Pitfall (game show)
Encyclopedia
Pitfall was a Canadian game show
that aired in American and Canadian syndication from September 14, 1981 to September 1982. The host was Alex Trebek
and the announcer was John Barton (who also served as co-producer). The show was filmed at Panorama Studios in Vancouver
, British Columbia
and produced by Catalena Productions, with distribution provided by Rhodes Productions.
for the answers they believed were correct. Trebek asked one of two contestants to choose one of the four responses as the most common response from the audience. The second contestant chose from the remaining three. Choosing the answer that a plurality of the audience members selected won a point. If neither contestant did so, no points were awarded. Contestants also won a "Pit Pass" on the first, third, and fifth points earned. The first contestant to five points (or the contestant with the highest score after five minutes of game play) won the round and advanced to the Pitfall round.
The bridge consisted of eight sections, three of which were pitfalls. At the beginning of the round the contestant watched a "light show," during which each safe section was lit once and each Pitfall was lit twice. Afterward the player chose however many Pit Passes that they had earned in the front game. The Pit Passes enabled the player to skip over any zone on the bridge, regardless of whether or not there was a Pitfall there. Once the player selected his/her Pit Passes, Trebek and the contestant rode an elevator to the top of the bridge.
Once at the top of the bridge, the clock started and Trebek began asking the player general knowledge trivia questions. In order to proceed to the next section of the bridge the player had to give a correct answer or hand Trebek a Pit Pass if they had one for that section and he asked for it (early on in the series Trebek would not ask for the Pit Pass). If a contestant crossed onto a Pitfall without a Pit Pass, an elevator took them down to the stage floor while the clock continued to run. As soon as the contestant gave another correct answer the clock stopped while the elevator rose to the top of the bridge. In order to pass to the next area, the contestant had to give another correct answer.
Crossing all 8 bridge zones in under 100 seconds won the contestant a $5,000 prize package. Later in the run, the $100 won for passing each section was eliminated; a small prize was won after passing the fifth zone and a $2,500 prize package was won for crossing all 8 zones.
, went bankrupt in early 1982. As a result, most contestants who appeared near the end of the show's run did not receive their winnings, nor was Trebek ever paid for his hosting duties. Because of this, Trebek called the show "one of the great tragedies of [his] life" and keeps the bounced check for his salary framed on a wall in his home office. Trebek also commented that he found it ironic that the only time he has ever been stiffed was by his fellow Canadians.
About two years after Pitfall was cancelled, Trebek went on to host the syndicated revival of Jeopardy!
– a position he holds to this day.
On the April 1, 2010 Jeopardy! broadcast, contestant Matt Drury told Trebek he thought the show was the "best thing ever"; Trebek replied, "I didn't, because in all of my years in broadcasting, that's the only time they stiffed me for my salary."
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
that aired in American and Canadian syndication from September 14, 1981 to September 1982. The host was Alex Trebek
Alex Trebek
George Alexander "Alex" Trebek is a Canadian American game show host who has been the host of the game show Jeopardy! since 1984, and prior to that, he hosted game shows such as Pitfall and High Rollers. He has appeared in numerous television series, usually as himself...
and the announcer was John Barton (who also served as co-producer). The show was filmed at Panorama Studios in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
and produced by Catalena Productions, with distribution provided by Rhodes Productions.
Main game
Alex Trebek asked the studio audience a question with four possible answer choices. Each member of the audience voted with a keypadKeypad
A keypad is a set of buttons arranged in a block or "pad" which usually bear digits, symbols and usually a complete set of alphabetical letters. If it mostly contains numbers then it can also be called a numeric keypad...
for the answers they believed were correct. Trebek asked one of two contestants to choose one of the four responses as the most common response from the audience. The second contestant chose from the remaining three. Choosing the answer that a plurality of the audience members selected won a point. If neither contestant did so, no points were awarded. Contestants also won a "Pit Pass" on the first, third, and fifth points earned. The first contestant to five points (or the contestant with the highest score after five minutes of game play) won the round and advanced to the Pitfall round.
Pitfall round
The object of the "Pitfall" bonus round was for a contestant to cross a bridge in less than 100 seconds.The bridge consisted of eight sections, three of which were pitfalls. At the beginning of the round the contestant watched a "light show," during which each safe section was lit once and each Pitfall was lit twice. Afterward the player chose however many Pit Passes that they had earned in the front game. The Pit Passes enabled the player to skip over any zone on the bridge, regardless of whether or not there was a Pitfall there. Once the player selected his/her Pit Passes, Trebek and the contestant rode an elevator to the top of the bridge.
Once at the top of the bridge, the clock started and Trebek began asking the player general knowledge trivia questions. In order to proceed to the next section of the bridge the player had to give a correct answer or hand Trebek a Pit Pass if they had one for that section and he asked for it (early on in the series Trebek would not ask for the Pit Pass). If a contestant crossed onto a Pitfall without a Pit Pass, an elevator took them down to the stage floor while the clock continued to run. As soon as the contestant gave another correct answer the clock stopped while the elevator rose to the top of the bridge. In order to pass to the next area, the contestant had to give another correct answer.
Crossing all 8 bridge zones in under 100 seconds won the contestant a $5,000 prize package. Later in the run, the $100 won for passing each section was eliminated; a small prize was won after passing the fifth zone and a $2,500 prize package was won for crossing all 8 zones.
Cancellation
Catalena Productions, which also produced the 1980-1981 syndicated revival of Let's Make a DealLet's Make a Deal
Let's Make a Deal is a television game show which originated in the United States and has since been produced in many countries throughout the world. The show is based around deals offered to members of the audience by the host. The traders usually have to weigh the possibility of an offer being...
, went bankrupt in early 1982. As a result, most contestants who appeared near the end of the show's run did not receive their winnings, nor was Trebek ever paid for his hosting duties. Because of this, Trebek called the show "one of the great tragedies of [his] life" and keeps the bounced check for his salary framed on a wall in his home office. Trebek also commented that he found it ironic that the only time he has ever been stiffed was by his fellow Canadians.
About two years after Pitfall was cancelled, Trebek went on to host the syndicated revival of Jeopardy!
Jeopardy!
Griffin's first conception of the game used a board comprising ten categories with ten clues each, but after finding that this board could not be shown on camera easily, he reduced it to two rounds of thirty clues each, with five clues in each of six categories...
– a position he holds to this day.
On the April 1, 2010 Jeopardy! broadcast, contestant Matt Drury told Trebek he thought the show was the "best thing ever"; Trebek replied, "I didn't, because in all of my years in broadcasting, that's the only time they stiffed me for my salary."