Cash Cab (U.S. game show)
Encyclopedia
Cash Cab is an American game show
that began airing on the Discovery Channel
on December 5, 2005. The program is hosted by stand-up comedian Ben Bailey
. While Bailey's show takes place in New York City
, some episodes of Season 6 take place in Las Vegas
. Contestants who ultimately hail the Cash Cab are not made aware that they are part of the game until they hire the cab and Bailey informs them of the show and its rules.
In 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 also were more difficult than on the daytime version.
Bailey has been nominated three times for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host
, winning his first award in 2010. Cash Cab won the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Game Show
in 2008, 2009 and 2010.
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 3, 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!"
, 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. 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 will be taped and set to air in 2010 and 2011.
The sixth season premiered on February 14, 2011 at 6:00pm E/P. It was followed by a new spin-off series, Cash Cab: Chicago, hosted by comedian Beth Melewski and using the same rules as its New York counterpart. Reruns air daily on various stations (see below).
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 put 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.
of Wedding Crashers
, NHL
players Jed Ortmeyer
and Ryan Hollweg
of the New York Rangers
and journalist Harry Smith
, formerly of CBS's The Early Show
. All played for a charity of their choice, and Discovery Channel matched the contestants' winnings.
Another episode was a special in which the passengers were asked questions relating to the 2008 film Frost/Nixon
. In this episode the host of Cash Cab: Canada, Adam Growe
, was driving the cab instead of Ben Bailey
.
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 payout, the passengers received a second Street Shout-Out, and all money earned was donated by the passengers to the charities of choice by the passengers.
In the Cash Cab: Las Vegas episodes, 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.
Some contestants are randomly picked as they walk along the sidewalk, while others are selected in advance. Even so, those picked in advance are never actually told that the cab that is supposed to take them to the show turns out to be the show itself.
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.
The Cash Cab in New York is a Toyota Sienna
minivan 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.
Melewski's Cash Cab is also a Toyota Sienna minivan with the Yellow Taxi call sign "4472".
was scheduled to begin distributing reruns of Cash Cab to local stations beginning in fall 2009. Due to a lack of clearances, MGM elected to postpone the distribution until enough stations were signed up. On October 26, 2009, MGM announced that the reruns would begin airing on local stations in January 2011. Stations are allowed the option to air the series as a daily strip or as a weekend series.
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
that began airing on the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
on December 5, 2005. The program is hosted by stand-up comedian Ben Bailey
Ben Bailey
Benjamin Ray "Ben" Bailey is an American comedian, licensed taxi cab driver, and game show host and executive producer for Discovery Channel's Cash Cab in New York City.-Early life:...
. While Bailey's show takes place in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, some episodes of Season 6 take place in Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
. Contestants who ultimately hail the Cash Cab are not made aware that they are part of the game until they hire the cab and Bailey informs them of the show and its rules.
In 2007, Discovery Channel began airing a spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
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 also were more difficult than on the daytime version.
Bailey has been nominated three times for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host
The Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Game Show Host is one of the performance awards awarded annually at the Daytime Emmy Awards ceremony. Game show hosts that host daytime or syndicated game shows are eligible for the award....
, winning his first award in 2010. Cash Cab won the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Game Show
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game/Audience Participation Show
The Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Game/Audience Participation Show is one of the overall awards presented every year at the Daytime Emmy Awards ceremony...
in 2008, 2009 and 2010.
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 3, 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!"
Broadcast history
According to VarietyVariety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
, 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. 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 will be taped and set to air in 2010 and 2011.
The sixth season premiered on February 14, 2011 at 6:00pm E/P. It was followed by a new spin-off series, Cash Cab: Chicago, hosted by comedian Beth Melewski and using the same rules as its New York counterpart. Reruns air daily on various stations (see below).
