Remote Control (game show)
Encyclopedia
Remote Control is a TV game show
that ran on MTV
for three seasons from 1987 until 1990. It was MTV's first original non-musical program. New episodes were made for first-run syndication in 1989 which were distributed by Viacom. Three contestants answered trivia questions on movies, music
, and television
, many of which were presented in skit
format.
and featured Colin Quinn
as the gravel-voiced announcer/sidekick. John Ten Eyck played several walk-on parts, joined in later seasons by Adam Sandler
, Denis Leary
, and Roger Kabler. Steve Treccase provided music; Marisol Massey (Season One), Kari Wührer
(Seasons Two and Three), Alicia Coppola
(Season Four) and Susan Ashley (Season Five) were the hostesses. Although uncredited, Jani Berry provided the off-camera voice as the character of Ken Ober's mother.
Shows were sometimes interrupted by the disembodied voice of "Ken's mother," and the studio was indeed set up to resemble a basement, complete with a washer and dryer, cheesy bric-a-brac, and a giant Pez dispenser that resembled Bob Eubanks
.
The basement was a mainstay of the show throughout its run; however, its cheesy decor was "rearranged" slightly every season. The contestants sat in leather La-Z-Boy recliners with seat belt
s (their purpose explained below), complete with retro kidney-shaped tables and scoreboards, facing host Ober and his retro-styled Zenith
television. Behind Ober were autographed pictures of his idols, game show hosts such as Eubanks, Bob Barker
, Bill Cullen
, Bert Convy
, Monty Hall
, and Tom Kennedy. Musician Steve Treccase set up his keyboard behind a cluttered bar, at which Quinn and the hostess usually sat for the duration of the show. More clutter could be found around and behind the audience, very frequently including props used in previous seasons. Finally, the contestants' chairs were placed in front of breakaway walls, through which they were pulled if they were eliminated.
Network," "Brady Physics," and "Dead
or Canadian
." Contestants answered a series of questions from those subjects to earn points. Most channels contained three questions of increasing value, although certain special categories would have either one or two questions.
In the first round, the three questions in a standard category were worth 5, 10, and 15 points, in that order. Point values were doubled for the second round. The contestant who answered a question correctly could either stay with the current channel or select a different one; after the last question in a channel was asked, it was taken out of play for the rest of the round.
Other categories included:
The "MTV
" category, containing questions relating to music and music videos, generally appeared in almost every round.
Several categories were performance-driven, such as these:
During the first season, the Snack Break occurred in the middle of the round, and the player in the lead at that point had the chance to win a small prize by correctly guessing which of three numbered refrigerators it was located in (similar to Let's Make a Deal
). The other two each held a revolting food item.
," "Hit the Road Jack
," or "Get Off My Show" (to the tune of "Get Off My Cloud
"), while said player was being ejected. After a contestant was ejected, he/she would be tormented by stagehands administering various annoyances behind him/her while an unrealistic screaming sound effect played. The ejections were accomplished in a variety of ways.
The setup in the first season was very basic. All three contestants were seated in front of breakaway sections in the wall behind them. Upon elimination, the losing contestant was simply pulled in their chair through that section of the wall, which would fall backwards allowing the chair to continue sliding behind the stage. Upon being pulled through, a black curtain was dropped concealing the player. Most of the time this was accompanied by the camera shaking violently and a "static" effect to simulate the TV (and the contestant, as mentioned by Ober) going "Off the Air." On occasion, the chair would return through the wall with the contestant replaced by a skeleton
or something else indicating that he or she had been "killed."
The second season was the first to feature three different kinds of eliminations; also, the camera effects were removed. The player on the left side of the stage was seated in front of a seemingly normal brick wall. If they lost, his chair was pulled backwards and upon hitting the wall a trap door would swing open to allow the player to be pulled backstage. The door was then shut to "trap" the player behind the wall. The player in the middle was in front of a doorway lined with blue wallpaper. Upon elimination, he would be pulled back and rip through the wallpaper, with a black curtain lowered in front of the player to keep him hidden them from view. The player on the right was in the infamous "flipper" chair, which was yanked upwards and backwards so that the stage floor was now the wall from the vantage point of the audience.
Seasons 3 and 4 presented some minor modifications. The "flipper" chair was now on the left side of the stage. The middle chair was in front of a fake brick wall which had a breakaway section similar to the ones used during the first season. Just like in prior seasons, a black sheet was dropped down to conceal the player from view. The player on the right side was in front of a typical looking wall decorated with shelves, pictures, and a dartboard. When this player lost, his chair would be flung backwards, hitting the wall and spinning it around 180 degrees. The backside of the wall (now seen on stage) looked like the outside of a house, with siding and a garden hose (as to imply that the player had been ejected from the basement to outside.)
The fifth and final season presented some minor modifications as well; the black curtain behind the breakaway wall was replaced with a black wall with "jail bars," and the wall rotated vertically as the player on the right side was being pulled through it.
