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Russian Roulette (game show)
Encyclopedia
Russian Roulette is an American
game show
created by executive producer Gunnar Wetterberg that ran for two seasons on Game Show Network
from June 3, 2002 to June 13, 2003. It was hosted by Mark L. Walberg
, with Burton Richardson announcing. Todd Newton
hosted an April Fool's Day episode in 2003. The series is produced by Sony Pictures Television domestically and internationally. The pilot was produced at Churubusco Studios in Mexico City in 2001. The Russian Roulette set consists of a circle with six trapdoor
s, four of which are occupied by the episode's contestants. The US set was shipped to Taiwan for their version in 2005.
options are given (three choices in the first round, four thereafter, all increasing in difficulty as the round progresses). The challenged contestant has ten seconds to answer. If the challenged player gives a correct answer, they receive money
and control of the next question. In the first season, the contestants received $150 in the first round, $200 in the second, and $300 in the third for each correct answer. In the second season, the third round was played for $250 per correct answer. After every question, another "drop zone" is added, increasing the odds
that the player will be eliminated after an incorrect answer; from the fifth question onward, there are always 5 drop zones. In the event of a wrong answer, that contestant forfeits all their accumulated winnings to the challenger and is forced to play Russian Roulette by pulling a handle in front of them.
wheel or (more appropriate to the metaphor
) the cylinder of a revolver
. The number of red lights indicates the number of active drop zones. In season one, it was a random spin. In season two, the player controlled the length of the spin by how long he or she pulled the handle.
If the drop zone light stops on the trapdoor on which the affected player is standing, that trapdoor opens and drops the player three feet into a room below the stage. Once a player drops out of the game, the round is over and the next round begins after a commercial
break.
When time runs out in the first two rounds (indicated by a chime, usually after the fifth question), the winnings of all remaining contestants are compared. The person with the highest score is escorted to the center of the stage, and is safe from the drop. He or she pulls a handle in the center, for a random-elimination spin where a single red light revolves around the cylinder until it stops on one of the remaining contestants, thus forcing someone out of the game. This ends the round, with the winnings of the eliminated player being equally distributed among the remaining players (including the top winner) for the next round.
In the case of a tie for first place or two or more players tie with the same amount in a round-ending Russian Roulette, Mark himself would pull the lever, and all players are in danger of dropping.
s, math problems and general-knowledge questions. The timer (also represented by the light border around the stage) begins ticking while the host asks the first question. After every ten seconds, one drop zone opens on the playfield. If time runs out or the contestant gives an incorrect answer, he or she drops, but receives $500 for every correct answer. The contestant says "My answer is..." before the answer so that thinking aloud is not mistaken for an answer. If the player gets all five questions correct, the clock stops and he or she receives $10,000. He or she then has the option of exchanging the money for one final Russian Roulette, with the number of drop zones unopened being safe. Should the contestant risk his or her winnings and receive a safe zone (which will remain shut), the prize increases to $100,000. The money won through the first three rounds, however, is the winner's to keep and therefore not risked for the bonus round.
If the risk is refused, the player pulls the lever to see what would have happened had the contestant taken the risk. However, the contestant gets to step off the trapdoor.
Theoretically, the most money a contestant can win is over $104,500 in Season 1 or $104,200 in Season 2. (This means every question was answered correctly and the endgame was won.)
On all versions of Russian Roulette outside of the US, UK, and the Polish version in the season two, there are also displays of the contestants' heart rates on the screen (examples include Russia's, Poland's (season one), and Hong Kong's versions), and most versions even have the contestants themselves asking questions to their opponents. There is also a camera underneath each of the trapdoors to catch footage of the contestant dropping from another angle. Some may also have a maximum time limit of 15 seconds instead of 10 to answer questions. Polish version have a 30 seconds to answer the question in season one and 20 seconds in season two. Most versions of the show (except for the US, UK, and India) run for an hour rather than a half-hour.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
created by executive producer Gunnar Wetterberg that ran for two seasons 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"...
from June 3, 2002 to June 13, 2003. It was hosted by Mark L. Walberg
Mark L. Walberg
Mark Lewis Walberg is an American actor, television personality and game show host. His television credits include Antiques Roadshow , as well as the game shows Russian Roulette on GSN and The Moment of Truth on Fox....
