Midnight Money Madness
Encyclopedia
Midnight Money Madness is an interactive game show
on TBS, hosted by Jerilee Bonner, Danny Seckel and Craig J. Jackson
. Featured in the two-hour program were interactive games where the viewers can win cash
prizes. The show aired around 12 a.m. - 2 a.m, in two separate feeds (Eastern
and Pacific
) Monday through Thursday (technically early Tuesday through Friday morning).
a request, dialing a 1-900 number
, or by using the online form. A person could enter up to ten times, regardless of entry method. The official rules detailing charges and entry are located at the show's website. Entries had an equal chance of selection, regardless of the means of entry.If selected, the registrant would be called and become a participant. Participants stayed on the line listening to a recorded message until they either proceeded into the next round of selection or dropped from the participant pool. One person from the final round of selection was chosen to be brought on-air for a question. The on-air contestant had the chance to play the game for cash.
The program was produced by Endemol
, more notable for their big-budget game shows and reality programs
like Deal or No Deal
, 1 vs. 100
and Big Brother
. In July 2007, Endemol ventured into another participation TV program with Take the Cake
.
To speed up the games at certain points, various methods were employed:
Some games, such as "What the Blank?" & "Things That Are..." relied heavily on sexual innuendos for comedy on the show, such as "Things that precede the word 'ass'," or "Things you prefer bigger."
The games below were the most commonly played games, but are not the only games played. Some games were purposely played only once, while others were titled differently but have similar gameplay.
, Jim J. Bullock, Brigitte Nielsen
, Barry Williams
, and Debra Wilson
(parodying Whitney Houston
).
Two of the first three East Coast episodes were plagued with technical problems. For example, during the second episode the hosts spent the first ten minutes of the show elaborating on the entry methods. After that break, the viewers were told they are making sure their phones do not malfunction and to avoid dead air, TBS played an episode of Bloopers
. The show went on normally approximately sixty minutes into the broadcast. The third East Coast episode, on August 30, had more problems. This time the problems were all off the air. The internet participation was stifled due to more technical difficulties on the part of TBS for the first forty-five minutes.
Additionally, on one episode, a blooper happened on the board, where it fell to the ground. The host and guy were to go to commercial. This clip was seen on one episode of Most Outrageous Moments
.
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...
on TBS, hosted by Jerilee Bonner, Danny Seckel and Craig J. Jackson
Craig Jackson (journalist)
Craig "CJ" Jackson is the host of the VH1 reality television series I Love Money.Jackson was previously an anchor and correspondent for Channel One News for five years, as well as host of Fox's 30 Seconds To Fame and FX's The X Show. He also hosted a special for the Food Network and a Game Show...
. Featured in the two-hour program were interactive games where the viewers can win 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...
prizes. The show aired around 12 a.m. - 2 a.m, in two separate feeds (Eastern
North American Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
and Pacific
Pacific Time Zone
The Pacific Time Zone observes standard time by subtracting eight hours from Coordinated Universal Time . The clock time in this zone is based on the mean solar time of the 120th meridian west of the Greenwich Observatory. During daylight saving time, its time offset is UTC-7.In the United States...
) Monday through Thursday (technically early Tuesday through Friday morning).
Format
Midnight Money Madness was a game show where the contestants were home viewers. American residents over eighteen could enter the contest by text messagingText messaging
Text messaging, or texting, refers to the exchange of brief written text messages between fixed-line phone or mobile phone and fixed or portable devices over a network...
a request, dialing a 1-900 number
Premium-rate telephone number
Premium-rate telephone numbers are telephone numbers for telephone calls during which certain services are provided, and for which prices higher than normal are charged. Unlike a normal call, part of the call charge is paid to the service provider, thus enabling businesses to be funded via the calls...
, or by using the online form. A person could enter up to ten times, regardless of entry method. The official rules detailing charges and entry are located at the show's website. Entries had an equal chance of selection, regardless of the means of entry.If selected, the registrant would be called and become a participant. Participants stayed on the line listening to a recorded message until they either proceeded into the next round of selection or dropped from the participant pool. One person from the final round of selection was chosen to be brought on-air for a question. The on-air contestant had the chance to play the game for cash.
