Details

Release year: 1983

Storyline

A game show where contestents answer trivia questions and then have to gamble their winnings on a randomly flashing game board.

Top credits

Cast

Bill Carruthers — The Whammies, Self
Peter Tomarken — Self - Host
Rod Roddy — Self - Announcer
Charlie O'Donnell — Self - Announcer

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Did you know

• Michael Larson, an unemployed ice cream truck driver from Ohio, noticed that the board followed predictable, repeating patterns. He became a contestant and used his knowledge to extend the game for almost twice as long as normal, winning $110,237. The shocked producers decided to broadcast this extended game as a two-part episode on Friday June 8, 1984, concluding on Monday June 11, 1984. The ratings more than doubled. Afterward, the producers increased the number of distinct light patterns and varied their speed to prevent such a thing from happening again.

• Talk show hostess Jenny Jones was a three-time winner on the show before becoming well known as a stand-up comic.

• Contestants who accumulated four Whammies in the first round were allowed to leave the set during the commercial break, sparing them the embarrassment of sitting idle on camera through the second round.