Now You See It
Encyclopedia
Now You See It is an American television game show
created by Frank Wayne
for Mark Goodson
-Bill Todman
Productions. Two Now You See It series were produced, and both aired on CBS
. The first series ran from April 1, 1974 until June 13, 1975, and was hosted by Jack Narz
. The second series ran from April 3 until June 14, 1989 and was emceed by veteran Los Angeles news anchor Chuck Henry
. Johnny Olson
was the original announcer
, with Gene Wood
substituting on occasion. Los Angeles disc jockey Mark Driscoll announced for the first month of the 1989 series, with Don Morrow
replacing him for the remainder of the run.
Although several tweaks to the game were made over the time Now You See It was on the air, the core format remained the same. Contestants competed to find words on a grid that was similar to a word search
puzzle that served as answers to questions asked by the host.
questions with single-word answers that were concealed within the jumble of letters on the board for that round. The answers on the board were always written horizontally from left to right.
Although the premise of the show remained the same, the main game was played differently on each version.
The first round of Now You See It under its original format began with four new players randomly split into two teams with one "outside" and one "inside" player each. The "outside" players turned their backs to the board as Narz read a question. The first "inside" player to buzz
in would say which line the correct answer appeared on. If the correct line was given, the "outside" player for that team turned around to give the position number and the word. If the wrong line was guessed, the other team got a free guess. If the correct position and answer was given, the team earned points equal to the sum of the line and position numbers (example: if a word was on Line 4, Position 1, the team scored five points). Otherwise, nobody scored for that word. Halfway through the round a bell rang, and the inside and outside players switched roles. The team that was in the lead when a second bell rang won the Elimination Round. Although the host would say that time had run out, the game was never played to time. Twelve questions were played, six in each configuration, with a thirteenth if needed to break a tie.
In the semifinals, the two contestants on the winning team competed against each other. A string of 16 concealed letters was shown to the contestants, and the host read a crossword
-style clue. The 16-letter string began to reveal one letter at a time until a player buzzed in and answered correctly, or only one letter was left in the word. If a contestant buzzed in and gave an incorrect answer, the opponent was given a free guess before any more letters were revealed. If they too came up with a wrong answer, the word would continue to be revealed. If nobody guessed the word with one letter left, it was revealed. The host then read another clue, and began revealing letters; the next answer could use letters from the end of the previous answer in the string. The first player to guess four words correctly won the round and a prize package. During the first two weeks, no prize package was given to the winner. Also, during the third week, it took five points to win the round; this would become permanent when the second format was introduced.
The winner of the semifinals round competed against the show's returning champion in the Finals. This round was played like the elimination round, except that there were no partners. Contestants gave both the line and position numbers of correct answers in order to score. The contestant who had more points when time ran out won the game and played the Solo Round for a chance at a cash jackpot.
Beginning with the 101st episode and continuing until the adoption of the second main game format, contestants were asked to scan the board and write down one word from the board each on an index card at the beginning of each half of the Elimination Round, and the Finals. A contestant or team would earn 10 bonus points if they correctly answered a question with one of their "bonus words". The player must reveal their bonus word when it is found, and cannot come back to it afterwards.
The winner of the Qualifying Round played the day's returning champion in the renamed Championship Round. Game play was similar, except instead of playing until time ran out the champion and challenger tried to score 100 points first. The scoring rules were the same as the Elimination Round and Finals in the first format. However, once one player reached 50 points, a bell rang to signify all subsequent words would be played for double points. The first player to score 100 or more points advanced to the Solo Round.
The change in format meant that episodes of Now You See It were no longer self-contained and could straddle between episodes, and an episode could end with a game in progress that would have to be continued on the next program. Also, if a champion won the jackpot in the Solo Game and retired, the opponent they had defeated in the Championship Round came back to play again in the Championship Round of the following game.
In the championship round, the host gave a category and a new board containing six words fitting that category was revealed. The first contestant to buzz-in and find one of those words was given 20 seconds to find the five remaining words to win the board. If unable to do so, the opponent was given an additional five seconds to find one word, with the contestant hitting his/her button once he or she finds a word, winning the board if successful; otherwise, the board went to the opponent. Each board was worth money; the first board was worth $200 and each board after that was worth $100 more than the previous one. The first player to reach $1,000 or more kept their money and won the game and played the solo round.
