Jackpot the TV Show: A Concise History
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Introduction: Jackpot: The TV Show
On the stage there was a circular podium on the left of the stage. Here stood the sixteen contestants. Facing them, sitting on terraced bleachers on the right hand side, were fifteen more other contestants. Each of the latter held a special wallet which contained varying cash amounts and a riddle. One of them would also be holding a special riddle called the “Jackpot Riddle”. The players on the podium would select a number and on the opposite side of the stage, the contestant holding it would reveal the contents of their wallet. If the player answered the riddle correctly, then they would continue to pick numbers. If they answered incorrectly, then the podium player and the sitting player would exchange seats. As a player progresses, then the value of the Jackpot would also increase. And that was essentially, Jackpot the TV show
The Super Jackpot
Now if the player in control were to select the special Jackpot Riddle, then they would have a choice of answering it, or continuing on there journey to build their score. If they choose to answer, then that cash prize is shared between the two players. You could also win a “Super Jackpot”. For this to happen, the player would need to match a pre-selected number (up to $995). They would then have the chance of winning this extra jackpot by answering another riddle question. if they answer correctly, then the prize gets split between the bleacher contestant and the player. The largest Super Jackpot ever won, was a $38,750 split on an episode of Jackpot the TV show broadcast in 1975. Though the show was a staple of NBC, it did go through some changes during it’s long run.
Jackpot the TV Show: The Prizes
In the earlier shows, hosted by Geoff Edwards, the player in control was called “the Expert”. Various $ amounts were added to the wallets irrespective of whether the riddle was answered correctly. The Super Jackpot was a multiplier and could reach up to $15,000. And yet go even higher to $50,000 if various factors fell into place. After a number of Jackpot the TV shows, the format was changed slightly. Interestingly, because of current federal game show laws, Edwards would periodically read out a disclaimer when the show was on-air. In the original shows, the player who answered the most riddles would win a car. Later this was dropped and the car would be scooped up by whoever answered all the fifteen riddles during a game. In 1974, after running an experiment, the Valentine Riddle would send it’s winner for a holiday to either Mexico or the Caribbean.
A Harbinger Of Social Change
During this period social conventions were slowly changing. NBC reflected those changes in the way the show was presented. The style of dress became much more informal. Instead of suits, turtle necks and opened collared shirts became the norm. The presenter, Edwards, with his more informal clothing choices effected a change among many talk and game show host of the time. Another important convention that was broken on the show, was that players were encouraged to hug each other, irrespective of gender or race. The winners of other shows would simply shake hands. Today it’s hard to imagine just what a powerful influence this asserted across American society. The show’s producer, Bob Stewart would also encourage the audience to be more animated. Screaming and applauding at will, the studio audience was responsible for the shows demographic woeing younger women and teenagers.
The Beginnings Of The End
For the last 13 weeks of the shows run, the format was again adjusted by the heads of NBC. By far the greatest change was that the questions were no longer riddles, but straight forwards general knowledge. This came about thanks to the new head of programming, Lin Bolen. He ran a “focus group” to try and find out how to best improve the show. They came back with the fact that they hated the riddles and wanted more general knowledge questions. Bolan took this as Gospel and gave the show’s creator an ultimatum: either change out the riddles or the show would be cancelled. Jackpot the TV show’s announcer, Edwards, was told in no uncertain terms that if he were to question this decision, he would also be out.
Jackpot the TV Show: Format Changes
Instead of the host deciding what numbers are called, a button now acted as that role. The Expert, simply pressed this button and the prizes were chosen at random. They could be anywhere between $2,000 – $10,000, going up with $100 increments. If the player failed to answer the Super Jackpot question, then the whole jackpot was wiped out. Both Geoff Edwards and the producer, Bob Stewart, remember sitting on the studio steps of NBC’s Rockefeller Studios. Both were in despair at these changes and the knowledge that Jackpot the TV show was now doomed to fail.
Scheduling Changes
Another unfortunate move was that the show moved back in the schedule by half an hour. It now aired at 11.00 Central time. This instantly alienated much of the audience. This time slot was previously filled by the game show Jeopardy. The shows audience liked to watch Jeopardy over lunch time. It was a more challenging show than Jackpot. This meant much greater competition for Jackpot from shows like “Search For Tomorrow” on CBS and “All My Children” on ABC. This latter show was already bringing in a younger audience. Then the show was forced to lose five minutes as the local news was to over-run the show. In the end, the move to the Jeopardy slot meant an audience loss that the show struggled to recover from. If you would like to learn more about Jeopardy, take a glimpse at our list of the best jackpot slot machines.
Jackpot the TV Show: The End Of It’s Short Run
The final nail in the coffin for Jackpot the TV show, came when CBS moved their hit show, The Young And The Restless into jackpots time slot. But in spite of all this, Jackpot managed to maintain pretty respectable rating through out it’s year of existence. After a 21 month run with NBC, Jackpot was finally cancelled on September 26, 1975. The joint forces of strong competition and the forced format change took a fatal toll. If you’re looking for the shows to have an historic look at game show TV in the 70’s, sorry to report that unfortunately, all the episodes bar two, have been destroyed. Thus, if you would like to find a spectacular Jackpot Show you must search among the online jackpot sites.
