History Series / Jackpot

[[IThoughtItMeant Not to be confused]] with the Norwegian movie "Arme Riddere", which is named 'Jackpot' internationally.

* GrandFinale: The 1975 finale wasn't all that grand, partly due to the format change and partly due to an Expert not being able to pick the Jackpot Question in the second-to-last game when the gallery was whittled down to two. A male Expert then won the final Jackpot of $500 (rather than go for the Super Jackpot of $3,800), after which Geoff did a speech telling viewers to come back the following Monday for a new game helmed by Dick Enberg (''3 For The Money'' ran just eight weeks); Geoff then congratulated the big winners of the week (the biggest was a lady named Diana who won $4,475) before signing off. The last person heard on this version was Tom Snyder, doing a voiceover to promote the night's 90-minute episode of ''The Tomorrow Show'' with Creator/JerryLewis.

* TransatlanticEquivalent: [[http://www.ukgameshows.com/ukgs/Jacpot Received a Welsh adaptation]] for Creator/{{S4C}} from 1992 to 1999 and again for a brief time in 2012; this version appears to be mainly modeled after the 1984 pilot (including the BonusRound), but questions are asked in lieu of riddles like the original run's later format (possibly because riddles wouldn't translate all that well to Welsh).

* BonusRound: The Super Jackpot.

After a decent three-year run, followed by a one-year hiatus, the show moved to daily syndication with Geoff returning as host; the show ran just over a half-season, and ended when the production company went bankrupt.

''Jackpot!'' ran from January 7, 1974 to September 26, 1975 on Creator/{{NBC}}, after which Stewart re-tooled the format into a 1977 {{pilot}} called ''The Riddlers'' (hosted by one Creator/DavidLetterman) which didn't sell. An equally-unsold pilot, recorded at Creator/{{CBS}} Television City in Hollywood, California for CBS themselves on June 9, 1984, and hosted by Nipsey Russell, mostly returned to the original format, but ousted the Super Jackpot and tacked on a bonus round. In 1985, the show appeared on Creator/USANetwork, taped in Canada with Mike Darrow as the host and some slight changes (including referring to the Expert as the King/Queen of the Hill).

** GameShowHost: Geoff Edwards, who had begun hosting ''[[Series/TreasureHuntUS The New Treasure Hunt]]'' a few months earlier.

GameShow franchise created by Creator/BobStewart and originally hosted by Geoff Edwards in which 16 contestants competed for an entire week, answering riddles for cash prizes. One contestant was randomly selected to be the Expert, while the 15 others sat on bleachers. The Expert selected one of the 15 contestants in the bleachers, and that contestant would read his or her riddle and its cash amount. If the Expert got it right, s/he would stay in place; if not, s/he would trade places with the selected contestant.

''Jackpot!'' ran from January 7, 1974 to September 26, 1975 on Creator/{{NBC}}, after which Stewart re-tooled the format into a 1977 {{pilot}} called ''The Riddlers'' (hosted by one DavidLetterman) which didn't sell. An equally-unsold pilot, recorded at CBS Television City in Hollywood, California for CBS themselves on June 9, 1984, and hosted by Nipsey Russell, mostly returned to the original format, but ousted the Super Jackpot and tacked on a bonus round. In 1985, the show appeared on Creator/USANetwork, taped in Canada with Mike Darrow as the host and some slight changes (including referring to the Expert as the King/Queen of the Hill).

[[IThoughtItMeant Not]] to be confused with the norwegian movie "Arme Riddere", which is named 'Jackpot' internationally.

* BonusSpace: Double Dollars and Bonus Prize were on all versions. Instant Target Match appeared only during the syndicated run...which, considering that run's budget problems, probably wasn't the best idea. At least one version had "Return Trip", which, if correctly answered, allowed both questioner and answerer to return to next week's panel.

* SpiritualSuccessor: One of GSN's original games, ''Hollywood Showdown'' (created by Bob Stewart's son Sande), had a fairly similar format.

!!GameShow Tropes in use:

''Jackpot!'' ran from January 7, 1974 to September 26, 1975 on Creator/{{NBC}}, after which Stewart re-tooled the format into a 1977 {{pilot}} called ''The Riddlers'' (hosted by one DavidLetterman) which didn't sell. An equally-unsold pilot, recorded at CBS Television City in Hollywood, California for CBS themselves on June 9, 1984, and hosted by Nipsey Russell, mostly returned to the original format, but ousted the Super Jackpot and tacked on a bonus round. In 1985, the show appeared on USANetwork, taped in Canada with Mike Darrow as the host and some slight changes (including referring to the Expert as the King/Queen of the Hill).

