2 Minute Drill
Encyclopedia
2 Minute Drill is an ESPN
game show
based on the general knowledge UK game show Mastermind
. The program aired from September 11, 2000 to December 28, 2001. ESPN Classic
currently airs reruns of the series daily at 11:30 AM Eastern.
Kenny Mayne
hosted the show, and began each player's turn at the front game by telling them, "Your 2-Minute Drill Begins Now!".
For each contestant's turn, they would be given 2:00 to answer sports trivia questions and would have a choice of 4 categories (each represented by a member of the panel and each pertaining to that panelist's area of expertise), each containing 5 questions. If a contestant got a question right in any category, they could continue to play it or pick another category, but an incorrect answer or a pass forced them to pick another category (although they could go back to it at any time, provided there were still questions left in it). Each correct answer was worth one point, and one bonus point was awarded if the contestant swept the category (got all 5 right), for a maximum of 24 first round points.
The lowest scorer at the end of the first round was eliminated.
For each contestant's turn, again, they would be given 2:00 to answer sports trivia questions from 4 categories. This time, however, contestants would pick an athlete/celebrity, and they would read all of their questions (in their entirety), regardless of whether or not the contestant missed or passed one along the way. The contestant could only select another celebrity after the current celebrity's questions were completed. In addition, each category had only 4 questions in it as opposed to 5, but bonuses were still awarded for sweeping a category; 20 points was the maximum possible first round score.
Because there were only two players, nobody is eliminated at the end of the round.
Whoever had the highest score after this round won $
5,000 in cash, an "ESPN Experience", and advanced to the bonus round for a chance to double the money to $10,000.
Also in the second and third seasons, to heighten the dramatic effect for the question, every light in the studio was turned out except for those focused on Mayne and the contestant, and the panel's table was moved off to the back of the set so the contestant would only be focused on the host.
15,000 and another ESPN Experience going to the winner, with a chance to double it to $30,000 in the bonus round. The six winners of the quarterfinal advanced to the semifinals, with another Experience and $30,000 with a chance to double it to $60,000 given to the winners. The finals involved the two semifinal winners and one wild card entrant. The winner received another ESPN Experience and $50,000, with a final shot to double their earnings to $100,000 in the bonus round. Regardless of the outcome, the Grand Champion also receives a trophy.
When the rules were changed to just a two-player game, the wild-card rules were eliminated.
A player played until they were defeated, which meant that a player could conceivably win more than one tournament. That's exactly what happened, as Willy Gibson of Columbus, Ohio
won the first two 2 Minute Drill tournaments. He nearly got into the finals of the third, but was eliminated on a tiebreaker by the eventual runner-up of the tournament. All in all, he won 9 ESPN Experiences and $220,000 in cash; nearly all of which was main game winnings, as he always struggled with his Questions of Great Significance about Eddie George
or Deion Sanders
. Gibson's second tournament championship aired on September 11, 2001. The third and final season premiered on September 17, 2001, however the show was banished to late night in the middle of its run; it was won by Syracuse University
student and current ESPN The Magazine
writer Adesina Koiki.
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
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...
based on the general knowledge UK game show Mastermind
Mastermind (TV series)
Mastermind is a British quiz show, well known for its challenging questions, intimidating setting and air of seriousness.Devised by Bill Wright, the basic format of Mastermind has never changed — four and in later contests five contestants face two rounds, one on a specialised subject of the...
. The program aired from September 11, 2000 to December 28, 2001. ESPN Classic
ESPN Classic
ESPN Classic is a sports channel that features reruns of famous sporting events, sports documentaries, and sports themed movies. Such programs includes biographies of famous sports figures or a rerun of a famous World Series or Super Bowl, often with added commentary on the event...
currently airs reruns of the series daily at 11:30 AM Eastern.
Kenny Mayne
Kenny Mayne
Kenneth "Kenny" Wheelock Mayne is a sports journalist and comedian for ESPN.-Sports career:A native of Kent, Washington, Mayne is a former honorable mention junior college All-American quarterback in 1978 at Wenatchee Valley Community College in Wenatchee, WA...
hosted the show, and began each player's turn at the front game by telling them, "Your 2-Minute Drill Begins Now!".
