All Star Blitz
Encyclopedia
All-Star Blitz is an American game show
that aired on ABC
from April 8 to December 20, 1985, with reruns airing on the USA Network
from March 31 to December 26, 1986.
Peter Marshall was the host and John Harlan
was the announcer for the series, which was produced by Merrill Heatter Productions, in association with Peter Marshall Enterprises.
) consisting of two to six words. The board consisted of six video monitors arranged two high and three wide, with a star at each corner of a monitor. Each celebrity was under three of the gameboard's 12 stars; four of them were lit up to start each game (earlier in the run, only two were lit up to begin a game). Only the home viewers were shown how many words were in the puzzle at the start of each game.
A contestant chose a celebrity and specified a row and a star in the stated position lit up. The host read a question to the celebrity who provided a response based on a choice of answers. As on Marshall's more-famous Hollywood Squares
, the contestant agreed or disagreed with the celebrity's response. A contestant retained control until they agreed with a wrong answer or disagreed with a correct answer.
When a group of four stars formed a box around a monitor, a correct agree/disagree was needed to reveal the letters or word contained therein. The contestant then had a chance to guess the puzzle or continue playing. An incorrect guess passed control to the opponent.
The first contestant to solve two puzzles won the championship, a prize package, and played the Blitz Bonanza.
After all spins were taken, the contestant and celebrities were given ten seconds to come up with a solution. A correct guess by the contestant won $10,000 plus $5,000 for each prior loss, up to a maximum of $25,000. Later, the jackpot increased by $2,500 for each unsuccessful attempt and was capped at $20,000. If the contestant was unsuccessful, every correct guess by a celebrity won the contestant an additional $250. Players could play the Blitz Bonanza four times before being retired, and were also retired if they topped ABC's $20,000 winnings limit.
and airing right before Family Feud
, which left the airwaves two months later. All-Star Blitz moved to 11:30AM EST upon Feud's cancellation. All-Star Blitz ended on December 20, 1985.
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 ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
from April 8 to December 20, 1985, with reruns airing on the USA Network
USA Network
USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...
from March 31 to December 26, 1986.
Peter Marshall was the host and John Harlan
John Harlan (announcer)
John Harlan is an American television announcer who has worked on numerous television projects for over 40 years, particularly game and variety shows....
was the announcer for the series, which was produced by Merrill Heatter Productions, in association with Peter Marshall Enterprises.
Main Game
Two contestants (one being the returning champion), with the help of four celebrity panelists, attempted to solve phrase puzzles (similar to Wheel of FortuneWheel of Fortune (U.S. game show)
Wheel of Fortune is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin, which premiered in 1975. Contestants compete to solve word puzzles, similar to those used in Hangman, to win cash and prizes determined by spinning a large wheel. The title refers to the show's giant carnival wheel that...
) consisting of two to six words. The board consisted of six video monitors arranged two high and three wide, with a star at each corner of a monitor. Each celebrity was under three of the gameboard's 12 stars; four of them were lit up to start each game (earlier in the run, only two were lit up to begin a game). Only the home viewers were shown how many words were in the puzzle at the start of each game.
A contestant chose a celebrity and specified a row and a star in the stated position lit up. The host read a question to the celebrity who provided a response based on a choice of answers. As on Marshall's more-famous Hollywood Squares
Hollywood Squares
Hollywood Squares is an American panel game show in which two contestants play tic-tac-toe to win cash and prizes. The "board" for the game is a 3 × 3 vertical stack of open-faced cubes, each occupied by a celebrity seated at a desk and facing the contestants...
, the contestant agreed or disagreed with the celebrity's response. A contestant retained control until they agreed with a wrong answer or disagreed with a correct answer.
When a group of four stars formed a box around a monitor, a correct agree/disagree was needed to reveal the letters or word contained therein. The contestant then had a chance to guess the puzzle or continue playing. An incorrect guess passed control to the opponent.
The first contestant to solve two puzzles won the championship, a prize package, and played the Blitz Bonanza.
Blitz Bonanza
In the Blitz Bonanza round the champion was given one final puzzle to solve and was told how many words it contained. In order to reveal the puzzle pieces, the champion spun a large wheel which, when it stopped, would land on one of the six light borders around the puzzle pieces and reveal what was behind it. Players had four spins, and it was possible for the spin to cause an already-revealed piece to be lighted which did nothing but cost the player a spin. If after the four spins there were less than four pieces revealed, a player was offered a fifth spin if they decided to give up the prize package won in the main game.After all spins were taken, the contestant and celebrities were given ten seconds to come up with a solution. A correct guess by the contestant won $10,000 plus $5,000 for each prior loss, up to a maximum of $25,000. Later, the jackpot increased by $2,500 for each unsuccessful attempt and was capped at $20,000. If the contestant was unsuccessful, every correct guess by a celebrity won the contestant an additional $250. Players could play the Blitz Bonanza four times before being retired, and were also retired if they topped ABC's $20,000 winnings limit.
Broadcast history
All-Star Blitz premiered on ABC at 11:00 AM EST, replacing Trivia TrapTrivia Trap
Trivia Trap is an American game show produced by Mark Goodson Productions. It was created by producer Goodson and originally ran from October 8, 1984 to April 5, 1985 on ABC. The game featured two teams of three contestants each who competed against each other to answer trivia questions in various...
and airing right before Family Feud
Family Feud
Family Feud is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. Two families compete against each other in a contest to name the most popular responses to a survey question posed to 100 people...
, which left the airwaves two months later. All-Star Blitz moved to 11:30AM EST upon Feud's cancellation. All-Star Blitz ended on December 20, 1985.