In Spring Break episodes, players were seated in folding lawn chairs which were placed on platforms on the edge of a swimming pool
. All three contestants were eliminated in the same manner if they went "Off the Air." The platform would sink forward slightly, folding up the lawn chair just a little (and making it more difficult for players to run away if they chickened out, as they were not strapped in for safety purposes.) The hostess would then walk over to a lever in front of the contestant, wave bye-bye to them and pull the lever that released the platform, sending the seated contestant tumbling backwards into the pool. This concept was dropped in later Spring Break episodes and replaced with the losers being pushed or thrown into the pool by stagehands.
On at least one occasion, the contestants performed so badly in Round 1 that Ober decided to have them all yanked "Off the Air" at the end of it. The scores were reset to zero, and three new contestants took their places to complete the game.
In seasons 2-4, the two remaining contestants competed in a 30-second speed round entitled "Think Real Fast." Typically, this was a fill-in-the-blank or spot-the-errant-word format. For example, Ober would read movie, TV show, or song titles that had one word replaced with an incorrect word, and contestants had to come up with the correction. Each correct answer scored 10 points. The high scorer moved on to the bonus round, while the runner-up was eliminated in a manner similar to the third-place contestant.
NOTE: In seasons 2-4, if there was no clear third-place player (i.e., a three-way tie or a tie for second place) when the TV went "Off the Air," nobody was eliminated, and all three players played "Think Real Fast." In this instance, both losing players were removed simultaneously; Ken termed this event a "double yank."
In the fifth season, all three players played a different version of the lightning round called "This, That, Or the Other Thing," but it was not the last round in the game. All questions now had one of three answers that Ober would list before the round started. These were usually people or characters who shared a common name—for example: "Andy Taylor
, Andy Warhol
, or Andy Rooney." Contestants had 20 seconds to ring in and answer as many questions as possible; after this round, the TV immediately went "Off the Air" and the third-place contestant was eliminated.
The surviving player with the highest score won the game and a collection of prizes, and went on to the Grand Prize Round. In the event of a tie after the last round, Ober would pull a tiebreaker question from the giant Pez dispenser in the corner; a correct answer won the game, while a wrong answer lost it.
Syndicated Version ("Wheel of Jeopardy"): The contestant was strapped to a wheel surrounded by ten television monitors, and was asked ten further questions (usually about TV). For each question successfully answered, the contestant won a prize, and the corresponding screen would display "Grand Prize." After 10 questions, the wheel was stopped, and if the player's head landed on a screen that had "Grand Prize" displayed, he won all 10 prizes & the day's top prize. If the contestant correctly answered all 10 questions, he or she would automatically win the grand prize without the wheel having to stop, as every monitor would obviously read "Grand Prize". Originally, correct answers simply turned on lights around the TVs, and the player's head had to land on one of the lit TVs in order to win the grand prize.
MTV Version (season 5): The "name the artist" round was modified to more resemble the syndicated bonus round. The player was strapped to a metal wheel placed at a 45 degree angle, with a single TV above and below it. The nine videos were shown in succession, and the player had to guess all the artists in 40 seconds to win the grand prize.
Celebrities that played the game:
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...
that ran on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
for three seasons from 1987 until 1990. It was MTV's first original non-musical program. New episodes were made for first-run syndication in 1989 which were distributed by Viacom. Three contestants answered trivia questions on movies, music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, many of which were presented in skit
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
format.
Cast
Remote Control was hosted by Ken OberKen Ober
Ken Ober was an American game show host, comedian, and actor.- Early life and career :Born Kenneth Oberding in Brookline, Massachusetts, he was raised in Hartford, Connecticut. Ober hosted four game shows over the course of his career. He received his break after appearing as a contestant on Star...
and featured Colin Quinn
Colin Quinn
Colin Edward Quinn is an American stand-up comedian and writer best known for his five years in the cast of Saturday Night Live, as the sidekick/announcer of MTV's late 1980s gameshow Remote Control and as host of Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn on Comedy Central from 2002–2004.-Early years:Quinn was...
as the gravel-voiced announcer/sidekick. John Ten Eyck played several walk-on parts, joined in later seasons by Adam Sandler
Adam Sandler
Adam Richard Sandler is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, musician, and film producer.After becoming a Saturday Night Live cast member, Sandler went on to star in several Hollywood feature films that grossed over $100 million at the box office...
, Denis Leary
Denis Leary
Denis Colin Leary is an Irish-American actor, comedian, writer and director. Leary is known for his biting, fast paced comedic style and chain smoking...
, and Roger Kabler. Steve Treccase provided music; Marisol Massey (Season One), Kari Wührer
Kari Wührer
Kari Samantha Wührer is an American actress and singer, mostly credited as Kari Wuhrer, sometimes as Kari Salin.-Early life:...
(Seasons Two and Three), Alicia Coppola
Alicia Coppola
Alicia Coppola is an American television actress.-Career:Coppola started her TV career as a hostess on the MTV game show Remote Control. In 1991, she was hired to play vixen Lorna Devon on the soap opera Another World; she played the role until 1994...
