| Trump Card | |
|---|---|
| Format | Game show |
| Created by | Terry Martell |
| Developed by | Terry Martell Jenny Leah Peter R. Berlin Rob Fiedler |
| Directed by | Bill Carruthers |
| Presented by | Jimmy Cefalo Debi Massey |
| Narrated by | Chuck Reilly |
| Theme music composer | Score Productions |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 250 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Terry Martell Peter R. Berlin Rob Fiedler |
| Producer(s) | Peter R. Berlin |
| Editor(s) | Bruce Motyer |
| Location(s) | Trump Marina, Atlantic City, New Jersey |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Createl Ltd. Fiedler/Berlin Productions Telepictures Productions |
| Distributor | Warner Bros. Television Distribution |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Syndication |
| Picture format | NTSC |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| First shown in | United States |
| Original run | September 10, 1990 – September 6, 1991 |
Trump Card is an American syndicated game show that aired from September 10, 1990 to September 6, 1991 and was hosted by Jimmy Cefalo. Debi Massey served as hostess and Chuck Reilly was the announcer. The show was produced by Telepictures Productions, Createl, Ltd., & Fiedler-Berlin Productions (in association with & distributed by Warner Bros. Television Distribution).
The show was filmed at the Trump Castle (now known as "Golden Nugget Atlantic City") casino hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and based on the British game show Bob's Full House, which consisted of contestants trying to answer questions to fill up a 15-square bingo board in front of them.
Contents |
Three contestants competed to fill a 15-square bingo-style card in front of them with the word "Trump" on top of it. Contestant one had numbers 1 through 15, contestant two had numbers 16 through 30, and contestant three had numbers 31 through 45. The numbers also correspond to an audience game.
In the first round, the object was to fill in the four corners of the card. The round was played with four categories, each containing four questions. If a contestant buzzed in first with the correct answer, one of the corners was filled in. However, a wrong answer locked them out of the next question (denoted by blanking all of the unfilled numbers on the contestant's card).
The first person to fill in the four corners won $750, his/hers to keep regardless of the game's outcome.
Before the second round began each contestant was given a Trump Card. The card could be used at any point during the rest of the game to impede another contestant's progress. When the card was played, the contestant who was trumped had their card blocked by a large "T" and was given a half-second buzzer delay. The contestant had to buzz-in and answer a question correctly in order to remove the trump and continue playing.
The object of the second round was to fill in the center line on the card. The round was played as before with four different categories, each containing five questions. The first person to complete the center line received an additional $1,500, again his/hers to keep no matter how he/she finished in the game.
The object of the third and final round was to fill in the remaining spaces on the card, which could be done with as little as six correct answers (depending on how a player had done in the first two rounds). All questions were general knowledge and asked in a rapid-fire manner. The first person to complete his or her entire card received $3,000, won the game, and a chance to win $10,000 more in the bonus round.
The winning contestant faced a 25 square board in a five-by-five grid and had to make a line of five squares either across, up and down or diagonally with his/her answers. Before the round, the contestant was given a free space, chosen at random from a deck of 25 cards. If the contestant had not used his/her Trump Card during the game, they drew a second card for a second free space.
Once the free space(s) were put on the board, the contestant had 45 seconds to make the line. The clock started after the contestant chose the first box, and for every number picked Cefalo asked a question. Getting an answer right claimed the box and lit it in gold, while an incorrect answer or a pass blacked it out and forced the contestant to work around it. Completing the line before time ran out netted the contestant an additional $10,000.
Audience members were given their own Trump Card with three rows of five numbers each. When a contestant answered a question correctly, the audience member marked off the corresponding number on their card. If they were able to fill in the four corners before the end of round one, they won $10. Completing the center row before the end of round two won an additional $10, and completing the entire card before the end of round three again won an additional $10, for a maximum total of $30.
On the reverse of the card was a three-by-three grid with fifteen numbers to be used in the bonus round. If the on-stage contestant's free number corresponded to a number on the audience member's card, the audience member's winnings were increased by 50% (e.g., from $30 to $45). If the on-stage contestant had saved their Trump Card and selected a second free number which also corresponded to a number on the audience member's card, the audience member's initial winnings were doubled (e.g., from $30 to $60).
As the on-stage contestant correctly answered questions, audience members marked off the corresponding numbers on their cards. If the audience member was able to mark off three numbers in a row their total winnings were doubled, for a maximum total of $120.
Toward the end of the show's run, 21 $10,000 bonus round winners were invited back to play for $100,000. The following changes were made for the tournament: