Format
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In the original Dutch version, 100 contestants compete over the course of an entire season, standing in separate spaces of a 10x10 LED grid displayed on the studio floor. Each contestant has a nominated specialist subject. One contestant is chosen at random and shown the topics for all adjacent opponents. The contestant chooses one opponent to play against, and the two step out of the grid to participate in a duel on the opponent’s topic.
In the duel, the contestants are given separate 45-second clocks, with only one running at any given time. The contestant is shown a text prompt or a picture of something associated with the challenged opponent's topic and must identify it. Multiple guesses are allowed, and the contestant must give a correct answer in order to stop their own clock and turn the next question over to the opponent whose clock then starts. Contestants may pass on a picture if desired, but incur a three-second penalty before the next one is shown to them.
The first contestant whose clock runs out is eliminated from the game with no winnings, and the victorious opponent claims all territory held by that person in addition to their own. Their allocated topic is now whichever topic was not played in the duel. They may then either challenge another adjacent opponent with a duel on that opponent’s topic, or return to the floor; in the latter case, a new contestant is chosen at random.
At the end of each episode, the contestant who has claimed the most territory wins a cash prize. The last contestant standing at the end of the season takes the entire floor and wins the grand prize.
The American version featured 81 contestants on a 9x9 floor grid in its first season, an episode prize of $20,000, and a grand prize of $250,000 for the season winner. Players who have already duelled are excluded from the random selection. Season 2 featured 100 contestants on a 10x10 floor grid, and added a 5-second time bonus for any contestant winning 3 duels in a row. Season 2 featured a best of 3 match for the final duel, allowing all assigned topics to play.
