In 1987, game shows were hot. So were home shopping channels. This was the first of three short-lived shows that attempted to combine the two, brought to you by Home Shopping Club (now known as Home Shopping Network). It aired in syndication from June 15 to September 11, 1987.
Two players, one usually a returning champion, competed. At the beginning of each round, a piece of merchandise was shown and described. After that, three scrambled words ranging from 6 to 8 letters were displayed; all three words were used in the description of the item that was just displayed.
Host Bob Goen would ask a question in a category related to the item shown. Buzzing in with the right answer was worth $100; one letter in each scrambled word was put in its proper place, and the contestant would try and unscramble as many of the words as they could. Buzzing in with the wrong answer awarded no money, but gave their opponent the same correct letters and opportunity to unscramble the words. Correctly solving the first word paid an additional $100, the second was worth $200, and the final word was worth $300.
Four rounds were played, with the last two played with doubled money amounts. Whoever unscrambled more words in a round would also win the piece of merchandise being offered. The contestant in the lead after round 4 won the game and advanced to the bonus round. All contestants kept their money and prizes regardless of whether or not they won the day.
This series provides examples of:
- The Announcer: Bob Circosta, the very first home shopping host, who also doubled as the co-host.
- Bonus Round: A dual-stage one.
- In the first part, the champion is shown one more item, and the initial letters of a five or six word phrase related to it. Being able to solve the phrase won $2,000; if not, the next letter of each word was revealed, and the value dropped in half to $1,000. More letters would be revealed and the potential value halved until the champ could solve it.
- The champ was then given the longest word in the phrase, and had 30 seconds to use the letters in that word to make as many new words of 3 or more letters as possible. Each acceptable word given was worth the value won in the first part.
- Double the Dollars: Rounds 1 and 2 had questions worth $100 and words worth $10/$200/$300; rounds 3 and 4 doubled those to $200 per question and $200/$400/$600 per word.
- Game Show Host: Bob Goen, in one of his earliest game show jobs.
- Game Show Winnings Cap: Champions could win up to five games, after which they retired undefeated.
- Home Participation Sweepstakes: More like a Home Participation Offer; the items won during gameplay could also be purchased from the show through a special 800 phone number. The number was originally only onscreen during the prize descriptions; later episodes would have the number visible during the gameplay as well.
- Lovely Assistant: Debbie Bartlett, who modeled the prizes on hand.
- Product Placement: And plenty of it, with five prizes shown off every day, offered to contestants and home viewers alike.
- Recycled Soundtrack: Used actual music cues from the Home Shopping Club channel.
- Speed Round: If time was running out in round 4, no more questions would be asked; letters would be revealed until a contestant buzzed in.
