Follow TV Tropes

Following

Series / Take the Money and Run

Go To

ABC Game Show that ran for six episodes in Summer 2011, in which a two-person team was given a GPS-enabled vehicle and a briefcase with $100,000. They had one hour to hide the briefcase any place they choose. After the hour is up, 2 police detectives take the team into custody. They're treated as actual suspects (printed, photographed, etc), and for the next 48 hours, the detectives use normal police tactics (interviews with the constestants, using the GPS on the vehicle to find out where they went, etc.) to try and find the case. A pair of interrogators work alongside the detectives, doing their best to crack the team through any means, from psychological intimidation to playing a confidant.

If the detectives find the case, they get the money. If they don't find it within 48 hours, the contestants get the money.


Game Show Tropes in use:

  • All or Nothing: One group gets the cash, one group gets to waste two days.
  • Rules Spiel: Given to the contestants immediately after they're given the case. (There's apparently a recorder/playback device in the case.)
  • Show the Folks at Home: We're shown where the contestants hide the case.

This show provides examples of:

  • Briefcase Full of Money
  • Cowboys and Indians: Cops and Robbers, as it's been compared to.
  • Idiot Ball: With just hours left on the clock, one of the contestants in the premiere just tells the interrogators where the case is. Just coughs it up. It's not like this is an actual police investigation, where they can threaten you with a trial or imprisonment, and this guy just rats.
    • The interrogators are purposefully tossing balls at the team to see who will catch and hold it. If they spot an overconfident contestant, it's just a matter of getting them talking and pushing the conversation the right direction.
  • Race Against the Clock: Works both ways. The teams have one hour to hide a briefcase filled with money, while police have 48 hours to find it.

Top