It's Anybody's Guess
Encyclopedia
It's Anybody's Guess is an American
game show
broadcast on NBC
from June 13 to September 30, 1977. Monty Hall
hosted the show while his second-banana from Let's Make a Deal
, Jay Stewart
, was the announcer. It was produced by Stefan Hatos-Monty Hall Productions
.
Hall then asked the panelists for an answer. If the player played it safe, then he asked each of the panelists for one answer. Should the player call for a longshot, if he or she said that the panelists would get the answer, he only asked three panelists for an answer.
If one of the five panelists guessed the selected answer, he or she scored one point. Two points were scored for a correct guess on a longshot question. The first player to score five points won the game.
At this point, the player can quit after each incorrect response with the accumulated cash. If the panelists still do not say the selected answer still in play, the player wins the $5,000 and the car. If one of the two answers were said prior to the halfway mark of the round, but the second response wasn't said after all ten responses, the player just wins the $5,000. If the panelists say both answers, the player loses any cash accumulated in the Payoff Round. Note that a panelist could win more prizes if he or she gives one of the chosen responses.
The panelist who wins the most prizes in the game becomes the new challenger in the next game. Winning contestants were able to compete up to a maximum of five games or until defeated.
at 11:30 AM (Stars moved to Noon) on June 13, 1977. Faced against Love of Life
on CBS
and Family Feud
on ABC
, the show ended after 16 weeks. Its replacement was the Arte Johnson
game Knockout
.
, most of which were written by Stan Worth and Sheldon Allman
.
The main theme of the show would later be used on the 1980s versions of Deal.
as per network practices of the era. Only the second Pilot (taped February 4, 1977) and the September 23 episode are known to exist.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
game show
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...
broadcast 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 June 13 to September 30, 1977. Monty Hall
Monty Hall
Monte Halperin, OC, OM , better known by the stage name Monty Hall, is a Canadian-born MC, producer, actor, singer and sportscaster, best known as host of the television game show Let's Make a Deal.-Early life:...
hosted the show while his second-banana from Let's Make a Deal
Let's Make a Deal
Let's Make a Deal is a television game show which originated in the United States and has since been produced in many countries throughout the world. The show is based around deals offered to members of the audience by the host. The traders usually have to weigh the possibility of an offer being...
, Jay Stewart
Jay Stewart
Jay Fix , known professionally as Jay Stewart, was an American television and radio announcer known primarily for his work on game shows. One of his longest-lasting roles was as the announcer on the game show Let's Make a Deal, which he announced throughout the 1960s and 1970s...
, was the announcer. It was produced by Stefan Hatos-Monty Hall Productions
Stefan Hatos-Monty Hall Productions
Stefan Hatos-Monty Hall Productions was a television production company responsible for producing several American game shows in the 1970s and 1980s...
.
Gameplay
The show featured seven people involved in each episode. Two of the people were players, with one usually a returning champion, and five of the others made up a panel. The second contestant was always a member of the previous show's panel, having qualified to challenge the champion based on their winnings on the previous show. As such, the panel changed on an almost-daily basis. A panelist was limited to two consecutive appearances in the panel without becoming a challenger, and a replacement from a panelist-turned-challenger was chosen from the audience.Main game
A question with many possible answers would be posed to everyone (for example: "What makes a camel funny looking?") and an answer that was selected by the show's staff was shown to the challenging player in control of the question and the home audience (with the previous example, "his knobby knees" would be the answer shown). The player decided if the answer would be said by any of the five panelists. The player then decided to "play it safe" or go for the "longshot".Hall then asked the panelists for an answer. If the player played it safe, then he asked each of the panelists for one answer. Should the player call for a longshot, if he or she said that the panelists would get the answer, he only asked three panelists for an answer.
If one of the five panelists guessed the selected answer, he or she scored one point. Two points were scored for a correct guess on a longshot question. The first player to score five points won the game.
Payoff round
One more question is asked to the winner and the panelists. There are two answers (that are not shown to anyone at first) that are chosen by the staff. Hall asks each panelist for a response to the question. Each incorrect response is worth $300. After five responses, if either of the two chosen answers are not given, the player tries for $5,000 in cash and a new car, but the player must eliminate one of the two chosen answers from play.At this point, the player can quit after each incorrect response with the accumulated cash. If the panelists still do not say the selected answer still in play, the player wins the $5,000 and the car. If one of the two answers were said prior to the halfway mark of the round, but the second response wasn't said after all ten responses, the player just wins the $5,000. If the panelists say both answers, the player loses any cash accumulated in the Payoff Round. Note that a panelist could win more prizes if he or she gives one of the chosen responses.
The panelist who wins the most prizes in the game becomes the new challenger in the next game. Winning contestants were able to compete up to a maximum of five games or until defeated.
Broadcast history
The series replaced Shoot For the StarsShoot For The Stars
Shoot for the Stars is a game show created and produced by Bob Stewart, and aired on the NBC television network. The show aired from January 3 to September 30, 1977, and was produced in New York City...
at 11:30 AM (Stars moved to Noon) on June 13, 1977. Faced against Love of Life
Love of Life
Love of Life is an American soap opera which aired on CBS Daytime from September 24, 1951 to February 1, 1980. It was created by Roy Winsor, whose previous creation Search for Tomorrow had premiered three weeks before Love of Life, and who would go on to create The Secret Storm two and a half years...
on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
and 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...
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...
, the show ended after 16 weeks. Its replacement was the Arte Johnson
Arte Johnson
Arthur Stanton Eric "Arte" Johnson is an American comic actor. Johnson was a regular on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. His best-remembered "character" was that of a German soldier with the catchphrase: "Verrrry interesting, but...['stupid', 'not very funny', and other variations]".-Early life:Johnson...
game Knockout
Knockout (game show)
Knockout is an NBC game show that aired from October 3, 1977 to April 21, 1978. A Ralph Edwards production, it was hosted by Arte Johnson, with announcing duties handled first by Jay Stewart and later by John Harlan...
.
Music
The music used for the prize descriptions were used on both previous and future versions of Let's Make a DealLet's Make a Deal
Let's Make a Deal is a television game show which originated in the United States and has since been produced in many countries throughout the world. The show is based around deals offered to members of the audience by the host. The traders usually have to weigh the possibility of an offer being...
, most of which were written by Stan Worth and Sheldon Allman
Sheldon Allman
Sheldon Allman was a Jewish American-born Canadian raised actor, singer, and songwriter.He began his singing career with the Royal National Guard during his World War II service with the RCAF...
.
The main theme of the show would later be used on the 1980s versions of Deal.
Episode status
The series is believed to be wipedWiping
Wiping or junking is a colloquial term for action taken by radio and television production and broadcasting companies, in which old audiotapes, videotapes, and telerecordings , are erased, reused, or destroyed after several uses...
as per network practices of the era. Only the second Pilot (taped February 4, 1977) and the September 23 episode are known to exist.