Dirty Rotten Cheater

One question is played in Round 1, and two each in Rounds 2 and 3. At the end of each round, bonuses are awarded to the players who scored the most money in the round. The first place bonus is $10,000, second place is $7,500, and third place is $5,000. If there is a tie, the appropriate bonuses are combined and split between the tying players (e.g. if two players tie for first place, each receives $8,750).

The players are then given an opportunity to accuse one another of being the Cheater. After a few contestants have opined, they all secretly vote for whom they think is the Cheater; using cards with the players' names on them, the players reveal their votes from camera left to camera right.

The first contestant who receives three votes for that round is eliminated and loses all of the money in his/her bank. That contestant must then truthfully reveal whether or not he/she is the Cheater.

Depending on the outcome of the vote and the eliminated contestant's revelation, one of three possible scenarios occurs:

• If the eliminated contestant is the Cheater, he/she is eliminated from the game with no further participation, the remaining contestants keep all the money in their banks, and one of the remaining players is designated as the new Cheater in the same manner as at the beginning of the show.
• If the eliminated contestant is not the Cheater, the other players lose half of the money in their banks and the eliminated contestant is later given a chance to win money in Round 5. The Cheater in that round remains Cheater in subsequent rounds until being eliminated and/or revealed.
• If no contestant receives three votes, all of the players lose half their money and the Cheater must decide which Honest Player to eliminate. Each contestant reaches into their podium, where a button is hidden; this is done to conceal the identity of the Cheater, who has the only working button. The players' names are read aloud, one at a time; once the Cheater pushes the button, a red light at center stage is lit and the last player called is eliminated, but is later given a chance to win money in Round 5.

Three questions are played in the fourth round. Following the third question, three remaining players have a chance to accuse one another, with the studio audience then voting for whom they think is the Cheater. If a contestant receives at least 50 percent of the audience vote, he or she is eliminated, and as before must honestly reveal if he or she is the Cheater. If none of the contestants achieves a majority, the Cheater again decides which Honest Player to eliminate. However, there is no further reduction in score if the audience votes out an Honest Player or cannot reach a majority.

In the fifth and final round, two survey questions are asked. For each question, the two remaining contestants alternate turns, giving three answers each. After both questions have been asked, they plead their cases, in fifteen second intervals, to the studio audience as to why they are not the Cheater. Any eliminated contestants that were proven not to be the Cheater are brought back out to hear the pleas, and both the contestants and the audience vote on who they think is the Cheater.

While the vote is tabulated, two vaults are brought onto the stage and filled with cash corresponding to the total in each contestant's bank. The Cheater's identity is then revealed, and any of the eliminated contestants who have correctly identified him/her win $500.

The revealed Cheater then opens his/her own vault and reaches inside for the money. If the audience has correctly identified the Cheater, a trap door in the bottom of the vault opens and the money falls through; the Cheater leaves with nothing, while the Honest Player wins his/her own bank. If the audience vote is incorrect, the trap door stays closed, the Cheater wins his/her bank, and the Honest Player wins nothing.

The maximum potential prize total is $63,500, attainable by giving the most valuable answer to every question in Rounds 1 through 4, earning the $10,000 bonus in Rounds 1 through 3, giving the three most valuable answers to both questions in Round 5, and losing no money in the voting.