(Season Four) and Susan Ashley (Season Five) were the hostesses. Although uncredited, Jani Berry provided the off-camera voice as the character of Ken Ober's mother.
Premise
The show's premise was that Ober desperately wanted to be a game show host and set up his basement (at 72 Whooping Cough Lane) as a television studio. The opening theme song sketched the scenario out:
"Kenny wasn't like the other kids (Remote Control)
TV mattered, nothing else did (Remote Control)
Girls said yes, but he said no (Remote Control)
Now he's got his own game show (Remote Control!)"
Shows were sometimes interrupted by the disembodied voice of "Ken's mother," and the studio was indeed set up to resemble a basement, complete with a washer and dryer, cheesy bric-a-brac, and a giant Pez dispenser that resembled Bob Eubanks
Bob Eubanks
Robert Leland "Bob" Eubanks is an American television/radio personality and game show host, best known for hosting the game show The Newlywed Game on and off since 1966, where he was known for using the catchphrase, "Makin' Whoopee"...
.
The basement was a mainstay of the show throughout its run; however, its cheesy decor was "rearranged" slightly every season. The contestants sat in leather La-Z-Boy recliners with seat belt
Seat belt
A seat belt or seatbelt, sometimes called a safety belt, is a safety harness designed to secure the occupant of a vehicle against harmful movement that may result from a collision or a sudden stop...
s (their purpose explained below), complete with retro kidney-shaped tables and scoreboards, facing host Ober and his retro-styled Zenith
Zenith Electronics
Zenith Electronics Corporation is a brand of the South Korean company LG Electronics. The company was previously an American manufacturer of televisions and other consumer electronics, and was headquartered in Lincolnshire, Illinois. LG Electronics acquired a controlling share of Zenith in 1995...
television. Behind Ober were autographed pictures of his idols, game show hosts such as Eubanks, Bob Barker
Bob Barker
Robert William "Bob" Barker is a former American television game show host. He is best known for hosting CBS's The Price Is Right from 1972 to 2007, making it the longest-running daytime game show in North American television history, and for hosting Truth or Consequences from 1956 to 1975.Born...
, Bill Cullen
Bill Cullen
William Lawrence Francis "Bill" Cullen was an American radio and television personality whose career spanned five decades...
, Bert Convy
Bert Convy
Bernard Whalen "Bert" Convy was an Emmy Award winning American actor, singer, game show host and panelist known for his tenure as the host for Tattletales, Super Password, and Win, Lose or Draw.-Early life:...
, 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:...
, and Tom Kennedy. Musician Steve Treccase set up his keyboard behind a cluttered bar, at which Quinn and the hostess usually sat for the duration of the show. More clutter could be found around and behind the audience, very frequently including props used in previous seasons. Finally, the contestants' chairs were placed in front of breakaway walls, through which they were pulled if they were eliminated.
Main game
Three contestants sitting in lounge chairs would select one of nine channels on a big-screen television that stood behind Ober, with each channel representing a subject having to do with pop culture. Sample channels used on the show were "The Bon JoviBon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald...
Network," "Brady Physics," and "Dead
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
or Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
." Contestants answered a series of questions from those subjects to earn points. Most channels contained three questions of increasing value, although certain special categories would have either one or two questions.
In the first round, the three questions in a standard category were worth 5, 10, and 15 points, in that order. Point values were doubled for the second round. The contestant who answered a question correctly could either stay with the current channel or select a different one; after the last question in a channel was asked, it was taken out of play for the rest of the round.
Categories/Channels
Several categories in each game dealt with specific television shows or genres. Categories such as "Brady Physics" (and later "Brady Metaphysics"), "The Today Show Time Machine," "Leave Out (celebrity's name)," "Inside (celebrity's name)" and "The Bon Jovi Network" were standard academic categories with questions presenting humorous situations involving the characters or celebrities named in the category.Other categories included:
- "Private Dicks," about famous detectives.
- "Really Bad TV," usually critically panned TV series or short-lived programs.
- "Celebrity Cellblock," questions relating to celebrities and famous people who got in trouble with the law.
- "Babes and Assassins," where the host read a humorously-phrased question about a female actress and a famous criminal. To win points, the contestant had to identify the pair.
- "PhD-TV," television-related questions determined to be harder.
- "No Witness News," where the contestants were given the date and name of a supermarket tabloid, then shown three possible headlines. The contestants had to identify the one that actually appeared in the publication on that given date.
- "Celebrity Flesh," about celebrities who posed nude.
- "Boy Were They Stupid," consisting of questions that were not answered correctly in an earlier episode.
The "MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
" category, containing questions relating to music and music videos, generally appeared in almost every round.
Several categories were performance-driven, such as these:
- Fairy PixieSheldon, the beleaguered Fairy Pixie, would read forlorn nursery rhymes about television shows.