The program was produced by Endemol
Endemol
Endemol is an international television production and distribution company based in the Netherlands, with subsidiaries and joint ventures in 23 countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Mexico, Spain, Italy, Germany, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Dominican Republic, Poland,...
, more notable for their big-budget game shows and reality programs
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
like Deal or No Deal
Deal or No Deal
Deal or No Deal is the name of several closely related television game shows, the first of which was the Dutch Miljoenenjacht produced by Dutch producer Endemol. It is played with up to 26 cases with certain sums of money...
, 1 vs. 100
1 vs. 100
1 vs. 100 is a game show created by Endemol that is aired in several countries. The game pits one person against 100 others for a chance to win a large cash prize. The game first aired in the Netherlands as Eén tegen 100, sponsored by the Nationale Postcode Loterij .- General format :In all...
and Big Brother
Big Brother (TV series)
Big Brother is a television show in which a group of people live together in a large house, isolated from the outside world but continuously watched by television cameras. Each series lasts for around three months, and there are usually fewer than 15 participants. The housemates try to win a cash...
. In July 2007, Endemol ventured into another participation TV program with Take the Cake
Take the Cake
Take the Cake was a live, interactive game show on BET. The one-hour program featured interactive games where the viewers could win cash prizes. The show aired from 12 midnight - 1 a.m. Eastern every Monday night through Friday night...
.
Games
Midnight Money Madness featured various minigames which were played throughout the program. The rewards for the games were cash prizes ranging anywhere from $100 - $3,700 in cash.To speed up the games at certain points, various methods were employed:
- Hints given by the hosts to viewers.
- A "lightning round" where more calls are accepted than normal.
- The host increasing the prize amount as an incentive.
- A timer will start to represent how long the game will remain and a new one will come up.
Some games, such as "What the Blank?" & "Things That Are..." relied heavily on sexual innuendos for comedy on the show, such as "Things that precede the word 'ass'," or "Things you prefer bigger."
The games below were the most commonly played games, but are not the only games played. Some games were purposely played only once, while others were titled differently but have similar gameplay.
| Game | Instructions |
|---|---|
| Find the Phrase | A rebus or visual representation based on a popular, everyday phrase was given. (e.g., VA DERS would be Space Invaders Space Invaders is an arcade video game designed by Tomohiro Nishikado, and released in 1978. It was originally manufactured and sold by Taito in Japan, and was later licensed for production in the United States by the Midway division of Bally. Space Invaders is one of the earliest shooting games and the aim is to... , because there is a space in the word "Vaders".) The caller had to identify what the phrase was. |
| Four/Five Famous | A certain category was given, with a group of people or items pre-selected that fit the category, each with a certain cash value. The contestant had to guess one of the items in that category. |
| Gargle-Oke | The hosts would take a drink of water and attempt to gargle Gargling Gargling is the act in which one bubbles a liquid in one's mouth. It usually requires that the head be tilted back, allowing a mouthful of liquid to sit in the upper throat. The head can be tilted by extending either the neck or the back, depending on what is comfortable for the gargler... a famous song. The contestant had to identify the song.- |
| Impersonation | Contestants had to guess what celebrity or fictional character a guest comedian was impersonating. |
| Let 'em Bounce | Three sections of a word were on the screen. The contestant had to re-arrange the sections to form the proper word. |
| Linked Together | Four words were written horizontally on the screen with one missing letter in each. The missing letters linked together vertically to form another word which the contestant had to guess, similar to a crossword Crossword A crossword is a word puzzle that normally takes the form of a square or rectangular grid of white and shaded squares. The goal is to fill the white squares with letters, forming words or phrases, by solving clues which lead to the answers. In languages that are written left-to-right, the answer... . |
| Mumble Jumble | Similar to an anagram Anagram An anagram is a type of word play, the result of rearranging the letters of a word or phrase to produce a new word or phrase, using all the original letters exactly once; e.g., orchestra = carthorse, A decimal point = I'm a dot in place, Tom Marvolo Riddle = I am Lord Voldemort. Someone who... , a word, name or phrase with the letters mixed up was given. The contestant had to identify what the unscrambled phrase was. |
| Nitty Griddy | A 3x3 grid appeared with the three letters in a designated word located in various spots. The caller had to identify how many times the designated word appears in any pattern. |
