On the Cover (game show)

On The Cover is a game show that premiered on PAX TV (now called ION) on May 17, 2004. It was hosted by Mark L. Walberg,^[1] who previously hosted Russian Roulette, and the announcer was Mitch Lewis.

Three contestants competed in a game of identifying people, places and things on covers of magazines, CDs, DVDs and other items, and answering pop culture questions.

Round one

In round one, each contestant received 15 seconds to identify celebrities on a series of covers. Each correct answer was worth 100 points.

Round two

In round two (referred to on the air as the "On The Cover Round"), three covers were displayed on the board. Each one was assigned a point value that began at 250 points. The contestant with the lowest score (or in a last place tie, the contestant who played round one first) chose a cover, and a question was asked concerning some aspect of what was on the cover. The first contestant to buzz-in attempted to answer the question, and a correct answer awarded the points and control of the board. An incorrect answer gave the other contestants a chance to answer. After each question, a new cover replaced an old cover and was assigned the 250 points, while the value of the unchosen covers increased by that amount until they were chosen.

Round three

In round three, three parody covers were displayed on a "rack" on the board (more often than not forming a common bond). The answers to questions were the celebrities on those covers. Each correct answer on the first rack was worth 500 points. After a certain number of questions, a new rack of parody covers was introduced, with the value of the questions increased to 750 points. The questions on the final rack of covers were worth 1,000 points. When the round was over, the contestant with the most points won the game. If the game ended in a tie for first, an additional question using the third rack was asked. The first contestant to ring in would get to answer the question. A correct answer would move the contestant on to the bonus round. However, an incorrect answer would move the other tied contestant to the bonus round by default.

Bonus round

In the bonus round, the winning contestant was shown a grid of nine squares with numbers arranged in random order. Behind those squares was a mystery cover that the contestant had to identify. To remove those squares, the winning contestant had to identify what was on nine covers in 20 seconds (30 on earlier-taped episodes). Each correct identification revealed a square that corresponded to the identified cover. When time ended, or if all nine covers were played, a category to the mystery cover was revealed, and the numbered squares were revealed. If the winning contestant was able to identify what was on the mystery cover, he/she won the grand prize (a trip); failing to do so earned a consolation prize.

Earlier format

When the show premiered, the point values were lower for each question (round 1: 25 points per cover; round 2: 50 points [plus 50 for each time the cover was unchosen]; round 3: 100 points for the first rack, 200 points for the second rack, and 300 points for the third rack). Also, the champion received a prize for winning the main game.

In addition, the bonus round allowed the contestant to answer four questions to solve the mystery cover, with each answer acting a clue to a puzzle. For winning the bonus round, contestants received a prize package that included a trip to the Miami Film Festival.

References