Go (game show)
Encyclopedia
Go is an American television game show
created by Bob Stewart and aired on NBC
from October 3, 1983 to January 20, 1984. The show featured two teams, each composed of four contestants and a celebrity. The teams had to construct questions one word at a time to convey a word or phrase to their teammates. The concept of Go was based on a bonus round used on Chain Reaction
, another game show created by Stewart. The show was canceled due to low ratings as it was placed in the death slot of 12:00 noon.
Los Angeles
and Buffalo
meteorologist Kevin O'Connell was the host, and Johnny Gilbert
was the announcer (Jack Clark served as a two-week sub for Gilbert).
The opposing team then plays, trying to provide five correct answers in a shorter time period, but if the first team had fewer than five correct answers within their 99 seconds, the second team plays until guessing more answers than the opponent.
A team wins the round by guessing their five words in the shorter time period (clock counting down), otherwise if time runs out, the other team wins the round. Whether the team won or lost in the last round, the same team will play the next round. For each round, the winning team accumulates points. The first round was worth 250 points, then 500 for round two, 750 for round three and 1250 for the fourth round, if needed. The first team to reach 1,500 points wins the game, converts their score into cash, and the opportunity to play the bonus round. The losing team took home parting gifts. If a team won the first three rounds, the team earned the right to play the bonus round twice, doubling the potential winnings.
From November 7 to 18, 1983, Go! had an all-star "Battle of the Daytime Soaps". The first week pitted the cast of Days of our Lives
against the cast of Another World
, while the second saw Another World returning to take on the cast of Search for Tomorrow
, with all winnings going to charity. It was during these two weeks that Jack Clark filled in as announcer for Johnny Gilbert.
and GSN
at various times.
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...
created by Bob Stewart and aired on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
from October 3, 1983 to January 20, 1984. The show featured two teams, each composed of four contestants and a celebrity. The teams had to construct questions one word at a time to convey a word or phrase to their teammates. The concept of Go was based on a bonus round used on Chain Reaction
Chain Reaction (game show)
Chain Reaction is an American game show created by Bob Stewart, in which players compete to form chains composed of two-word phrases.The show aired three separate runs: Bill Cullen hosted the original series on NBC from January 14 to June 20, 1980...
, another game show created by Stewart. The show was canceled due to low ratings as it was placed in the death slot of 12:00 noon.
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
and Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
meteorologist Kevin O'Connell was the host, 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...
was the announcer (Jack Clark served as a two-week sub for Gilbert).
Main game
There consisted of two team made up of one celebrity captain and four civilian contestants. The main game was played in either three or four rounds depending on the score. The team that plays first selects a packet of words and phrases. Four of the team's members are the clue givers, while the fifth is the guesser. Two at a time, the team members construct a question appropriate to the clue, with the two members alternating adding a word to the question. After constructing the question, they rang a bell to prompt an answer from the guesser. If the guesser guessed correctly, he or she moved to the next pair of teammates to repeat the process; the guesser did not move if they gave a wrong answer, failed to guess, or if an illegal clue was given. Illegal clues included saying the word (or part of it), giving more than one word at a time, or forming an improper sentence. The team plays against the clock, playing until either providing a fifth correct answer or if the clock reaches 99 seconds before the team finishes guessing.The opposing team then plays, trying to provide five correct answers in a shorter time period, but if the first team had fewer than five correct answers within their 99 seconds, the second team plays until guessing more answers than the opponent.
A team wins the round by guessing their five words in the shorter time period (clock counting down), otherwise if time runs out, the other team wins the round. Whether the team won or lost in the last round, the same team will play the next round. For each round, the winning team accumulates points. The first round was worth 250 points, then 500 for round two, 750 for round three and 1250 for the fourth round, if needed. The first team to reach 1,500 points wins the game, converts their score into cash, and the opportunity to play the bonus round. The losing team took home parting gifts. If a team won the first three rounds, the team earned the right to play the bonus round twice, doubling the potential winnings.
Bonus round
In the bonus round, the receiver of the winning team tried to guess seven words in 60 seconds or less. For the first word, all four clue givers would take turns adding a word to the question, and any of the four could ring the bell to finish the question. When the guesser guessed the first word correctly, the fourth clue giver would run off stage, and the remaining three clue givers would build the question for the second word. When that word was guessed correctly, the third clue giver ran off stage, and the first two clue givers built the question for the third word. When that word was guessed correctly, the second clue giver ran off, and the first clue giver (the celebrity captain) would build the fourth question alone, simply giving the clue and then ringing the bell. When the fourth word was guessed correctly, the second clue giver ran back onstage, and the first two clue givers built the fifth question; then the first three would build the sixth question, and all four would build the seventh. Each correct answer was worth $200; seven correct answers won $10,000. As mentioned, if a team won the front game in the first three straight rounds, they played the bonus round twice, for a possible $20,000.Champions
Originally, teams would stay on the show until they won five games or were defeated (only one team lasted the maximum five days). Beginning with the fifth week, this was changed to a "head-to-head" format; both teams stayed on for all five shows of the week, having a chance to win as much as $107,500.From November 7 to 18, 1983, Go! had an all-star "Battle of the Daytime Soaps". The first week pitted the cast of Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...
against the cast of Another World
Another World (TV series)
Another World is an American television soap opera that ran on NBC from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. It ran for a total of 35 years. It was created by Irna Phillips along with William J...
, while the second saw Another World returning to take on the cast of Search for Tomorrow
Search for Tomorrow
Search for Tomorrow is an American soap opera which premiered on September 3, 1951 on CBS. The show was moved from CBS to NBC on March 29, 1982. It continued on NBC until the final episode aired on December 26, 1986, a run of thirty-five years. At the time of its final broadcast it was the...
, with all winnings going to charity. It was during these two weeks that Jack Clark filled in as announcer for Johnny Gilbert.
Episode status
The series has been rebroadcast on CBN Cable NetworkABC Family
ABC Family, stylized as abc family, is an American television network, owned by ABC Family Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company...
and GSN
Game Show Network
The Game Show Network is an American cable television and direct broadcast satellite channel dedicated to game shows and casino game shows. The channel was launched on December 1, 1994. Its current slogan is "The World Needs More Winners"...
at various times.