The Krypton Factor (U.S. game show)

The Krypton Factor
Presented by	Dick Clark (ABC); Willie Aames (syndication)
Narrated by	John Harlan (ABC); Laura Cody (syndication)
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
Production
Running time	22 minutes
Production company(s)	MCA Television Enterprises ; Alan Landsburg Productions (ABC); Kushner-Locke Productions; Western International (syndication)
Release
Original network	ABC (1981); Syndication (1990–91)
Original release	August 7–September 4, 1981 (ABC); September 15, 1990–September 7, 1991 (syndication)

Last updated May 12, 2019

The Krypton Factor is an American game show based on the UK series of the same name. Contestants on the program were tested on their mental ability and physical skill.

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.

<i>The Krypton Factor</i> television series

The Krypton Factor is a British game show produced by Granada Television for broadcast on ITV. The show originally ran from 7 September 1977 to 20 November 1995, and was hosted by Gordon Burns and usually broadcast on the ITV network on Mondays at 7pm.

The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American commercial broadcast television network that is a flagship property of Walt Disney Television, a subsidiary of the Disney Media Networks division of The Walt Disney Company. The network is headquartered in Burbank, California on Riverside Drive, directly across the street from Walt Disney Studios and adjacent to the Roy E. Disney Animation Building, But the network's second corporate headquarters and News headquarters remains in New York City, New York at their broadcast center on 77 West 66th Street in Lincoln Square in Upper West Side Manhattan.

The original Krypton Factor was produced by Alan Landsburg Productions in association with MCA Television Enterprises and was hosted by Dick Clark. The revival was produced by Kushner-Locke Productions and distributed by Western International, with Willie Aames hosting.

Alan Landsburg Productions was an independent TV production company founded by Alan Landsburg in 1971. The company had produced In Search of... and That's Incredible!, two early examples of reality television decades before it became a confirmed genre. The company also found success in television movies, and scripted shows. They made a few theatrical movies as well, most notably Jaws 3-D (1983).

NBCUniversal Television Distribution (NUTD) is the television distribution arm of the NBCUniversal Television Group in the United States, and is a subsidiary of Comcast. Its predecessors include NBC Enterprises, Universal Domestic Television, MCA TV, Avco Embassy Television, Multimedia Entertainment, PolyGram Television, and Studios USA Television.

Richard Wagstaff Clark was an American radio and television personality, television producer and film actor, as well as a cultural icon who remains best known for hosting American Bandstand from 1957 to 1988. He also hosted the game show Pyramid and Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve, which transmitted Times Square's New Year's Eve celebrations. Clark was well known for his trademark sign-off, "For now, Dick Clark — so long!", accompanied by a facsimile of a military salute.

Gameplay

1981

Sixteen contestants competed in this five-week series, with four contestants competing in each of the first four matches and the winners of those four matches returning for the Krypton Final at the end of the series. In this adaptation, a player's score was called their "Krypton Factor," as was the case on the original UK version.

Phase I—Reflex Speed

Each player took turns playing a video game challenge where either a certain score had to be achieved within a certain time limit or the player had to stay in play for a certain amount of time. Each successful player scored five points. The games used in this round were adaptations of early Atari 2600 cartridges, such as Dodge 'Em , Outlaw , and Space Invaders ; each episode featured a different game challenge.

The Atari 2600, originally sold as the Atari Video Computer System or Atari VCS until November 1982, is a home video game console from Atari, Inc. Released on September 11, 1977, it is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and games contained on ROM cartridges, a format first used with the Fairchild Channel F in 1976. This contrasts with the older model of having dedicated hardware that could play only those games that were physically built into the unit. The 2600 was bundled with two joystick controllers, a conjoined pair of paddle controllers, and a game cartridge: initially Combat, and later Pac-Man.

Dodge 'Em is a 1980 Atari 2600 driving game based on a single screen of four concentric roadways, the same as in Sega's Head On (1979). The game was programmed by Carla Meninsky.

Outlaw is a single-player arcade game by Atari Inc., originally released in 1976. It simulates an Old West fast draw duel between the player and the computer. Outlaw was a response to Gun Fight, released by Midway in North America the year before.

Phase II—Mental Agility

In this round, each contestant wore headphones so only they could hear their questions. Each player in-turn was given two mental agility tests, each of which required them to mentally manipulate a series of letters, numbers, or words in a specific way. For example, a player could be asked to repeat a list of names in the reverse order they were read, or be asked to provide the end result of a long series of arithmetic operations. Only the home viewers can see the answers, while the audience in the studio can't and must remain silent, according to Clark. The first sequence, consisting of five items, was worth four points, and the second sequence, containing six items, was worth six points. If anytime any player made a mistake, they had to sit out the rest of the round. A possible total of ten points can be earned in this phase.