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 play 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 put 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 in a normal game or an After Dark game - or at least $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. 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 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 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.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 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 $200 and the rest until the end of the game are worth $400. The "Red Light Challenge" is worth $500.Record payouts
Sam Meyer holds the current record of $6,200 (on a Double Ride, taking and winning the Double-or-Nothing) on the episode that aired May 18, 2009.Special editions
One episode of the program was a special celebrity edition, featuring actor Vince VaughnVince Vaughn
Vincent Anthony "Vince" Vaughn is an American film actor, screenwriter, producer and comedian. He began acting in the late 1980s, appearing in minor television roles before attaining wider recognition with the 1996 movie Swingers...
of Wedding Crashers
Wedding Crashers
Wedding Crashers is a 2005 American comedy film directed by David Dobkin. It stars Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn, with Christopher Walken, Rachel McAdams, Isla Fisher, Bradley Cooper, Diora Baird, Jane Seymour, and an uncredited Will Ferrell....
, NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
players Jed Ortmeyer
Jed Ortmeyer
Jed Ortmeyer is an American professional ice hockey right winger who is currently playing with the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League...
and Ryan Hollweg
Ryan Hollweg
Ryan Alexander Hollweg is a professional ice hockey forward currently playing in the Phoenix Coyotes organization.-Playing career:...
of the New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
and journalist Harry Smith
Harry Smith
Harry Smith may refer to:* Sir Harry Smith, 1st Baronet , British soldier* Harry Smith , British politician in Falkirk Burghs* Harry Smith , Canadian* Harry B...
, formerly of CBS's The Early Show
The Early Show
The Early Show is an American television morning news talk show broadcast by CBS from New York City. The program airs live from 7 to 9 a.m. Eastern Time Monday through Friday; most affiliates in the Central, Mountain, and Pacific time zones air the show on tape-delay from 7 to 9 a.m. local time. ...
. All played for a charity of their choice, and Discovery Channel matched the contestants' winnings.
Another episode was a special in which the passengers were asked questions relating to the 2008 film Frost/Nixon
Frost/Nixon (film)
Frost/Nixon is a 2008 historical drama film based on the 2006 play by Peter Morgan which dramatizes the Frost/Nixon interviews of 1977. The film was directed by Ron Howard and produced for Universal Pictures by Howard, Brian Grazer of Imagine Entertainment and Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner of Working...
. In this episode the host of Cash Cab: Canada, Adam Growe
Adam Growe
Adam Growe , is a Canadian comedian, licensed Toronto cab driver, and the host of the Canadian version of Cash Cab.Born in New York, but raised in Vancouver, he has been performing professionally on radio, television and stage for almost 20 years. Once a full-time Morning DJ, Growe has since...
, was driving the cab instead of Ben Bailey
Ben Bailey
Benjamin Ray "Ben" Bailey is an American comedian, licensed taxi cab driver, and game show host and executive producer for Discovery Channel's Cash Cab in New York City.-Early life:...
.
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
Deadliest Catch
Deadliest Catch is a documentary/reality television series produced by Original Productions for the Discovery Channel. It portrays the real life events aboard fishing vessels in the Bering Sea during the Alaskan king crab and C. opilio crab fishing seasons.The Aleutian Islands port of Dutch Harbor,...
. Time Bandit
FV Time Bandit
The F/V Time Bandit is a commercial crab fishing vessel co-captained by brothers Johnathan and Andy Hillstrand. It is featured on the Discovery Channel series Deadliest Catch. The Time Bandit is a 113-foot house aft boat owned by the Hillstrand brothers that was designed by the Hillstrands' father...
co-captain Andy Hillstrand and Josh Harris, son of Cornelia Marie
FV Cornelia Marie
The F/V Cornelia Marie is one of the commercial crab fishing boats featured on the Discovery Channel series Deadliest Catch.The boat is owned by Cornelia Marie Devlin and prior to his death, Phil Harris . Two of Phil's sons, Jake and Josh Harris, work on the boat as well...
captain Phil Harris
Phil Harris (fisherman)
Phillip Charles "Phil" Harris was an American captain and part owner of the crab fishing vessel Cornelia Marie, which is featured on Discovery Channel's documentary reality TV series Deadliest Catch. He suffered a massive stroke while offloading C. opilio crab in port at Saint Paul Island, Alaska,...
, went against Sig Hansen
Sig Hansen
Sigurd Jonny "Sig" Hansen is an American Captain of the fishing vessel Northwestern. Since 2006, Hansen has been featured in all seasons of the documentary television series Deadliest Catch, for which he also serves as technical advisor for the production.-Early life:Sigurd Jonny Hansen was born...