) that was being guessed and call it out. The contestant had the option to pass at any time and return to that question later.
Each correct answer was worth $100, and if all ten words were found before time expired the contestant won a cash jackpot which began at $5,000. From 1974–1975, the jackpot increased $1,000 for each unsuccessful attempt, to a maximum of $25,000. On the 1989 version, the jackpot increased by $5,000 for each unsuccessful attempt.
On the 1970s version, a returning champion would immediately retire after winning the jackpot, making the player they beat in the Championship Round the designated champion for the next game. On the 1989 version, a returning champion could stay for a maximum of five days regardless of how many jackpots they won.
and Bill Cosby
. For a brief period, the 1970s version used an alternate theme written by Edd Kalehoff
.
hosting, replacing The $10,000 Pyramid
, which moved to ABC
one month after its CBS cancellation. Initially, it did well against Alex Trebek
's American debut on NBC
(The Wizard of Odds
) but, three months later, NBC gave Trebek a new show called High Rollers
at that slot and NYSI began to struggle while the producers altered the format several times. The show was taped at CBS Television City
in Studio 33 (also known as the Bob Barker Studio), currently home to The Price Is Right
. Some episodes used Studio 41, which at the time was the stage of CBS's Tattletales
.
NBC's resurgence in its morning lineup in early 1975 with the likes of Wheel of Fortune
prompted CBS to clean house, canceling The Joker's Wild
along with NYSI. Gambit
(the show actually facing Wheel), which had begun in 1972 at 11/10, returned to that slot after NYSIs departure from the lineup.
This version aired occasionally on Game Show Network
during the 1990s and 2000s until the network chose not to renew its contract with FremantleMedia
(which now owns the Goodson-Todman library).
hosting. The series was again taped at Studio 33 at Television City in Hollywood for its entire run.
Not only did it face its sister Mark Goodson-packaged game Classic Concentration (hosted by Trebek), but the new NYSI faced a vastly changed television market from the days of the original. Syndicated
talk shows such as Donahue
and Sally Jessy Raphael
had become popular and made games like NYSI seem tame and quaint by comparison. Further, daytime viewership had declined greatly overall since 1975, thanks to a surge in cable and pay channels giving the viewer more choices than just the three major networks. With a greater possibility for local advertising revenue from the talk shows, numerous stations passed on the game despite the solid performance of its lead-in, Family Feud
.
In order to counteract affiliate preemption, CBS scuttled NYSI and brought in the daytime Wheel of Fortune
following NBC's cancellation of it on June 30.
This version was not shown on GSN.
in Australia hosted by Mike Meade
, "co-hosted" by a robot
named "Melvin" (a Tomy
Omnibot
toy), and pitted individual children against each other. From 1990–1993, the show was hosted by Sofie Formica
, and ran as a week-long competition between two primary schools. The winning students in each episode would win individual prizes, and the overall winning school would win a larger prize, typically valued at around $2,000.
In 1998, Becker Entertainment
and All American Fremantle revived the show. Broadcast on the Nine Network
, it was hosted by Scott MacRae
and produced by Tony Ryan, with Bill Davidson as Executive producer. In 2000 the show was replaced with Download, also hosted by McRae, to coincide with the new millennium. Although a different show, it contained a similar type of game, with the children slowly having letters revealed to them to aid them with general knowledge questions. McRae was replaced with Nathan Lloyd in 2001, and for the 2002 relaunch, he was replaced with Emily Jade.
Gameplay was similar to the 1970s version in the United States, with contestants competing in line games to determine which would move on to the big board round, a round similar to the championship and elimination rounds of the American version. The winner of the big board round competed in the solo round, attempting to find seven hidden words with the help of the clues read by the host. Solo round winners received a grand prize rather than a cash jackpot.
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 Frank Wayne
Frank Wayne
Frank Wayne was an American game show producer and host.Wayne was the original executive producer of the 1972 revival of The Price Is Right until his death in 1988. He created the show's most popular game, Plinko, and many others...
for Mark Goodson
Mark Goodson
Mark Goodson was an American television producer who specialized in game shows.-Life and early career:...
