Fun & Fortune
Encyclopedia
Fun & Fortune was a game show that was part of the Missouri Lottery
. The show was broadcast from the 1990s until late 2002. (The Missouri Lottery began in 1986, and still operates).
To be eligible to appear on Fame & Fortune, potential contestants purchased a certain scratch-game ticket. The hosts were Rick Tamblyn and Penny Greene; (better-known Geoff Edwards
hosted the pilot, according to an interview on Blog Talk Radio). Fun & Fortune was created by Sande Stewart, son of game show legend Bob Stewart.
) before being interviewed by Tamblyn. There were two games.
The first three rounds were called "Top This!", and the fourth was the "$50,000 Challenge". All games were played for cash, and the podiums contained displays of the cash amount and a little box on top showing how many "strikes" were remaining.
The player could then elect to guess again or pass to the next player in hopes of the next player guessing a number equal to or lower than the base number. If that happened, the player lost his/her turn and the strike indicator counted down from 3 to 2. When the indicator displayed 0, the player was out of the round. For the purposes of the game, 0 was higher than 9 depending on the situation. All three players got to keep any cash they earned.
After the game finished, either by two players earning three strikes or by concealing the last box to be a higher number (which also meant a win), three new players were called on down, and another "Top This!" was played.
If the player found an X, they lost their turn and were issued a strike with the indicator again counting 3, 2, 1, 0 - with 0 eliminating the player from the game. Since the X's and O's were distributed according to the odds on each guess, it was possible for all three players to strike out.
The winner was the first player to reach $50,000 (or whoever was the player in first place when all three struck out). Whoever won this game also won a bonus prize.
The show was taped in St. Louis.
Missouri Lottery
The Missouri Lottery is run by the government of Missouri. It is a charter member of the Multi-State Lottery Association , whose first drawing was held in 1988.-History:...
. The show was broadcast from the 1990s until late 2002. (The Missouri Lottery began in 1986, and still operates).
To be eligible to appear on Fame & Fortune, potential contestants purchased a certain scratch-game ticket. The hosts were Rick Tamblyn and Penny Greene; (better-known Geoff Edwards
Geoff Edwards
Geoffrey Bruce Owen "Geoff" Edwards is an American television actor, game show host and radio personality. Over the past decade and a half, he has been a writer and broadcaster on travel. He was born in Westfield, New Jersey....
hosted the pilot, according to an interview on Blog Talk Radio). Fun & Fortune was created by Sande Stewart, son of game show legend Bob Stewart.
Format
Fame & Fortune consisted of a computerized game board boxes numbered 1 through 30. Three contestants were called on stage (a la The Price Is RightThe Price Is Right
The Price Is Right is a television game show franchise originally produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman, and created by Bob Stewart, and is currently produced and owned by FremantleMedia. The franchise centers on television game shows, but also includes merchandise such as video games, printed...
) before being interviewed by Tamblyn. There were two games.
The first three rounds were called "Top This!", and the fourth was the "$50,000 Challenge". All games were played for cash, and the podiums contained displays of the cash amount and a little box on top showing how many "strikes" were remaining.
Top This!
Each player began with a cash amount depending on the lottery ticket they purchased. Beginning with the first player, each player, in turn, called out a numbered box, hoping that it would contain a concealed number bigger than the previous one. The base number was established to begin with. If the player guessed correctly, he/she would win money based on the numbers revealed, and the last number revealed became the base for the next guess.The player could then elect to guess again or pass to the next player in hopes of the next player guessing a number equal to or lower than the base number. If that happened, the player lost his/her turn and the strike indicator counted down from 3 to 2. When the indicator displayed 0, the player was out of the round. For the purposes of the game, 0 was higher than 9 depending on the situation. All three players got to keep any cash they earned.
After the game finished, either by two players earning three strikes or by concealing the last box to be a higher number (which also meant a win), three new players were called on down, and another "Top This!" was played.
The $50,000 Challenge
The three "Top This!" winners returned to play for $50,000. They each were given 3 strikes and $5 to start with. Behind the 30 numbered boxes were X's and O's. Again beginning with the first player, each player, in turn, called out a numbered box. The catch this time was that the player was looking for O's. Each time a player found an O, a zero was added to their score, thus creating a sequence of $5, $50, $500, $5,000, and finally $50,000. They could elect to guess again or pass to the next player after finding an O.If the player found an X, they lost their turn and were issued a strike with the indicator again counting 3, 2, 1, 0 - with 0 eliminating the player from the game. Since the X's and O's were distributed according to the odds on each guess, it was possible for all three players to strike out.
The winner was the first player to reach $50,000 (or whoever was the player in first place when all three struck out). Whoever won this game also won a bonus prize.
The show was taped in St. Louis.
Stations
- Joplin - KOAM (Channel 7/CBS)
- Kansas CityKansas City, MissouriKansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
- KMBCKMBC-TVKMBC-TV virtual channel 9 is a television station affiliated with the ABC television network, located in Kansas City, Missouri. KMBC-TV is owned by Hearst Television and its studios are located on Winchester Ave. near Swope Park in Kansas City, Missouri. The station's high guyed mast broadcast...
(Channel 9/ABC) - St. Louis - KTVIKTVIKTVI, virtual channel 2, is the Fox-affiliated television station serving the St. Louis, Missouri, designated market area. The station is owned by Local TV LLC, the media arm of private equity firm Oak Hill Capital Partners, under a local marketing agreement with Tribune-owned CW affiliate KPLR...
(Channel 2/Fox)