Trivial Pursuit (game show)
Encyclopedia
Trivial Pursuit is an American game show that ran on The Family Channel
from June 7, 1993 to December 30, 1994, with reruns continuing until July 21, 1995. loosely based on the board game of the same name
. It was hosted by Wink Martindale
with Randy West
announcing.
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 steal the wedge.
In the first round, the six traditional Trivial Pursuit categories were used.
This round used either the categories from the Movie Edition or Television Edition.
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.
Round 2 included three special questions known as "Bonus Questions". When chosen, the player who answered the 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.
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 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.
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 Eve
1993, 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.
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
. The Trivial Pursuit Interactive Game was cancelled on March 4, 1994 to make way for Boggle and Shuffle, only to return on September 7 and be cancelled again on December 30, along with the entire interactive game block. However, Trivial Pursuit: The Classic Game continued in reruns.
There were no playbreaks during Trivial Pursuit: The Classic Game, possibly because Martindale did not wish for viewers to be distracted from the game.
did, with some questions taken from the show. Released by Parker Brothers
in 1993, the box cover featured Wink and a shot from an unsold pilot for a possible syndicated version of the series.
ABC Family
ABC Family, stylized as abc family, is an American television network, owned by ABC Family Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company...
from June 7, 1993 to December 30, 1994, with reruns continuing until July 21, 1995. loosely based on the board game of the same name
Trivial Pursuit
Trivial Pursuit is a board game in which progress is determined by a player's ability to answer general knowledge and popular culture questions. The game was created in 1979 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, by Canadian Chris Haney, a photo editor for Montreal's The Gazette and Scott Abbott, a sports...
. It was hosted by Wink Martindale
Wink Martindale
Winston Conrad Martindale , known professionally as Wink Martindale, is an American disc jockey and television game show host.-Radio:...
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.
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.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 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.
| Movies | Television |
|---|---|
| Settings | Classics |
| Titles | Sitcoms |
| Off Screen | Drama |
| On Screen | Kids & Games |
| Production | Stars |
| Portrayals | Wild 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.
| Personalities | People & Places | Personalities | People & Places | World of Places | Products & Progress |
| Entertainment | Entertainment | Entertainment | Good Times | World of Music | Sports & Leisure |
| In the News | History | Headlines | Science & Technology | World of People | History |
| Around the World | Science & Nature | Music | Art & Culture | World of Fantasy | Personalities |
| Sports & Leisure | Sports & Leisure | Sports & Leisure | Natural World | World of Science | Entertainment |
| Wild Card | Wild Card | Wild Card | Games & Hobbies | World of Leisure | Wild Card |
Round 2 included three special questions known as "Bonus Questions". When chosen, the player who answered the 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.
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 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 (although in some episodes, it was observed that the categories continued in sequence even if a question was already answered in that category). 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) at $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.)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 Eve
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...
1993, 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.
Other interactive games aired on the network – a board-game adaptation of Boggle
Boggle (game show)
Boggle was 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....
, the list-oriented Shuffle
Shuffle (game show)
Shuffle was 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....
, and an adaptation of the newspaper game Jumble
Jumble (game show)
Jumble was an American game show that was broadcast on The Family Channel, running from June 13 September 2 and from November 21 to December 30, 1994. It was based on the newspaper game of the same name...
. The Trivial Pursuit Interactive Game was cancelled on March 4, 1994 to make way for Boggle and Shuffle, only to return on September 7 and be cancelled again on December 30, along with the entire interactive game block. However, Trivial Pursuit: The Classic Game continued in reruns.
There were no playbreaks during Trivial Pursuit: The Classic Game, possibly because Martindale did not wish for viewers to be distracted from the game.
Home game
The show spawned a board game of the show itself like ScrabbleScrabble (game show)
Scrabble is an American television game show that was based on the Scrabble board game. The show was co-produced by Exposure Unlimited and Reg Grundy Productions. It ran from July 2, 1984 to March 23, 1990, and again from January 18 to June 11, 1993, both runs on NBC. A total of 1,335 episodes were...
did, with some questions taken from the show. Released by Parker Brothers
Parker Brothers
Parker Brothers is a toy and game manufacturer and brand. Since 1883, the company has published more than 1,800 games; among their best known products are Monopoly, Cluedo , Sorry, Risk, Trivial Pursuit, Ouija, Aggravation, and Probe...
in 1993, the box cover featured Wink and a shot from an unsold pilot for a possible syndicated version of the series.
See also
- Trivial PursuitTrivial PursuitTrivial Pursuit is a board game in which progress is determined by a player's ability to answer general knowledge and popular culture questions. The game was created in 1979 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, by Canadian Chris Haney, a photo editor for Montreal's The Gazette and Scott Abbott, a sports...
- Board gameBoard gameA board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
- Game showGame showA 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...
- Счастливый случай - analog in Russia