Downfall (game show)
Encyclopedia
Downfall is an American
television game show series in which contestants try to answer trivia questions and win up to one million dollars while on the roof of a 10-story building in Downtown Los Angeles
. The series, hosted by WWE Superstar and lead singer of Fozzy
, Chris Jericho
, premiered on June 22, 2010, on ABC
.
Casting
for the show took place in May,
and in June Chris Jericho
was announced as host. The series, originally given a six-episode order by ABC but then reduced to five, is produced by FremantleMedia
with Scott St. John as executive producer. The building used in the first season is near Seventh and Alameda streets in Los Angeles and it is owned by MerueloMaddux.
On July 15, 2010, TVSeriesFinale.com published an article claiming that after the fifth episode of Downfall aired on July 20, the remaining episode would be replaced with a two-hour Wipeout special. The same day, on his official Twitter
page host Chris Jericho claimed that only five episodes of the show were produced due to editing, a faster pace and a shortage of contestants. He also stated that more episodes are scheduled to be filmed in the fall, but no recordings have occurred.
It is now listed as cancelled on TvSeriesFinale.com.
. They are joined by Jericho along with what is billed as the "largest conveyor belt ever seen on TV". The belt holds replicas of all the cash and prizes that the contestants may win. The game consists of up to seven timed rounds during which players attempt to answer category-based trivia questions as they watch their potential winnings move along the belt. Each contestant picks one of nine categories and must correctly answer the questions as quickly as possible before the cash and prize replicas fall off the building and are smashed. Most rounds hold two or three prizes each. The first prize is located one-quarter of the way down the belt, the second is at the halfway mark, the third (if applicable) is three-quarters of the way down and the cash held in a transparent display case.
Contestants can answer a question as many times as they wish; contestants stay on a question until it is answered correctly or they choose to pass it and go to a new question in the category. Every time a question is passed, the belt gets faster. If a contestant successfully completes a round by answering the requisite number of questions (see table below) before the cash prize falls off the belt, the contestant wins the cash plus any prizes still on the conveyor belt. If the contestant successfully completes round 3, he/she is guaranteed $25,000 in cash, but prizes are always at risk. After each round, the contestant is given the choice of quitting and keeping the cash and prizes won, or risking it to continue to the next round. If the cash prize falls, the player loses and the game is over. In addition to losing any prizes won, the contestant is also dropped from the building (wearing a safety harness that stops their fall shortly before impact). The final round, worth one million dollars, the contestant is placed on the belt with the money and must correctly answer all the questions before falling off the edge.
A contestant who feels he/she cannot answer their remaining questions before all prizes fall may hit the "panic button" at the podium to reset the current round; the contestant then replays the level with a new category from the list. The button may be used twice: once to allow the contestant to "surrender a personal possession" and once to get help from a friend or family member. When a contestant chooses to surrender a possession, an item of great importance to him/her is placed before the cash on the belt and, in order to salvage the item, the contestant must complete the round before the item falls. When help from a companion is desired, the partner is strapped into a safety harness and placed in front of the cash on the belt. The contestant's companion can help by shouting answers but all final answers must come from the contestant. If the companion falls, he/she can no longer be of use but the round continues until the cash falls. There is a short span of time between the companion going over the edge and the companion actually dropping; during this time, the companion can still assist, however, once the companion is over the edge, for safety reasons, they must be dropped, even if the contestant completes the round before that happens.
1The credits state that the "million dollar prize is paid in either 40 annual installments or as net present value."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television game show series in which contestants try to answer trivia questions and win up to one million dollars while on the roof of a 10-story building in Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, United States, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area...
. The series, hosted by WWE Superstar and lead singer of Fozzy
Fozzy
Fozzy is an American heavy metal/hard rock band, formed in Atlanta, Georgia in 1999. Lead singer Chris Jericho , who is also a professional wrestler, resides in Florida, while the rest of the band lives in Georgia. The band is currently signed to Riot! Entertainment...
, Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer...
, premiered on June 22, 2010, 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...
.
Production and broadcast history
In April 2010, ABC named Downfall to its summer schedule. Originally scheduled to debut on June 29, the premiere date was moved to June 22.Casting
Casting (performing arts)
In the performing arts, casting is a pre-production process for selecting a cast of actors, dancers, singers, models and other talent for a live or recorded performance.-Casting process:...
for the show took place in May,
and in June Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer...
was announced as host. The series, originally given a six-episode order by ABC but then reduced to five, is produced by FremantleMedia
FremantleMedia
FremantleMedia, Ltd. is the content and production division of Bertelsmann's RTL Group, Europe's second largest TV, radio, and production company...
with Scott St. John as executive producer. The building used in the first season is near Seventh and Alameda streets in Los Angeles and it is owned by MerueloMaddux.