, with Burton Richardson announcing. Todd Newton
Todd Newton
Todd Newton is an entertainment personality and a three-time game show host.Newton has hosted Hollywood Showdown and Whammy! The All-New Press Your Luck, both on Game Show Network; and Coming Attractions on E!, as well as occasional episodes of Wild On... He is known for occasionally wearing a...
hosted an April Fool's Day episode in 2003. The series is produced by Sony Pictures Television domestically and internationally. The pilot was produced at Churubusco Studios in Mexico City in 2001. The Russian Roulette set consists of a circle with six trapdoor
Trapdoor
A trapdoor is a door set into a floor or ceiling .Originally, trapdoors were sack traps in mills, and allowed the sacks to pass up through the mill while naturally falling back to a closed position....
s, four of which are occupied by the episode's contestants. The US set was shipped to Taiwan for their version in 2005.
First round
The four players are each given $150 at the beginning of the show. One contestant, randomly selected to start the game, is read a question by the host, and must challenge another contestant to answer correctly. Once a contestant has been selected to answer the question the multiple-choiceMultiple choice
Multiple choice is a form of assessment in which respondents are asked to select the best possible answer out of the choices from a list. The multiple choice format is most frequently used in educational testing, in market research, and in elections-- when a person chooses between multiple...
options are given (three choices in the first round, four thereafter, all increasing in difficulty as the round progresses). The challenged contestant has ten seconds to answer. If the challenged player gives a correct answer, they receive money
Money
Money is any object or record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts in a given country or socio-economic context. The main functions of money are distinguished as: a medium of exchange; a unit of account; a store of value; and, occasionally in the past,...
and control of the next question. In the first season, the contestants received $150 in the first round, $200 in the second, and $300 in the third for each correct answer. In the second season, the third round was played for $250 per correct answer. After every question, another "drop zone" is added, increasing the odds
Odds
The odds in favor of an event or a proposition are expressed as the ratio of a pair of integers, which is the ratio of the probability that an event will happen to the probability that it will not happen...
that the player will be eliminated after an incorrect answer; from the fifth question onward, there are always 5 drop zones. In the event of a wrong answer, that contestant forfeits all their accumulated winnings to the challenger and is forced to play Russian Roulette by pulling a handle in front of them.
Playing Russian Roulette
The trapdoor of the player who answered incorrectly is unlocked. Then they pull a handle in front of their trapdoor. This triggers the active drop zone lights (in red) to begin spinning around the field, much like a rouletteRoulette
Roulette is a casino game named after a French diminutive for little wheel. In the game, players may choose to place bets on either a single number or a range of numbers, the colors red or black, or whether the number is odd or even....
wheel or (more appropriate to the metaphor
Russian roulette
Russian roulette is a potentially lethal game of chance in which participants place a single round in a revolver, spin the cylinder, place the muzzle against their head and pull the trigger...
) the cylinder of a revolver
Revolver
A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
. The number of red lights indicates the number of active drop zones. In season one, it was a random spin. In season two, the player controlled the length of the spin by how long he or she pulled the handle.
If the drop zone light stops on the trapdoor on which the affected player is standing, that trapdoor opens and drops the player three feet into a room below the stage. Once a player drops out of the game, the round is over and the next round begins after a commercial
Television advertisement
A television advertisement or television commercial, often just commercial, advert, ad, or ad-film – is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization that conveys a message, typically one intended to market a product...
break.
When time runs out in the first two rounds (indicated by a chime, usually after the fifth question), the winnings of all remaining contestants are compared. The person with the highest score is escorted to the center of the stage, and is safe from the drop. He or she pulls a handle in the center, for a random-elimination spin where a single red light revolves around the cylinder until it stops on one of the remaining contestants, thus forcing someone out of the game. This ends the round, with the winnings of the eliminated player being equally distributed among the remaining players (including the top winner) for the next round.
In the case of a tie for first place or two or more players tie with the same amount in a round-ending Russian Roulette, Mark himself would pull the lever, and all players are in danger of dropping.