** GameShowHost: Geoff Edwards, who had begun hosting ''[[TreasureHuntUS The New Treasure Hunt]]'' a few months earlier.

* GrandFinale: The 1975 finale wasn't all that grand, partly due to the format change and partly due to an Expert not being able to pick the Jackpot Question in the second-to-last game when the gallery was whittled down to two. A male Expert then won the final Jackpot of $500 (rather than go for the Super Jackpot of $3,800), after which Geoff did a speech telling viewers to come back the following Monday for a new game helmed by Dick Enberg (''3 For The Money'' ran just eight weeks); Geoff then congratulated the big winners of the week (the biggest was a lady named Diana who won $4,475) before signing off. The last person heard on this version was Tom Snyder, doing a voiceover to promote the night's 90-minute episode of ''The Tomorrow Show'' with JerryLewis.
* OpeningNarration: "Today, 16 players are here trying to win $25,000/$50,000. Every one of them holds a different riddle, but only one of them holds the Jackpot Riddle. You never know when someone in our game will [[TitleScream stand up and yell]]..." (''contestant stands up, yelling'') "JACKPOT!"

** TheAnnouncer: Don Pardo announced most of the NBC version (including the final week), with Wayne Howell filling in for a time near the end. Ken Ryan (who also announced ''BumperStumpers'') and John Harris announced the USA version. John Harlan and Johnny Gilbert traded off announcing duties on the syndicated version.

GameShow franchise created by BobStewart and originally hosted by Geoff Edwards in which 16 contestants competed for an entire week, answering riddles for cash prizes. One contestant was randomly selected to be the Expert, while the 15 others sat on bleachers. The Expert selected one of the 15 contestants in the bleachers, and that contestant would read his or her riddle and its cash amount. If the Expert got it right, s/he would stay in place; if not, s/he would trade places with the selected contestant.

* BonusSpace: Double Dollars and Bonus Prize were on all versions. Instant Target Match appeared only during the syndicated run...which, considering that run's budget problems, probably wasn't the best idea.

''Jackpot!'' ran from January 7, 1974 to September 26, 1975 on Creator/{{NBC}}, after which Stewart re-tooled the format into a 1977 {{pilot}} called ''The Riddlers'' (hosted by one DavidLetterman) which didn't sell. An equally-unsold 1984 pilot hosted by Nipsey Russell mostly returned to the original format, but ousted the Super Jackpot and tacked on a bonus round. In 1985, the show appeared on USANetwork, taped in Canada with Mike Darrow as the host and some slight changes (including referring to the Expert as the King/Queen of the Hill).

''Jackpot!'' ran from January 7, 1974 to September 26, 1975 on {{NBC}}, after which Stewart re-tooled the format into a 1977 {{pilot}} called ''The Riddlers'' (hosted by one DavidLetterman) which didn't sell. An equally-unsold 1984 pilot hosted by Nipsey Russell mostly returned to the original format, but ousted the Super Jackpot and tacked on a bonus round. In 1985, the show appeared on USANetwork, taped in Canada with Mike Darrow as the host and some slight changes (including referring to the Expert as the King/Queen of the Hill).

* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: [[WordOfGod Geoff]] confirmed that the entire NBC run was destroyed; only [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90VQXl-b2NU January 3, 1975]] exists on video, while [[http://rapidshare.com/files/446436325/1974-01-10_Jackpot__NBC_.mp3 January 10, 1974]] and [[http://rapidshare.com/files/442605063/1975-09-26_Jackpot__NBC___Last_Show_.mp3 the finale]] are on audio tape. The subsequent runs are intact, but haven't been rerun on GSN in a long time.

* ScrewedByTheNetwork: Twice.
** In 1975, NBC head Lin Bolen tested the show with focus groups. The result was that [[CompletelyMissingThePoint none of the focus groups liked riddles]], which Bolen ''listened'' to. She forced the show to overhaul its format (outlined under the YMMV tab) on the grounds that she would cancel the show if Stewart refused to comply and replace Edwards if ''he'' refused to comply.
*** A week later, ''Jackpot!'' was moved on July 7 from the Noon slot it held since its debut to 12:30...and since NBC's daily newscast aired at 12:55, the show had to shave off five minutes.
** The 1989-90 revival was canned not due to ratings, but because the syndicator was quickly going bankrupt when the show started production. The whole run was taped in about two weeks.