Arithmetic is a branch of mathematics that consists of the study of numbers, especially the properties of the traditional operations on them—addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Arithmetic is an elementary part of number theory, and number theory is considered to be one of the top-level divisions of modern mathematics, along with algebra, geometry, and analysis. The terms arithmetic and higher arithmetic were used until the beginning of the 20th century as synonyms for number theory and are sometimes still used to refer to a wider part of number theory.

Phase III—Physical Ability

This round featured an obstacle course run that was pretaped in advance. Unlike the UK version, the course was designed to be fair to both men and women, so neither sex or age received a head start. The race began with a death slide into an inflatable mat, then players had to cross a pontoon bridge, crawl through tubes, drive a motor vehicle, ride a swing in order to kick down a door, and complete the course by walking in an inflatable wheel. The contestants earned points according to how they finished.

In positioning, a 'head start" is a start in advance of the starting position of others in competition, or simply toward the finish line or desired outcome. Depending on the situation, a head start may be inherent, obtained by special privilege, earned through one's accomplishments, or granted mercifully by an opponent.

Scoring was as follows:
- 1st Place: 20 points
- 2nd Place: 15 points
- 3rd Place: 10 points
- 4th Place: 5 points

Phase IV—Observation

In the fourth round, the players were tested on memory. They were shown a scene from a current motion picture, and each player was asked a four-point question pertaining to visual or verbal detail with two possible answers and a six-point question requiring them to recall specific dialogue. Then all players were shown a lineup of six similar-looking actors, one of whom had a key part in the film clip. Each player separately locked in their guess as to the correct actor, and each player who identified the correct actor earned ten points. A possible total of 20 points can be earned in this phase.

Phase V—General Knowledge

In the final round, the contestants were asked a series of general knowledge toss-up questions in which each correct answer would usually segue to the next question. Players did not have to wait until the question was fully read to jump in, but only the first player to do so got to answer. Each correct answer was worth two points, but each incorrect answer was worth minus two points, with the values doubling to +/-4 points midway through the round.

The player with the most points at the end of the competition won $5,000, plus an invitation to the final week to compete against the other weekly winners for $50,000. The show advertised that the prize would be in gold, but the series winner was given the option of taking the $50,000 prize in gold or in cash, and chose the cash. The series' winner was Joey Helman, an attorney from Los Angeles. He and the first runner-up, Joel Lewin, a physical fitness consultant from San Leandro, California, competed on The Krypton Factor International, a special edition of the original British version airing December 30, 1981, against the 1981 UK champion, John McAllister, and first runner-up, Peter Rimmer. This special was to be filmed on the U.S. set, but instead filmed on the original Manchester set since the U.S. set had been torn down. Rimmer won the International special.

1990

When the show returned, it stayed the same except there were four rounds and the contestants were now teenagers. Two girls and two boys competed in each episode. This was similar to the British spin-off Young Krypton.

Round 1—Intelligence

Each player in was shown a picture pertaining to a specific category, and had ten seconds to identify the subject of the picture for ten points. Afterward, three toss-up questions were asked pertaining to the set of four pictures, and all players used the buttons on their chairs to buzz in, but only the first player to do so could answer. A correct answer was worth five points, but an incorrect answer cost a player two points. Two sets of pictures were played in this manner.

Round 2—Observation

This round was played like round four in the original version; for this was where players were tested on memory. For they were shown a scene from a public domain film or cartoon, and they were asked two questions about it, which could be either visual or verbal information, in turn in reverse order. Each correct answer was worth 10 points. There was also a bonus round in which the players were directed to the Krypton Cart, which concealed an object seen or mentioned in the film. The players were given five clues to its identity, and had to jump in to answer. A correct answer was worth 10 points but each player could only jump in once during the bonus round.

Round 3—Physical Ability

Like in the ABC version, this round featured an obstacle course run that was pretaped in advance. This course took place in Palos Verdes and began with a death slide, followed by a bicycle race, and ended with the Krypton Pavilion, a series of skill and agility tests. Scoring remained the same as the original version.

In most cases, only the first-place finisher was seen crossing the finish line.

Final Round—General Knowledge

The final round was played like the original: the contestants were asked a series of general knowledge questions, with each answer leading to the next question, except the round now lasted for two minutes (2:00) and most questions were multiple-choice. Also, the contestants played on a podium in the center of the stage instead of with the buzzers on their chairs. Each correct answer was worth five points, but each incorrect answer lost two points.

The player with the most points at the end of the game won prizes, and the eight highest scoring members of each sex advanced to the four quarterfinals at the end of the season, from which the four highest-scoring members of each sex advanced to the two semifinals. The highest-scoring girl and boy in each of those episodes competed in the finals, the winner of which received $20,000 in cash.

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References

Encyclopedia of Television Game Shows 1st ed. - Fred Wostbrock, Steve Ryan, David Schwartz

External links

TV WEEKEND, The New York Times, August 7, 1981
The Krypton Factor on IMDb

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