- Celebrity Squarea cut-rate version of the long-running Hollywood SquaresHollywood SquaresHollywood Squares is an American panel game show in which two contestants play tic-tac-toe to win cash and prizes. The "board" for the game is a 3 × 3 vertical stack of open-faced cubes, each occupied by a celebrity seated at a desk and facing the contestants...
game show. MTV could only afford one square instead of nine, but otherwise the rules were unchanged: Contestants still had to get the X across, down, or diagonally. - Beat the Bishopthis challenge forced contestants to complete a math problem within the time it took a man dressed as a VaticanRoman CuriaThe Roman Curia is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See and the central governing body of the entire Catholic Church, together with the Pope...
bishop to race one lap around the studio. (Though depicted literally, the title of this channel is also a euphemismEuphemismA euphemism is the substitution of a mild, inoffensive, relatively uncontroversial phrase for another more frank expression that might offend or otherwise suggest something unpleasant to the audience...
for masturbationMasturbationMasturbation refers to sexual stimulation of a person's own genitals, usually to the point of orgasm. The stimulation can be performed manually, by use of objects or tools, or by some combination of these methods. Masturbation is a common form of autoeroticism...
. Later one-time variations of this channel included the similarly euphemistic "Beat the Bologna," as well as the straightforward religious spinoffs "Beat the Buddha" and "Race the Rabbi.") - The Laughing Guya segment in which Ten Eyck played "Ken's cousin Flip," who dressed in nerdy attire. Ober explained that a bizarre accident had left Flip able to do nothing but laugh the theme songs to TV shows, which the contestants had to guess.
- The Anti-FlipThis channel worked in the exact opposite manner as The Laughing Guy. Ten Eyck now played "Ken's evil cousin Skip," who was the exact opposite of Flip, dressed in drag, and was a complete dullard; he would give the name of a TV show, and the contestant then had to laugh the theme song.
- Andy's Diaryin which a gurgling Denis LearyDenis LearyDenis Colin Leary is an Irish-American actor, comedian, writer and director. Leary is known for his biting, fast paced comedic style and chain smoking...
portrayed the Pop artist Andy WarholAndy WarholAndrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
. - Stud Boya character who claimed to have had affairs with any number of famous women, and played by Adam SandlerAdam SandlerAdam Richard Sandler is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, musician, and film producer.After becoming a Saturday Night Live cast member, Sandler went on to star in several Hollywood feature films that grossed over $100 million at the box office...
. Contestants had to guess the woman that Stud Boy was describing. - Trivia Delinquent"Stickpin" Quinn, played by Sandler, was presented as Colin's cousin. He would describe his latest criminal activities (getting into fights, stealing cars, etc.) as a lead-in to a trivia question.
- Colin's Brotherplayed by Leary, which degenerated into an excuse for the two to pummel each other on-air.
- Survey Saysa Family FeudFamily FeudFamily 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...
-type question with five correct answers to it was posed to the players. - Sex Surveythe first-season variant of "Survey Says," in which the question was sexually themed.
- Casey's Big Pollafter Kari WührerKari WührerKari Samantha Wührer is an American actress and singer, mostly credited as Kari Wuhrer, sometimes as Kari Salin.-Early life:...
left the show, the premise of "Survey Says" was changed to make it a survey hosted by Ten Eyck imitating radio personality Casey KasemCasey KasemKemal Amin "Casey" Kasem is an American radio personality and voice actor who is best known for being the host of the nationally syndicated Top 40 countdown show American Top 40, and for voicing Shaggy in the popular Saturday morning cartoon franchise Scooby-Doo.Kasem, along with Don Bustany and...
, accompanied by a burly man in drag as "my lovely wife Jeannie." Otherwise, the rules remained the same. - Match 'Em Up Real Good (alternatively Match This)a Match GameMatch GameMatch Game is an American television game show in which contestants attempted to match celebrities' answers to fill-in-the-blank questions...
-type fill-in-the-blank statement is read, and if the contestant's answer matched that of Colin, Steve, or the hostess, they scored 10 points. - Sing Along with Colinin which sidekick Quinn would atonally rasp the lyrics to a song, and once Colin stopped singing, the contestant was required to correctly sing the next line or two. Sing Along was easily the most popular channel used on the show.
- Dead or AliveSimply put, contestants were given the name of a celebrity and had to guess whether they were dead or alive. Variations of this game have included "Dead or Canadian" and "Dead, Alive or Indian Food."
- Mr. Baggy Pantsthis character asked juvenile riddles that are common in joke books such as "Why did the guy throw his clock out the window?" The contestant had to provide the punchline, which in this case would be "because he wanted to see time fly."
- Rolling Stonedin which Leary would portray a strung out, drug-influenced Keith RichardsKeith RichardsKeith Richards is an English musician, songwriter, and founding member of the Rolling Stones. Rolling Stone magazine said Richards had created "rock's greatest single body of riffs", and placed him as the "10th greatest guitarist of all time." Fourteen songs written by Richards and songwriting...
. - Plant or Animalin which contestants would have to choose if a clip played for them was the sound a wild animal makes or an excerpt from the vocalizations of Robert PlantRobert PlantRobert Anthony Plant, CBE is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career...
on a Led Zeppelin song.
