Trivial Pursuit (U.S. game show)

Last updated
Trivial Pursuit
Genre Game Show
Developed byBill Hillier
Wink Martindale
Peter R. Berlin
Rob Fiedler
Directed byRob Fiedler
Presented by Wink Martindale
Narrated by Randy West
Country of originUnited States
No. of episodes130 [1]
Production
Executive producer(s)Bill Hillier
Wink Martindale
Producer(s)Peter R. Berlin
Rob Fiedler
Release
Original network The Family Channel
Original releaseJune 7, 1993 (1993-06-07) –
December 30, 1994 (1994-12-30)
Chronology
Related shows Trivial Pursuit (UK version)

Trivial Pursuit is an American game show that ran on The Family Channel from June 7, 1993 to December 30, 1994. Loosely based on the board game of the same name, it was hosted by Wink Martindale with Randy West announcing.

Freeform is an American pay television channel that is owned by the Walt Disney Television division of The Walt Disney Company. Freeform primarily broadcasts programming geared toward teenagers and young adults – with some programming skewing toward young women – in the 14–34 age range, a target demographic designated by the channel as "becomers". Its programming includes contemporary off-network syndicated reruns and original series, feature films, and made-for-TV original movies.

<i>Trivial Pursuit</i> board game

Trivial Pursuit is a board game from Canada in which winning is determined by a player's ability to answer general knowledge and popular culture questions.

Wink Martindale American DJ and host

Winston Conrad "Wink" Martindale is an American disc jockey, radio personality, game show host, and television producer. In his six-decade career, he is best known for hosting Tic-Tac-Dough from 1978 to 1985, Gambit from 1972 to 1976, High Rollers from 1987 to 1988, and Debt from 1996 to 1998.

Contents

Format

The show was played in two halves. The first half was an interactive game show, while the other half was a traditional game show.

Interactive Game

Nine players (originally twelve) competed for three spots in the second half of the show.

Round One

Five questions with four multiple-choice answers were asked by the host. The players had 10 seconds to answer by pressing a number from 1-4 on a keypad in front of them. They scored points based on how fast they answered the question correctly, with a maximum of 1,000 points available. After five questions, the six players with the highest scores played round two and the other players were eliminated.

Round Two

This round was played in the same way as Round 1, except the three highest-scoring players won a prize and a chance to play Trivial Pursuit in the next half-hour show.

Classic Game

Main Game

As in the board game, three contestants raced to complete their game pie first by answering questions from categories that match the colored wedge. Unlike the board game, however, it took two questions to complete a wedge, and no board or die was used. Red replaced the brown-colored wedge.

In the first three rounds, each player received two turns consisting of a category choice followed by a question posed by host Martindale. A correct answer lit up a wedge but an incorrect answer gave the two opponents a chance to buzz-in and steal the wedge.

Round One

In the first round, the six traditional Trivial Pursuit categories were used.

Geography
Entertainment
History
Art & Literature
Science & Nature
Sports & Leisure
Round Two

This round used either the categories from the Movie Edition or Television Edition.

MoviesTelevision
SettingsClassics
TitlesSitcoms
Off ScreenDrama
On ScreenKids & Games
ProductionStars
PortrayalsWild Card

In the second half of Round 2, a new set of categories were played. (In early episodes, the questions related to a certain year in history.) The category sets used were different each show, and were borrowed from multiple versions of the board game.

PersonalitiesPeople & PlacesPersonalitiesPeople & PlacesWorld of PlacesProducts & Progress
EntertainmentEntertainmentEntertainmentGood TimesWorld of MusicSports & Leisure
In the NewsHistoryHeadlinesScience & TechnologyWorld of PeopleHistory
Around the WorldScience & NatureMusicArt & CultureWorld of FantasyPersonalities
Sports & LeisureSports & LeisureSports & LeisureNatural WorldWorld of ScienceEntertainment
Wild CardWild CardWild CardGames & HobbiesWorld of LeisureWild Card

Round 2 included three special questions known as "Bonus Questions". When chosen, the player who answered an audio or video question correctly had an opportunity to answer a follow-up question which awarded the player $100 and another half-wedge in the color of their choice with a correct answer.

