Bzzz!

Bzzz! is a relationship game show that first aired in limited syndication from January 22 to March 8, 1996. Following this trial run, it later expanded to full national syndication, airing from September 9, 1996 to September 5, 1997, with reruns continuing on some stations until 2001. The show was hosted by Annie Wood (who also served as the show's co-producer) and produced by Ralph Edwards-Stu Billett Productions.

Premise

The show itself was a fast-paced variant of The Dating Game in which a bachelor and bachelorette competed against each other to win a date with a member of the opposite sex, as well as money.

Round 1

The bachelorette went first. Behind a screen, which the bachelorette could not see through, were four different men, who introduced themselves to the bachelorette one at a time. She then got to ask them each one question after their introduction. After the introductions, she chose the man she liked the least, who was set aside, but not necessarily eliminated.

The bachelorette now got to interview the remaining three men in detail for a total of two minutes. The bachelorette selected one of the three remaining men to interview. If she did not like the man's answer, she pressed the "Bzzer", which caused the set to go dark with BZZZ! showing in red on the wall, thus eliminating him from the game. The "Bzzz'd" player was then immediately escorted offstage by Wood, and made to wear earphones so they could not hear why they got "Bzzz'd". If all three men were "bzzz'd", or the bachelorette's two minutes expired (though this rarely occurred), she was stuck with the man she eliminated during the introductions.

However, if she liked the answer a man gives, she rang the bell. If the bachelorette rang the bell before all the men could be questioned, she was shown the remaining bachelors she turned down. Then the process is repeated with a bachelor choosing from four possible bachelorettes. Once the round is finished, round two then began. (In early episodes, the bachelor went first, and the bachelorette went second).

Round 2 (Simpatico)

The bachelorette and her prospective mate were given a paddle that had two different answers on it. They were both asked to go to a booth where they could not see each other's answer. The host reads a statement, and the players chose their answers, with $50 awarded each time their answers matched. If the pair got a perfect 7 out of 7, they were awarded $1,000. After seven questions, the second couple played the round. Later in the run, round two was played immediately after the first couple was formed, and again after the second couple; plus it was shortened to 5 questions, and each one was worth $100.

The pair that earned the most money during Round 2 won the game, a prize package, and moved on to the Final Bzzz. Both pairs kept their money.

Tiebreakers

In the event of a tie, two tiebreakers were used during the show's run.

Season 1: One couple was asked a percentage question, and asked to offer an answer. The remaining couple had to guess if the correct answer was higher or lower than the answer the first couple gave. Whichever couple was more accurate, won the game.

Season 2: Both couples were asked the question, and both couples offered an answer. Whichever couple was closest without going over won the game. In the event both couples were over, the winner would be the couple that went over the least.

Final Bzzz!

Introduced halfway through the first season, this round reversed the earlier roles, with the original bachelor/bachelorette being interviewed by their prospected mate. If the mate rang the bell, the date was on, and the show paid for all the expenses. However, if the mate hit the "Bzzer", the date was off, and the mate was given a prize package for their trouble.

External links

• Bzzz! at the Internet Movie Database