Play the Percentages
Encyclopedia
Play the Percentages is an American game show
hosted by Geoff Edwards
which aired in syndication
from January 7 to September 12, 1980. Bob Hilton
became the main announcer after Jay Stewart
announced for the first several weeks.
The game changed format several times over its short run, but all forms involved some variation on using questions with percentage answers or percentage statistics.
The show's theme was later re-used on another Barry & Enright show, Nipsey Russell
's Juvenile Jury
.
The contestant who scored the points could then either answer the question himself (without conferring with his/her spouse) or challenge his or her opponent to answer. A right answer or a successful challenge added the remaining percentage points to the couple's score. If the contestant with the initial control missed the question, the opponent could steal the points. Originally, a successful challenge also allowed the contestant to answer the question for the same amount of points. Play alternated until a couple reached 300 points, at which point the team doing so won the game and $300.
Originally, if a team guessed the percentage exactly right, they won the game automatically. Later, in addition to the game, a cash jackpot that started at $10,000 was also awarded for an exact guess, and the jackpot increased by $1,000 each game it wasn't won. Any couple who won five consecutive games won a new car.
The first contestant to reach 250 points won the game, $500, and the chance at the bonus round. If there was no winner after five rounds, a final toss-up question decided the winner, who would then advance to the bonus round.
During the era of the second format, Geoff developed a humorous rapport with judge Eric Warner, whom he referred to as "Judge Von Erik". The judge frequently spoke to the host on all Barry-Enright games of the time if the host erroneously stated that an answer was right or wrong, or if the host asked if an answer given by a contestant was acceptable.
Any contestant who won five consecutive games won a new car.
The bonus round could end in several ways under this format:
The jackpot in the bonus round was discontinued when the large percentage logo that displayed the target percentage and the couple's score continually malfunctioned.
A question was read and six possible answers were listed. Choosing any of the five most popular answers was worth $10 per percentage point. However, if the couple guessed all five they won $1,000 cash and a prize package worth at least $2,500. If the zero answer was chosen the game ended and the couple won nothing.
This Bonus Round format was used when the main game switched formats and used solo contestants only. The champion was permitted to bring a spouse, other relative, or friend onstage, but only for moral support–the champion was the only person that could select answers.
To ensure that the percentage points in this format always added up to 100%, the points awarded were based on the percentage of the people who responded with that answer in relation to the five most popular answers of that survey, not the number of people who gave that answer overall.
reran the series from April 27, 1987 to June 23, 1989. After that, it was also aired a few times in one-off appearances on GSN
.
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...
hosted by 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....
which aired in syndication
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...
from January 7 to September 12, 1980. Bob Hilton
Bob Hilton
Robert "Bob" Wesley Hilton is an American television game show personality. He hosted The Guinness Game, a revival of Truth or Consequences and the 1990 revival of Let's Make a Deal, and announced on several other shows....
became the main announcer after 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...
announced for the first several weeks.
The game changed format several times over its short run, but all forms involved some variation on using questions with percentage answers or percentage statistics.
The show's theme was later re-used on another Barry & Enright show, Nipsey Russell
Nipsey Russell
Julius "Nipsey" Russell was an American comedian, best known today for his appearances as a guest panelist on game shows from the 1960s through the 1990s, especially Match Game, Password, Hollywood Squares, To Tell the Truth and Pyramid...
's Juvenile Jury
Juvenile Jury
Juvenile Jury is an American children's game show which originally ran on NBC from April 3, 1947 to August 1, 1954. It was hosted by Jack Barry and featured a panel of kids aged ten or less giving advice to solve the problems of other kids.-Controversy:...
.
First version
Two married couples competed. One contestant from each couple would be asked to estimate what percentage of 300 people answered the question correctly. Whoever was closest to the actual percentage, high or low, scored the actual percentage points. If both teams said the same percentage, the contestant on each couple had the option to change the estimate on the same question.The contestant who scored the points could then either answer the question himself (without conferring with his/her spouse) or challenge his or her opponent to answer. A right answer or a successful challenge added the remaining percentage points to the couple's score. If the contestant with the initial control missed the question, the opponent could steal the points. Originally, a successful challenge also allowed the contestant to answer the question for the same amount of points. Play alternated until a couple reached 300 points, at which point the team doing so won the game and $300.
Originally, if a team guessed the percentage exactly right, they won the game automatically. Later, in addition to the game, a cash jackpot that started at $10,000 was also awarded for an exact guess, and the jackpot increased by $1,000 each game it wasn't won. Any couple who won five consecutive games won a new car.
Second version
Two solo contestants competed. Each supplied a category of preference. Either of those two categories, or a third "Pot Luck" category, was randomly chosen for each turn. The challenger then selected a question value worth between 10 to 90 points, in 10-point multiples, representing the percentage of people who missed that question. A right answer added the points to a contestant's score, but a wrong answer allowed their opponent to steal the points. Two questions were played per round. If "Pot Luck" came up as the category, the question was a toss-up and the first contestant to buzz in could answer. During the last two weeks of the series all questions were toss-ups.The first contestant to reach 250 points won the game, $500, and the chance at the bonus round. If there was no winner after five rounds, a final toss-up question decided the winner, who would then advance to the bonus round.
During the era of the second format, Geoff developed a humorous rapport with judge Eric Warner, whom he referred to as "Judge Von Erik". The judge frequently spoke to the host on all Barry-Enright games of the time if the host erroneously stated that an answer was right or wrong, or if the host asked if an answer given by a contestant was acceptable.
Any contestant who won five consecutive games won a new car.
First version
The couple gave a target percentage that was larger than zero. The host read a question and three possible answers. One answer (usually the correct one) was the most popular and awarded the most points. Another choice was a less popular answer, and the third answer received no response and scored zero points. The couple chose an answer and scored points based on the percentage of the poll that also gave that response.The bonus round could end in several ways under this format:
- Choosing an answer that was said by nobody (0%), ending the round and winning no additional money.
- Quitting and taking $10 per point (e.g., 95 points x $10 = $950).
- Reaching 100 points and winning $2,500 in cash.
- Revealing an answer whose percentage matched the target percentage given at the beginning of the Bonus Round. Doing so won a cash jackpot that started at $25,000 and increased by $1,000 each day.
Second version
Starting in the second week of its run, the second format was similar to the first format except without the jackpot; also, if on any question the couple picked the second-most popular answer, they then had to pick the most popular answer to move on to the next question (the exact percentage of the top answer was then given by the host). The round ended when the couple reached 100 points (winning $2,500), quit at $10 per point or chose an answer worth 0%.The jackpot in the bonus round was discontinued when the large percentage logo that displayed the target percentage and the couple's score continually malfunctioned.
Third version
In format three, one single question was asked based on a 100-person survey.A question was read and six possible answers were listed. Choosing any of the five most popular answers was worth $10 per percentage point. However, if the couple guessed all five they won $1,000 cash and a prize package worth at least $2,500. If the zero answer was chosen the game ended and the couple won nothing.
This Bonus Round format was used when the main game switched formats and used solo contestants only. The champion was permitted to bring a spouse, other relative, or friend onstage, but only for moral support–the champion was the only person that could select answers.
To ensure that the percentage points in this format always added up to 100%, the points awarded were based on the percentage of the people who responded with that answer in relation to the five most popular answers of that survey, not the number of people who gave that answer overall.
Episode status
USA NetworkUSA Network
USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...
reran the series from April 27, 1987 to June 23, 1989. After that, it was also aired a few times in one-off appearances on 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"...
.