"It's the crossword game show that combines pop culture and fun facts!"
GSN Original with a pinch of Merv Griffin's Crosswords and The Cross Wits in which three contestants finish crosswords for the right to play for $10,000.
Three contestants take turns solving a ten-word crossword puzzle that is based on a category one of the contestants selects from a list of four. The contestant asks where to go (e.g., six down) and a letter is revealed. Once the clue is read out loud, they can attempt to guess what the word is. They keep control until they miss a word, or get three consecutive words right and win a 100 point bonus; either way, play passes over to the next contestant. Each correct answer gives the contestant 10 points per letter. The subsequent round has the points doubled. The lowest-scoring contestant is eliminated at the end of round 2.
The third round is dubbed the "Head-to-Head Showdown", and the two remaining contestants have to select one category from a choice of two. The contestant has 60 seconds to solve all 10 words in the crossword (once the host finishes reading the first clue), and each word answered is 50 points per letter. If all ten words are solved within the time limit, the contestant gets 1,000 bonus points. The contestant in the lead after the Head-to-Head Showdown wins $1,000 and advances to the Fast Puzzle round with a chance to turn it into $10,000.
This show provides examples of:
- Bonus Round: The Fast Puzzle round. The winning contestant is shown four categories, of which they pick three. Each category has a puzzle that contains three words. Solving all three puzzles in 60 seconds wins $10,000, failure leaves them with just the $1,000 they got for winning the game.
- Bonus Space: The Double Word, in which there will be two lines to fill instead of one. Round 2 introduces the Wager Word, in which the contestant can bet their points on a single clue.
- Consolation Prize: Losing contestants are given one-year subscriptions to People magazine.
- Crossword Puzzle: Well, yeah.
- Double the Dollars: The second round is worth double the points; 20 points for each letter, and 200 bonus points for three successful solutions in a row.
- Epic Fail: On March 18, 2021 (during a Head-to-Head showdown), a contestant called for 20 Across for a word (unknowingly), but then mentioned 10 Across to keep going. Unfortunately, she was nearly done with the puzzle and ran out of time. It ended up being an epic fail as the contestant lost by 20 points (3730 to 3750). At least Leah was nice to give the losing contestant hand sanitizer, a tissue box, and one of her high heels!
- At least two contestants managed to end round two with 0 points. This is possible if you get NOTHING in the first two rounds, or by bidding all accumulated points in the Wager Word and by not getting it right.
- Game Show Host: Leah Remini, more famous for casting as Carrie Heffernan from The King of Queens.
- Non-Standard Game Over: In the Head-To-Head Showdown, if one contestant has an insurmountable lead at the end of the first puzzle, the round ends right then and there.
- Obvious Rule Patch: Since it would be ridiculously easy to blow past your opponents if you never lost control of the puzzle, contestants can only answer up to three times correctly before play passes on to the next contestant.
- In season 1, the leading contestant goes first in the Head-to-Head Showdown, leaving the possibility of the second player not getting a chance to play. From season 2 onward, the trailing contestant goes first.
- Recycled Soundtrack: The Fast Puzzle round timer music is recycled from another GSN show, Get a Clue.
- Shout-Out: Leah Remini mentions her run in "Saved by the Bell" when a category similar to it appeared. She got disappointed when her character (Stacey Carosi) didn't appear in one of the pictures in the category.
- Also done with a category titled The King Of Queens. It’s been played a lot as a category that isn’t selected by contestants. This gets referenced by Game Show Network when they released bingo cards for their shows for National Bingo Day
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- Also done with a category titled The King Of Queens. It’s been played a lot as a category that isn’t selected by contestants. This gets referenced by Game Show Network when they released bingo cards for their shows for National Bingo Day
- Suddenly Shouting: Leah tends to do this whenever someone wins the endgame.
- Timed Mission: The Head-to-Head Showdown round and the Fast Puzzle round.
- Very Special Episode: Done on many occasions. The show has done separate contestants for pageant contestants, second-chance contestants who lost entirely, Leah’s friends/family, and military soldiers.
- Worthless Treasure Twist: Many viewers get genuinely headscratched if the person losing in the Head-to-Head Showdown round gets a consolidation prize, as Leah does not mention any prizes for being the runner up. It can only be assumed that they also earn a one-year subscription to People Magazine.
