The Krypton Factor (US game show)
Encyclopedia
The Krypton Factor was a United States
game show
based on the UK series
of the same name. The series originally ran on ABC
from August 7 to September 4, 1981 and NBC from 15th December 1982 to present
The first version was produced by Alan Landsburg Productions
in association with MCA Television Entertainment. The second version was produced by NBC Universal
and the third version was produced by Kushner-Locke Productions and Western International, while MCA
distributed. Dick Clark hosted the ABC version and Kent Brockman
and Lea Michele
hosted the NBC version.
. The race began with a death slide into an inflatable mat, then players had to cross a pontoon bridge, crawl through tubes, drive a motor vehicle, ride a swing in order to kick down a door, and complete the course by walking in an inflatable wheel. The contestants earned points according to how they finished.
The player with the most points at the end of the competition won $5,000 in gold, plus an invitation to the final week to compete against the other weekly winners for $50,000 in gold. The series' winner was Joey Helman, an attorney from Los Angeles. He and the first runner-up, Joel Lewin, a physical fitness consultant from San Leandro, California, competed on The Krypton Factor International, a special edition of the original British version airing December 30, 1981, against the 1981 UK champion, John McAllister, and first runner-up, Peter Rimmer. This special was to be filmed on the U.S. set, but instead filmed on the original Manchester set since the U.S. set had been torn down. Rimmer won the International special.
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...
based on the UK series
The Krypton Factor
The Krypton Factor was a British game show produced by Granada Television for broadcast on ITV. The show originally ran from 7 September 1977 to 20 November 1995, and was hosted by Gordon Burns and usually broadcast on the ITV network on Mondays at 19:00....
of the same name. The series originally ran on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
from August 7 to September 4, 1981 and NBC from 15th December 1982 to present
The first version was produced by Alan Landsburg Productions
Alan Landsburg Productions
Alan Landsburg Productions was an independent TV production company founded by Alan Landsburg in 1971. The company had huge successes with In Search of... and That's Incredible!, which were two early examples of reality television long before the name even existed...
in association with MCA Television Entertainment. The second version was produced by NBC Universal
NBC Universal
NBCUniversal Media, LLC is a media and entertainment company engaged in the production and marketing of entertainment, news, and information products and services to a global customer base...
and the third version was produced by Kushner-Locke Productions and Western International, while MCA
Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Universal Studios Home Entertainment is the home video division of Universal Pictures...
distributed. Dick Clark hosted the ABC version and Kent Brockman
Kent Brockman
Kent Brockman is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Harry Shearer and first appeared in the episode "Krusty Gets Busted"...
and Lea Michele
Lea Michele
Lea Michele Sarfati , known professionally as Lea Michele, is an American actress and singer. Michele began working professionally as a child actress on Broadway in productions such as Ragtime and Les Misérables. She originated the role of Wendla in the musical Spring Awakening and currently plays...
hosted the NBC version.
Gameplay (1981)
Sixteen contestants competed in this five-week series, with four contestants competing in each of the first four matches. In this adaptation, a player's score was called a Krypton Factor, as was the case on the original UK version.Phase I - Reflex Speed
Each player took turns playing a video game challenge where either a certain score had to be achieved within a certain time limit or the player had to stay in play for a certain amount of time. Each successful player scored five points.Phase II - Mental Agility
In this round, each contestant wore headphones so only they can hear their questions, Each player in turn was given two mental agility tests, each of which required them to mentally manipulate a series of letters, numbers, or words in a specific way. Only the home viewers can see the answers, while the audience in the studio can't and must remain silent, according to Clark. The first sequence, consisting of five items, was worth four points, and the second sequence, containing six items, was worth six points. If anytime any player made a mistake, they had to sit out the rest of the round. A possible total of ten points can be earned in this phase.Phase III - Physical Ability
This round featured an obstacle course run that was pretaped in advance. Unlike the UK version, the course was designed to be fair to both men and women, so neither sex or age received a head startHead start (positioning)
In positioning, a head start is a start in advance of the starting position of others in competition, or simply toward the finish line or desired outcome...
. The race began with a death slide into an inflatable mat, then players had to cross a pontoon bridge, crawl through tubes, drive a motor vehicle, ride a swing in order to kick down a door, and complete the course by walking in an inflatable wheel. The contestants earned points according to how they finished.
- Scoring was as follows:
- 1st Place - 20 points
- 2nd Place - 15 points
- 3rd Place - 10 points
- 4th Place - 5 points
Phase IV - Observation
In the forth round, the players were tested on memory. For they were shown a scene from a current motion picture, and each player was asked a four-point question pertaining to visual or verbal detail with two possible answers and a six-point question requiring them to recall specific dialogue. Then all players were shown a lineup of six similar-looking actors, one of whom had a key part in the film clip. Each player separately locked in their guess as to the correct actor, and each player who identified the correct actor earned ten points. A possible total of 20 points can be earned this phase.Phase V - General Knowledge
In the final round, the contestants were asked a series of general knowledge toss-up questions in which each correct answer would usually segue to the next question. Players did not have to wait until the question was fully read to jump in, but only the first player to do so got to answer. Each correct answer was worth two points, but each incorrect answer was worth minus two points, with the values doubling to +/-4 points midway through the round.The player with the most points at the end of the competition won $5,000 in gold, plus an invitation to the final week to compete against the other weekly winners for $50,000 in gold. The series' winner was Joey Helman, an attorney from Los Angeles. He and the first runner-up, Joel Lewin, a physical fitness consultant from San Leandro, California, competed on The Krypton Factor International, a special edition of the original British version airing December 30, 1981, against the 1981 UK champion, John McAllister, and first runner-up, Peter Rimmer. This special was to be filmed on the U.S. set, but instead filmed on the original Manchester set since the U.S. set had been torn down. Rimmer won the International special.