GameShow franchise created by BobStewart Productions, with host Geoff Edwards, in which 16 contestants competed for an entire week, answering riddles for cash prizes. One contestant was randomly selected to be the Expert, while the 15 others sat on bleachers. The Expert selected one of the 15 contestants in the bleachers, and that contestant would read his or her riddle and its cash amount. If the Expert got it right, s/he would stay in place; if not, s/he would trade places with the selected contestant.

''Jackpot!'' ran from January 7, 1974 to September 26, 1975 on {{NBC}}, after which Stewart re-tooled the format into a 1977 {{pilot}} called ''The Riddlers'' (hosted by one DavidLetterman) which did not sell. A 1984 pilot hosted by Nipsey Russell mostly returned to the original format, but tacked on a bonus round and also didn't sell. In 1985, the show appeared on USANetwork, taped in Canada with Mike Darrow as the host and some slight changes (including referring to the Expert as the King/Queen of the Hill).

* BonusRound: The Super Jackpot.
* BonusSpace: Double Dollars and Bonus Prize were on all versions. Instant Target Match appeared only during the syndicated run (which, considering that run's budget problems, probably wasn't the best idea).
* HomeGame: One was made during the NBC run with two distinct covers, although the format is much closer to the Darrow era.
* MysteryBox: Nobody knew what was in those envelopes/wallets.
* Personnel:
** TheAnnouncer: Don Pardo announced most of the NBC version (including the final week), with Wayne Howell filling in for a time near the end. Ken Ryan (who also announced ''BumperStumpers'') and John Harris announced the USA version. John Harlan and Johnny Gilbert traded off announcing duties on the syndicated version.
** GameShowHost: Geoff Edwards, who had begun hosting ''[[TreasureHuntUS The New Treasure Hunt]]'' a few months earlier.
** StudioAudience
* ProgressiveJackpot: The entire premise; build a jackpot by answering riddles, then solve another to win it.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: Blooper king Kermit Schaefer recalls in one of his books this:
-->'''Contestant:''' First you make a sale and you open my drawer. What am I?
-->'''Expert:''' A hooker!
-->'''Contestant:''' A "''cash register,''" you louse!
* GrandFinale: The 1975 finale wasn't all that grand, partly due to the format change and partly due to an Expert not being able to pick the Jackpot Question in the second-to-last game when the gallery was whittled down to two. A male Expert then won the final Jackpot of $500 (rather than go for the Super Jackpot of $3,800), after which Geoff did a speech telling viewers to come back the following Monday for a new game helmed by Dick Enberg (''ThreeForTheMoney'' ran just eight weeks); Geoff then congratulated the big winners of the week (the biggest was a lady named Diana who won $4,475). The last person heard on this version was Tom Snyder, doing a voiceover to promote the night's 90-minute episode of ''The Tomorrow Show'' with JerryLewis.
* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: [[WordOfGod Geoff]] confirmed that the entire NBC run was destroyed; only [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90VQXl-b2NU January 3, 1975]] exists on video, while [[http://rapidshare.com/files/446436325/1974-01-10_Jackpot__NBC_.mp3 January 10, 1974]] and [[http://rapidshare.com/files/442605063/1975-09-26_Jackpot__NBC___Last_Show_.mp3 the finale]] are on audio tape. The subsequent runs are intact, but have not been rerun on GSN in a long time.
* OpeningNarration: "Today, 16 players are here trying to win $25,000/$50,000. Every one of them holds a different riddle, but only one of them holds the Jackpot Riddle. You never know when someone in our game will [[TitleScream stand up and yell]]..." (''contestant stands up, yelling'') "JACKPOT!"
* RealSongThemeTune: The NBC version used "[[http://www.gameshowthemesongs.net/sounds/Jackpot/Jackpot%2074%20Full%20Theme.mp3 Jet Set]]", composed by former Manfred Mann member Mike Vickers and later used on ''This Week in Baseball''. The subsequent versions used a much lighter song.
* ScrewedByTheNetwork: Twice.
** In 1975, NBC head Lin Bolen tested the show with focus groups. The result was that [[CompletelyMissingThePoint none of the focus groups liked riddles]], which Bolen ''listened'' to. She forced the show to overhaul its format (outlined under the YMMV tab) on the grounds that she would cancel the show if Stewart refused to comply and replace Edwards if ''he'' refused to comply.
*** After a week under the new format, ''Jackpot!'' was moved on July 7 from the Noon slot it held since its debut to 12:30...and since NBC's daily newscast aired at 12:55, the show had to shave off five minutes.
** The 1989-90 revival was canned not due to ratings, but because the syndicator was quickly going bankrupt when the show started production. The whole run was taped in about two weeks.
* SpiritualSuccessor: One of GSN's original games, ''HollywoodShowdown'' (created by Bob Stewart's son Sande), had a fairly similar format.

