Wipeout (1988 American game show)

Three contestants competed on each episode. Initially, each game featured three new contestants. After several weeks, a returning champion and two new contestants competed.

The contestants were given a category and shown 16 possible answers on a 4-by-4 grid of monitors. Eleven answers were correct, while the five incorrect ones were referred to as "wipeouts". The contestant in the leftmost position began the round. The contestant in control chose one answer at a time; each correct answer awarded money, while finding a wipeout reset the score to zero and ended his/her turn. After each correct answer, the contestant could either choose again or pass control to the next contestant. The first correct answer of the round was worth $25, and the value of each subsequent answer increased by $25, with the last one worth $275.

The round ended once all eleven correct answers were found or if all five wipeouts had been selected. The two contestants with the highest money totals kept their earnings and continued on, while the third place contestant left with parting gifts and, if the contestant had been the champion, any prior winnings. If there was a tie for low score, the tied contestants were given a new category and shown 12 answers (eight right, four wipeouts). They alternated choosing one answer at a time, with a coin toss to decide who would start, and the first contestant to find a wipeout was eliminated. If all eight correct answers were found, the contestant who gave the last one advanced.

One of the eleven correct answers was referred to as the "Hot Spot", with a prize attached to it. Once the Hot Spot was uncovered, Tomarken would take a token from inside his podium and place it on the desk of the contestant that found it. In order to win the Hot Spot prize, a contestant had to both be in possession of the token at the end of the round and have a high enough score to advance to the Challenge Round. If the contestant holding the Hot Spot uncovered a wipeout, the token was taken away and another answer was designated as the Hot Spot.

The two remaining contestants advanced to the Challenge Round, playing for a bonus prize and to become the day's champion.

For each category in the Challenge around, the contestants were shown a board with 12 answers, eight correct and four Wipeouts, and they bid back and forth as to how many correct answers they thought they could name. Bidding ended when one contestant either reached the maximum of eight or challenged the other. If the high bidder successfully completed the bid, he/she won the board. One mistake allowed the opponent a chance to steal the board by giving one of the remaining correct answers still on the board. If the opponent could not do so, the high bidder was given another chance to fulfill his/her bid.

The Challenge Round was played as a best two-of-three. The high scorer from the first round started the bidding on the first board, while his/her opponent led off for the second. If a third board was needed, a coin toss decided who would start the bidding. The first contestant to win two boards became champion. The opponent kept whatever money and prizes he/she had won in the first part of the game.

Instead of using the 4-by-4 monitor grid from the main game, the bonus round used a grid of 12 larger monitors, arranged in three rows of four. The champion attempted to win a new car by identifying six correct answers in a given category within sixty seconds. This time, instead of simply calling out answers as in the main game, the bonus involved more physical activity. Since running across the stage was required, the producers contracted with Kaepa, a manufacturer of athletic shoes, to provide each champion with a pair of running shoes.

After the champion was presented with the category and the twelve possible answer choices, he/she selected six of the answers on display. To do this, the champion would touch the border on the outside of the corresponding monitor, and the screen would illuminate. Only six monitors could be lit at one time, and once the champion made his/her choices he/she ran over to a buzzer and pressed it to lock in all six answer choices.

If there were less than six correct, Tomarken would tell the champion how many he/she had correctly chosen and he/she went back to the grid. In order to change an answer, the champion had to touch the border on said monitor, which would turn the light off, and then touch the monitor with the new answer. The process continued until all six correct answers were found or until the sixty second time limit expired.

If the champion managed to find all six answers within the time limit, he/she won the car. This also resulted in the champion retiring undefeated once carryover champions were introduced. Otherwise, the champion would keep returning until beaten.