Penalty channels
There were a handful of "negative" channels that cost contestants points and/or subjected them to an unpleasant experience.- Home Shopping Zonewhere the unlucky contestant to choose that channel would see a video of a smarmily cheerful TV salesman (played by Craig Vandenburgh) "selling" some ridiculous product for a deduction of 10 points (20 points in the first season). An alternative version, the Fashion Zone, worked similarly, with Vandenburgh describing some outlandishly bad clothing item that the contestant had "bought."
- Ranger Boba thick-headed park ranger (played by John Ten Eyck) would offer a "camping safety tip" for 10 points.
- Public TelevisionNone of the contestants would be penalized, but "because only 3% of the population actually watches public television," this category consisted of questions that no average contestant would be able to answer. On a first season episode, however, a contestant did correctly answer a question about Coulomb's LawCoulomb's lawCoulomb's law or Coulomb's inverse-square law, is a law of physics describing the electrostatic interaction between electrically charged particles. It was first published in 1785 by French physicist Charles Augustin de Coulomb and was essential to the development of the theory of electromagnetism...
, earning him 10 points and a full 20 seconds of wild cheering from the audience. - Wheel of Torture (fourth and fifth seasons)The contestant could choose to lose 10 points, or submit to "Colin's torturous whims" and gain 10 points. If the contestant took the torture, the hostess would spin the Wheel of Torture (with sections including "Noogie," "Wet Willie," and "Purple Nurple"), and Quinn would administer the torture to the contestant. Some of the tortures were changed during the final season. Notably, the Purple Nurple was not administered to female contestants.
- Off the Air (pilot only)In the pilot episode, if a contestant selected it, he was immediately eliminated from further play. When the show went into production in December 1987, the rule was dropped in favor of the rules explained below.
Snack Break
At the end of the first round, the contestants were treated to a snack; however, as they were guests of an unconventional host, the snacks were delivered in unusual ways. In the vast majority of shows, the contestants were provided with bowls which they held over their heads to catch the snack, which was dumped onto them from above. When the nature of the snack made this method impractical, it would be lowered from above on trays or delivered by the hostess. In some episodes, each contestant was hit with a pie in the face.During the first season, the Snack Break occurred in the middle of the round, and the player in the lead at that point had the chance to win a small prize by correctly guessing which of three numbered refrigerators it was located in (similar to 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...
). The other two each held a revolting food item.
Off the Air
Remote Control was notable for the way in which contestants were eliminated from play. After round two, the TV went "Off the Air" (accompanied by a siren sound effect and the studio lights flashing on and off), and the contestant in last place at that moment was also thrown "Off the Air" and eliminated from the game. Eliminated contestants were removed immediately, chair and all (hence the seat belts). Beginning in the Spring Break episodes during the first season, the audience would also sing a "goodbye song," typically "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him GoodbyeNa Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye
"Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" is a song written and recorded by Paul Leka, Gary DeCarlo and Dale Frashuer, attributed to a then-fictitious band they named "Steam". It was released under the Mercury subsidiary label Fontana and became a number one pop single on the Billboard Hot 100 in late 1969,...
," "Hit the Road Jack
Hit the Road Jack
"Hit the Road Jack" is a song written by rhythm and bluesman Percy Mayfield and first recorded in 1960 as an a capella demo sent to Art Rupe, available on the Memory Pain CD vol. 2, Specialty Records SPCD-7027-2. It became famous after it was recorded by singer-pianist Ray Charles. It hit number...
," or "Get Off My Show" (to the tune of "Get Off My Cloud
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
"), while said player was being ejected. After a contestant was ejected, he/she would be tormented by stagehands administering various annoyances behind him/her while an unrealistic screaming sound effect played. The ejections were accomplished in a variety of ways.
The setup in the first season was very basic. All three contestants were seated in front of breakaway sections in the wall behind them. Upon elimination, the losing contestant was simply pulled in their chair through that section of the wall, which would fall backwards allowing the chair to continue sliding behind the stage. Upon being pulled through, a black curtain was dropped concealing the player. Most of the time this was accompanied by the camera shaking violently and a "static" effect to simulate the TV (and the contestant, as mentioned by Ober) going "Off the Air." On occasion, the chair would return through the wall with the contestant replaced by a skeleton
Skeleton
The skeleton is the body part that forms the supporting structure of an organism. There are two different skeletal types: the exoskeleton, which is the stable outer shell of an organism, and the endoskeleton, which forms the support structure inside the body.In a figurative sense, skeleton can...
or something else indicating that he or she had been "killed."
The second season was the first to feature three different kinds of eliminations; also, the camera effects were removed. The player on the left side of the stage was seated in front of a seemingly normal brick wall. If they lost, his chair was pulled backwards and upon hitting the wall a trap door would swing open to allow the player to be pulled backstage. The door was then shut to "trap" the player behind the wall. The player in the middle was in front of a doorway lined with blue wallpaper. Upon elimination, he would be pulled back and rip through the wallpaper, with a black curtain lowered in front of the player to keep him hidden them from view. The player on the right was in the infamous "flipper" chair, which was yanked upwards and backwards so that the stage floor was now the wall from the vantage point of the audience.
