Pyramid game show: Encyclopedia II - Pyramid game show - The main game

Pyramid game show - The main game

Two teams, consisting of one celebrity player and one contestant, competed against each other. Six categories, each of which had a name pertaining to what that category was about, were placed on the pyramid-shaped game board. A contestant chose one of those categories, and after the host explained the subject of that category, the contestant was given 30 seconds to guess seven words (originally eight), phrases, or names (20 seconds for six in the most recent version of Pyramid) using clues given by his/her celebrity partner. If any descriptions were deemed illegal by the judges — usually when all or part of the word or phrase was given — a "cuckoo" sound was played, the clue was immediately thrown out, and the contestant couldn't earn any points for it. If a word was passed, the giver could not go back to that word, but if the receiver knew the word later on and guessed it, the team still earned a point.

Once time had expired or the contestant guessed all of the necessary clues (whichever came first), the opposing team followed the same procedures.

Three rounds, with two subjects per round, were played in the main game. While the celebrity gave the clues and the contestant received them in the first round, the roles were reversed in the second round, meaning that the contestant gave the clues and the celebrity received them. In the third round the contestant had the option to give or receive, with the team trailing going first.

Pyramid game show - Tiebreaker rounds

If the score was tied after three rounds, tiebreaker rounds were played using words that begin with a letter of the alphabet.

During the 1970's editions, especially on the ABC daytime version, tiebreaker rounds would normally be continued to be played until the score was untied, and a winner declared. There had been occasions when tiebreaker rounds would finally end with high point totals, such as it was on July 4, 1975, with Lucie Arnaz versus Anson Williams and a 45-44 score; on June 12, 1978, with Sandy Duncan versus Nipsey Russell and a 43-42 score; and on August 7, 1979, with Jo Anne Worley versus David Letterman and a 40-39 score.

During the 1980s and 1990s editions, the scores were reset to zero before the tiebreaker rounds began. If the first team completed its tiebreaker round with seven words answered successfully, the opponents would have to beat the time it took the first team to get all seven.

The winner of the game played the Winner's Circle bonus round (see below).

In the original daytime version, when a contestant lost the main game, he/she left with parting gifts. In the syndicated and daytime versions since 1982, both contestants played on the entire show, swapping celebrity partners after the first game. In the 1980s version, whoever had the highest score at the Winner's Circle returned on the next show. If both players matched their Winner's Circle totals, both returned the next day.

Pyramid game show - Bonuses

One randomly-chosen category in each game contained a hidden bonus, which allowed the contestant to win additional cash or prizes if all of the clues were guessed correctly.

The 1973-1980 daytime network versions featured the "Big 7", instituted on the ABC version on December 23, 1974, where contestants could win $500 for getting seven out of seven in less than 30 seconds. This was played once per show, and could appear in either main game (though it was most often played in the first round). In early appearances of the "Big 7", a vacation trip to a holiday destination was first offered. It was later changed to bonus cash, as an option was first given to the contestant's choice of either $25 per answer up to $175 ("Play it Safe") or $500 bonus for all seven in that same fabric. Eventually, the "Big 7" would be modified and best known as answering all the words correctly in an all-or-nothing fashion for the additional bonus.

The 1974-1979 nighttime syndicated version also featured the "Big 7", first in the 1975-1976 season for $1,000. It was later changed as "The Big Money" card displaying a random cash amount from $1,000 to $5,000 in the 1976-1977 season, and from $1,000 to $4,000 in the 1977-1978 season. For the 1978-1979 season, the "Big 7" card returned to which a contestant could win an automobile as the bonus prize. There were no bonus cards in play on the 1981 syndicated $50,000 version.

The 1982-1988 versions featured the "7-11" in the first game, where like the "Big 7", contestants won $1,100 for seven correct answers in that subject. (Early on, the player had the option to play for $1,100 in that fashion or to "play it safe" and take $50 per answer up to $350 total. This option was eventually dropped without comment when virtually every contestant opted to try for the bigger money.) There was also the "Mystery 7" in the second game, where contestants won a prize (most of the time either a trip or a car) for seven correct answers without receiving the subject of that category from the host. Originally, the "Mystery 7" was displayed in plain sight on the gameboard, but beginning on April 11, 1983, it was hidden behind a category just like the "7-11."

The 1991-1992 version originally retained the bonuses of its immediate predecessor, with the "7-11" and "Mystery 7" played as described above on the Monday, Wednesday, and Friday episodes of a given week. The Tuesday and Thursday episodes, however, saw the "7-11" dropped, the "Mystery 7" moved to the first game and a new bonus called "Double Trouble," played in the second. Two categories on the board were designated as "Double Trouble" subjects (numbered 1 and 2), which consisted entirely of two-word answers. These subjects gave the teams 45 seconds (rather than the standard 30), and paid off $500 for getting through all seven. Each team was required to pick one "Double Trouble" category during the course of the game. Later on, during the 1991-1992 season, the "7-11" was dropped altogether in favor of "Gamble for a Grand" (also played as "Gamble for a Trip"), which gave contestants the option of playing that category normally for no bonus, or to take a chance at winning $1,000 (or the announced trip) by getting all seven answers in 25 seconds instead of the usual 30.

On The $100,000 Pyramid, no bonus cards were used during tournament play. But the $5,000 21-21 tiebreaker remained just to pick up niiiiiice quick cash.

The most recent version of Pyramid featured a "Super Six" in each game where contestants won a prize for guessing all six clues correctly within the 20-second time limit.

From 1976-1980 on the daytime version, $1,000 was won for achieving a perfect score of 21 points. This bonus only appeared in the 1976-1977 season of the nighttime show, but for $2,100. On the 1982-1988 version, if the game ended in a 21-21 tie, the tiebreaker was played for a new car in 1984, but starting in 1985 it became a $5,000 cash bonus.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "The main game", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki