History Series / HotPotato

* MonkeyMoralityPose: A team of [[IncrediblyLamePun monks]] did this [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VB3rPiw5yY0 when introducing themselves]].

* CatchPhrase: "[[TitleDrop Hotttttttttttt Potato!]]" as steam/smoke arose from the on-set logo.

Short-lived 1984 Creator/{{NBC}} GameShow that was both Creator/BillCullen's last network series and the last new game show format produced by Creator/JackBarry's production company before his death.

!!GameShowTropes in use:

* Personnel:
** TheAnnouncer: Charlie O'Donnell.
** GameShowHost: Creator/BillCullen, in his last network game.
** StudioAudience
* ProgressiveJackpot:
** The bonus prize started at $5,000 and increased by that much until it was won or new champions were crowned, effectively meaning that if a team could make it back and win, their previous loss(es) would be completely negated. One team blew the jackpot three times, made it back a fourth time, and won $20,000.
** The Seven-Straight Jackpot, awarded to a team that gave the required seven answers to a question without missing or passing, which began at $500 and increased by that amount after every match in which it went unclaimed. It was removed on April 23.
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!!This show provides examples of:

''Hot Potato'' debuted on January 23 and suffered mostly due to airing at Noon, a slot NBC affiliates generally preempted in favor of either local newscasts or syndicated programming. In a rather misguided effort to combat this, the show became ''Celebrity Hot Potato'' on April 23, removing the "three-of-a-kind teams" element as well as the Seven-Straight Jackpot (see below); the show ended on June 29, being replaced by reruns of ''Diff'rent Strokes'', which, in turn, was replaced on September 24 with ''[[Series/{{Password}} Super Password]]''...a show that managed to last nearly five years at Noon due partly to help from independent stations in markets where the NBC affiliate was preempting it.

Two trios of players, each trio having the same occupation or other common factor, competed to guess the answers to multi-answer questions. In some cases, the contestants were predicting the most popular answers to survey questions similar to ''Series/FamilyFeud'', but most of the time they were general knowledge ("Name seven of the ten largest countries in the world"). Each question had at least seven answers, though some had more. The player in control could either answer or challenge an opponent to answer; players were eliminated from the round when they answered incorrectly or lost a challenge.

* GrandFinale: [[http://www.avclub.com/articles/celebrity-hot-potato-62984,58290/ Covered]] by The A.V. Club's "A Very Special Episode" in 2011, which had this to say at the end...
-->'''Noel Murray:''' And who knows? Stumble on the right episode and you might be treated to the poignant spectacle of four celebrities [[note]]([[Series/RowanAndMartinsLaughIn Arte Johnson]], [[Series/HappyDays Anson Williams]], [[Series/TreasureHuntUS Jan Murray]], and Lainie Kazan)[[/note]] standing on opposite ends of a podium manned by [[Creator/BillCullen a TV legend in the last years of his life]], all engaged in the last taping of a show nobody was watching, going back and forth, one-by-one, naming people more famous than they. [[note]](Referencing a question asked during the show: "When we asked people which famous living person would you like to have as your best friend, we got a list of nine celebrities. Can you name seven of those famous people who seem like they could be good friends?" The answers were Creator/ClintEastwood, Creator/JaneFonda, Creator/BobHope, Music/MichaelJackson, Creator/PaulNewman, UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan, Creator/RobertRedford, Burt Reynolds, and Creator/TomSelleck.)[[/note]]

Despite its brevity, ''Hot Potato'' has become a cult classic through repeats on CBN, USA Network and Creator/{{GSN}} in the years since.

''Hot Potato'' debuted on January 23 and suffered mostly due to airing at Noon, a slot NBC affiliates generally preempted in favor of either local newscasts or syndicated programming. In a rather misguided effort to combat this, the show became ''Celebrity Hot Potato'' on April 23, removing the "three-of-a-kind teams" element as well as the Seven-Straight Jackpot (see below); the show ended on June 29, being replaced by reruns of ''Diff'rent Strokes'', which, in turn, was replaced on September 24 with''[[Series/{{Password}} Super Password]]''...a show that managed to last nearly five years at Noon due partly to help from independent stations in markets where the NBC affiliate was preempting it.

* BonusRound: Pick which of these two items weighs more, is larger, etc. Get five right, win $5,000 plus $5,000 every time it isn't won ''by that team''. (This was originally used in a far more complex form on B&E's unsold 1979 game ''Decisions Decisions'', also hosted by Cullen.) They could pass on one question, and they had the option to stop after every question and take $500 per right answer; one wrong, and they lost the bonus.
** One risk: if they passed on a question, they ''had to'' answer the one following it. If they were down to two questions and hadn't use their pass at that point, there was a risk by going on they'd have to pass on the first and get that last question wrong and lose the bonus (it happened at least once).

''Hot Potato'' debuted on January 23 and suffered mostly due to airing at Noon, a slot NBC affiliates generally preempted in favor of either local newscasts or syndicated programming. In a rather misguided effort to combat this, the show became ''Celebrity Hot Potato'' on April 23, removing the "three-of-a-kind teams" element as well as the Seven-Straight Jackpot (see below); the show ended on June 29, being replaced by ''[[Series/{{Password}} Super Password]]'' the following Monday...a show that managed to last nearly five years at Noon due partly to help from independent stations in markets where the NBC affiliate was preempting it.

Despite its brevity, ''Hot Potato'' has become a cult classic through repeats on USA Network and Creator/{{GSN}} in the years since.

''Hot Potato'' debuted on January 23 and suffered mostly due to airing at Noon, a slot NBC affiliates generally preempted in favor of either local newscasts or syndicated programming. In a rather misguided effort to combat this, the show became ''Celebrity Hot Potato'' on April 23, removing the "three-of-a-kind teams" element as well as the Seven-Straight Jackpot (see below); the show ended on June 29, being replaced by ''Super Password'' the following Monday...a show that managed to last nearly five years at Noon due partly to help from independent stations in markets where the NBC affiliate was preempting it.