| All-Star Blitz | |
|---|---|
| Format | Game show |
| Created by | Merrill Heatter |
| Presented by | Peter Marshall |
| Narrated by | John Harlan |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Production | |
| Location(s) | The Prospect Studios Hollywood, California |
| Running time | ~25 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ABC |
| Original run | April 8, 1985 – December 20, 1985 |
All-Star Blitz is an American game show that aired on ABC from April 8 to December 20, 1985, with reruns airing on the USA Network from March 31 to December 26, 1986.
Peter Marshall was the host and John Harlan was the announcer for the series, which was produced by Merrill Heatter Productions, in association with Peter Marshall Enterprises.
Contents |
Two contestants (one being the returning champion), with the help of four celebrity panelists, attempted to solve phrase puzzles (similar to Wheel of Fortune) consisting of two to six words. The board consisted of six video monitors arranged two high and three wide, with a star at each corner of a monitor. Each celebrity was under three of the gameboard's 12 stars; four of them were lit up to start each game (earlier in the run, only two were lit up to begin a game). Only the home viewers were shown how many words were in the puzzle at the start of each game.
A contestant chose a celebrity and specified a row and a star in the stated position lit up. The host read a question to the celebrity who provided a response based on a choice of answers. As on Marshall's more-famous Hollywood Squares, the contestant agreed or disagreed with the celebrity's response. A contestant retained control until they agreed with a wrong answer or disagreed with a correct answer.
When a group of four stars formed a box around a monitor, a correct agree/disagree was needed to reveal the letters or word contained therein. The contestant then had a chance to guess the puzzle or continue playing. An incorrect guess passed control to the opponent.
The first contestant to solve two puzzles won the championship, a prize package, and played the Blitz Bonanza.
In the Blitz Bonanza round the champion was given one final puzzle to solve and was told how many words it contained. In order to reveal the puzzle pieces, the champion spun a large wheel which, when it stopped, would land on one of the six light borders around the puzzle pieces and reveal what was behind it. Players had four spins, and it was possible for the spin to cause an already-revealed piece to be lighted which did nothing but cost the player a spin. If after the four spins there were less than four pieces revealed, a player was offered a fifth spin if they decided to give up the prize package won in the main game.
After all spins were taken, the contestant and celebrities were given ten seconds to come up with a solution. A correct guess by the contestant won $10,000 plus $5,000 for each prior loss, up to a maximum of $25,000. Later, the jackpot increased by $2,500 for each unsuccessful attempt and was capped at $20,000. If the contestant was unsuccessful, every correct guess by a celebrity won the contestant an additional $250. Players could play the Blitz Bonanza four times before being retired, and were also retired if they topped ABC's $20,000 winnings limit.
All-Star Blitz premiered on ABC at 11:00 AM EST, replacing Trivia Trap and airing right before Family Feud, which left the airwaves two months later. All-Star Blitz moved to 11:30AM EST upon Feud's cancellation. All-Star Blitz ended on December 20, 1985.