* OneSeasonWonder: The syndicated run.

* OpeningNarration: "Today, 16 players are here trying to win $25,000/$50,000. Every one of them holds a different riddle, but only one of them holds the Jackpot Riddle. You never know when someone in our game will stand up and yell..." (''contestant stands up, yelling'') "JACKPOT!"

* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: [[WordOfGod Geoff]] confirmed that the entire NBC run was destroyed; only [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90VQXl-b2NU January 3, 1975]] exists on video, while [[http://rapidshare.com/files/446436325/1974-01-10_Jackpot__NBC_.mp3 January 10, 1974]] and [[http://rapidshare.com/files/442605063/1975-09-26_Jackpot__NBC___Last_Show_.mp3 the finale]] are on audio tape. The Darrow and syndicated versions are intact, but have not been rerun on GSN in a long time.
* MomentOfAwesome: The [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjCAyqx1ztk $38,750 Super Jackpot]] win.

* BonusSpace: Double Dollars and Bonus Prize were on all versions. Instant Target Match appeared only during the syndicated run.

** TheAnnouncer: Don Pardo announced most of the NBC version (including the finale), with Wayne Howell filling in for a time near the end. Ken Ryan (who also announced ''Bumper Stumpers'') and John Harris announced the USA version. John Harlan and Johnny Gilbert traded off announcing duties on the syndicated version.

* GrandFinale: The 1975 finale wasn't all that grand, partly due to the format change and partly due to an Expert not being able to pick the Jackpot Question in the second-to-last game when the gallery was whittled down to two. A male Expert then won the final Jackpot of $500 (rather than go for the Super Jackpot of $3,800), after which Geoff did a nice speech (telling viewers to come back the following Monday for a new game helmed by Dick Enberg; ''ThreeForTheMoney'' ran just eight weeks) and ran down the big winners of the week (the biggest was a lady named Diana who won $4,475). The last person heard on this version was Tom Snyder, doing a voiceover to promote the night's 90-minute episode of ''The Tomorrow Show'' with JerryLewis.

* HomeGame: One was made during the NBC run, albeit with two different covers. Oddly, the format used here is much closer to the Darrow era.
* MysteryBox: Nobody knew what was in those envelopes (or, during the syndicated run, wallets).

* FunnyMoments: As noted in a book of bloopers by Kermit Schaefer:
-->'''Questioner:''' First you open my drawer, then you make a sale. What am I?
-->'''King of the Hill:''' A hooker!
-->(''the correct answer was "a cash register"'')
* GrandFinale: The 1975 finale wasn't all that grand, partly due to the format change and partly due to an Expert not being able to pick the Jackpot Question in the second-to-last game when the gallery was whittled down to two. A male Expert then won the final Jackpot of $500 (rather than go for the Super Jackpot of $3,800), after which Geoff did a nice speech (telling viewers to come back the following Monday for a new game helmed by Dick Enberg; ''Three For The Money'' ran just eight weeks) and ran down the big winners of the week (the biggest was a lady named Diana who won $4,475). The last person heard on this version was Tom Snyder, doing a voiceover to promote the night's 90-minute episode of ''The Tomorrow Show'' with Jerry Lewis.

* SpiritualSuccessor: One of GSN's early original-format shows, ''HollywoodShowdown'' (created by Bob Stewart's son Sande), had a fairly similar format.

* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: [[WordOfGod Geoff]] confirmed that all but two episodes of the NBC version were destroyed ([[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90VQXl-b2NU January 3, 1975]] and the finale). The Darrow and syndicated versions are intact, but have not been rerun on GSN in a long time.

** In 1975, NBC head Lin Bolen used several focus groups to see what changes, if any, should be made to the show. The result was that [[CompletelyMissingThePoint none of the focus groups liked riddles]]. Bolen ''listened'' to them, forcing the show to overhaul its format (outlined below) on the grounds that she would cancel the show if Stewart refused to comply and replace Edwards if ''he'' refused to comply.

