Peer Pressure (game show)

Peer Pressure was an American television game show where youths performed stunts and answered questions about moral dilemmas. The show aired in syndication from 1997-1998 in first-run (with re-edited repeats airing until 2000), and was hosted by Nick Spano (star of the Disney series Even Stevens) and Valarie Rae Miller.

Gameplay

Three youths, ages 12-17, competed in this game, whose centerpiece was a life-sized board game spread out on the studio floor. One at a time, each contestant determined his/her moves via a "Magic 8 ball", which reveals a type of activity (a stunt or a moral-based question) and the number of spaces the contestant can move upon a correct answer or completion of said stunt. Landing on a "Move Ahead" space allowed the contestant to move ahead two more spaces. He/she had to move back two spaces upon landing on "Go Back". However, if the contestant ended up on those spaces when being assessed a penalty, he/she was not allowed to follow its instructions.

Activities

Four different activities were possible:

• Decision – The contestant and a "Peer Group" (a jury composed of about 10-12 teenagers in the studio audience) were read a moral dilemma-type question (e.g., "She's a really pretty, petite young blonde, but often wears plain white T-shirts and blue jeans to school because that's what she likes to wear. Does she turn you off because she dresses like a tomboy?") The contestant, without knowing how the Peer Group voted, supplied his/her answer and often gave some reasoning. If the response agreed with the consensus of the Peer Group, the contestant advanced.

• Odd Job – The player performed a stunt (such as sorting clothing by type into the appropriate laundry basket), and had to meet the goal in a time limit to move.

• Temptation – A prize is described. The contestant could take the prize and accept a two-step penalty, or pass it up and advance.

• Fast Track – Similar to "Odd Job", except the stunt is more difficult and always worth eight steps (e.g., preparing three banana split sundaes on a moving conveyor belt within a time limit). Even if the contestant failed, they got a two-space consolation move.

After each contestant has taken a turn, the host asked a "Pop Quiz" question. Correct answers allowed that player to advance three spaces, while a wrong answer (or failing to answer) meant a three-step penalty.

Bonus Round: "The Pressure Cooker"

After an undefined time limit, the player making the least progress is disqualified from further play. The remaining contestants advance to the "Pressure Cooker" round, which were yes/no dilemmas (played just like "Decision"), asked in an alternating format; the player who had made the most progress on the board had the advantage of going first. The first contestant to guess three questions correctly won the game and bonus prizes.

Changes

• "Season Two": Consisted of Season One, but edited with new graphics (as they had lost the rights to "Magic 8 Ball") and Pop-Up Video-style commentaries. The copyright date was also changed to 1998.
• "Season Three": The show was re-versioned and renamed Pressure 2 to coincide with a new game show called Pressure 1. "Season Three" consisted of the same Season One episodes, but edited again with different graphics, a new logo, and the copyright date changed to 1999 in addition to the changes made in the previous season. Despite these changes (along with the word "Peer" being censored every time the show's name was spoken), the old logo could still clearly be seen on the set.