| The Krypton Factor | |
|---|---|
| Format | Game show |
| Presented by | Dick Clark |
| Narrated by | John Harlan |
| Country of origin | USA |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 Minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ABC |
| Original airing | August 7 - September 4, 1981 |
The Krypton Factor is a United States game show based on the UK series of the same name. The series originally ran on ABC from August 7 to September 4, 1981
The first version was produced by Alan Landsburg Productions in association with MCA Television Entertainment. The second version was produced by NBC Universal and the third version was produced by Kushner-Locke Productions and Western International, while MCA distributed. Dick Clark hosted the ABC version and Kent Brockman and Lea Michele hosted the NBC version.
Contents |
Contestants were tested on their mental ability and physical skill.
Sixteen contestants competed in this five-week series, with four contestants competing in each of the first four matches. In this adaptation, a player's score was called a Krypton Factor, as was the case on the original UK version.
Each player took turns playing a video game challenge where either a certain score had to be achieved within a certain time limit or the player had to stay in play for a certain amount of time. Each successful player scored five points.
In this round, each contestant wore headphones so only they can hear their questions, Each player in turn was given two mental agility tests, each of which required them to mentally manipulate a series of letters, numbers, or words in a specific way. Only the home viewers can see the answers, while the audience in the studio can't and must remain silent, according to Clark. The first sequence, consisting of five items, was worth four points, and the second sequence, containing six items, was worth six points. If anytime any player made a mistake, they had to sit out the rest of the round. A possible total of ten points can be earned in this phase.
This round featured an obstacle course run that was pretaped in advance. Unlike the UK version, the course was designed to be fair to both men and women, so neither sex or age received a head start. The race began with a death slide into an inflatable mat, then players had to cross a pontoon bridge, crawl through tubes, drive a motor vehicle, ride a swing in order to kick down a door, and complete the course by walking in an inflatable wheel. The contestants earned points according to how they finished.
In the forth round, the players were tested on memory. For they were shown a scene from a current motion picture, and each player was asked a four-point question pertaining to visual or verbal detail with two possible answers and a six-point question requiring them to recall specific dialogue. Then all players were shown a lineup of six similar-looking actors, one of whom had a key part in the film clip. Each player separately locked in their guess as to the correct actor, and each player who identified the correct actor earned ten points. A possible total of 20 points can be earned this phase.
In the final round, the contestants were asked a series of general knowledge toss-up questions in which each correct answer would usually segue to the next question. Players did not have to wait until the question was fully read to jump in, but only the first player to do so got to answer. Each correct answer was worth two points, but each incorrect answer was worth minus two points, with the values doubling to +/-4 points midway through the round.
The player with the most points at the end of the competition won $5,000 in gold, plus an invitation to the final week to compete against the other weekly winners for $50,000 in gold. The series' winner was Joey Helman, an attorney from Los Angeles. He and the first runner-up, Joel Lewin, a physical fitness consultant from San Leandro, California, competed on The Krypton Factor International, a special edition of the original British version airing December 30, 1981, against the 1981 UK champion, John McAllister, and first runner-up, Peter Rimmer. This special was to be filmed on the U.S. set, but instead filmed on the original Manchester set since the U.S. set had been torn down. Rimmer won the International special.