Trump Card
| Trump Card | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Terry Mardell |
| Developed by |
Terry Mardell Jenny Leah Peter R. Berlin Rob Fiedler |
| Directed by | Bill Carruthers |
| Presented by |
Jimmy Cefalo Debi Massey |
| Narrated by | Chuck Riley |
| Theme music composer | Robert A. Israel for Score Productions |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original 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 |
| Location(s) | Golden Nugget, Atlantic City, New Jersey |
| Editor(s) | Bruce Motyer |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
Createl Ltd. Fiedler/Berlin Productions Telepictures Productions |
| Distributor | Warner Bros. Television Distribution |
| Release | |
| Original network | Syndication |
| Picture format | NTSC |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| First shown in |
 United States |
| Original release | 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 Riley was the announcer. The show was produced by Telepictures Productions, Createl, Ltd., and Fiedler-Berlin Productions, with Warner Bros. Television distributing.
The show was filmed at the Trump Castle (now known as "Golden Nugget Atlantic City") casino hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey. It was 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.
Launching the same day as The Quiz Kids Challenge and revivals of The Joker's Wild and Tic-Tac-Dough, Trump Card joined those series and The Challengers (which premiered a week before) as one of five new syndicated game shows for the 1990–91 television season. All five were cancelled after one season but Trump Card made it through a full season before ending; after the season concluded, reruns aired until September 6, 1991.
Front game
Three contestants were each given a bingo-style card with 15 numbers, arranged in three rows of five, and competed to fill in all the numbers. One contestant had the numbers 1-15, the second had 16-30, and the third had 31-45. These numbers were also used in an audience game, described below.
Round one
Four categories were displayed, each containing four questions, and the winner of a random backstage draw chose one to start the round. The host read a toss-up question; if a contestant buzzed-in with the correct answer, the number in one corner of his/her card was filled in and he/she chose the next category. An incorrect buzz-in answer froze the contestant out of the next question, whose category was chosen by the host.
The first person to fill in all four corners won $750, which was his/hers to keep regardless of the game's outcome.
Round two
The contestants were each given one Trump Card, which they could use to hinder one another's progress. After giving a correct answer, a contestant could play the Trump Card against one opponent, who could remove it only by answering a question correctly. However, that answer did not count toward filling any numbers on his/her card. Trump Cards could be used throughout the remainder of the game.
Four new categories were displayed, each containing five questions, and the winner of round one chose first. Gameplay proceeded as in round one, but every correct answer now filled in a number on the middle row of the contestant's card. The first contestant to complete his/her row won $1,500.
Round three
This round consisted of rapid-fire general knowledge questions, and every correct answer filled in one of the remaining numbers on the contestant's card. An incorrect response froze him/her out of the next question as before. The first contestant to complete his/her card won $3,000 and advanced to the bonus round. If time was called before this happened, the contestant who had the most numbers filled in and was not hindered by a Trump Card was declared the winner.[1]
Bonus round
The numbers 1 through 25 were displayed on a 5-by-5 grid. The champion drew one card from a deck of 25, and the space with the chosen number was filled in. He/she drew a second card if he/she had not used the Trump Card during the main game.
The champion then had 45 seconds to complete a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line of five spaces by answering general knowledge questions. He/she chose a space, and the host asked a question. A correct answer filled in the space, but a pass or miss blacked it out. Completing a line before time ran out awarded $10,000.
Three new contestants competed on each episode.
Audience game
Audience members were each given their own double-sided cards. The front of each card followed the pattern of those used by the contestants. When a contestant answered a question correctly and filled in a number, audience members could mark it off on their cards as well. Any member who reached the goal of a round before the contestants won $10; this payout could be collected in one, two, or all three rounds, for a maximum of $30.
The other side of the card had a 3-by-3 grid of nine numbers to be used in the bonus round. If the number drawn by the champion appeared on this grid, the audience member's winnings were increased by 50% (e.g. from $20 to $30). If the champion drew a second number due to saving his/her Trump Card, and this number also appeared on the grid, the member's winnings were doubled (e.g. from $20 to $40). Members marked off numbers as the contestant gave correct answers, and any member who completed a line of three had his/her entire winnings total doubled.
Audience members could win up to $120, by winning $10 in each of the three rounds, doubling the money with two matching draws in the bonus round, and doubling again by completing a line of three numbers.
$100,000 Tournament of Champions
Trump Card ended its first and only season with a tournament of champions. Twenty-one bonus round winners were invited back to compete for a shot at an additional $100,000.
Seven preliminary matches were played with winners receiving $3,000, but no additional money awarded for winning either of the first two rounds. The bonus round was still played, with the same $10,000 prize awarded. The best preliminary winner proceeded directly to the final match; the other six winners played in two semifinal matches, with the winners advancing to the finals.
The final match was played for $10,000 and the winner played the bonus round for the $100,000 top prize. The two runners-up won $2,500 as a consolation.
Trivia
Donald Trump made an appearance on the premiere episode.
References
External links
- Trump Card on IMDb