The $100,000 Pyramid (1991)


Aired
Syndicated, January 7, 1991 - December 6, 1991
Number of episodes
170
Run time
30 Minutes
Host
John Davidson
Announcers
Johnny Gilbert Henry Polic II Dean Goss
Origination
CBS Television City Hollywood, California

This is chronicling the 1991 version of The $100,000 Pyramid. This version was co-produced with Carolco Television Productions.

Game Format[]

Main Game[]

Two teams, each consisting of a celebrity guest and a studio contestant, attempted to guess a series of items relating to different categories within a short time limit based on clues given by their partners.

The game consists of six categories, each one cleverly written in order to give team members a vague idea of what it was about (ex: "Loosen Up" - things that are stiff; "Made Public" - things that are used by the public; "The Woodsman" - things that a carpenter uses). Some categories also involved famous people, which contestants and celebrities both dreaded. Each team played each category in alternating order (their choice), and for each category, one person on the team had 30 seconds to describe seven items relating to that category to their partner. Teams scored 1 point for each correct answer (for a maximum of 7 points); if they passed on a word, they could not come back to it, but if the receiver guessed it right after it was passed, the team still earned a point for it. The clue giver could use voice inflections and hand/body movements while describing a word, but they could not say the actual word or any other part of it or else they would lose out on that potential point score (accompanied by a "cuckoo" sound effect). For the first two categories, the celebrities gave the clues, then the contestants gave the clues for the next two, and then for the final two, teams decided amongst themselves who would give or receive clues (the team that was trailing usually got first pick between the last two categories). The team in the lead after the sixth category moved on to the Winner's Circle.

Bonus Cards[]

In each half of the show, there was a bonus card hidden behind one of the six categories on a board and for the team that uncovered it, the contestant partner had a chance to win either bonus money or a bonus prize which would be theirs to keep whether they won the game or not. Of course, to win the bonus, the team had to get all 7 answers right. In situations where a team didn't all 7 points to win on the very last category or they won the game automatically, if the very last category concealed the bonus card, the team was allowed to play the category all the way out to try and win the bonus prize.

7-11 - It was always played in the first game. The team that exposed the 7-11 had 30 seconds to get all seven and win a cash bonus of $1,100. On April 12, it was scrapped in favor of Gamble for a Grand.
Mystery 7 - The team that found the Mystery 7 had a chance to win a special prize. The game's title refers to the fact that the category was not told until after it was done - the "mystery". The team had the usual 30 seconds to get all seven words. The Mystery 7 was always played in the second game when the 7-11 was played. When Double Trouble was involved, this can be played in either game. The Gamble for a Trip replaced the Mystery 7 on Tuesday/Thursdays mid-way through the run.
Double Trouble - This was played in either game. It premiered on January 8. This category had its seven answers be two words long. The team had 45 seconds instead of 30 to get all seven two word answers. Getting all seven answers won $500. There were two Double Trouble categories in the game whenever it appeared; each team only gets one giving both teams a chance at $500.
Gamble for a Grand/Trip - This was the replacement for the 7-11 (Gamble for a Grand) as well as the Mystery 7 (on the Tuesday & Thursday shows only). The team that finds it can decide to give up five seconds of time (making the time 25 seconds) for a chance to win the named prize (cash or a trip).

Tie-Breaker[]

If the game ended in a tie, both scores were deleted and the game shifted into a tie-breaker situation. The team that caused the tie had a choice between two letters leaving the other for the other team. Both teams had 30 seconds to get as many of the seven items beginning with their letter(s) as they can. The team that got the most out of seven won the game. If the first team got seven, the time remaining on the clock was subtracted from 30 to give the time that the other team needed to get seven.

The team with the most points won the game.

