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RUSSIAN ROULETTE
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Network: Game Show Network
Running Years: June 2002-Present
Host: Mark L. Walberg
Announcer: Burton Richardson
Producer: Gunnar Wettenberg
(Currently on Game Show Network every night at 11 EST)
The mob was famous for the game "Russian Roulette," in which players would risk their lives to draw a gun and pray it wasn't loaded as they pulled the trigger on themselves. Don't worry, this game isn't even close to that! Well, I shouldn't say that, as an unlucky pull of the wheel could send players falling through the floor, literally! But, the sole survivor could win over $100,000! Hey, that's a pretty nice prize!
RULES:
Four players compete. Each is situated in one of six drop zones with two left empty. Each starts with $150 in their banks and the player who won the coin toss backstage starts first. He/she is read a question and then chooses which of the other three players to challenge. A correct answer is worth another $150 and control; a wrong answer forfeits all of the money in that person's bank to the challenger.
The player who answered incorrectly also has to take a spin of the wheel. The number of drop zones depends on the number of questions asked (1 for the first, 2 for the second, etc.) up to 5 drop zones. Upon spinning, if the player hit a drop zone, that player is dropped through the floor and eliminated from play. If the player hits a safe zone, then he/she wins control of the next question and gets to stay in the game.
If time runs out in the round, the player with the most amount of money is safe from elimination, and he/she takes a spin to eliminate one of the other players. His/her money (the eliminated player's, that is) is then split evenly among the rest of the players. If there is a tie for most amount of money, however, the host takes a spin to eliminate one of the players (yes, even those in the lead could be eliminated here!).
The second round is played the same way, but each question is worth $200, and the third round had questions worth $300 each. Also, in the third round, players can answer the questions themselves as an option.
Whoever is left standing at the end of the third round wins the game, all of the money in his/her bank, and gets to play the bonus round.
Note: The questions are all multiple-choice, with three choices in round 1 and four choices in rounds 2 and 3. Each question is read without the answers, though, until a challenger is declared.
BONUS ROUND:
The one left standing gets to play the bonus round for big money. He/she is asked 5 questions without multiple choices in 60 seconds. The clock starts as soon as the host starts reading the first question. Contestants also have to start every answer with the phrase, "My answer is..." For each correct answer, he/she wins $500, but, if he/she can answer all 5, then he/she wins $10,000.
However, during the time, for every 10 seconds gone by, a drop zone opens, and this affects the second part of the bonus game. If, however, the contestant runs out of time or gives a wrong answer, the contestant is immediately dropped through the floor. That's right, no explanations here!
If the contestant wins the $10,000, though, then he/she can risk it all for $100,000! How? The number of drop zones that opened up during the first part is how many there would be for the final spin. If the contestant takes the final spin and was safe, then he/she wins the $100,000. If he/she drops, though, the $10,000 is lost, but he/she still keeps the front game winnings.
SOME UNUSUAL TRENDS:
Here are the rule changes for season 2 (thanks to Richard Hernandez for sending these to me):
-The front game is the same, but the questions in round 3 are now worth only $250 instead of $300.
-The spins are now controlled by how long a contestant holds the handle (unlike before, where the spin was randomized the same way no matter what the length of the pull).
-The bonus game is now 10 multiple-choice questions (3 choices per question). No longer are contestants required to say "My answer is..." before answering, and the clock starts after Mark reads the first question. Each question is worth $300; getting all 10 reaps the $10,000 and the chance at the $100,000 spin.
The set looks like a gun barrel, and each contestant has their own spin lever in front of them so they don't have to move! See, they DO care about their players!
If a tie comes up, a lever rises at center stage for Mark or the leading contestant to spin. It sounds corny, but it looks better than if it were there all the time, in my opinion.
The bonus round timer actually counts down across the stage. Really cool, if you ask me!
Mark reads the questions kinda slowly in the bonus round, and each usually isn't a quick answer question (a lot are logic questions). Now, it's 10 multiple choice questions! Well, I'd want to hold onto my $100,000 too!
In the first season, two lucky souls walked away with the $100,000 top prize: Al Winchell, who won $102,150 with a 3 in 6 chance of winning the big prize, and Todd Truly, who won $102,200 with a 2 in 6 chance of winning the big prize (he said, "You only live once. Let's go for it!" before spinning for the money. I'm willing to bet that this is now the motto of every "Russian Roulette" contestant!).
Even more miraculous is the win that occurred in the second season. Contestant Maria Lay, who said, "I came here with nothing; if I leave here with nothing, I've gained nothing!," took a 1 in 6 chance, and, despite horrible odds, won the $100,000! She'll be going home with a whole lotta nothing with a grand total of $102,000, making her the top female winner in cable TV history! Wow! Talk about one heck of a day!
For a special April Fool's Day episode in 2003, Todd Newton hosted the show, as Mark and the Whammy watched from the audience! I wonder if Mark liked that position better?
Overall, this isn't that bad of a show, especially since we've all seen much worse GSN originals (the mere mention of "Extreme Gong" will drive most game show geeks like myself to the insane asylum!). This is a pretty interesting format, with a good balance of knowledge and luck. However, therein lies part of my problem with the show: a complete idiot could miss early questions and stick around while smarter contestants who, later on, miss one question, say "bye-bye!" Luck in this game, like "Press Your Luck," is the cornerstone of the game; however, "Press Your Luck" made it so everybody was equally balanced with very little emphasis on questions while this show passes as a hard quiz without much regard for who gets something right or wrong. However, I think Mark L. Walberg is a good choice for the show, as he can be very personable as well as rude (!), the set is very cool (roaming spotlights and the clock for the bonus game ticking down across the set), and the money is very good (over $100,000 at stake? WOW!).
My Grades:
Game Play: B (The fact that the game tries to be a hybrid of a quiz and luck game gets to me since the cornerstone of the game IS luck!)
Host: A (Mark L. Walberg is very good at keeping this show moving as well as having
fun with contestants; a fine choice for host!)
Set: A+ (Those roaming spotlights and that clock are extremely cool! Also, the darkness of the set along with the contestants standing in a mock gun barrel look extremely cool! Well done!)
Execution: C (A complete idiot can end up winning this game while a genius could lose all because of when he/she missed a question; that doesn't seem very fair to me. Also, leaving a huge sum of money to one lucky spin of the wheel doesn't seem fair either; shouldn't there be some skill involved in that?)
Play-Along Factor: B+ ("Get that idiot off the show?" "What? How could HE fall down that hole?" Comments like these along with the questions should keep you going for a while.)
Overall Grade: B
Don't let my grades and gripes fool you though; this show is still pretty fun to watch. If you're up for a hard quiz where the geniuses always prevail, though, then watching this show will only boil your blood! Nevertheless, take a peek at at least one episode and see how you like it; your comments afterwards may differ very much so from mine!
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