Season 1
Three players competed. The show featured a four athlete/celebrity panel. The scoreboard was an eggcrate display. Sometimes it malfunctioned, such as a transition from a number. (e.g. when a player gets a question correct sometimes a blank digit would show before going to the next number.)For each contestant's turn, they would be given 2:00 to answer sports trivia questions and would have a choice of 4 categories (each represented by a member of the panel and each pertaining to that panelist's area of expertise), each containing 5 questions. If a contestant got a question right in any category, they could continue to play it or pick another category, but an incorrect answer or a pass forced them to pick another category (although they could go back to it at any time, provided there were still questions left in it). Each correct answer was worth one point, and one bonus point was awarded if the contestant swept the category (got all 5 right), for a maximum of 24 first round points.
The lowest scorer at the end of the first round was eliminated.
Seasons 2 and 3
Two players competed as opposed to three.For each contestant's turn, again, they would be given 2:00 to answer sports trivia questions from 4 categories. This time, however, contestants would pick an athlete/celebrity, and they would read all of their questions (in their entirety), regardless of whether or not the contestant missed or passed one along the way. The contestant could only select another celebrity after the current celebrity's questions were completed. In addition, each category had only 4 questions in it as opposed to 5, but bonuses were still awarded for sweeping a category; 20 points was the maximum possible first round score.
Because there were only two players, nobody is eliminated at the end of the round.
Round 2
This time, the categories and picks were eliminated, and the questions were originally fired off by the panel and Kenny Mayne, from left to right (Mayne being in the middle); from Season 2 on, however, only the panel asked questions (once again, contestants had to listen to the questions in their entirety before answering). The same 2:00 was given.Whoever had the highest score after this round won $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
5,000 in cash, an "ESPN Experience", and advanced to the bonus round for a chance to double the money to $10,000.
Bonus Round
The winner would get a question (usually with more than one part) in a category that they chose as their area of expertise (usually a specific sports team of the past or single athlete). In the second and third seasons, Mayne called it the "Question of Great Significance." Answering it correctly doubled what they won in the front game.Also in the second and third seasons, to heighten the dramatic effect for the question, every light in the studio was turned out except for those focused on Mayne and the contestant, and the panel's table was moved off to the back of the set so the contestant would only be focused on the host.
Tournament
Each player in 2 Minute Drill was part of a tournament. After all the first round were played, the winners plus the highest scoring non-winner advanced to the quarterfinals, with $United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
15,000 and another ESPN Experience going to the winner, with a chance to double it to $30,000 in the bonus round. The six winners of the quarterfinal advanced to the semifinals, with another Experience and $30,000 with a chance to double it to $60,000 given to the winners. The finals involved the two semifinal winners and one wild card entrant. The winner received another ESPN Experience and $50,000, with a final shot to double their earnings to $100,000 in the bonus round. Regardless of the outcome, the Grand Champion also receives a trophy.
When the rules were changed to just a two-player game, the wild-card rules were eliminated.
A player played until they were defeated, which meant that a player could conceivably win more than one tournament. That's exactly what happened, as Willy Gibson of Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
won the first two 2 Minute Drill tournaments. He nearly got into the finals of the third, but was eliminated on a tiebreaker by the eventual runner-up of the tournament. All in all, he won 9 ESPN Experiences and $220,000 in cash; nearly all of which was main game winnings, as he always struggled with his Questions of Great Significance about Eddie George
Eddie George
Edward Nathan "Eddie" George, Jr. is a former American football running back in the National Football League. He played for the Tennessee Titans both in Tennessee and in Houston when the franchise was known as the Houston Oilers, and spent his final season with the Dallas Cowboys...
or Deion Sanders
Deion Sanders
Deion Luwynn Sanders , nicknamed "Prime Time" and "Neon Deion", is a former National Football League cornerback and Major League Baseball outfielder who currently works as an NFL Network analyst...
. Gibson's second tournament championship aired on September 11, 2001. The third and final season premiered on September 17, 2001, however the show was banished to late night in the middle of its run; it was won by Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
student and current ESPN The Magazine
ESPN The Magazine
ESPN The Magazine is a bi-weekly sports magazine published by the ESPN sports network in Bristol, Connecticut in the United States. The first issue was published on March 11, 1998....
writer Adesina Koiki.