-Bill Todman
Bill Todman
William S. "Bill" Todman was an American television producer born in New York City. He produced many of television's longest running shows with business partner Mark Goodson.-Early life:...
Productions. Two Now You See It series were produced, and both aired 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...
. The first series ran from April 1, 1974 until June 13, 1975, and was hosted by Jack Narz
Jack Narz
Jack Narz was an American television announcer and game show host. Narz was the elder brother of Tom Kennedy and the former brother-in-law of Bill Cullen...
. The second series ran from April 3 until June 14, 1989 and was emceed by veteran Los Angeles news anchor Chuck Henry
Chuck Henry
Chuck Henry is a Los Angeles television personality and a newscaster with over 35 years of news experience. Henry can be seen co-anchoring the 5, 6 and 11 PM newscasts on KNBC-TV...
. Johnny Olson
Johnny Olson
John Leonard "Johnny" Olson was an American radio personality and television announcer. His work spanned 32 game shows produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman from the late 1950s through the mid 1980s...
was the original announcer
Announcer
An announcer is a presenter who makes "announcements" in an audio medium or a physical location.-Television and other media:Some announcers work in television production , radio or filmmaking, usually providing narrations, news updates, station identification, or an introduction of a product in...
, with Gene Wood
Gene Wood
Eugene Edward "Gene" Wood was an American television personality, known primarily for his work as an announcer on various game shows. From the 1960s to the 1990s, he announced many game shows, primarily Mark Goodson–Bill Todman productions such as Family Feud, Card Sharks, Password, and Beat the...
substituting on occasion. Los Angeles disc jockey Mark Driscoll announced for the first month of the 1989 series, with Don Morrow
Don Morrow
Don Morrow is an American actor and announcer. He started his broadcast career while a student at Syracuse University on the GI Bill shortly after World War II. His first job was with Syracuse's first TV station WHEN as newscaster and announcer...
replacing him for the remainder of the run.
Although several tweaks to the game were made over the time Now You See It was on the air, the core format remained the same. Contestants competed to find words on a grid that was similar to a word search
Word search
A word search, word find, word seek, word sleuth or mystery word puzzle is a word game that is letters of a word in a grid, that usually has a rectangular or square shape. The objective of this puzzle is to find and mark all the words hidden inside the box. The words may be horizontally,...
puzzle that served as answers to questions asked by the host.
Gameplay
The game board in all versions of Now You See It had four rows ("lines") with 14 letters ("positions") in each row. The host read general knowledge triviaTrivia
The trivia are the three lower Artes Liberales, i.e. grammar, rhetoric and logic. These were the topics of basic education, foundational to the quadrivia of higher education, and hence the material of basic education, of interest only to undergraduates...
questions with single-word answers that were concealed within the jumble of letters on the board for that round. The answers on the board were always written horizontally from left to right.
Although the premise of the show remained the same, the main game was played differently on each version.
Format #1
Buzzer
A buzzer or beeper is an audio signaling device, which may be mechanical, electromechanical, or piezoelectric. Typical uses of buzzers and beepers include alarm devices, timers and confirmation of user input such as a mouse click or keystroke....
in would say which line the correct answer appeared on. If the correct line was given, the "outside" player for that team turned around to give the position number and the word. If the wrong line was guessed, the other team got a free guess. If the correct position and answer was given, the team earned points equal to the sum of the line and position numbers (example: if a word was on Line 4, Position 1, the team scored five points). Otherwise, nobody scored for that word. Halfway through the round a bell rang, and the inside and outside players switched roles. The team that was in the lead when a second bell rang won the Elimination Round. Although the host would say that time had run out, the game was never played to time. Twelve questions were played, six in each configuration, with a thirteenth if needed to break a tie.
In the semifinals, the two contestants on the winning team competed against each other. A string of 16 concealed letters was shown to the contestants, and the host read a crossword
Crossword
A crossword is a word puzzle that normally takes the form of a square or rectangular grid of white and shaded squares. The goal is to fill the white squares with letters, forming words or phrases, by solving clues which lead to the answers. In languages that are written left-to-right, the answer...
