Every Second Counts (US game show)
Encyclopedia
Every Second Counts was a television game show that aired in United States
syndication from September 17, 1984 to September 1985. The show was produced by Group W Productions
in association with Charles Colarusso Productions.
Bill Rafferty
hosted the series, with Debbie Bartlett as hostess and Johnny Gilbert
as announcer. This was Rafferty's first game show; he later hosted Card Sharks
for syndication and a revival of Blockbusters
for NBC during the 1986-1987 season.
Although the series lasted only one season in America, a British
version ran from 1986-1993 with Paul Daniels
as host.
The category continued until all nine questions were asked or if all three couples missed a question and were locked out.
The couple with the greatest amount of time at the end of the game went to the bonus round.
Each completed level won a prize, and completing all four levels (by getting a total of 22 correct answers) before time expired won a brand-new car. $100 was given per correct answer if time ran out.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
syndication from September 17, 1984 to September 1985. The show was produced by Group W Productions
Westinghouse Broadcasting
The Westinghouse Broadcasting Company, also known as Group W, was the broadcasting division of Westinghouse Electric Corporation. It owned several radio and television stations across the United States and distributed television shows for syndication....
in association with Charles Colarusso Productions.
Bill Rafferty
Bill Rafferty
William "Bill" Rafferty is a comedian and impressionist who hosted the game shows Every Second Counts , Card Sharks , and Blockbusters .Rafferty was born in Queens, New York...
hosted the series, with Debbie Bartlett as hostess and Johnny Gilbert
Johnny Gilbert
John L. "Johnny" Gilbert III is an American show business personality who has worked mainly on television game shows. Originally a nightclub singer and entertainer, he has hosted and announced a number of game shows from various eras, dating as far back as the 1950s...
as announcer. This was Rafferty's first game show; he later hosted Card Sharks
Card Sharks
Card Sharks is an American television game show created by Chester Feldman for Mark Goodson-Bill Todman Productions. Two contestants compete for control of a row of oversized playing cards by answering questions posed by the host and then guessing if the next card is higher or lower in value than...
for syndication and a revival of Blockbusters
Blockbusters (US game show)
Blockbusters is an American game show which had two separate runs in the 1980s. Created by Steve Ryan for Mark Goodson Productions, the first series debuted on NBC on October 27, 1980 and aired until April 23, 1982. In the first series, a team of two family members competed against a solo contestant...
for NBC during the 1986-1987 season.
Although the series lasted only one season in America, a British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
version ran from 1986-1993 with Paul Daniels
Paul Daniels
Paul Daniels, born Newton Edward Daniels on 6 April 1938, is a British magician and television performer. He achieved international fame through his television series The Paul Daniels Magic Show, which ran on the BBC from 1979 to 1994.-Early life:...
as host.
Main game
The game was played in two rounds; one spouse from each couple would play in the first round, while the other spouses would play in the second round. Each round has three categories with nine dual-choice questions. On each category, host Rafferty asked each couple a question. A correct answer would earn seconds, while a wrong answer eliminated the couple from the remainder of the category.The category continued until all nine questions were asked or if all three couples missed a question and were locked out.
Scoring
- Round 1–2 seconds
- Round 2–4 seconds
The couple with the greatest amount of time at the end of the game went to the bonus round.
Bonus round
The winning couple used their winning time to answer a certain number of questions on four levels to win prizes. On each level, two categories were given, and the team picked one. All questions in this round had three possible choices. Each right answer brought one step closer to completing that level.Levels
Each level required a different number of questions answered correctly to complete:- Level 1—4 questions
- Level 2—5 questions
- Level 3—6 questions
- Level 4—7 questions
Each completed level won a prize, and completing all four levels (by getting a total of 22 correct answers) before time expired won a brand-new car. $100 was given per correct answer if time ran out.
See also
- Every Second Counts (the long-running UK version)