Winner's Circle[]

The Winner's Circle was still played the same way as before: one member of the winning team had 60 seconds to describe six categories of increasing difficulty to their partner by listing items relating to each category. Contestants always had the option of whether they wanted to give or receive clues in the Winner's Circle, but celebrities usually gave the majority of the time. Regardless of who gave the clues, there were strict rules involving the types of clues players could not give in the Winner's Circle (see below):

Clue givers could not use their hands (their chair had special straps attached to the arms to prevent them from doing so)
Clue givers could not give away any part of the category itself or the essence thereof
Clue givers had to use a short and concise list of clues; they could not use clues that were overly descriptive
Clue givers could not use synonyms or prepositional phrases
Clue givers' clues had to relate to the category itself

If the clue giver gave an illegal clue at any time, the category in play was thrown out, thus disqualifying the contestant from winning the grand prize. However, if this happened with time left on the clock and with unrevealed categories yet to be played, then the team was allowed to play the remainder of the Winner's Circle until time ran out or until the remaining categories were all correctly guessed. The first category was worth $50, and each subsequent category was worth $50 more, up to $300 for the sixth. If the team got all six right before the time expired, then the contestant partner won the grand prize.

Whichever contestant made it to the Winner's Circle in the first half of the show played for $10,000; if they won then made it back to the Winner's Circle in the second half, then they played it for $15,000 more. If they won less then $10,000 in the first Winner's Circle, but won the second, their winnings from the first Winner's Circle were augmented to $25,000. If both contestants made it to the Winner's Circle in each half of the show, then they each played it for $10,000.

Only the money scored in the Winner's Circle determined who won the game (bonus money did not count). If a contestant made it to the Winner's Circle twice in one show, then he/she automatically returned to compete again. If both contestants made it to the Winner's Circle in each half of the show, then the one who won the most money there returned. If both contestants tied each other in that same scenario, including $10,000 wins, then they both got to return to play against each other again.

Contestants were allowed to remain on the show until they were defeated or until they won five days in a row.

$100,000 Tournament[]

The three contestants who made it to the top of the pyramid in the shortest lengths of time during a seven to ten-week span were invited back at a later date to compete in the show's $100,000 tournament. The tournament was played round-robin style, with two contestants competing each episode while the third sat out (the two contestants with the fastest qualifying times played against each other the first night of the tournament). During the tournament, all front game bonuses were eliminated. The first contestant to make it to the top of the pyramid within the usual 60 seconds won $100,000 and ended the tournament, since only one person could win it. If neither contestant won, then the one who scored the most money in the Winner's Circle returned on the next episode to compete against the contestant who had sat out on the current episode (in the event of a tie, a coin toss determined who returned on the next episode). If somebody won the $100,000 in the first half of a tournament episode, then the other two contestants played against each other in the second half of the show and the winner of that game played the Winner's Circle for $10,000.

During the two seasons that The $100,000 Pyramid was on the air, the show held five $100,000 tournaments; three for Season 1, and two for Season 2. These were the five contestants who won the $100,000, along with the celebrities who helped them win it (in order):

Tournament #	Tournament Winner	Celebrity Partner	OAD (Original Airdate)	Total Winnings
1	Teresa Mueller	Adrienne Barbeau	February 21, 1991 (1st round)	$114,600
2	Chris McDermott	Robin Riker	April 12, 1991 (1st round)	$147,750
3	Peggy Bielski	Barry Jenner	May 30, 1991 (2nd round)	$115,700
4	Malia Kline	Stuart Damon	October 17, 1991 (1st round)	$127,800
5	Baron Harris	Adrienne Barbeau	December 6, 1991 (1st round)	$124,800

Trivia[]

In the premiere episode, former host Dick Clark wished John Davidson on the success of his version of the show in a video message from his set of his short-lived game show The Challengers which ran in syndication from 1990 until 1991.

The biggest non-tournament winner was Nancy Wold, who won $39,900 in March-April 1991, being partnered with Patty Duke, David Graf, Rita Moreno, and David Naughton. Her earnings included one $10,000 win, one $25,000 win, two 7-11 $1,100 bonuses, and one $500 Double Trouble bonus. She never made it to the tournament.