Quicksilver (game show)
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Quicksilver was a short-lived Stone-Stanley game show hosted by Ron Maestri that aired on the USA Cable Network from June 27, 1994 - October 13, 1995.
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[edit] The Main Game
Three contestants competed in this game of questions & answers. Most of the questions have pun-typed answers meaning that the answers to questions would typically be completely different than what the contestants expected.
[edit] Round One
Four words or phrases are revealed at the start; these words or phrases were the choices to three questions in a packet. Host Maestri would begin reading a question, and players could buzz-in whenever they want, knowing that an early buzz might mean the players miss out on crucial information, e.g.:
Given the choices: Monty Hall, Picador, Pandora's Box and Trading Places;
"On the game show Let's Make a Deal..." (a player buzzing in now might choose Monty Hall, thinking the question would finish "...he gave the contestants the choice of the money or what was behind the curtain." That contestant would then miss out on the rest of the question: "...this is what host Monty Hall would ask players to do." (The correct answer is "picador," a pun on "pick a door.") Most questions had misleading wording and pun answers in this format, known as a "swerve" in quiz bowl culture.
The first player to buzz-in with a correct answer gets 25 points, though a wrong answer locks that player out of the rest of the question.
After every three questions, four new answers were revealed. Five packets of questions and answers are played in this manner.
[edit] Round Two
Five answers are revealed at the start with one answer being dubbed the "Quicksilver" answer. Correct answers are now worth 50 points, and right answers are removed and replaced with a new answer. If the contestant that buzzed-in first thinks the correct answer is not on the board, the contestant would call out the title of the game show "Quicksilver" and give the correct answer. A correct "Quicksilver" judgment was worth 100 points and a special prize if it was the first one in the game. In addition, the player that answers a "Quicksilver" question in this round is given the chance to bet up to 200 points on a follow-up question pertaining to the actual "Quicksilver" answer.After that the "Quicksilver" answer is replaced with a regular one. After twelve questions are played, this round ends.
[edit] Round Three
In the first half of the final round, the board begins empty, and fills with the eight answers to eight questions in part one. Right answers are worth 75 points at this time.
In the second half of the round, the eight answers from the first half are now answers for the second half. Each correct answer is worth 100 points; and there are two "Quicksilver" answers to be found. A "Quicksilver" answer is worth 200 points (and potentially the bonus prize if it wasn't claimed earlier) The player that answers a "Quicksilver" question in this round is given the chance to bet up to 400 points on a follow-up question.
After each question, the correct answer disappeared from the board. After the second set of eight questions were asked, the round & the game is over and the player with the most points wins the game and wins a special prize. If there is a tie at the end of round three, those tying play one final question with the two remaining answers.
[edit] Silver Streak (Bonus Round)
The winning player plays a bonus round called Silver Streak. To start, 15 answers in a particular category were revealed. Then the winning player has 45 seconds (60 in earlier episodes) to answer 10 questions with some of the answers corresponding to each question. Each correct answer is worth $50. Getting all 10 right wins $500 and a grand prize trip to a California resort.
[edit] Notes
- This show premiered on the same day as another USA/Stone-Stanley game show, Free 4 All with Mark L. Walberg.
- The show's theme song was based on a prize cue and during stunts from another Stone-Stanley game show Shop 'Til You Drop.
- Earlier shows had players calling for the "Mystery Blank" answer in round three, and they had 60 seconds to complete the Silver Streak bonus round. The "Mystery Blank" was changed to "Quicksilver" for the thematic aspect, and too many bonus round winners were finishing with 20 or more seconds on the clock, so the time was reduced.
