April 8 to December 20, 1985, with reruns airing on the USA Network from March 31 to December 26, 1986. Peter Marshall was the host and John Harlan was the announcer for the series, which was produced by Merrill Heatter Productions, in association with Peter Marshall Enterprises.

<i>Weakest Link</i> (American game show) American television game show

Weakest Link is an American television game show that made its debut in 2001. It is an adaptation of the British television series of the same name.

<i>1 vs. 100</i> (American game show) American game show

1 vs. 100 is an American game show that was broadcast by NBC from 2006 to 2008 and revived on Game Show Network (GSN) with a new series, which ran from 2010 to 2011. Based on the Dutch game show Eén tegen 100, the game features a single player competing against 100 other contestants in a trivia match. The 1 earns prize money depending on how many Mob members they have eliminated from the game, but loses all winnings with an incorrect answer at any point. The host of the original NBC version was Bob Saget, while Carrie Ann Inaba hosted the GSN revival.

Deal or No Deal in New Zealand is the New Zealand version of the international game show format. After Prime TV's success airing the Australian version of Deal or No Deal in New Zealand, a New Zealand produced version launched on TV3 on 6 June 2007. The show is hosted by radio comedian Jeremy Corbett and each show airs for one hour, on a Wednesday night, from 7:30pm to 8:30pm. The 26 cases range in value from $0.10 to $200,000.

<i>Whos Still Standing?</i> American TV series or program

Who's Still Standing? is an American adaptation of the Israeli game show La'uf al HaMillion, or Fly on the Million, which offers contestants the opportunity to win up to US$1 million while competing in head-to-head trivia battles. Ben Bailey, host of the game show Cash Cab, hosted the show which originally ran on NBC from December 19, 2011 to January 30, 2012.

Winning Streak is an American television game show hosted by Bill Cullen and announced by Don Pardo. It aired weekdays on NBC from July 1, 1974 to January 3, 1975 and was produced at the NBC Studios in New York's Rockefeller Plaza.

<i>Ellens Game of Games</i> American TV series or program

Ellen's Game of Games, also known as Game of Games and stylized as ellen's GAME OF GAMES, is an American television game show that aired on NBC. In March 2017, NBC ordered six hour-long episodes of the series. Ellen DeGeneres serves as host, while Stephen "tWitch" Boss appears as announcer/sidekick. The series is based on game segments from DeGeneres' daytime talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show. The series premiered on December 18, 2017. On February 18, 2020, DeGeneres announced on The Ellen DeGeneres Show that the series was renewed for a fourth season, which began airing on October 6, 2020. In January 2022, the series was canceled after four seasons.

<i>Snap Decision</i> American TV series or program

Snap Decision is a half-hour American comedy game show featuring David Alan Grier as the host. The show airs on Game Show Network and is also syndicated on Tornante-Sinclair stations. The game show premiered on August 7, 2017.

Weakest Link is a television game show which first appeared in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 14 August 2000 and originally ended on 31 March 2012 when its host Anne Robinson completed her contract. The original British version of the show is still aired around the world on BBC Entertainment and domestically on Challenge. The game begins with a team of eight or nine contestants who take turns answering general knowledge questions within a time limit to create chains of correct answers in a row. At the end of each round, the players vote one contestant, "The Weakest Link", out of the game. Once two players are left, they play in a head-to-head contest, with five questions asked to each contestant in turn, to determine the winner.

<i>Common Knowledge</i> (game show) American game show

Common Knowledge is an American television game show hosted by Joey Fatone that aired on Game Show Network from January 14, 2019 to August 13, 2021. On April 17, 2019, media reports stated that GSN had renewed the show for a 130-episode second season. On March 25, 2021, GSN renewed the show for a third season, which premiered on May 17, 2021.

References

  1. 1 2 "IDENTITY "Play-at-Home Game" Official Rules". NBC. Retrieved December 21, 2006.