-style clue. The 16-letter string began to reveal one letter at a time until a player buzzed in and answered correctly, or only one letter was left in the word. If a contestant buzzed in and gave an incorrect answer, the opponent was given a free guess before any more letters were revealed. If they too came up with a wrong answer, the word would continue to be revealed. If nobody guessed the word with one letter left, it was revealed. The host then read another clue, and began revealing letters; the next answer could use letters from the end of the previous answer in the string. The first player to guess four words correctly won the round and a prize package. During the first two weeks, no prize package was given to the winner. Also, during the third week, it took five points to win the round; this would become permanent when the second format was introduced.
The winner of the semifinals round competed against the show's returning champion in the Finals. This round was played like the elimination round, except that there were no partners. Contestants gave both the line and position numbers of correct answers in order to score. The contestant who had more points when time ran out won the game and played the Solo Round for a chance at a cash jackpot.
Beginning with the 101st episode and continuing until the adoption of the second main game format, contestants were asked to scan the board and write down one word from the board each on an index card at the beginning of each half of the Elimination Round, and the Finals. A contestant or team would earn 10 bonus points if they correctly answered a question with one of their "bonus words". The player must reveal their bonus word when it is found, and cannot come back to it afterwards.
Format #2
Beginning with the 186th episode and for the rest of the show's run, the format of the main game was changed. The Elimination Round was dropped altogether. Instead, two new players began each game playing the Qualifying Round, which was similar to the previous format's semifinals with the exception that five points were required to win the round instead of four.The winner of the Qualifying Round played the day's returning champion in the renamed Championship Round. Game play was similar, except instead of playing until time ran out the champion and challenger tried to score 100 points first. The scoring rules were the same as the Elimination Round and Finals in the first format. However, once one player reached 50 points, a bell rang to signify all subsequent words would be played for double points. The first player to score 100 or more points advanced to the Solo Round.
The change in format meant that episodes of Now You See It were no longer self-contained and could straddle between episodes, and an episode could end with a game in progress that would have to be continued on the next program. Also, if a champion won the jackpot in the Solo Game and retired, the opponent they had defeated in the Championship Round came back to play again in the Championship Round of the following game.
1989 version
In the qualifying round, two new contestants competed to find the answers to the host's questions. Scoring was determined by how much time was left on the clock when the contestant buzzed in; the clock started at 100 points and decreased by 5 points as each 1/3 second passed. If nobody guessed the correct answer when the clock reached 25 points, the host gave the line number that the word was on. Halfway through the round, points were doubled and the contestants were given a new board. The first player to reach 1,000 points won the round and competed against the show's returning champion in the championship round.In the championship round, the host gave a category and a new board containing six words fitting that category was revealed. The first contestant to buzz-in and find one of those words was given 20 seconds to find the five remaining words to win the board. If unable to do so, the opponent was given an additional five seconds to find one word, with the contestant hitting his/her button once he or she finds a word, winning the board if successful; otherwise, the board went to the opponent. Each board was worth money; the first board was worth $200 and each board after that was worth $100 more than the previous one. The first player to reach $1,000 or more kept their money and won the game and played the solo round.
Solo round (both versions)
The winner of the main game was shown a new board and 60 seconds to find ten words on that board. Once the host read a clue to one of those words, the contestant used an electronic pencil to circle the word (on a telestratorTelestrator
A telestrator is a device that allows its operator to draw a freehand sketch over a moving or still video image. The telestrator is most famously recognized in sports and weather broadcasts to diagram and analyze sports plays or incoming weather patterns. The talent typically draws on a...
) that was being guessed and call it out. The contestant had the option to pass at any time and return to that question later.
Each correct answer was worth $100, and if all ten words were found before time expired the contestant won a cash jackpot which began at $5,000. From 1974–1975, the jackpot increased $1,000 for each unsuccessful attempt, to a maximum of $25,000. On the 1989 version, the jackpot increased by $5,000 for each unsuccessful attempt.
On the 1970s version, a returning champion would immediately retire after winning the jackpot, making the player they beat in the Championship Round the designated champion for the next game. On the 1989 version, a returning champion could stay for a maximum of five days regardless of how many jackpots they won.
Theme
Both versions used the instrumental theme "Chump Change," composed by Quincy JonesQuincy Jones
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
and Bill Cosby
Bill Cosby
William Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr. is an American comedian, actor, author, television producer, educator, musician and activist. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, then landed a starring role in the 1960s action show, I Spy. He later starred in his own series, the...
