History Main / Whammy

A Whammy is a GameShow's sadistic streak personified in a condition that ''takes'' from the unlucky player who gets it, usually everything. A player who gets a Whammy can pretty much throw in the towel right then and there, unless of course his opponents (if there ''are'' any opponents) also hit them as well.

[[AC:{{Live-Action TV}}]]
* The TropeNamer is the Whammy from ''PressYourLuck''. Not only does the Whammy cause the player who gets it to lose all their money and prizes, but a player who gets four Whammies is eliminated from the game.
** And adding to the sadism is the fact that players could pass their remaining spins - after taking at least one - to a designated player, and that player ''had'' to use all the spins passed to them (but all unused passed spins were moved to the "earned" column once a Whammy was hit, provided it was not number 4). Almost always done by the player who's ahead by a wide margin, and doesn't want to hit a Whammy, but occasionally (and entertainingly) done by a player who's far behind and whose only hope of victory is for the leader to "Whammy Out".
** The [[{{Series/Whammy}} GSN revival]] raised the ante with the introduction of the ''Double'' Whammy in the second round, which is just like the Whammy, only it also throws in random physical humilation, like dropping flour, feathers or even dirty laundry on the player.
** And of course, before either of those came the TropeCodifier: the Devil from ''Series/SecondChance''.
** There's an even earlier Trope Namer from a game show in the 60s called ''Beat the Odds.'' The idea was to make words of a certain length, determined at random, and beginning and ending with the letters dictated on the spinning reels. You could keep trying to make words as long as you wanted and freeze your score at any time, but on each reel was a character called "Sammy the Whammy," and he would take all your unfrozen points. A pilot of this show was made in the 70s, hosted by Chuck Henry (who would later host ''NowYouSeeIt'').
* The Bankrupt space on ''WheelOfFortune'' might be the UrExample. This is the Whammy in more genteel clothing, because they only take away a player's winnings from that particular round with money won in previous rounds still being retained, and multiple Bankrupts won't cause a player to be eliminated. There's also the more gentle "Lose A Turn" space, which does ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin.
** There was an equivalent Lose a Turn space on the wheel for the kids' spin-off ''Wheel 2000''...but it wasn't gentle at all, as it was called the "Loser" space and added the humiliation of that show's virtual [[TheVanna Vanna White]] "Cyber Lucy" mocking the kid for landing on it by her making the "Loser L" sign on her forehead toward the contestant. For anyone, but especially a 12 year-old on national television? DudeNotFunny
*** ''Wheel 2000'' turned "Bankrupt" into "The Creature"- which actually was a CGI monster that lived under the wheel and came up whenever his space was hit to "eat" the player's points.
** In recent seasons, there are items (the "wild card" and the "million dollar wedge") that are kept "in play" and thus are still lost in future rounds if the possessing player goes Bankrupt. Just another obstacle to hurdle to be able to redeem those items during the BonusRound.
*** Also, during the days of the shopping format, contestants could put their winnings "on account". That money would be added to the contestant's winnings in the next round...but if a contestant hit Bankrupt, the on-account winnings would be wiped out as well, similar to the Wild Card and $1,000,000 wedge.
* The dragon (not to be mistaken for "TheDragon") from both Wink Martindale's and the lesser known Patrick Wayne versions of ''TicTacDough''. Revealing the dragon meant instant loss on the BonusRound. In Wayne's version, a rapping knight was an instant winner.
** This seemed to be a favorite with JackBarry. Recall the devil from ''[=~The Joker's Wild~=]'', the BUST card from Barry's syndicated version of ''[[BreakTheBank1976 Break the Bank]]'', the "zero percent" survey answer from ''PlayThePercentages'' and the lightning from ''[[BullseyeUS Bullseye]]''.
*** If you were a young kid in 1982, you had enough NightmareFuel from Jack Barry to go from Los Angeles to New York and back!
* WGN once had a game show for winners of the Illinois Lottery. Among the dollar amounts on its game board were a "bankrupt" icon and a crying face. The latter eliminated a player from the game, but no contestant left the show with less than $1,000.
** The show was ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/$100,000_Fortune_Hunt "$100,000 Fortune Hunt"]]''.
* On another Peter Tomarken show, ''[[Series/{{Wipeout 1988}} Wipeout]]'' (no relation to the [[{{Wipeout2009}} newer stunt game]]), picking one of the five incorrect answers in the first round took away not only the player's money, but also the prize if the player had found the [[BonusSpace Hot Spot]] earlier.

* ''NickArcade'' had secret "enemy" squares on the game-board, where steering Mikey onto one would immediately give control to the other team.
** Also the "Time Bomb" spaces, where [[TooDumbToLive contestants who didn't see the big bomb shape saying don't go here, you've already been here]] would have to [[NintendoHard pong-spell a word in ten seconds]] with each other to keep control of the board. It never went well.

