Hollywood Showdown

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Hollywood Showdown was an American game show that aired on both PAX (now ION Television) and Game Show Network from January to November 2000, then exclusively on GSN until July 2001. Reruns aired on GSN from September 2004 to April 2005 and in June 2006 and June 2007 on TV Guide Network. Todd Newton served as host, with Randy West announcing.

[edit] Format

Hollywood Showdown, produced by Sande Stewart, was a game similar to Jackpot, whose creator/producer Bob Stewart is Sande's father.

Seven contestants competed for one whole week of shows. One player would be at the podium with host Newton and would pick people from the gallery to challenge. Each had an envelope with a dollar amount in it, and the amount in the envelope would be added to the "Box Office" (equivalent to the "Jackpot" on Jackpot), which began at $10,000.

The two contestants would then square off in a best of five question round. Newton would read a series of Hollywood related questions with three answer choices, and the contestants would buzz-in to answer. The first person to answer 3 correctly stayed on stage and got to pick another contestant.

One contestant had the "Box Office" envelope, and the winner of that particular question round got to play for the Box Office jackpot.

[edit] Box Office

The object of the Box Office round was to answer 5 questions correctly. Before each question, host Newton would give the contestant two category choices. The first four correct answers were worth $500 each, a fifth won the Box Office.

At any time, a contestant could quit and take what they had won up to that point. However, an incorrect answer lost whatever winnings they had earned; either way, if a contestant did not win the Box Office, they would to play another game and search for another box office card.

When a contestant won the Box Office, he/she retired from the show.

[edit] Box Office Bonanza

This was a special week of episodes that aired during the show's first season in 2000, where the "Box Office" card was replaced by the "Blockbuster" card. If chosen, the Box Office Jackpot doubled (but returned to its pre-doubled total if the subsequent Box Office round was not won). On Wednesday of that week, a record of $33,260 was won.