(captain of the Northwestern
FV Northwestern
F/V Northwestern is an Alaskan crab, Pacific cod, and salmon tendering fishing vessel notable for being featured in the Discovery Channel series Deadliest Catch...
) and his two brothers. All cash values were doubled from the Season 3 payout, the passengers received a second Street Shout-Out, and all money earned was donated by the passengers to the charities of choice by the passengers.
In the Cash Cab: Las Vegas episodes, celebrities play for charity and civilians play for themselves. Guests have included Mayor of Las Vegas, Oscar Goodman
Oscar Goodman
Oscar Baylin Goodman is an American lawyer and politician. He was the mayor of Las Vegas, Nevada from 1999 to 2011. Mayor Goodman is an Independent and a former member of the Democratic Party.-Biography:...
, comedian David Brenner
David Brenner
David Brenner is an American standup comedian, actor, author, and filmmaker.-Career:Born and raised in poor areas of Philadelphia, Brenner found comedy a major source of relief from the daily trials and tribulations he faced in his youth. His neighborhood has been one of the top-ranked crime...
, the band Neon Trees
Neon Trees
Neon Trees is an American alternative rock band from Provo, Utah, with origins in Murrieta, California. The band received nationwide exposure in late 2008 when they opened several North American tour dates for the rock band The Killers. Not long after, the band was signed by Mercury Records and...
and magicians Penn & Teller
Penn & Teller
Penn & Teller are Las Vegas headliners whose act is an amalgam of illusion and comedy. Penn Jillette is a raconteur; Teller generally uses mime while performing, although his voice can occasionally be heard during their performance...
. 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.
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 Bailey. 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.Some contestants are randomly picked as they walk along the sidewalk, while others are selected in advance. Even so, those picked in advance are never actually told that the cab that is supposed to take them to the show turns out to be the show itself.
Near the end of the game at the player's destination Ben Bailey
Ben Bailey
Benjamin Ray "Ben" Bailey is an American comedian, licensed taxi cab driver, and game show host and executive producer for Discovery Channel's Cash Cab in New York City.-Early life:...
or Beth Melewski appears to present the cash
Cash
In common language cash refers to money in the physical form of currency, such as banknotes and coins.In bookkeeping and finance, cash refers to current assets comprising currency or currency equivalents that can be accessed immediately or near-immediately...
won. In reality, this cash is a prop
Theatrical property
A theatrical property, commonly referred to as a prop, is an object used on stage by actors to further the plot or story line of a theatrical production. Smaller props are referred to as "hand props". Larger props may also be set decoration, such as a chair or table. The difference between a set...
and used for on-air purposes only. The winnings, which must be taxed, are sent via check.
The Cash Cab in New York is a Toyota Sienna
Toyota Sienna
The Toyota Sienna is a family minivan currently manufactured by Toyota at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana in Princeton, Indiana, United States for the North American market. It replaced the first-generation Previa van in 1997 with a more conventional front wheel drive layout and shares a heavily...
minivan with the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission
Taxicabs of New York City
The taxicabs of New York City, with their distinctive yellow paint, are a widely recognized icon of the city. Taxicabs are operated by private companies and licensed by the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission. The Commission is a New York City government agency that is best known for its...
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.
Melewski's Cash Cab is also a Toyota Sienna minivan with the Yellow Taxi call sign "4472".
Broadcast
In the United States, Cash Cab episodes typically air on the Discovery Channel at 10:00am and 5:00pm to 7:00pm Eastern time on weekdays. Reruns are currently airing on OWN as well as in syndication.Syndication
MGM TelevisionMGM Television
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television is an American television production/distribution launched in 1955 and a subsidiary of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc....
was scheduled to begin distributing reruns of Cash Cab to local stations beginning in fall 2009. Due to a lack of clearances, MGM elected to postpone the distribution until enough stations were signed up. On October 26, 2009, MGM announced that the reruns would begin airing on local stations in January 2011. Stations are allowed the option to air the series as a daily strip or as a weekend series.