Second and third rounds
The second round is played similar to the first, albeit with one fewer player. In the third round, since only two players remain, contestants have the choice to answer the question themselves or pass it to their opponent. A wrong answer forces the player to play Russian Roulette; a right answer gives him or her money and control of the next question. Should time run out, whoever has the lower amount at the end of the round is the one to drop. The last person remaining at the end of this round assimilates the other player's score (if any) into his or her winnings and advances to the endgame. If the game ends in a tie Russian Roulette is played.First season
The contestant is moved to the top-left zone and has 60 seconds to answer five "brain-teaser" questions referred to by the host as "5 Killer Questions". These usually consist of jumbleJumble
Jumble is a word puzzle with a clue, a drawing illustrating the clue, and a set of words, each of which is “jumbled” by permuting its letters to make an anagram. A solver reconstructs the words, then arranges letters at marked positions in the words to spell the answer to the clue...
s, math problems and general-knowledge questions. The timer (also represented by the light border around the stage) begins ticking while the host asks the first question. After every ten seconds, one drop zone opens on the playfield. If time runs out or the contestant gives an incorrect answer, he or she drops, but receives $500 for every correct answer. The contestant says "My answer is..." before the answer so that thinking aloud is not mistaken for an answer. If the player gets all five questions correct, the clock stops and he or she receives $10,000. He or she then has the option of exchanging the money for one final Russian Roulette, with the number of drop zones unopened being safe. Should the contestant risk his or her winnings and receive a safe zone (which will remain shut), the prize increases to $100,000. The money won through the first three rounds, however, is the winner's to keep and therefore not risked for the bonus round.
If the risk is refused, the player pulls the lever to see what would have happened had the contestant taken the risk. However, the contestant gets to step off the trapdoor.
Second season
The endgame is similar to the first version, except the contestant must answer ten multiple-choice questions (each with three choices) in 60 seconds in order to win $10,000. The timer only starts ticking after the first question has been read. If the player fails, an additional $300 is given for every correct answer given. Saying "My answer is" before the answer is no longer required. As before, should all 10 answers be answered correctly, the clock stops. The contestant then has the option of risking their money for a final pull.$100,000 winners
Three people have won the grand prize on Russian Roulette. All of them have been allowed to step off the trapdoor following the win.- Al Winchell: 3 drop zones, $102,150 total winnings (season 1)
- Todd Truly: 4 drop zones, $102,200 total winnings (season 1)
- Maria Lay: 5 drop zones, $102,000 total winnings (season 2) (the only winner to survive with 5 drop zones)
Theoretically, the most money a contestant can win is over $104,500 in Season 1 or $104,200 in Season 2. (This means every question was answered correctly and the endgame was won.)
International versions
| Country | Name | Host | Channel | Prize | First year aired |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Argentina |
Decisión Final | Horacio Cabak | América Canal 2 (Argentina) América 2 is a national channel of Argentina, from La Plata that also broadcasts from Buenos Aires' Palermo neighbourhood. It was launched on June 25, 1966 as Rivadavia Televisión/TeVeDos, and in April 1991 the name changed to America. The bulk of programming of this channel can be found between... |
AR$100.000 | June 6, 2003 |
 Brazil |
Roleta Russa | Milton Neves | Rede Record Rede Record Rede Record de Televisão is a Brazilian television network, founded in 1953 by Paulo Machado de Carvalho, also founder of Rádio Record. Currently it is owned by businessman Edir Macedo, founder and bishop of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God. Since 2007 it is Brazil's second largest... |