Seasons 3 and 4 presented some minor modifications. The "flipper" chair was now on the left side of the stage. The middle chair was in front of a fake brick wall which had a breakaway section similar to the ones used during the first season. Just like in prior seasons, a black sheet was dropped down to conceal the player from view. The player on the right side was in front of a typical looking wall decorated with shelves, pictures, and a dartboard. When this player lost, his chair would be flung backwards, hitting the wall and spinning it around 180 degrees. The backside of the wall (now seen on stage) looked like the outside of a house, with siding and a garden hose (as to imply that the player had been ejected from the basement to outside.)
The fifth and final season presented some minor modifications as well; the black curtain behind the breakaway wall was replaced with a black wall with "jail bars," and the wall rotated vertically as the player on the right side was being pulled through it.
In Spring Break episodes, players were seated in folding lawn chairs which were placed on platforms on the edge of a swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
. All three contestants were eliminated in the same manner if they went "Off the Air." The platform would sink forward slightly, folding up the lawn chair just a little (and making it more difficult for players to run away if they chickened out, as they were not strapped in for safety purposes.) The hostess would then walk over to a lever in front of the contestant, wave bye-bye to them and pull the lever that released the platform, sending the seated contestant tumbling backwards into the pool. This concept was dropped in later Spring Break episodes and replaced with the losers being pushed or thrown into the pool by stagehands.
On at least one occasion, the contestants performed so badly in Round 1 that Ober decided to have them all yanked "Off the Air" at the end of it. The scores were reset to zero, and three new contestants took their places to complete the game.
Lightning round
During the first season, after the TV went "Off the Air," gameplay continued as normal with the remaining two contestants until time expired. Beginning with the second season, this format was scrapped for a "lightning round," to determine the winner.In seasons 2-4, the two remaining contestants competed in a 30-second speed round entitled "Think Real Fast." Typically, this was a fill-in-the-blank or spot-the-errant-word format. For example, Ober would read movie, TV show, or song titles that had one word replaced with an incorrect word, and contestants had to come up with the correction. Each correct answer scored 10 points. The high scorer moved on to the bonus round, while the runner-up was eliminated in a manner similar to the third-place contestant.
NOTE: In seasons 2-4, if there was no clear third-place player (i.e., a three-way tie or a tie for second place) when the TV went "Off the Air," nobody was eliminated, and all three players played "Think Real Fast." In this instance, both losing players were removed simultaneously; Ken termed this event a "double yank."
In the fifth season, all three players played a different version of the lightning round called "This, That, Or the Other Thing," but it was not the last round in the game. All questions now had one of three answers that Ober would list before the round started. These were usually people or characters who shared a common name—for example: "Andy Taylor
Sheriff Andy Taylor
Sheriff Andrew "Andy" Jackson Taylor is the principal character on The Andy Griffith Show, an American sitcom which aired on CBS, . The character made a few appearances in the show's spinoff Mayberry R.F.D. and appeared in a reunion telemovie Return to Mayberry...
, Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
, or Andy Rooney." Contestants had 20 seconds to ring in and answer as many questions as possible; after this round, the TV immediately went "Off the Air" and the third-place contestant was eliminated.
Final question (Season 5 and second half of syndicated version only)
In the final season, the two remaining players bet any or all of their current score on one final question. Host Ober read a question, usually a math problem, and the players had 20 seconds to write down their answers, during which a strange attention-derailing act was performed. When time expired, the players' answers and wagers were checked; a correct answer awarded the wagered points to the contestant, while a wrong answer deducted as many points.The surviving player with the highest score won the game and a collection of prizes, and went on to the Grand Prize Round. In the event of a tie after the last round, Ober would pull a tiebreaker question from the giant Pez dispenser in the corner; a correct answer won the game, while a wrong answer lost it.
Grand prize round
MTV Version (first 4 seasons): The contestant was strapped to a Craftmatic Adjustable Bed, facing a wall of nine TV sets (some turned sideways or upside down) on which music videos were playing. The contestant had to identify the artist in each video, with a prize being awarded for every correct answer. Correctly identifying all nine artists within 30 seconds won the grand prize, usually a car or a trip ($5,000 in celebrity episodes). Before the clock started ticking, the contestant was given a split-second glimpse of every video at once.Syndicated Version ("Wheel of Jeopardy"): The contestant was strapped to a wheel surrounded by ten television monitors, and was asked ten further questions (usually about TV). For each question successfully answered, the contestant won a prize, and the corresponding screen would display "Grand Prize." After 10 questions, the wheel was stopped, and if the player's head landed on a screen that had "Grand Prize" displayed, he won all 10 prizes & the day's top prize. If the contestant correctly answered all 10 questions, he or she would automatically win the grand prize without the wheel having to stop, as every monitor would obviously read "Grand Prize". Originally, correct answers simply turned on lights around the TVs, and the player's head had to land on one of the lit TVs in order to win the grand prize.