* Pretty much the whole point of the new game show ''MillionDollarMoneyDrop''. In this case, the Whammys are the wrong answers. You ''have'' to wager all the money you have on the choices, and you ''must'' leave one choice with no money on it...and [[EpicFail if you leave the right answer empty]]...

* In several games on LetsMakeADeal, the Zonk symbol sometimes worked as this.
* ''[[{{StrikeItLucky}} Strike it Rich/Lucky]]'' had the Hot Spot (or Bandit in the short-lived original U.S. version), which ended a turn and took away non-banked prizes. It's [[{{CatchPhrase}} not a good spot]].
** However, sometimes couples had a chance of earning prizes ''back'' from Hot Spots as a ConsolationPrize if they didn't do well, depending on the host's mood.

[[AC:{{Video Games}}]]
* Bowser usually fulfills this role in the various ''VideoGame/MarioParty'' titles. A wide variety of things can happen at his spaces, but all of them end in loss of coins or stars for one or more players, and no player ever gains from the spaces.
** Unless they are completely broke; then he can feel pity. Or he'll give you stuff just so you have something for him to take from you. Depends on which game you're playing.
*** The "Bowser Revolution Game" takes everyone's coins, and divides them by the number of players, giving them an equal amount. If you are broke or have few coins compared to everyone else, this works out for you. Otherwise, it can cause problems (if you had enough coins for a star earlier but not after this, for example).
** The Eggman card in ''SonicShuffle'' functions identically to this, except drawing it in a battle results in an instant loss.
** In ''VideoGame/YoshisIsland'', Kamek plays a similar role in some of the bonus games.
** In ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBrosWii'', getting two Bowser or Bowser Jr. faces in the Red Mushroom House mini-game ended it immediately, meaning you couldn't pick up any more power-ups.

[[AC:{{Web Original}}]]

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[[PressYourLuck http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/whammy_3081.jpg]]
[[caption-width:308:*cue foghorn*]]
-->"No whammies! No whammies! STOP!"\\
-- Typical contestant speech while watching the board cycle for prizes in the game show ''PressYourLuck.''

-->"Stop... [[DownerEnding at a whammy.]]"\\
-- Peter Tomarken's occasional response.

* The "Stinger" on ''[[{{ptitle9185oowx}} The $1,000,000 Chance of a Lifetime]]''. Picking the lone available letter that wasn't in the puzzle ended your turn immediately.

If the {{Zonk}} is the prankster that tapes a "Kick Me" sign to your back, and the FlokatiRug is the annoying roommate who thinks putting Saran Wrap on the toilet is the surest way to express his friendship, then the Whammy is the guy who mugs you with an AK-47. There is no reasoning with the Whammy. He only takes, and just how much he takes is purely up to the show's producers.

* Bowser usually fulfills this role in the various ''MarioParty'' titles. A wide variety of things can happen at his spaces, but all of them end in loss of coins or stars for one or more players, and no player ever gains from the spaces.

** There was an equivalent Lose a Turn space on the wheel for the kids' spin-off ''Wheel 2000''...but it wasn't gentle at all, as it was called the "Loser" space and added the humiliation of that show's virtual {{TheVanna}} Cyber Lucy mocking the kid for landing on it by her making the "Loser L" sign on her forehead toward the contestant. For anyone, but especially a 12 year-old on national television? DudeNotFunny.

* On another Peter Tomarken show, ''[[Series/{{Wipeout 1988}} Wipeout]]'' (no relation to the newer stunt game), picking one of the five incorrect answers in the first round took away not only the player's money, but also the prize if the player had found the [[BonusSpace Hot Spot]] earlier.

* Several of the pricing games on ThePriceIsRight give players the progressive option to stop where they are with what they've won in that game or continue on, knowing that a slip-up means you get bupkis.

** In ''YoshisIsland'', Kamek plays a similar role in some of the bonus games.

** There's an even earlier Trope Namer from a game show in the 60s called ''Beat the Odds.'' The idea was to make words of a certain length, determined at random, and beginning and ending with the letters dictated on the spinning reels. You could keep trying to make words as long as you wanted and freeze your score at any time, but on each reel was a character called "Sammy the Whammy," and he would take all your unfrozen points. A pilot of this show was made in the 70s, hosted by Chuck Henry (who would later host ''[[Now You See It]]'').

* On another Peter Tomarken show, ''[[Wipeout1988 Wipeout]]'' (no relation to the newer stunt game), picking one of the five incorrect answers in the first round took away not only the player's money, but also the prize if the player had found the [[BonusSpace Hot Spot]] earlier.