R$ Brazilian real The real is the present-day currency of Brazil. Its sign is R$ and its ISO code is BRL. It is subdivided into 100 centavos .... 500.000 |
October 2002-October 2003 |
 Kingdom of Bulgaria |
Руска pулeткa | Nikolay Georgiev | K1 | ||
 Chile |
La Ruleta Rusa | Diana Bolocco | Canal 13 Canal 13 Canal 13 is the name of six Central and South American television stations:* Canal 13 , television network from Buenos Aires, Argentina* Canal 13 , television network from Santiago, Chile... |
$250.000.000 | 2012 |
 Egypt |
الدائرة El Daera |
Ayman Kaisouni | ERTU1 ERTU The Egyptian Radio and Television Union , Ittihād al-Idhā‘ah wal-Tilīfizyūn al-Miṣrī), is the public broadcaster of Egypt, operated by the Egyptian government... |
250.000 ج.م. Egyptian pound The Egyptian Pound is the currency of Egypt. It is divided into 100 Qirsh , or 1,000 Milliemes .... |
September 2010 |
 Greece |
Ρωσική Ρουλέτα Rosiki Rouleta |
Miltos Makridis | MEGA Mega Channel Mega Channel, also known as Mega TV or just Mega, is a major television network in Greece. Teletypos S.A. was founded in 1989 under the name Teletypos Television Programmes S.A... |
||
 Hong Kong |
一觸即發 | Dayo Wong Dayo Wong Dayo Wong Chi-wah , born 5 September 1960, is a Hong Kong actor, comedian, singer and screenwriter.Wong gained a degree in philosophy from the University of Alberta in Canada. He began his entertainment career in Hong Kong in 1984, but only became known since 1990 for his stand-up comedy... |
TVB | HK$ Hong Kong dollar The Hong Kong dollar is the currency of the jurisdiction. It is the eighth most traded currency in the world. In English, it is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively HK$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies... 500,000 |
2002 |
 India |
Bachke Rehnaa Zara Sambhalna | Mohnish Behl Mohnish Behl Mohnish Bahl Mohnish Bahl Mohnish Bahl (Hindi: मोह्निश बहल,(born 14 February 1963) is an Indian actor working in the Bollywood film industry. He is currently playing the role of Dr. Ashutosh in the show Kuch Toh Log Kahenge-Personal life:... |
SET Sony Entertainment Television Sony Entertainment Television is a series of general entertainment television channels, owned by Sony Pictures Television. At least 9 International versions of this channel exist:*Sony Entertainment Television Asia... |
Rs. Indian rupee The Indian rupee is the official currency of the Republic of India. The issuance of the currency is controlled by the Reserve Bank of India.... 1,000,000 |
September 9, 2002 |
 Indonesia |
Russian Roulette | Dede Yusuf | Trans TV Trans TV Trans TV is an Indonesian national television station based in South Jakarta. Owned by Chairul Tanjung, it began broadcasting on 15 December 2001 based in Jakarta. On 15 December 2006 based in Jakarta due to its half ownership by Trans Corporation, a company that also owned Trans 7... |
Rp Indonesian rupiah The rupiah is the official currency of Indonesia. Issued and controlled by the Bank of Indonesia, the ISO 4217 currency code for the Indonesian rupiah is IDR. Informally, Indonesians also use the word "perak" in referring to rupiah... 100,000,000 |
September 2002-December 2003 |
 Poland |
Rosyjska Ruletka Rosyjska Ruletka Rosyjska Ruletka was a Polish game show based on the original American format of Russian Roulette. The show was hosted by Krzysztof Ibisz . The main goal of the game was to win 100,000 zlotys. Rosyjska Ruletka was broadcast from 2002 to 2004. It was shown on the Polish TV station Polsat.... |
Henryk Talar Krzysztof Ibisz Krzysztof Ibisz Awantura o kasęKrzysztof Ibisz is a Polish game show host and television personality. He was a member of Polish Beer-Lovers' Party and deputy in Polish Sejm from 1991 to 1993... |
Polsat Polsat Polsat is Poland's second biggest television channel, founded on December 5, 1992 and owned by Zygmunt Solorz-Żak.Polsat belongs to the Polsat Group , which also owns other channels:*Polsat HD*Polsat 2 International*Polsat News*TV Biznes... |
100,000zł Polish zloty The złoty , which literally means "golden", is the currency of Poland. The modern złoty is subdivided into 100 groszy . The recognized English form of the word is zloty, plural zloty or zlotys... |
2002-2004 |
 Russia |