. For a brief period, the 1970s version used an alternate theme written by Edd Kalehoff
Edd Kalehoff
Edward Woodley "Edd" Kalehoff is a music composer who specializes in compositions for television.-Notable pieces:Composer of about 1,000 pieces, mainly for television, his credits include the majority of cues used on The Price is Right as well as the Nickelodeon game show Double Dare, a music...
.
1974–1975
The first version ran from April 1, 1974 to June 13, 1975 at 11:00 AM (10:00 Central) with Jack NarzJack Narz
Jack Narz was an American television announcer and game show host. Narz was the elder brother of Tom Kennedy and the former brother-in-law of Bill Cullen...
hosting, replacing The $10,000 Pyramid
Pyramid (game show)
Pyramid is an American television game show which has aired several versions. The original series, The $10,000 Pyramid, debuted March 26, 1973 and spawned seven subsequent Pyramid series...
, which moved to 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...
one month after its CBS cancellation. Initially, it did well against Alex Trebek
Alex Trebek
George Alexander "Alex" Trebek is a Canadian American game show host who has been the host of the game show Jeopardy! since 1984, and prior to that, he hosted game shows such as Pitfall and High Rollers. He has appeared in numerous television series, usually as himself...
's American debut 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...
(The Wizard of Odds
The Wizard of Odds
The Wizard of Odds is an American game show hosted by Alex Trebek that aired on NBC from July 16, 1973 to June 28, 1974 in which people from the studio audience vied in a number of rounds, primarily games revolving around statistical questions...
) but, three months later, NBC gave Trebek a new show called High Rollers
High Rollers
High Rollers is an American television game show based on the dice game Shut the Box. The show aired on NBC from July 1, 1974 to June 11, 1976 and again from April 24, 1978 to June 20, 1980. Two different syndicated versions were also produced, a weekly series in the 1975–1976 season which ran...
at that slot and NYSI began to struggle while the producers altered the format several times. The show was taped at CBS Television City
CBS Television City
CBS Television City is a television studio complex located in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles at 7800 Beverly Boulevard, at the corner of North Fairfax Avenue...
in Studio 33 (also known as the Bob Barker Studio), currently home to The Price Is Right
The Price Is Right (U.S. game show)
The Price Is Right is an American game show which was created by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. Contestants compete to identify the pricing of merchandise to win cash and prizes. The show is well-known for its signature line of "Come on down!" when the announcer directs newly selected contestants to...
. Some episodes used Studio 41, which at the time was the stage of CBS's Tattletales
Tattletales
Tattletales is a game show which first aired on the CBS daytime schedule on February 18, 1974. It was hosted by Bert Convy, with several announcers, including Jack Clark, Gene Wood, Johnny Olson and John Harlan, providing the voiceover at various times...
.
NBC's resurgence in its morning lineup in early 1975 with the likes of Wheel of Fortune
Wheel of Fortune (U.S. game show)
Wheel of Fortune is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin, which premiered in 1975. Contestants compete to solve word puzzles, similar to those used in Hangman, to win cash and prizes determined by spinning a large wheel. The title refers to the show's giant carnival wheel that...
prompted CBS to clean house, canceling The Joker's Wild
The Joker's Wild
The Joker's Wild is an American television game show that aired at different times during the 1970s through the 1990s. Contestants answered questions based on categories that were determined randomly by a mechanism resembling a slot machine....
along with NYSI. Gambit
Gambit (game show)
Gambit is a television game show, created by Wayne Cruseturner and produced by Heatter-Quigley Productions, that originally ran on CBS from September 4, 1972 to December 10, 1976. A slightly retooled version, Las Vegas Gambit, aired on NBC from October 27, 1980 to November 27, 1981, originating...
(the show actually facing Wheel), which had begun in 1972 at 11/10, returned to that slot after NYSIs departure from the lineup.
This version aired occasionally on Game Show Network
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"...
during the 1990s and 2000s until the network chose not to renew its contract with FremantleMedia
FremantleMedia
FremantleMedia, Ltd. is the content and production division of Bertelsmann's RTL Group, Europe's second largest TV, radio, and production company...
(which now owns the Goodson-Todman library).
