Wordplay (game show)
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Wordplay was a game show which ran on NBC from December 29, 1986-September 4, 1987, replacing the long-running soap opera Search for Tomorrow. It was hosted by Tom Kennedy (occasional celebrity guest Jamie Farr filled in for one week) and announced by Charlie O'Donnell. The show was a Syd Vinnedge-Scotti Bros. Production in association with Fiedler-Berlin Productions and Rick Ambrose Productions.
The show's pilot was hosted by Peter Tomarken, with Rod Roddy announcing.
[edit] The Main Game
The game was played by two contestants on a board with 9 words divided into rows on a 3-by-3 grid, with the middle row raised one spot higher than the other two. The champion, or the player on the left, played first and select a word. Each of three celebrity panelists would give a definition of the word along with a humorous story. The contestant then chose the celebrity's whose definition they believed was correct. If their choice was correct, the contestant earned money. The board was arranged in such a way that some words connected to other words; correct choices were worth cash in the amount of all the spaces connected to the word selected. However, if a contestant chose incorrectly, the challenger had the opportunity to win the money if they chose the correct definition from the remaining two. In the event that both contestants guessed wrong, the space became a block, preventing connecting dollar amounts through that space.
Money Amounts
| Rounds | Values |
|---|---|
| Round 1 | $25, $50, $75 |
| Round 2 | $50, $100, $150 |
| Round 3 | $100, $200, $300 |
One word was also designated a bonus word. The contestant who chose that word AND the correct definition won a trip.
The contestant who was trailing went first in the third round. At the end of the third round, the contestant with the most money won the game and played the bonus round, "Double Definitions."
If there was a tie after three rounds, a 7th word was played. The champion (or player to the left) chose the word and the celebrities provided a brief definition (without an accompanying story). The contestant who initially chose the word either guessed the correct definition or let the opponent do so. Choosing the correct definition won the game, and choosing an incorrect definition saw the opponent win the game.
[edit] Double Definitions
The contestant faced a board of 24 connecting boxes on a 4-row, 6-column grid. Behind each box were two definitions, each defining a common word (i.e. "Writing Implement/Animal Enclosure" referred to "pen"). The contestant had 45 seconds to start at the left and make a connection to the right (similarly to the Gold Run in Blockbusters). A contestant could make as many guesses as he or she wished, but if the contestant passed, a block would go up and he would have to work around it to make a connection. Each correct guess won $100, but if a connection was made, the contestant won a jackpot which started at $5,000 and increased by $2,500 after each unsuccessful attempt. The highest the jackpot ever reached was $27,500.
Champions were allowed to remain on the show for a maximum of three days or until defeated.
One notable contestant was former Mousketeer Lonnie Burr, who won over $1,000. On his second appearance, the celebrities wore mouse ears and sang the Mickey Mouse Club closing theme when he lost.