MTV Version (season 5): The "name the artist" round was modified to more resemble the syndicated bonus round. The player was strapped to a metal wheel placed at a 45 degree angle, with a single TV above and below it. The nine videos were shown in succession, and the player had to guess all the artists in 40 seconds to win the grand prize.
Celebrities
Celebrities that appeared on the show included:- Nipsey RussellNipsey RussellJulius "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...
the "Poet Laureate of Television", who occasionally presented some of his poems. - Bob EubanksBob EubanksRobert Leland "Bob" Eubanks is an American television/radio personality and game show host, best known for hosting the game show The Newlywed Game on and off since 1966, where he was known for using the catchphrase, "Makin' Whoopee"...
sat by host Ober for the entire main game, and "coached" him on how to host a game show. - "Weird Al" Yankovic"Weird Al" YankovicAlfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, accordionist, actor, comedian, writer, satirist, and parodist. Yankovic is known for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts...
came into the basement as a category/channel. In addition, he also "tortured" that episode's two losing contestants as they were eliminated. (This was the only time that the backstage portion of the set behind the contestant area was shown.) - LL Cool JLL Cool JJames Todd Smith , better known as LL Cool J , is an American rapper, entrepreneur, and actor...
made a brief appearance in one skit, where Ober stormed off stage to discover the rapper and his brother goofing around. - Jerry MathersJerry MathersGerald Patrick "Jerry" Mathers is an American television, film, and stage actor. Mathers is best known for his role in the television sitcom series Leave It to Beaver , in which he played Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver, the younger son of archetypal suburban couple June and Ward Cleaver , and the brother...
appeared during the second half of a season three episode.
Celebrities that played the game:
- One episode featured Phil McConkeyPhil McConkeyPhilip Joseph McConkey attended Canisius High School where he played wide receiver for the varsity football team and graduated in the class of 1975, is a former American football wide receiver who played for the New York Giants , Green Bay Packers , Phoenix Cardinals , and San Diego Chargers of...
of the NFL's New York GiantsNew York GiantsThe New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
playing against Sidney Green of the NBA's New York KnicksNew York KnicksThe New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
(with his then very young son TaureanTaurean GreenTaurean Green is an American-born professional basketball player who is a point guard for CB Gran Canaria, the Canary Islands affiliate of the Spanish basketball league Liga ACB. Green played college basketball for the University of Florida, where he was a member of the Florida Gators teams that...
on the set throughout the show). The third player was the show's bit actor John Ten Eyck playing Steve SaxSteve SaxStephen Louis Sax is a former second baseman in Major League Baseball. He was a right-handed batter for the Los Angeles Dodgers , New York Yankees , Chicago White Sox , and the Oakland Athletics ....
of Major League baseball'sMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
Los Angeles DodgersLos Angeles DodgersThe Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
. Ten Eyck intentionally gave foolish, incorrect answers as Sax, who had canceled his scheduled appearance at the last minute. - In the first syndicated season, "Remote Control" had a "World Class Athlete's Day" with pro athletes who lost out on championships in recent seasons. The three players were Cincinnati BengalsCincinnati BengalsThe Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
quarterback Boomer EsiasonBoomer EsiasonNorman Julius "Boomer" Esiason is a former American football quarterback and current network color commentator. He played for the National Football League's Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets, and Arizona Cardinals before working as an analyst for ABC and HBO...
, New York MetsNew York MetsThe New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
pitcher David ConeDavid ConeDavid Brian Cone is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. During a 17-year baseball career, he pitched from 1986-2003 for six different teams. Cone pitched the sixteenth perfect game in baseball history. He also set the MLB record for most years between 20-win seasons. He was a member of five...
and New York RangersNew York RangersThe New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
defenseman Ron GreschnerRon GreschnerRonald John Greschner is a retired professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the NHL for 16 seasons between 1974 and 1990....
. - LL Cool JLL Cool JJames Todd Smith , better known as LL Cool J , is an American rapper, entrepreneur, and actor...
, Julie BrownJulie BrownJulie Ann Brown is an American actress, comedienne, screen/television writer, singer-songwriter, television director. Brown is perhaps best known for her work in the 1980s, where she often played a quintessential valley girl character...
, and "Weird Al" Yankovic"Weird Al" YankovicAlfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, accordionist, actor, comedian, writer, satirist, and parodist. Yankovic is known for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts...
played for charity during the second season, with Yankovic winning. - Heavy metalHeavy metal musicHeavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
musicians "Dizzy" Dean Davidson of Britny FoxBritny FoxBritny Fox was an American Glam metal band from the Philadelphia area, initially active from 1985 to 1992 then subsequently reforming in 2000. They are best known for their music video for "Girlschool" and their hit "Long Way to Love" .-History:...
