VITAL STATS
Lifespan: March 2000 - June 2000
Host: Matt Vasgersian
Announcer: Lisa Guerrero
Produced by: Gregory V. Sherman
Front Game Rules
| Three players compete. Four categories are presented to the contestants, each with 5 questions worth 10-50 points. The player who buzzed in with the correct answer got to choose the next category and point value. Behind two questions was a "Double Play," which was a question involving a video clip. Answering that question correctly earned the opportunity at a follow-up question worth the same amount. The first round ends with the "30-Second Blitz", which is a speed round involving 7 headshots of sports stars. Each time a player could buzz in and identify the athlete, he scored 30 points.
|
In the second round, point values were doubled, and players were now penalized if they buzzed in and gave a wrong answer. Also, the last-place player after the first round got possession of "The Shaft", which they could use to force a player to answer any question on the board. The Shaft remained in play until it was given to someone who had already used it. One of the four categories had a guest athlete who asked the questions. At the end of the second round, the lowest-scoring player is eliminated.
|
End Game Rules
| In the last round, the two remaining players were given a list (Ex. California Professional Sports Teams) and went back and forth naming items that were on the list. The first category started at 100 points, each successive category started with 25 points more, and each correct answer added 10 points to the pot. If a player froze, gave a wrong answer, or repeated an answer, the points went to the other player. If a category was swept, all the points carried over to the next list, along with the starting amount for the next one. When time ran out, the player with the most points won the game. | | | | |
Notes
After the second round, a home-viewer game was played with the winner of the interactive game on the show's website. This person tried to answer a question regarding his or her favorite sports team. Questions were posed by Sal Iacomo, who is also notable for being the cousin of former "Win Ben Stein's Money" co-host Jimmy Kimmel. (Incidentally, Iacomo will be the new co-host for WBSM during the 2002 season.)
High-scoring winners returned during the final week to take part in a Tournament of Champions. The winner of the tournament won a new truck and tickets to the World Series, Super Bowl, NBA Finals, and Stanley Cup Finals.
Loogaroo Looks it Over
Although 2-Minute Drill takes the crown for the best sports game show, this one comes in second. The gameplay is a little slow in the first couple of rounds (with the exception of the 30-second Blitz), but the final round really makes things interesting. I especially like the music that's played as they bat the answers back and forth. The prizes weren't too shabby for a cable show, and Matt Vasgersian wasn't all that bad. But couldn't he have come up with something to say when a player gives a name from a final round list other than "Correct"?
|