The Hustler (American game show)

The Hustler is an American television game show that airs on ABC. Hosted by Craig Ferguson, it follows five contestants who collaborate to build up a cash prize by answering a series of trivia questions. One of the contestants is secretly designated as the Hustler beforehand and given the answers to all the questions. By the end of the game, two of the honest contestants have been eliminated; the other two must correctly choose the Hustler in order to stop him/her from winning the entire prize.

The Hustler
GenreGame show
Created byRichard Bacon
Directed byRyan Polito
Presented byCraig Ferguson
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes5
Production
Executive producers
Production companies
Release
Original networkABC
Picture format1080i HDTV
Original releaseJanuary 4, 2021 (2021-01-04) –
present

The series premiered on January 4, 2021, before moving to its regular timeslot on January 7, 2021, airing on Thursdays at 10 p.m.[1]

Game play

The game consists of a total of 10 questions, each with four multiple-choice options. All of the questions are themed after the Hustler's personal life and interests. A hint about the Hustler is revealed on each turn, and the question is related to it. For example, if the Hustler has the Olympic rings tattooed on their body, the question might concern what the Olympic rings themselves symbolize.

The team is given 60 seconds to discuss the question and decide on an answer. The Hustler has been given all the correct answers ahead of time and may use this knowledge as desired throughout the game. If the players do not reach a consensus before time runs out, they are given a few extra seconds to choose a response; a failure to do so forfeits the money for that turn. Each of the first nine questions adds $10,000 to the bank for a correct answer, while the last question doubles the entire total for a correct answer or cuts it in half for an incorrect answer. The team can bank up to $180,000 over the course of the game.

Eliminations

The Hustler eliminates one honest contestant each after the third and sixth questions. To protect their identity, every contestant is given a ballot with all five names and must mark one of them. The contestants place their ballots in envelopes and give them to the host, who sends them out of the studio via pneumatic tube capsule. The honest contestants' votes are discarded, and the Hustler's choice is eliminated with no winnings and must leave the studio through an exit concealed in a bookcase.

Final vote

After the tenth question, the three remaining contestants each declare their guess at the Hustler's identity by placing cards with that person's name in front of their chairs. They are then given two minutes to debate the issue and may change their votes as desired during this period.

The true Hustler then stands up. If both of the honest contestants have voted correctly, they split the bank. Otherwise, the Hustler wins the entire bank.

Episodes
No.TitleOriginal air date [2]Prod.
code		U.S. viewers
(millions)
1"A Puzzle, Wrapped In An Enigma, Tattooed In Mystery"January 4, 2021 (2021-01-04)1052.08[3]
2"Have You Ever Stabbed a Melon?"January 7, 2021 (2021-01-07)1033.99[4]
3"The Ultimate Game of Deception"January 14, 2021 (2021-01-14)1013.29[5]
4"Watch Out for the Quiet Ones"January 21, 2021 (2021-01-21)1042.81[6]
5"How to Spot a Liar"January 28, 2021 (2021-01-28)1063.05[7]
6"Sweet Deceit, Salty Insinuations, Spicy Revelations"[8]February 11, 2021 (2021-02-11)102TBD
7"Every Tic Could Be a Tell"[9]February 18, 2021 (2021-02-18)108TBD
8"A Little Bit of Finger Pointing"[2]February 25, 2021 (2021-02-25)107TBD

Production

The series was picked up by ABC on October 12, 2019, and began production during late fall.[10][11]

Reception

U.S. ratings
Viewership and ratings per episode of The Hustler
No. Title Air dateRating/share
(18–49)		Viewers
(millions)		DVR
(18–49)		DVR viewers
(millions)		Total
(18–49)		Total viewers
(millions)
1 "A Puzzle, Wrapped In An Enigma, Tattooed In Mystery" January 4, 20210.5/32.08[3]N/A0.71N/A2.79[12]
2 "Have You Ever Stabbed a Melon?" January 7, 20210.7/53.99[4]0.20.740.94.73[12]
3 "The Ultimate Game of Deception" January 14, 20210.6/43.29[5]N/A0.75N/A4.04[13]
4 "Watch Out for the Quiet Ones" January 21, 20210.5/42.81[6]TBDTBDTBDTBD
5 "How to Spot a Liar" January 28, 20210.5/43.05[7]TBDTBDTBDTBD
6 "Sweet Deceit, Salty Insinuations, Spicy Revelations" February 11, 2021TBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBD
7 "Every Tic Could Be a Tell" February 18, 2021TBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBD
8 "A Little Bit of Finger Pointing" February 25, 2021TBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBD

References
  1. "ABC Announces Early 2021 Unscripted Premiere Dates". The Futon Critic. November 10, 2020.
  2. "HUSTLER, THE (ABC)". The Futon Critic.
  3. Metcalf, Mitch (January 6, 2021). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.4.2021". Showbuzz Daily.
  4. Metcalf, Mitch (January 11, 2021). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Thursday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.7.2021". Showbuzz Daily.
  5. Metcalf, Mitch (January 15, 2021). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Thursday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.14.2021". Showbuzz Daily.
  6. Metcalf, Mitch (January 25, 2021). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Thursday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.21.2021". Showbuzz Daily.
  7. Metcalf, Mitch (January 29, 2021). "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Thursday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 1.28.2021". Showbuzz Daily.
  8. "(#102) "Sweet Deceit, Salty Insinuations, Spicy Revelations"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  9. "(#108) "Every Tic Could Be A Tell"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  10. Ausiello, Michael (October 14, 2019). "The Hustler: Craig Ferguson-Hosted 'Mystery' Game Show Snags ABC Order". TVLine.
  11. "New Craig Ferguson-Hosted Game Show, ABC's "The Hustler", Challenges Viewers to Hone Their Detective Skills". The Futon Critic. October 14, 2019.
  12. Pucci, Douglas (January 21, 2021). "Live+7 Weekly Ratings: 'This Is Us' Winter Return on NBC Tops Overall Raw Lifts". Programming Insider.
  13. Pucci, Douglas (January 27, 2021). "NBC Dramas are Four of the Top Five Gainers Among Adults 18-49". Programming Insider. Archived from the original on January 27, 2021.
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