1989
Fourteen years later, CBS decided to try the show again from April 3 to July 14, 1989 at 10:30 AM (9:30 Central) with Los Angeles news anchor Chuck HenryChuck Henry
Chuck Henry is a Los Angeles television personality and a newscaster with over 35 years of news experience. Henry can be seen co-anchoring the 5, 6 and 11 PM newscasts on KNBC-TV...
hosting. The series was again taped at Studio 33 at Television City in Hollywood for its entire run.
Not only did it face its sister Mark Goodson-packaged game Classic Concentration (hosted by Trebek), but the new NYSI faced a vastly changed television market from the days of the original. Syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
talk shows such as Donahue
Donahue
Donahue is the Americanized version of Irish surname Donohoe, which, in turn, is an Anglicized version of the ancient Irish name "Donnchadh" ....
and Sally Jessy Raphael
Sally Jessy Raphaël
Sally Lowenthal , better known as Sally Jessy Raphael, is an American talk show host, known for the eponymous Sally talk show she hosted for two decades.-Early years:...
had become popular and made games like NYSI seem tame and quaint by comparison. Further, daytime viewership had declined greatly overall since 1975, thanks to a surge in cable and pay channels giving the viewer more choices than just the three major networks. With a greater possibility for local advertising revenue from the talk shows, numerous stations passed on the game despite the solid performance of its lead-in, 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...
.
In order to counteract affiliate preemption, CBS scuttled NYSI and brought in the daytime Wheel of Fortune
Wheel of Fortune (U.S. game show)
Wheel of Fortune is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin, which premiered in 1975. Contestants compete to solve word puzzles, similar to those used in Hangman, to win cash and prizes determined by spinning a large wheel. The title refers to the show's giant carnival wheel that...
following NBC's cancellation of it on June 30.
This version was not shown on GSN.
Australia
From 1985–1993, a children's version aired on the Seven NetworkSeven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
in Australia hosted by Mike Meade
Mike Meade
Mike Meade is a former running back in the National Football League.-Career:Meade was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round of the 1982 NFL Draft and played two seasons with the team before playing two seasons with the Detroit Lions. He played at the collegiate level at Pennsylvania...
, "co-hosted" by a robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
named "Melvin" (a Tomy
TOMY
is a Japanese toy, children's merchandise and entertainment company created from the March 2006 merger of two companies: Tomy and long-time rival, Takara...
Omnibot
Omnibot
The Omnibot is a toy robot originally manufactured by Tomy in the mid 1980s. The name then came to apply to the successful line of robots manufactured by the company. The initial Omnibot was announced with expectations of restoring popular interest in robots, at a time when it was becoming obvious...
toy), and pitted individual children against each other. From 1990–1993, the show was hosted by Sofie Formica
Sofie Formica
Sofie Formica is an Australian television presenter and actress, currently hosting the information show The Great South East.-Hosting Duties:...
, and ran as a week-long competition between two primary schools. The winning students in each episode would win individual prizes, and the overall winning school would win a larger prize, typically valued at around $2,000.
In 1998, Becker Entertainment
Becker Entertainment
Becker Entertainment is an Australian publicly listed entertainment company, owned by Prime Television Limited. Founded in 1965 by Russell Becker, one of the pioneers of commercial television in Australia, Becker was Australia's first independent distributor of television programs....
and All American Fremantle revived the show. Broadcast on the Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
, it was hosted by Scott MacRae
Scott MacRae
Scott Patrick MacRae is an American Major League Baseball player who played with the Cincinnati Reds from 7/24/2001 to 10/6/2001...
and produced by Tony Ryan, with Bill Davidson as Executive producer. In 2000 the show was replaced with Download, also hosted by McRae, to coincide with the new millennium. Although a different show, it contained a similar type of game, with the children slowly having letters revealed to them to aid them with general knowledge questions. McRae was replaced with Nathan Lloyd in 2001, and for the 2002 relaunch, he was replaced with Emily Jade.
Gameplay was similar to the 1970s version in the United States, with contestants competing in line games to determine which would move on to the big board round, a round similar to the championship and elimination rounds of the American version. The winner of the big board round competed in the solo round, attempting to find seven hidden words with the help of the clues read by the host. Solo round winners received a grand prize rather than a cash jackpot.