On July 15, 2010, TVSeriesFinale.com published an article claiming that after the fifth episode of Downfall aired on July 20, the remaining episode would be replaced with a two-hour Wipeout special. The same day, on his official Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
page host Chris Jericho claimed that only five episodes of the show were produced due to editing, a faster pace and a shortage of contestants. He also stated that more episodes are scheduled to be filmed in the fall, but no recordings have occurred.
It is now listed as cancelled on TvSeriesFinale.com.
Format
Contestants stand on top of a 10-story building in Downtown Los AngelesDowntown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, United States, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area...
. They are joined by Jericho along with what is billed as the "largest conveyor belt ever seen on TV". The belt holds replicas of all the cash and prizes that the contestants may win. The game consists of up to seven timed rounds during which players attempt to answer category-based trivia questions as they watch their potential winnings move along the belt. Each contestant picks one of nine categories and must correctly answer the questions as quickly as possible before the cash and prize replicas fall off the building and are smashed. Most rounds hold two or three prizes each. The first prize is located one-quarter of the way down the belt, the second is at the halfway mark, the third (if applicable) is three-quarters of the way down and the cash held in a transparent display case.
Contestants can answer a question as many times as they wish; contestants stay on a question until it is answered correctly or they choose to pass it and go to a new question in the category. Every time a question is passed, the belt gets faster. If a contestant successfully completes a round by answering the requisite number of questions (see table below) before the cash prize falls off the belt, the contestant wins the cash plus any prizes still on the conveyor belt. If the contestant successfully completes round 3, he/she is guaranteed $25,000 in cash, but prizes are always at risk. After each round, the contestant is given the choice of quitting and keeping the cash and prizes won, or risking it to continue to the next round. If the cash prize falls, the player loses and the game is over. In addition to losing any prizes won, the contestant is also dropped from the building (wearing a safety harness that stops their fall shortly before impact). The final round, worth one million dollars, the contestant is placed on the belt with the money and must correctly answer all the questions before falling off the edge.
A contestant who feels he/she cannot answer their remaining questions before all prizes fall may hit the "panic button" at the podium to reset the current round; the contestant then replays the level with a new category from the list. The button may be used twice: once to allow the contestant to "surrender a personal possession" and once to get help from a friend or family member. When a contestant chooses to surrender a possession, an item of great importance to him/her is placed before the cash on the belt and, in order to salvage the item, the contestant must complete the round before the item falls. When help from a companion is desired, the partner is strapped into a safety harness and placed in front of the cash on the belt. The contestant's companion can help by shouting answers but all final answers must come from the contestant. If the companion falls, he/she can no longer be of use but the round continues until the cash falls. There is a short span of time between the companion going over the edge and the companion actually dropping; during this time, the companion can still assist, however, once the companion is over the edge, for safety reasons, they must be dropped, even if the contestant completes the round before that happens.
Prizes
All prizes salvaged up to that point in the game are won if the contestant chooses to walk away with their earned money. If the contestant fails, all non-cash prizes are lost.Money Tree
The chart below details the sequence of prize values for each round of the game.| Round | Correct answers needed | Value if challenge is met |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 out of 10 | $5,000 |
| 2 | 5 out of 10 | $10,000 |
| 3 | 6 out of 10 | $25,000(guaranteed) |
| 4 | 7 out of 10 | $50,000 |
| 5 | 8 out of 10 | $100,000 |
| 6 | 9 out of 10 | $250,000 |
| 7 | 10 out of 10 | $1,000,0001(grand prize) |
1The credits state that the "million dollar prize is paid in either 40 annual installments or as net present value."
Season 1 (2010)
| # | Airdate | Rating | Share | 18–49 | Viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tuesday, June 22, 2010 | 3.1 | 5 | 2.0/6 | 5.86 |
| 2 | Tuesday, June 29, 2010 | 2.3 | 4 | 1.4/5 | 4.18 |
| 3 | Tuesday, July 6, 2010 | 2.1 | 4 | 1.2/3 | 3.77 |
| 4 | Tuesday, July 13, 2010 | 2.2 | 4 | 1.4/4 | 3.80 |
| 5 | Tuesday, July 20, 2010 | 2.0 | 3 | 1.2/3 | 3.37 |