* ReplacementScrappy: Mike Darrow.

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: Lin Bolen's changes, instituted on June 30, 1975.
** Most {{egregious}}ly, the questions changed from riddles to general-knowledge questions of the yes-no, true-false, and multiple-choice varieties.
** The Target Number and Multiplier were dropped, with the Super Jackpot being established for a random amount from $2,000 to $10,000 (far less than the $20,000+ Super Jackpots offered previously, and could actually end up being worth ''less'' than the Jackpot).
** If the Jackpot Question was found, the Expert could either try to answer it right then, or go for the Super Jackpot by answering all of the other remaining questions in the game, including the Jackpot Question. If the Expert missed any of the remaining questions, the Jackpot was reset to $0 and a new Super Jackpot value was set — but if the Jackpot Question was the last one picked, the Super Jackpot was ''discarded''.

* HomeGame: One was made during the NBC run, albeit with two different covers. Oddly, the format used is much closer to the Darrow era.

** GameShowHost: Geoff Edwards, who had begun hosting ''[[TreasureHuntUS The New Treasure Hunt]]'' a few months before ''Jackpot!''

* CrowningMomentOfAwesome: The [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjCAyqx1ztk $38,750 Super Jackpot]] win.
* CrowningMomentOfFunny: As noted in a book of bloopers by Kermit Schaefer:

* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: [[WordOfGod Geoff Edwards]] has confirmed that all but two episodes of the NBC version were destroyed ([[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90VQXl-b2NU January 3, 1975]] and the finale). The Darrow and syndicated versions are intact, but have not been rerun on GSN in a long time.

** Most {{egregious}}ly, the questions changed from riddles to general-knowledge questions.
** The Target Number and Multiplier were dropped, with the Super Jackpot being established for a random amount from $2,000 to $10,000 (far less than the $20,000+ jackpots offered previously).
** If the Jackpot Question was found, the Expert could either try to answer it right then, or go for the Super Jackpot by answering all of the other remaining questions in the game, including the Jackpot Question. Should the Expert miss any of the remaining questions, the Jackpot was reset to $0 and a new Super Jackpot value was set — but if the Jackpot Question was the last one picked, the Super Jackpot was ''discarded''.
* SpiritualSuccessor: One of GSN's early original-format shows, ''Hollywood Showdown'' (created by Bob Stewart's son Sande), had a fairly similar format.

GameShow franchise created by BobStewart Productions, with host Geoff Edwards, in which 16 contestants competed for an entire week, answering riddles for cash prizes. One contestant was randomly selected to be King (or Queen) of the Hill, while the 15 others sat on bleachers. The King/Queen selected one of the 15 contestants in the bleachers, and that contestant would read his or her riddle and its cash amount. If the King/Queen got it right, he or she would stay in place; if not, he or she would trade places with the selected contestant.

One card was randomly selected to be the "Jackpot!" riddle, which the King/Queen could answer right away or hold off to add to the Jackpot. There was also an opportunity to win a "Super Jackpot" (worth up to $50,000) if its card appeared, or if the Jackpot amount matched the last three digits of the Super Jackpot total.

''Jackpot!'' ran from January 7, 1974 to September 26, 1975 on {{NBC}}, after which Stewart re-tooled the format into a 1977 {{pilot}} called ''The Riddlers'' (hosted by one DavidLetterman) which did not sell. A 1984 pilot hosted by Nipsey Russell mostly returned to the original format, but tacked on a bonus round and also didn't sell. In 1985, the show appeared on USANetwork, taped in Canada with Mike Darrow as the host.

* CrowningMomentOfAwesome: The [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjCAyqx1ztk $38,750 Jackpot]] win.

* GrandFinale: The 1975 finale wasn't all that grand, partly due to the format change and partly due to an Expert not being able to pick the Jackpot Question in the second-to-last game when the gallery was whittled down to two. A male Expert then won the final Jackpot of $500 (rather than go for the Super Jackpot of $3,800), after which Geoff did a nice speech (telling viewers to come back the following Monday for a new game helmed by Dick Enberg; this was ''Three For The Money'', which ran a mere eight weeks) and ran down the big winners of the week (the biggest was a lady named Diana who won $4,475). The last person heard on this version was Tom Snyder, doing a voiceover to promote the night's 90-minute episode of ''The Tomorrow Show'' with Jerry Lewis.