Round Three

Round three again used the traditional basic categories as in Round 1, but the round was played in a different manner. The round started with a toss-up question, and the first player to buzz-in and answer correctly controlled the round. The player in control kept choosing categories and answering questions until he/she either filled his or her pie (thereby winning the game), or missed a question, at which point the other two players could buzz-in and steal control and the wedge. If nobody answered the question another toss-up was played. The first player to completely light up the entire pie (or the player with the most lit wedges when time ran out) won the game, $500, an additional prize, and played the bonus round.

Challenge Round

The winning player had 45 seconds to answer six questions (again from the six basic categories) in order to fill up a pie shown on a monitor. Each correct answer lit a color in the pie. A wrong answer or a pass automatically moved to the next category. After the first six questions the player went back to questions from the categories missed as time permitted. The winning player received $100 for each wedge lit and if they lit up all six wedges before the 45 seconds expired, he/she won $1,000 and a trip.

Audience game

If there was extra time at the end of the show, an audience member was called on stage and given the opportunity to answer five multiple-choice questions (much like the "Interactive" portion of the show) worth $20 apiece, for a maximum payoff of $100.

Interactive Components

The show launched a series of "interactive" games called playbreaks, all produced by Martindale and his associates. Originally, ten "Trivial Pursuit" playbreaks were interspersed throughout FAM's game show block. Three of them were during Trivial Pursuit: The Interactive Game and one was during Trivial Pursuit: The Classic Game.

A question would be shown on the screen, along with four choices, and the answer would be revealed 10 seconds later. Home viewers were given an opportunity to call a special 1-900 number ($4.98 per call) and play a "TP: Interactive Game" typed, using a slightly modified scoring system, and players answered by using their touch-tone telephone. The winner of each "playbreak" won a prize and competed on Friday in a playoff game against the other winners for a vacation. The ad would last about 100 seconds, as seen by an on-screen clock (even though the clock read ":99" as it faded in).

On New Year's Day 1994, all of the weekly playoff winners up to that point were given the opportunity to compete in a "Tournament of Champions"-style grand playoff for a new car, which aired in between a Trivial Pursuit marathon FAM was running that day.

New Years Day Holiday

New Year's Day, also simply called New Year or New Year's, is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar.

Trivial Pursuit proved popular in its initial airing during the summer of 1993, as The Family Channel's ratings vastly increased during the 12:30-1:00 pm time slot. MTM Entertainment, an independent distribution company owned by the network's parent organization, International Family Entertainment, planned to syndicate a new version of the show to local stations for the 1994-1995 season. The plan was to produce 130 new episodes and air them along with the 130 episodes already taped for The Family Channel. [2] However, efforts to interest local stations were largely unsuccessful, and the syndicated version never materialized.

Other interactive games aired on the network – a board-game adaptation of Boggle , the list-oriented Shuffle , and an adaptation of the newspaper game Jumble . Trivial Pursuit: The Interactive Game was cancelled on March 4, 1994 [3] to make way for Boggle and Shuffle, only to return on September 7 [4] and be cancelled again on December 30, [5] along with the entire interactive game block. However, reruns of Trivial Pursuit: The Classic Game continued with no interactive playbreaks until July 21, 1995.

Boggle is an American game show that was broadcast on The Family Channel from March 7 to November 18, 1994. It was based on the board game of the same name. Wink Martindale was the host, and Randy West was the announcer.

Shuffle is an American game show that aired on The Family Channel. It ran from March 7 to June 10, 1994. Wink Martindale hosted, and Randy West announced.

Jumble is an American game show that was broadcast on The Family Channel, running from June 13 to September 2 and from November 21 to December 30, 1994. It is hosted by Wink Martindale, while Randy West as the announcer.