Русская рулетка | Valdis Pelsh Valdis Pelsh Valdis Pelsh is a TEFI-awarded Soviet and Russian television presenter of Latvian descent and Zolotoi Grammofon-awarded musical artist. Valdis Pelsh currently works as a screen actor and manages child programms subdivision on Channel One... |
Channel One Channel One (Russia) Channel One is the first television channel to broadcast in the Soviet Union. The channel was renamed Ostankino Channel 1 in 1991, after the Soviet Union broke up and the Russian SFSR became the Russian Federation. According to a recent government publication, the Russian government controls 51%... |
1,000,000руб | April 2002-August 2004 |
 Serbia and Montenegro |
Ruski Rulet! Руски рулет! |
Irfan Mensur Irfan Mensur Irfan Mensur , is a Serbian theatre, television and film actor.* He is living and playing roles in Serbia for 30 years. He is married for the 2nd time to Serbian actress Srna Lango... |
RTV Pink RTV Pink RTV Pink or Radio-Television Pink is a popular, privately-owned, national TV network in Serbia. Pink is the leading commercial station in the Serbian television broadcast market. TV Pink has gained a strong reputation for its entertainment programming... |
||
| Ruski Rulet Show! Руски рулет шоу! (VIP version) |
Milan Kalinić | ||||
 Serbia Independent State of Croatia Bosnia and Herzegovina Kingdom of Montenegro Slovenia Republic of Macedonia |
Ruski Rulet! Руски рулет! |
Dragan Marinković Maca | RTV Pink RTV Pink RTV Pink or Radio-Television Pink is a popular, privately-owned, national TV network in Serbia. Pink is the leading commercial station in the Serbian television broadcast market. TV Pink has gained a strong reputation for its entertainment programming... Pink BH Pink BH Pink BH is a regional television station in Bosnia and Herzegovina and is a member of the Pink Media Group which also owns sister television stations in Serbia and Montenegro . Pink BH's main headquarters is in Sarajevo.... Pink M Pink M Pink M is a television station in Montenegro with a signal and broadcast licence that covers its entire territory.Founded by Serbian network RTV Pink, Pink M operates as its Montenegrin subsidiary.... |
||
 Singapore |
灵机一洞 | Xu Nailin | MediaCorp TV Channel 8 MediaCorp TV Channel 8 MediaCorp Channel 8 is a 24-hour free-to-air Mandarin Chinese general entertainment television channel in Singapore... |
S$10,000 | 2003-2004 |
 Spain |
Decisíon Fínal | Luis Crespo | Telecinco Telecinco Telecinco is a Spanish commercial television channel operated by Mediaset España. Launched in 1990 as Tele 5, it was the fifth of the national terrestrial television channels. In 1997, Tele 5 was rebranded as Telecinco, dropping the flower logo seen in other Mediaset channel... |
€10,000 | |
 Republic of China |
俄羅斯輪盤 | Cai Kangyong | Star Chinese Channel | NT$ New Taiwan dollar The New Taiwan dollar , or simply Taiwan dollar, is the official currency of the Taiwan Area of the Republic of China since 1949, when it replaced the Old Taiwan dollar... 1,000,000 |
|
 Turkey |
Rus Ruleti | Berkun Oya | Star TV Star TV Star TV is a Turkish nationwide TV channel. It was owned by Cem Uzan until it was sold to Aydın Doğan for 306,5 million USD in 2005 by the Turkish Government.It is available online on JumpTV, the World's online television network.- History :... |
1,000,000YTL | April 12, 2008 |
 United Kingdom |
Russian Roulette | Rhona Cameron Rhona Cameron Rhona Cameron is a Scottish comedian. She rose to prominence via the stand-up comedy circuit, and became a regular on British TV in the 1990s.-Television career:... |
ITV ITV ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK... |
£10,000 | 2002-2003 |
On all versions of Russian Roulette outside of the US, UK, and the Polish version in the season two, there are also displays of the contestants' heart rates on the screen (examples include Russia's, Poland's (season one), and Hong Kong's versions), and most versions even have the contestants themselves asking questions to their opponents. There is also a camera underneath each of the trapdoors to catch footage of the contestant dropping from another angle. Some may also have a maximum time limit of 15 seconds instead of 10 to answer questions. Polish version have a 30 seconds to answer the question in season one and 20 seconds in season two. Most versions of the show (except for the US, UK, and India) run for an hour rather than a half-hour.