Small Talk was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 game show

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...

 hosted by comedian Wil Shriner

Wil Shriner

Wil Shriner is an American actor, comedian, director and game show host.-Life and career:Shriner was born in New York City, New York, the twin brother of soap opera actor Kin Shriner and the son of Eileen “Pixie” McDermott and Herb Shriner, a Hoosier humorist who had several shows in the early...

 and produced by Reg Grundy Productions

Reg Grundy Productions

Reg Grundy Productions was the American wing of the worldwide television production company Grundy Worldwide, which was founded by Australian television producer Reg Grundy. Reg Grundy Productions was responsible for the production of two highly-successful daytime game shows on NBC during the...

 that aired on The Family Channel

ABC Family

ABC Family, stylized as abc family, is an American television network, owned by ABC Family Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company...

 from September 30, 1996 to January 3, 1997 (reruns continued until January 17). The series aired as part of an original game show block, alongside The New Shop 'Til You Drop

Shop 'Til You Drop

Shop 'til You Drop is an American game show that aired on various broadcast television networks from 1991–2006. The series was hosted by Pat Finn from 1991–2002, followed by JD Roberto from 2003–2005. Co-hosts/announcers included Mark L...

, Shopping Spree

Shopping Spree

Shopping Spree is a game show that aired on the Family Channel for two seasons from September 30, 1996 to August 14, 1998. It was hosted by Ron Pearson, announced by Burton Richardson and produced by Jay Wolpert Enterprises and MTM Enterprises.-Premise:...

, Wait 'Til You Have Kids

Wait 'Til You Have Kids

Wait 'til You Have Kids!! was a game show on the Family Channel. It was hosted by Tom Parks and announced by Burton Richardson. The show, produced by Jay Wolpert, premiered on September 30, 1996 and lasted until January 31, 1997 with two cycles of shows airing.Three male/female couples matched...

, and The New Family Challenge

Family Challenge

Family Challenge is an American game show that aired on The Family Channel from October 2, 1995 to September 7, 1997, lasting for two seasons. Reruns aired on GSN from April 3 to September 25, 1999....

.

Main Game

Three contestants faced a game board of seven children, each on a different monitor. Before the taping, the children were asked a series of questions and their answers were video taped. The contestants attempted to predict how the children responded.

Rounds 1 & 2

In the first two rounds, a question with two choices was presented, usually about the children (e.g., "Would you rather watch T.V. or go to the movies?" or "Do men or women make better drivers?"). The contestants secretly predicted how the majority of the children answered that question. The first contestant then selected one of the children, at which point Shriner read a just-for-fun question related to the main question, which may or may not provide a clue to the child's answer of the main question. The contestant then guessed the child's response to the main question. The child's answer was then played, and if the contestant predicted correctly, he/she scored points. This same process was repeated with the other two contestants. Each player attempted to predict the response of two children.

After the sixth child was played, Shriner announced the majority answer, after which the contestants' earlier prediction was revealed. Contestants earned additional points for correctly predicting the majority answer.

Scoring format

Round	Individual question	Majority bonus
Round 1	10	20
Round 2	20	40

Speed Round

In the speed round, contestants predicted immediately after selecting a child rather than after a clue had been revealed. Additionally, no majority bonus was awarded, and the questions pertained to general knowledge (e.g., "What is poison ivy?") or performing a physical skill (e.g., "Do you know how to use chop sticks?"). In this round, each correct answer was worth 60 points. The player with the most points won the game, $500, and advanced to the bonus round for an additional $1,000.

If the game ended in a two-way tie, the winner of a coin toss executed before the show played the first available child. If the contestant predicted correctly, he/she won, otherwise, their opponent won the game.

Bonus Round

The host posed one final question to which all of the children earlier responded. Lights randomly flashed around the children and the champion selected a child by hitting a button on their podium. After a child was selected, the contestant again attempted to predict the child's response. Correctly predicting three responses before making three mistakes earned the champion an additional $1,000.

During weeks four through seven, the contestant was only permitted two mistakes before the bonus round ended instead of three. During weeks eight through thirteen, different questions were posed to each child, and the contestant attempted to predict responses as before without making two mistakes to win.

Three-player version

If the main game ended in a three-way tie, all three contestants advanced to the bonus round. Each contestant chose a child randomly in the manner described above. When a child was selected, each contestant secretly predicted how the child responded to a question. The child's answer was then played back, after which the contestants' predictions were revealed. Incorrect predictions eliminated contestants from play, and the final player remaining won the entire $1,500.

Other versions

The series was the last in the United States to use the Reg Grundy name prior to its retirement by Pearson PLC

Pearson PLC

Pearson plc is a global media and education company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is both the largest education company and the largest book publisher in the world, with consumer imprints including Penguin, Dorling Kindersley and Ladybird...

. Under Pearson and successor-in-interest FremantleMedia

FremantleMedia

FremantleMedia, Ltd. is the content and production division of Bertelsmann's RTL Group, Europe's second largest TV, radio, and production company...

, versions have aired in several nations, including the UK version, also titled Small Talk

Small Talk (UK game show)

Small Talk is a BBC One game show that aired from 24 July 1994 to 18 December 1996 and it was hosted by The Two Ronnies star and Sorry! actor Ronnie Corbett.-Rounds 1 and 2:...

.