Pick Your Brain
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Pick Your Brain was a Saturday Morning syndicated kid's game show created, executive produced & hosted by Double Dare's own Marc Summers. It featured a robot named 2-XL, the talking robot with a mind of its own (voiced by Greg Berg (of Muppet Babies fame)). The show was based on the success of the Tiger toy of the same name.
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[edit] Broadcast History
The show aired for one season from September 18, 1993 - September 1994.
[edit] Production Companies
It was produced by Marc Summers Productions, in association with the Summit Media Group, and distributed by Rysher Entertainment (now CBS Paramount).
[edit] Gameplay
Three child contestants competed in a quiz game, for a $5,000 savings bond.
[edit] Round One
In round one, 2-XL generates two characters for the contestants to choose from & meet. Each contestant secretly voted for one with the majority rule in place. The character that was chosen more had a short film starring that character play. The film contained information for the players to listen out.
[edit] Characters
The characters change from show to show and they all were performed by host Marc. Here are a few of them:
- Ned Koppel - a Ted Koppel like news reporter whom host a parody news show called Brainline (a spoof of Nightline).
- Factman/woman - a Superman-like hero.
- The Germ - a stand-up comedian-typed organism.
When the film was finished, host Summers asked seven toss-up questions about that film to the players. The first player to buzz-in (their buzzers were brains) got a chance to answer. A correct answer was worth 25 points, but an incorrect answer had 2-XL give the correct answer (only one person can buzz-in and answer each question ala Sale of the Century and Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?'s The Chase round).
Note: When the round was over, 2-XL gave a home-viewer question, and 2-XL gave the answer when returning from the first commercial break.
[edit] Round Two
In round two, the players were joined & assisted by their relatives, babysitters, teachers etc. Each team starting with the team in the lead came up to 2-XL, and were given a choice of three games to play (which were all shuffled in a randomizer) by pressing one of three buttons numbered 1, 2 & 3 (there were actually four but the fourth one wasn't used til later).
[edit] The Games
The three games are:
- Phys-Quiz - where the team would play a 60 second physical stunt.
- 2 by 2 - where the main player was given a subject, and received a choice of two subcategories for his/her partner to answer from.
- XL's Extra - where the main player selected a subject to answer a multiple answered question from. The players on the team in control alternated turns to give the correct answers. The game stops when either player gave an incorrect answer, repeated one, or ran out of time; or if they gave five correct answers, thereby winning a bonus prize (usually held by the chosen character of the day).
1/5 success in each game was worth 50 points, while completing the entire game was worth a maximum of 250 points.
[edit] Round Three
The third & final main game round was played like Spilt Second's Countdown Round. The contestants competed to light up five brains on their podium this round for the win.
To start, two of the players got a headstart by being given free brains (1st place - 2 brains, 2nd place - 1 brain, 3rd place - 0 brains), if any two or all three players were tied, then everybody gets free brains according to what position they're in.
Now host Summers asked a series of questions to the players, each correct answer lights up another brain, but unlike round one, an incorrect answer gave the other player(s) a chance to answer the question. The first player to light up all five brains wins the game and the $5,000 savings bond furnished by Toys "R" Us.
Win or lose, at the end of the game, each player was given a choice of college sweatshirts indicating which college they want to go to when they're older.
[edit] Bonus Round
The winning player (once again assisted by his/her partner) was given a chance to win one of two prizes (one was usually trip, the other was either a smaller prize or a $1,000 cash bonus). They were shuffled around in a randomizer by 2-XL, and stops when the player presses one of four buttons numbered 1, 2, 3 & 4. Each prize appeared twice, and the player was given up to three choices (once a button was pressed, it can't be pressed again). The first prize matched was the prize won.
[edit] Notes
- The college sweatshirts & savings bond were given out by Marc Summers' daughter Meredith Summers.
- At the end of the show, 2-XL usually asked host Summers a crazy riddle (2-XL referred it as a Quest-ione).