*** After a week under the new format, ''Jackpot!'' was moved on July 7 from the Noon slot it held since its debut to 12:30...and since NBC's daily newscast aired at 12:55, the show had to shave off five minutes. Further, the move was done in the first place so the Peacock could debut ''The Magnificent Marble Machine''.

** If the Jackpot Question was found, the King/Queen (now the "Expert") could either try to answer it right then, or go for the Super Jackpot by answering all of the other remaining questions in the game, including the Jackpot Question. Should the Expert miss any of the remaining questions, the Jackpot was reset to $0 and a new Super Jackpot value was set — but if the Jackpot Question was the last one picked, the Super Jackpot was ''discarded''.

''Jackpot!'' ran from 1974-75 on {{NBC}}, after which Stewart re-tooled the format into a 1977 {{pilot}} called ''The Riddlers'' (hosted by one DavidLetterman) which did not sell. A 1984 pilot hosted by Nipsey Russell mostly returned to the original format, but tacked on a bonus round and also didn't sell. In 1985, the show appeared on USANetwork, taped in Canada with Mike Darrow as the host.

* BonusRound: The Super Jackpot.
* BonusSpace: Double Dollars and Bonus Prize were on all versions. Instant Target Match appeared only during the syndicated run.
* HomeGame: One was made during the NBC run, albeit with two different covers. Oddly, the format used is much closer to the Darrow era.
* MysteryBox: Nobody knew what was in those envelopes (or, during the syndicated run, wallets).
* Personnel:
** TheAnnouncer: Don Pardo announced most of the NBC version, with Wayne Howell taking over for the tail end. Ken Ryan (who also announced ''Bumper Stumpers'') and John Harris announced the USA version, and John Harlan and Johnny Gilbert traded off announcing duties on the syndicated version.
** GameShowHost: Geoff Edwards, who had begun hosting ''[[TreasureHuntUS The New Treasure Hunt]]'' a few months before ''Jackpot!''
** StudioAudience

* CrowningMomentOfFunny: As noted in a book of bloopers by Kermit Schaefer:

* KeepCirculatingTheTapes / MissingEpisode: [[WordOfGod Geoff Edwards]] has confirmed that all but two episodes of the NBC version are gone. The Darrow and syndicated versions exist in full, but have not been rerun on GSN in a long time.
* OpeningNarration: "Today, 16 players are here trying to win $25,000/$50,000. Every one of them holds a different riddle, but only one of them holds the Jackpot Riddle. You never know when someone in our game will stand up and yell..." (''contestant stands up, yelling'') "JACKPOT!"
* RealSongThemeTune: The show originally used "[[http://www.gameshowthemesongs.net/sounds/Jackpot/Jackpot%2074%20Full%20Theme.mp3 Jet Set]]", composed by former Manfred Mann member Mike Vickers. The theme was later used on ''This Week in Baseball''.
* ReplacementScrappy: Mike Darrow.
* ScrewedByTheNetwork: In 1975, NBC head Lin Bolen used several focus groups to see what changes, if any, should be made to the show. The result was that none of the focus groups liked riddles, which were ''the entire point of the show''. Bolen '''listened''' to them, forcing the show to overhaul its format (outlined below) on the grounds that she would cancel the show if Stewart refused to comply and replace Edwards if ''he'' refused to comply. The show was canned 13 weeks later.
** The 1989-90 revival was canned not due to ratings, but because the syndicator was quickly going bankrupt when the show started production. The whole run was taped in about two weeks.
* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: Lin Bolen's changes, instituted on June 30, 1975.
** Most {{egregious}}ly, the questions changed from riddles to general-knowledge questions.
** The Target Number and Multiplier were dropped, with the Super Jackpot being established for a random amount from $2,000 to $10,000 (far less than the $20,000+ jackpots offered previously).
** If the Jackpot Question was found, the King/Queen (now the "Expert") could either try to answer it right then, or go for the Super Jackpot by answering all of the other remaining questions in the game, including the Jackpot Question. Should the Expert miss any of the remaining questions, the Jackpot was reset to $0 and a new Super Jackpot value was set — but if the Jackpot Question was the last one picked, the Super Jackpot was ''discarded''.
* SpiritualSuccessor: One of GSN's early original-format shows, ''Hollywood Showdown'' (created by Bob Stewart's son Sande), had a fairly similar format.

[[redirect:{{Jackpot}}]]