[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/4123bf41_1717_4ef2_82a0_45404d798eab.png]]
''"Five letters, $200... 'A hung plot element'."''

'''''Merv Griffin's Crosswords''''' was a GameShow created by [[Creator/MervGriffin that guy]] who created [[ComicallyMissingThePoint such hits]] as ''Series/{{Monopoly}}'', which involved host Ty Treadway trying to be interesting while asking two contestants to solve {{crossword}} clues on the buzzer. The words were worth various amounts depending on their length (in Round 1, $50 for a 3-letter word, $100 for 4-6 letters, and $150 for 7+ letters).

To make the simple-looking game more confusing, a musical-chairs mechanic involving three "Spoiler" contestants was used for Rounds 2 and 3. The Spoilers could steal questions missed by the two main players and literally switch places with them if successful, cash and all.

Unfortunately, ''Crosswords'' didn't live up to the high hopes of Merv Griffin (whose original pilot involved three contestants building a cash jackpot that the day's winner would play for at the end) or his syndicated crown jewels ''Series/{{Jeopardy}}'' and ''Series/WheelOfFortune'', and wound up being canned after one season. The show continually aired OutOfOrder due to poor ratings in syndication, and its screwed-up gameplay format and what many felt a lack of charisma in Ty's performance also contributed to its very short run. For better or worse, Merv was unable to see the aftermath of it all, [[DiedDuringProduction as he died just five weeks before its debut]].
----
!!This show provides examples of:
* TheAnnouncer: Edd Hall, formerly of ''Series/TheTonightShow''.
* BonusRound: Here's 90 seconds, now finish the rest of the crossword. If you're successful, you win a trip and...
** '''First Taped Episodes:''' ...$100 per word solved.
** '''First Aired Episodes:''' ...$2,000.
** '''Post-Getaway, Pre-Microsoft:''' ...$5,000.
** '''Microsoft-Sponsored:''' ...$5,000 ''and'' an Platform/Xbox360 console bundle.
* BonusSpace: The Crossword Extra (basically this show's equivalent of [[Series/{{Jeopardy}} the Daily Double]]) and the Crossword Getaway (get this right and you won a trip). The latter was removed after the first two months (but returned sporadically during the rest of the run) in favor of a few more Extras.
* CatchPhrase: Pretty much everything Ty said, including his RulesSpiel, since he spoke ''the exact same way every time''.
** "Welcome to ''Merv Griffin's Crosswords''!"
** "Five letters, $200..."
** "Say hello to [y]our Spoilers!"
** "[Name] with a chance to spoil!"
** "You're going home our champion with $[amount]!"
* ConsolationPrize: A Croton watch with the show's logo on it, the plug for which changed a bit in some episodes.
* CrosswordPuzzle: Uh, duh?
* DarkHorseVictory: The whole "A Spoiler can win on the final clue despite having done nothing beforehand" bit of the game.
* DoubleTheDollars: Round 2 doubled the values to $100 (3-letter words)/$200 (4-6 letters)/$300 (7+ letters). Later tapings redoubled the amounts to $200/$400/$600 for Round 3.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The first taped episodes (which were ''not'' the first to air) used Crossword Extras which weren't part of the puzzle, worth $300 in Round 1 and $600 in Round 2. It also gave Bonus Round winners a trip (offered throughout the run) and $100 per word, the latter typically adding up to less than $2,000 (the amount offered for victory in the first aired episodes).
* {{Expy}}: Of ''Series/TheCrossWits'', minus the celebrities, [[LovelyAssistant the hostess]], and most of the prize budget.
* GameShowHost: Ty Treadway, a bodybuilder and ''[=SoapTalk=]'' host who also played on ''Series/OneLifeToLive'' from 2001-04.
* GameShowWinningsCap: One-and-done.
* GoldenSnitch: Since cash and trips stayed at a podium no matter what, a Spoiler could win the main game on the last clue. Several times, the winning Spoiler did absolutely ''nothing'' otherwise.
* HomeGame: Despite the show's failure, various tie-in products were produced, including branded crossword puzzle books, video game versions, and a board game rendition. The video games boast a slightly improved format and ''much'' higher payouts than the actual show, with the Bonus Round worth a vacation and $25,000. The board game doesn't even try to tie into the show, despite using the logo and Ty's picture on the cover, with the box instead describing ''Crosswords'' as "the social wordplay game".
* LaughTrack: Canned applause was used in lieu of a StudioAudience. Producers claimed the studio was too small to have an audience.
* LosingHorns: A type A was used as the time buzzer in the "finish the board" bonus round. Basically, a jet-like "whoosh" sound, along with a wobbly downward sort of sound.
* LuckBasedMission: Performance in the BonusRound often depended on how much of the puzzle was empty; some days, it was just plain impossible to fill the whole thing in.
* MacguffinDeliveryService: What the show frequently wound up becoming, as noted above at GoldenSnitch and DarkHorseVictory.
* ObviousRulePatch: The ousting of the Crossword Getaway, which removed the two "shelves" from the front-row podiums.
* ProductPlacement: The Croton watches were always there, but for a time (nobody really knows how long), Microsoft sponsored the show to promote the HomeGame coming out for Xbox Live Arcade. The Extra was renamed the "Crossword Xbox 360 Extra", and an Xbox 360 console was added to the bonus prize package.
* RearrangeTheSong: A re-working of the 1980s ''Wheel'' car cue "Buzzword" was used as the theme song.
----