History Series / TheWeakestLink

# The maximum value that could be won on the show is $1,000,000 if in all rounds the target value is met. As with a large number of million-dollar primetime game shows, this never happened due the rules purposely being stacked against the contestants' favor, contestants being pitted against each other rather than teams (save for a few charity episodes where they really do willingly work together) and plenty of game mechanics that incite self-defeat.

# If the target value in the chain is reached ($125,000 in the hour-long original version, $12,500 in the downsized 30-minute syndicated version) and banked, the round immediately ends and is essentially considered a perfect run, though not necessarily flawless. Alternatively, if the target value is accumulated despite not being reached in the chain, it also results in the round being successfully completed.

* EpicFail: A select few contestants have proven their ineptitude in unbelievably inexcusable ways, such as the infamous answer to a question asking what is the name of a female sheep[[note]]A ewe[[/note]] being, "BAA??"

* WalkOfShame: Every contestant voted off is subjected to a dramatic departure where they are scathingly told, "You are the Weakest Link. Goodbye.", their podium is turned off and the lights shine down on them as they are made to walk off the stage.

* StatisticallySpeaking: During the voting, the announcer says that StatisticallySpeaking, so and so is the weakest link and so-and-so is the strongest link and asks if the voting will reflect that. It's interesting to note that a few things alter whether or not someone is the strongest or weakest link, such as a round where everyone got their questions right, but the person who banked was the strongest link. Or where the weakest link actually got all their questions correctly but was merely only asked two questions when everyone else was asked three. Or if a contestant choked under the pressure and banked too early, only to find out the team kept answering questions correctly and gypped them out of reaching the tarfet value. Or most concerning, if a contestant chewed up valuable round time stuttering on an answer to a question. (For example)

* EpicFail: A select few contestants have proven their ineptitude in unbelievable inexcusable ways, such as the infamous answer to a question asking what is the name of a female sheep[[note]]A ewe[[/note]] being, "BAA??"

* WhatAnIdiot: A select few contestants have proven their ineptitude in unbelievable inexcusable ways, such as the infamous answer to a question asking what is the name of a female sheep[[note]]A ewe[[/note]] being, "BAA??"

* StatisticallySpeaking: During the voting, the announcer says that StatisticallySpeaking, so and so is the weakest link and so-and-so is the strongest link and asks if the voting will reflect that. It's interesting to note that a few things alter whether or not someone is the strongest or weakest link, such as a round where everyone got their questions right, but the person who banked was the strongest link. Or where the weakest link actually got all their questions correctly but was merely only asked two questions when everyone else was asked three. Or if a contestant choked under the pressure and banked too early, only to find out the team kept answering questions correctly and gypped them out of reaching the top of the money value chain. (For example)

* StatisticallySpeaking: During the voting, the announcer says that StatisticallySpeaking, so and so is the weakest link and so-and-so is the strongest link and asks if the voting will reflect that. It's interesting to note that a few things alter whether or not someone is the strongest or weakest link, such as a round where everyone got their questions right, but the person who banked was the strongest link. Or where the weakest link actually got all their questions correctly but was merely only asked two questions when everyone else was asked three. (For example)

Made Anne Robinson very famous and gave her a [[TheMeanBrit reputation for nastiness]] as she took her tough, no-nonsense style (previously seen on consumer-affairs show ''{{Watchdog}}'') to [[DeadpanSnarker new levels]]. Her popularity made it so that she ended up hosting the American version as well (which, however, lasted only a year). George Gray later helmed a syndicated version in the U.S. with its top prize and run time cut in half and the contestant pool reduced, but it didn't last more than a season either and wound up in reruns on low-rated [[IonTelevision Pax]] afterwards.

* {{Flanderization}}: At the time the series made its debut in the UK, Anne Robinson had been a long-time presenter on ''{{Watchdog}}'', the BBC's consumer affairs programme. After this series became established however, the BBC took her off ''Watchdog'' because they wanted her to be known solely for her ''Weakest Link'' personality (rather than the much more caring persona she displayed on ''Watchdog''). This was eventually reversed in 2009, when Robinson returned to ''Watchdog'' and displayed the same personality she had always done on that show.

* WhoWantsToBeWhoWantsToBeAMillionaire: NBC's second attempt to start a ''Millionaire''-type franchise, between the revived ''TwentyOne'' and imported ''DealOrNoDeal''.

The show ended in 2012 as Anne Robinson decided to step down and was not replaced; the final new episodes were quietly demoted to an early afternoon slot on Creator/{{BBC}}2, with ''{{Pointless}}'' taking over the prime teatime BBC1 slot.

The show ended in 2012 as Anne Robinson decided to step down and was not replaced; the final new episodes were quietly demoted to an early afternoon slot on BBC2, with ''{{Pointless}}'' taking over the prime teatime BBC1 slot.

Made Anne Robinson very famous and gave her a [[TheMeanBrit reputation for nastiness]] as she took her tough, no-nonsense style (previously seen on consumer-affairs show ''{{Watchdog}}'') to [[DeadpanSnarker new levels]]. Her popularity made it so that she ended up hosting the American version as well (which, however, lasted only a year). George Gray later helmed a syndicated version in the U.S., but it didn't last more than a season either and wound up in reruns on low-rated [[IonTelevision Pax]] afterwards.

* CelebrityEdition: Several, including a ''Series/DoctorWho''-themed episode in 2007, a puppet-edition later that year, and a Wrestling/{{WWE}} episode and a hip-hop musicians episodes in the U.S. They're playing for Charity.

* UnwinnableByDesign: The time limit that shrinks with every round, the unpredictability of the question material, and the strategy to not appear too threatening to keep in later rounds makes it essentially impossible that any team would ever reach the maximum prize offered on the show. It's generally considered an impressive accomplishment just to reach the target ''once.''

* RunningGag: [[{{Trolling}} People seem to like trying to make Anne Robinson laugh by cracking jokes or doing something weird.]]

* RunningGag: People seem to like trying to make Anne Robinson laugh by cracking jokes or doing something weird.

* EliminationHoudini: A non-subjective example. The Weakest Link may be the one constantly advancing. However, StatisticallySpeaking, they may only be the weakest link due to some other circumstances. (See StatisticallySpeaking)

# The team then votes off whomever they feel is "the weakest link" (or whoever might be cleverer than them)

* ThPlan: The whole "voting off" aspect. Early votes typically throw out weak players, but about halfway through contestants begin to vote defensively, voting for players they feel threaten their chance at the prize. It is not unusual for the third-place finisher to be (statistically) the strongest link.
** The ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "Bad Wolf" features Rose in a futuristic Weakest Link. One of the contestants openly admits to this after Rose notices he voted off the strongest link in the second-to-last round.
** Another example of this was in the ''Series/DoctorWho'' special where David Tennant was the third place finisher - despite only getting one question wrong throughout the whole game. The other two finalists, Camille Coduri (Jackie Tyler) and Noel Clarke (Mickey Smith) claimed they were voting him off because he'd voted against them in previous rounds. [[spoiler:Camille Coduri ended up winning, despite being one of the weakest contestants in the episode. Comes across as a bit of a CMOH, because fandom seemed to be rather annoyed with how Anne was treating her, and rejoiced when she won.]]

* CelebrityEdition: Several, including a ''Series/DoctorWho''-themed episode in 2007, a puppet-edition later that year, and a [[ProfessionalWrestling WWE]] episode and a hip-hop musicians episodes in the U.S. They're playing for Charity.