In the Grid
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| In the Grid | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Genre | Game show |
| Creator(s) | Endemol UK |
| Starring | Les Dennis |
| Country of origin |  United Kingdom |
| No. of episodes | 70 as of February 2, 2007 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Initial West |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Five |
| Original run | October 30, 2006 – February 2, 2007 (end of first series) |
In the Grid is a game show that airs on UK broadcaster Five at 6.30pm week nights. It first aired on Monday 30 October 2006.
In the Grid is hosted by Les Dennis and is produced by Initial West, one of the Endemol UK companies. Endemol are also responsible in the UK for Deal or No Deal and Big Brother.
Contents |
[edit] Round 1 - The Grid
The reigning champion gets to pick from a 3x3 board (from A1 to C3), each square hiding a name. The selected square reveals the name of the champion's new opponent. If there is no reigning champion (only the case where the previous champion has won five games and has to "retire"), the selection is made randomly by the Grid. The first person selected is treated as the "reigning champion", and the second person selected is treated as the "new contestant" for the purposes of game play: this is elaborated on later in this section.
The main game board has sixteen squares in a 4x4 layout (from A1 to D4). Behind each square is a different colour, and neither player (nor the host or audience) knows the location of which colours are where.
The colours are:
- Gold (Cash): If chosen, the player receives a set amount of money.
- Green (Bonus): If chosen, the player's money is increased by a set percentage.
- Purple (Steal): If chosen, the player steals a set percentage of their opponent's money.
- Red (Penalty): If chosen, the player's money is reduced by a set percentage.
- Black (Bankrupt): If chosen, the player loses all or his/her money.
The number of times that each colour occurs in the Grid varies between episodes. Typically, it will contain 4-7 Cash squares, 1-4 Bonus squares, 2-4 Steal squares, 4-6 Penalty squares and there is always 1 Bankrupt square, without exception.
Both players begin the game with £1,000 and two "reveals". If played, a reveal will allow a player to see the colour of a square, but not its value. The player is not obliged to play a square if they reveal it, however their opponent may choose to use the square for themselves if they believe it contains something good.
The new contestant begins the selection and chooses a maximum of 8 squares, with the reigning champion selecting a maximum of 7 squares (sometimes the game may finish early when the outcome has been finalised), and the selection alternates between each player. The final square is never played. This uneven distribution of selections may at first seem like a disadvantage to the casual observer: however on witnessing game play it can often be in a players favour to select less squares, and also not to have the last pick of squares (especially if you need a large amount of money on your last go to win, or if you are in the lead and have to select a square you know will reduce your total). This is not always the case though, as each game differs wildly.
Whoever gets the most money before the last square goes through to the Mega Grid. The loser doesn't keep the money they have accumulated to that point.
[edit] Round 2 - The Mega Grid
In this end game, the winning player is offered the chance to win tens of thousands of pounds in prize money. Usually, the top prize in this round is between £15,000 and £30,000, although it reached £50,000 on one occasion (25th December 2006). To win, they must choose squares on a 5x5 grid labelled A1 to E5. The grid contains around 20 to 23 gold squares, and 2 to 5 bankrupt squares.
The first move is compulsory. The player must choose a gold square to increase their winnings. Hitting a bankrupt causes the player to lose all their winnings from that episode.
Thereafter, the moves are optional. The Grid will make an offer to the player to carry on for one more turn (up to a maximum of five turns). If the player agrees to carry on, they must choose another gold square to increase their winnings. Again, if they hit a bankrupt, they lose everything. The offers tend to increase exponentially, to encourage the player to take risks. After the first move, the player can take their current winnings at any point.
The winning player returns to play on the next episode. However once a contestant has played the Mega Grid 5 times, they have to "retire".
[edit] Mega Game Trivia
So far, five contestants have gone all the way to the end on the Mega Grid. Four of these have been successful:
- Vicki, who won £27,000 (and an overall total of £40,000, ).
- Harry, who won £23,000 (and an overall total of £51,700, ).
- Niamh, who won £28,000 (and an overall total of £54,800, ).
- Kev, who also won £27,000 (and an overall total of £69,000, which is currently the highest total won by a single contestant).
Niamh has the record of the most money won in one single game, with £28,000
The unsuccessful player who attempted the final square and hit a bankrupt was Matt, who won nothing for his efforts.
[edit] General Trivia
- Arguably the unluckiest player was Terry. Both his visits to the Mega Grid resulted in him hitting a bankrupt both times: on the second square on his first attempt, and on his first square on his second attempt. On his third game he lost in the main game, thus becoming the only player so far to play three games and win nothing.
- The current record for losing the most money by hitting a bankrupt in the main game was achieved by contestant Emma in Game 68 (January 31), who lost £8,288 by hitting this square. Not surprisingly, she lost her game. £8,288 is also the highest total amassed by a contestant in any stage during the main game.
- The contestant who waited the longest to play his first game was Louis, who had to wait well over 30 games, due to the random way contestants are selected. However, he didn't survive the one and only game he played, losing to Matthew.
[edit] Viewer's Competition
After the main game has finished, the board changes to a nine square 3x3 formation, with values ranging from either £500-£3,000, £500-£5,000, £800-£7,000 or £1,000-£10,000. The day's champion picks a square and the amount that they reveal goes to one of the viewers at home who entered.
[edit] Popularity
It was hoped the show would become a surprise success such like fellow endemol show game show Deal or No Deal, but the show hasn't made an impact as such yet. The show may need time to grow, but it has lacked in press attention.
It is not yet known if the show will reappear for a second series.
[edit] External links
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