Hollywood Showdown is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 game show

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 aired on both PAX (now Ion Television) and Game Show Network

Game Show Network

The Game Show Network is an American cable television and direct broadcast satellite channel dedicated to game shows and casino game shows. The channel was launched on December 1, 1994. Its current slogan is "The World Needs More Winners"...

 from January to November 2000, then again until April 2002. Reruns aired on GSN again from September 2004 to April 2005 plus June 2006 and June 2007 on TV Guide Network. Todd Newton

Todd Newton

Todd Newton is an entertainment personality and a three-time game show host.Newton has hosted Hollywood Showdown and Whammy! The All-New Press Your Luck, both on Game Show Network; and Coming Attractions on E!, as well as occasional episodes of Wild On... He is known for occasionally wearing a...

 served as host, with Randy West

Randy West

Randy West is an American television personality who is best known for his work on game shows. He has been an announcer on American television game shows since 1990, with credits including Supermarket Sweep, Trivial Pursuit, Hollywood Showdown, and a substitute role on The Price Is Right.West's...

 announcing.

Produced by Sande Stewart, the game was similar to Jackpot!

Jackpot (game show)

Jackpot! is a television game show seen in three different runs between 1974 and 1990. Geoff Edwards hosted the original version of this Bob Stewart production from January 7, 1974 until September 26, 1975 on NBC. A second version, produced in Canada, aired from September 30, 1985 to December 30,...

, whose creator/producer Bob Stewart

Bob Stewart (television)

Bob Stewart is a former American television game show producer. He was active in the TV industry from 1956 until his retirement in 1992....

is Sande's father.

Format

Seven contestants competed for one whole week of shows. One player would be at the podium with host Newton and would pick people from the gallery to challenge. Each had an envelope with a dollar amount in it, and the amount in the envelope would be added to the "Box Office" (equivalent to the "Jackpot" on Jackpot!), which began at $10,000.

The two contestants would then square off in a question round. Newton would read a series of Hollywood related questions with three answer choices, and the contestants would buzz-in to answer. If correct, he or she scored one point, otherwise, if wrong, the opponent chose from the remaining two choices. If no one was correct, the question was thrown out, and the correct answer was revealed. The first person to answer three correctly stayed on stage and got to pick another contestant.

One contestant's envelope had the "Box Office" card, and the winner of that particular question round got to play for the Box Office jackpot.

Box Office

The object of the Box Office round was to answer 5 questions correctly. Before each question, host Newton would give the contestant two category choices. The first four correct answers were worth $500 each, a fifth won the Box Office.

At any time, a contestant could quit and take what they had won up to that point. However, an incorrect answer lost whatever winnings they had earned; either way, if a contestant did not win the Box Office, they would play another game and search for another Box Office card.

When a contestant won the Box Office, he/she retired from the show, and a new contestant took his/her place for a new search for the Box Office card.

Friday Payoff

All weeks were self-contained, meaning that a game in progress on Friday could not continue into the following Monday. When time ran out, all remaining players in the gallery opened their envelopes, and the player with the Box Office card competed in the final question round for that week. The winner of that round could either take $1,000 or return next week to play again for a brand-new $10,000 Box Office.

Box Office Bonanza

This was a special week of episodes that aired during the show's first season in 2000, where the "Box Office" card was replaced by the "Blockbuster" card. If chosen, the Box Office Jackpot doubled (but returned to its pre-doubled total if the subsequent Box Office round was not won). On Wednesday of that week, a record $33,260 jackpot was won. The Friday payoff rules remained, except that the winner took home $2,000.