, Lorraine Lewis of Femme Fatale, and Anthrax'sAnthrax (band)Anthrax is an American heavy metal band from New York City, formed in 1981. Founded by guitarists Scott Ian and Danny Lilker, the band has since released ten studio albums and 20 singles, and an EP featuring Public Enemy. The band was one of the most popular of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
Charlie BenanteCharlie BenanteCharlie Benante is the drummer for the heavy metal bands Anthrax and Stormtroopers of Death .- Career :...
played against each other in season three. - Former child stars Brandon CruzBrandon CruzBrandon Edwin Cruz is an American former child actor and currently a punk rock musician, and also works in drug and alcohol rehabilitation. In the late 1960s, the freckled-faced Cruz came to prominence by playing Tom Corbett's charming and conniving son, Eddie Corbett, in the comedy-drama The...
, Butch PatrickButch PatrickButch Patrick is a former American child actor. He is widely known for his role on the TV show The Munsters where he played Eddie Munster, the son of Herman and Lily Munster...
, and Danny BonaduceDanny BonaduceDante Daniel "Danny" Bonaduce is an American radio/television personality, comedian, professional wrestler, and former child actor...
played in season three. - Former Brady BunchThe Brady BunchThe Brady Bunch is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz and starring Robert Reed, Florence Henderson, and Ann B. Davis. The series revolved around a large blended family...
actors Barry WilliamsBarry WilliamsBarry William Blenkhorn , known professionally as Barry Williams, is an American actor best known for his role as Greg Brady in the ABC television series The Brady Bunch.-Early life and career:...
, Eve PlumbEve PlumbEve Aline Plumb is an American actress and painter. She is best known for her portrayal of Jan Brady in the iconic television sitcom The Brady Bunch.-Early career:...
, and Susan OlsenSusan OlsenSusan Marie Olsen is a former American child television actress and current animal welfare advocate. Olsen is best known for her role as Mike and Carol Brady's youngest daughter, Cindy Brady, on the 1970s television sitcom The Brady Bunch for the full run of the show, from 1969-1974.-Early...
played in the first syndicated season. This episode led to a writing partnership between Williams and Remote Control head writer Chris KreskiChris KreskiChris Kreski was an American writer, biographer and screenwriter.-Writing:In 1989, during his tenure as the head writer for Remote Control, Kreski met actor Barry Williams, who was one of three celebrity contestants during a "Brady Day" episode. When Williams said that he'd thought about writing a...
, who co-authored the best-selling Growing Up Brady biography. - The Red Hot Chili PeppersRed Hot Chili PeppersRed Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...
were contestants in the final MTV season. - Kathy Orr, Chief Meteorologist for KYW-TVKYW-TVKYW-TV, virtual channel 3, is an owned and operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. KYW-TV shares a studio facility with its sister station, CW flagship WPSG just north of Center City Philadelphia...
in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, appeared on the show as a regular contestant.
Foreign versions and attempts
- A version based in Puerto RicoPuerto RicoPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, entitled Control Remoto, was canceled after 3 months on WAPA-TVWAPA-TVWAPA-TV is an independent television station located in San Juan, Puerto Rico transmitting over digital channel 27, virtual channel 4. The station is owned by InterMedia Partners and is branded as WAPA Television....
because MTV threatened a lawsuit for copyright infringementCopyright infringementCopyright infringement is the unauthorized or prohibited use of works under copyright, infringing the copyright holder's exclusive rights, such as the right to reproduce or perform the copyrighted work, or to make derivative works.- "Piracy" :...
. - A BritishUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
version of the show was co-produced by Action Time Productions and Granada TelevisionGranada TelevisionGranada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
and aired on Channel 4Channel 4Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
from 1991 until 1994. It was hosted by Tony WilsonTony WilsonAnthony Howard Wilson, commonly known as Tony Wilson , was an English record label owner, radio presenter, TV show host, nightclub manager, impresario and journalist for Granada Television and the BBC....
and featured comedian Phil CornwellPhil CornwellPhil Cornwell is an English comedian, actor, impressionist and writer. He is probably best known as being part of the Dead Ringers television and radio series...
, with guest appearances by the character Frank SidebottomFrank SidebottomChristopher Mark Sievey was an English musician and comedian known for fronting the band The Freshies in the late 1970s and early 1980s and for his comic persona Frank Sidebottom from 1984 onwards....
. - An AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n version aired on Network TenNetwork TenNetwork Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
in 1989 under the name The Great TV Game Show. It was hosted by Russell Stubbs with Jane Holmes and the regular panelists were Russell Fletcher, Margie Nunn, Linda Gibson, and Michael BlairMike BlairMichael Robert Leighton Blair is a Scottish rugby union footballer.He plays professional rugby union as scrum-half for Edinburgh Rugby and represents Scotland.He attended the Edinburgh Academy....
. The show failed to see out the year along with a number of Network Ten game shows that were launched at around the same time.
Video game
- In 1990, a video game based on Remote Control was licensed for multiple platforms, including the Nintendo Entertainment SystemNintendo Entertainment SystemThe Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
and the Apple IIGSApple IIGSThe Apple , the fifth and most powerful model in the Apple II series of personal computers produced by Apple Computer. The "GS" in the name stands for Graphics and Sound, referring to its enhanced graphics and sound capabilities, both of which greatly surpassed previous models of the line...
. The video games were published by Hi-Tech Expressions. The game remained quite similar to the show, although the NES version has no end game.