Home game

A home version of the game was released by Parker Brothers in 1993 as Trivial Pursuit Game Show. Some question material was taken directly from the show, and the box cover featured Martindale on the slightly different set of the show's 1993 pilot (which was intended for syndication; producer Jay Wolpert also produced at least one pilot in 1987 with Worldvision Enterprises that was not picked up; Martindale posted both pilots to his YouTube channel in 2014). This was the second home version that was based on a board game itself, the first was TV Scrabble by Selchow & Righter in 1987 and then Celebrity Name Game (based on the board game Identity Crisis) by PlayMonster (formerly Patch) in 2016.

Parker Brothers American toy and game manufacturer

Parker Brothers was an American toy and game manufacturer which later became a brand of Hasbro. More than 1,800 games were published under the Parker Brothers name since 1883. Among its products were Monopoly, Cluedo, Sorry!, Risk, Trivial Pursuit, Ouija, Aggravation, Bop It, and Probe. The trade name became defunct with former products being marketed under the "Hasbro Gaming" label. However, in 2017, Hasbro revived the brand with the release of several new games which bear similarities with those of some of its previous better well known products.

Jay Wolpert is an American television producer and screenwriter.

Worldvision Enterprises American television program distributor

Worldvision Enterprises, Inc. was a television program and home video distributor established in 1954 as ABC Film Syndication, the domestic and overseas program distribution arm of the ABC Television Network. They primarily licensed programs from independent producers, rather than producing their own content.

See also

Board game game that involves counters or pieces moved or placed on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules

A board game is a tabletop game that involves counters or pieces moved or placed on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Some games are based on pure strategy, but many contain an element of chance; and some are purely chance, with no element of skill.

Game show Type of television or radio program where contestants compete for prizes

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.

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<i>Make the Grade</i> American television series

Make the Grade is a children's game show that aired from October 2, 1989 through December 29, 1991 on Nickelodeon.

Time Machine is an American game show where contestants compete to answer trivia questions about popular culture and recent history to win prizes. The show aired on NBC from January 7 through April 26, 1985, and was hosted by John Davidson. Charlie Tuna was the announcer, with Rich Jeffries as his substitute. Reg Grundy Productions produced the series, and upon its premiere Time Machine was one of three Grundy series airing on NBC.

<i>Debt</i> (game show) US television program

Debt was an American game show hosted by Wink Martindale which aired on Lifetime from June 3, 1996 to August 14, 1998. The show featured contestants who were trying to earn money to get out of debt.

<i>Bumper Stumpers</i> television series

Bumper Stumpers is a Canadian game show in which two teams of two players attempted to decipher vanity license plates in an attempt to win money. The show was a joint production of Canada's Global Television Network and the United States' USA Network, the two networks that aired the series in first run, in association with Barry & Enright Productions and Wink Martindale Enterprises. This was one of three original series that USA and Global co-produced in the 1980s, with a 1985 revival of Jackpot and 1986's The New Chain Reaction preceding it.

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Free 4 All is an American game show that aired on USA Network from June 27 to November 4, 1994. The show was hosted by Mark L. Walberg, who to that point had been better known as an announcer, and was a production of Stone Stanley Entertainment.

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TriBond is a board game that has sold over 3 million copies in 14 countries since its release in 1990. It requires players to determine a common bond between three subjects. It follows in the tradition of Trivial Pursuit, Outburst and other adult boardgames that require a wide range of knowledge but TriBond requires some problem solving ability as well.

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<i>Trivial Pursuit: America Plays</i> television series

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On the Spot was an American game show produced by and broadcast on KGW-TV in Portland, Oregon as a daily series from September 1984 to October 1988. Newscaster Larry Blackmar was host, while local disc-jockey Michael Bailey announced.

References

  1. ↑ Freeman, Mike (October 11, 1993). "Tackling Talk With Trivia" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable: 34. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  2. ↑ Freeman, Mike (October 11, 1993). "Tackling Talk With Trivia" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable: 34. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  3. ↑ The Intelligencer - March 4, 1994
  4. ↑ The Intelligencer - September 7, 1994
  5. ↑ The Intelligencer - December 30, 1994
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