** And of course, before either of those came the TropeCodifier: the Devil from ''SecondChance''.

** There was an equivalent Lose a Turn space on the wheel for the kid's spin-off ''Wheel 2000''...but it wasn't gentle at all, as it was called the "Loser" space and added the humiliation of that show's virtual {{TheVanna}} Cyber Lucy mocking the kid for landing on it by her making the "Loser L" sign on her forehead towards the contestant. For anyone, but especially a 12 year-old on national television? DudeNotFunny.
** In recent seasons there are items (the "wild card" and the "million dollar wedge") that are kept "in play" and thus are still lost in future rounds if the possessing player goes Bankrupt. Just another obstacle to hurdle to be able to redeem those items during the BonusRound.

** This seemed to be a favorite with JackBarry. Recall the devil from ''TheJokersWild'', the BUST card from Barry's syndicated version of ''[[BreakTheBank1976 Break the bank]]'', the "zero percent" survey answer from ''Play the Percentages'' and the lightning from ''[[BullseyeUS Bullseye]]''.
*** If you were a young kid in 1982, you had enough NightmareFuel from Jack Barry to go from LA to New York and back!

* On another Peter Tomarken show, ''Wipeout'' (no relation to the newer stunt game), picking one of the five incorrect answers in the first round took away not only the player's money, but also the prize if the player had found the [[BonusSpace Hot Spot]] earlier.

* Stopper tiles in ''{{Scrabble}}''. Quite sadistically, if you picked two of these tiles and knew it, you would ''not'' be able to try and guess the puzzle (and thus ship the no-win off to your opponent).

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<<|GameShow|>>

-->"Stop... at a whammy."\\

** The [[Series/Whammy GSN revival]] of raised the ante with the introduction of the ''Double'' Whammy in the second round, which is just like the Whammy, only it also throws in random physical humilation, like dropping flour, feathers or even dirty laundry on the player.

-- Typical contestant speech while watching the board cycle for prizes in the game show "PressYourLuck."

** The GSN revival of ''PressYourLuck'' raised the ante with the introduction of the ''Double'' Whammy in the second round, which is just like the Whammy, only it also throws in random physical humilation, like dropping flour, feathers or even dirty laundry on the player.

** The GSN revival of ''PressYourLuck'' ups the ante with the introduction of the ''Double'' Whammy, which is just like the Whammy, only it also throws in random physical humilation, like dropping flour or feathers on the player.

* The dragon (not to be mistaken for "TheDragon") from Wink Martindale's version of ''TicTacDough''. Revealing the dragon meant instant loss on the BonusRound.

[[AC:Board Games]]
* Stopper tiles in ''{{Scrabble}}''. Quite sadistically, if you picked two of these tiles and knew it, you would ''not'' be able to try and guess the puzzle (and thus ship the no-win off to your opponent).

* ''Nick Arcade'' had secret "enemy" squares on the game-board, where steering Mikey onto one would immediately give control to the other team.
** Also the "Time Bomb" spaces, where [[TooDumbToLive contestants who didn't see the big bomb shape saying don't go here, you've already been here]] would have to [[NintendoHard pong-spell a word in ten seconds]] with each other to keep control of the board. It never went well.

* The online game ''Slingo'' features a devil which takes away half your points. Sometimes, though, he's counteracted by an angel.
* Bowser usually fulfills this role in the various ''MarioParty'' titles. A wide variety of things can happen at his spaces, but all of them end in loss of coins or stars for one or more players, and no player ever gains from the spaces.
** Unless they are completely broke; then he can feel pity. Or he'll give you stuff just so you have something for him to take from you. Depends on which game you're playing.
** The Eggman card in ''SonicShuffle'' functions identically to this, except drawing it in a battle results in an instant loss.

* ''Nick Arcade'' had secret "enemy" squares on the game-board, where steering Mikey onto one would immediately give control to the other team.
** Also the "Time Bomb" spaces, where [[TooDumbToLive contestants who didn't see the big bomb shape saying don't go here, you've already been here]] would have to [[NintendoHard pong-spell a word in ten seconds]] with each other to keep control of the board. It never went well.
* Stopper tiles in ''{{Scrabble}}''. Quite sadistically, if you picked two of these tiles and knew it, you would ''not'' be able to try and guess the puzzle (and thus ship the no-win off to your opponent).

<<|GameShow|>>

** Also the "Time Bomb" spaces, where [[TooDumbToLive contestants who didn't see the big bomb shape saying don't go here, you've already been here]] would have to [[NintendoHard pong-spell a word in ten seconds]] with each other to keep control of the board. It never went well ('''nobody''' ever successfully pong-spelled correctly due to mortal embarrassment) and any contestants who went backwards pretty much blew the game for themselves and pissed off the other team because the chance of actually hitting the goal space for a bonus prize was now slim to none.