| Order Up! | Five images were given relating to a certain person (i.e. Images of the evolution of Michael Jackson Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records... 's nose.) The contestant had to identify in what order of time the photos were taken. |
| Things That Are... | A descriptive word was given to describe five pre-chosen items (each worth an increasing value). The contestant had to identify one of the five items to receive its dollar amount. |
| Tip the Scales | A gathering of items was placed on the stage. The contestant had to identify which items, when combined, weighed a designated amount. |
| What the Blank? | Similar to the Super Match on Match Game Match Game Match Game is an American television game show in which contestants attempted to match celebrities' answers to fill-in-the-blank questions... , a phrase with a blank was given. Callers gave the answer that they thought would fill the blank. If he/she picked one of the pre-chosen answers, he/she won its designated value. |
| Wheel Word | Contestants had to spell a word around a circle by correctly filling in a blank letter and determining whether the word goes clockwise or counterclockwise around the circle. The hosts generally provided the first letter. |
| Which One Doesn't Belong? | Four or five words or phrases were given, and callers had to decide which one was out of place in context with the rest. The winning caller did not, however, have to give the correct reason for why it doesn't belong. |
| Night Cap | At the end of the program, a question pertaining to events prior in the show was given. The contestant had to answer that question correctly. If he/she did, one of the hosts would spin a wheel containing values between $200 and $2,500. Whatever value the flipper of the wheel landed on was awarded to the contestant. If not enough time remained to play a whole Nightcap game, the last contestant of the show would be awarded whatever value the wheel lands on. |
The Midnight Money Madness Door
Sometimes during a show, a doorbell for a door on the side of the stage rang and a celebrity, known from other various appearances and stints, would be present for the show. He/she would sometimes help out with clues or simply be there for comic material. Notable appearances include Phyllis DillerPhyllis Diller
Phyllis Diller is an American actress and comedian. She created a stage persona of a wild-haired, eccentrically dressed housewife who makes jokes about a husband named "Fang" while pretending to smoke from a long cigarette holder...
, Jim J. Bullock, Brigitte Nielsen
Brigitte Nielsen
Brigitte Nielsen is a Danish model, actress, musician and reality television personality who began her career modelling for Greg Gorman and Helmut Newton and several years later made appearances in the 1985 films Red Sonja and Rocky IV and is also known for her marriage to Sylvester Stallone...
, Barry Williams
Barry Williams
Barry William Blenkhorn , known professionally as Barry Williams, is an American actor best known for his role as Greg Brady in the ABC television series The Brady Bunch.-Early life and career:...
, and Debra Wilson
Debra Wilson
Debra Wilson Skelton , professionally known as Debra Wilson or Debra Wilzon, is an American comedienne and actress. Wilson is likely most famous for being the second longest-serving original cast member on the sketch comedy series MADtv, having appeared for the show's first eight seasons...
(parodying Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
).
Controversy
There had been many complaints of technical difficulties and unscrupulous behavior on part of the hosts, producers and creators of the show. Many on the TBS forums felt that it was necessary to report when the online entries were down (as show participation at that stage is considered gambling), while others feel that the show was simply bad due to technical problems.Two of the first three East Coast episodes were plagued with technical problems. For example, during the second episode the hosts spent the first ten minutes of the show elaborating on the entry methods. After that break, the viewers were told they are making sure their phones do not malfunction and to avoid dead air, TBS played an episode of Bloopers
TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes
TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes is a television series and a group of television specials that aired in the United States by NBC and, later, ABC from the 1980s to the mid-2000s...
. The show went on normally approximately sixty minutes into the broadcast. The third East Coast episode, on August 30, had more problems. This time the problems were all off the air. The internet participation was stifled due to more technical difficulties on the part of TBS for the first forty-five minutes.
Additionally, on one episode, a blooper happened on the board, where it fell to the ground. The host and guy were to go to commercial. This clip was seen on one episode of Most Outrageous Moments
Most Outrageous Moments
Most Outrageous Moments is an NBC clip show showcasing video bloopers and mishaps, and commonly used as a backup program by NBC to fill any timeslots where regular programming did not get any traction in the ratings, or to fill in timeslots between seasons of reality programming...
.