You Don't Know Jack (game show)
Encyclopedia
You Don't Know Jack was a short-lived game show based on the bestselling computer game series of the same name that aired on ABC
in the summer of 2001
. Paul Reubens
, best known for his role as Pee-wee Herman on Pee-wee's Playhouse
, played host Troy Stevens. Tom Gottlieb reprised his role as Cookie Masterson, who was the announcer. The show lasted only six episodes, and was replaced by The Wayne Brady Show
.
After up to three questions were played, round one ended with a mini-round called "DisOrDat", which had a similar format to the computer game. Stevens gave the players a clue and the contestants had to choose one of the two possible answers. Correct answers were still worth $1,000. If any player gave an incorrect answer, the others could not steal; also, in the DisOrDat, a player giving a wrong answer took $1,000 away.
For the final question of the round, worth $5,000, all three contestants were asked a math question involving several elements of pop culture and fact, performing the operations in the order they appeared in the question (for instance, the unit number on M*A*S*H added to the number of digits in a U.S. Social Security number
, minus the number of Beatles
on the cover of The White Album, and the result divided by the number represented by a roll of "snake eyes"; the answer would be (4077 + 9 - 0) / 2 = 2043). They had 30 seconds to solve the problem; during their thinking time, they would be distracted by such things as a crying baby, a high school
marching band
, and children playing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star on violin
s. At the end of the round, the answer was revealed, and the players revealed their answers. Any players answering correctly earned $5,000. At the end of this question, the two highest scorers moved onto the "Jack Attack". The other player was eliminated and received a consolation prize
; this player would usually would be seen on camera disappearing via a CGI
effect.
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...
in the summer of 2001
2001 in television
The year 2001 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 2001.-Events:-Debuts:-1940s:*Meet the Press .*Candid Camera .*CBS Evening News ....
. Paul Reubens
Paul Reubens
Paul Reubens is an American actor, writer, film producer, and comedian, best known for his character Pee-wee Herman. Reubens joined the Los Angeles troupe The Groundlings in the 1970s and started his career as an improvisational comedian and stage actor...
, best known for his role as Pee-wee Herman on Pee-wee's Playhouse
Pee-wee's Playhouse
Pee-wee's Playhouse is an American children's television program starring Paul Reubens as the child-like Pee-wee Herman. The show was developed from Reubens' popular stage show and the one-off TV special The Pee-wee Herman Show, produced for HBO, which was similar in style but featured much more...
, played host Troy Stevens. Tom Gottlieb reprised his role as Cookie Masterson, who was the announcer. The show lasted only six episodes, and was replaced by The Wayne Brady Show
The Wayne Brady Show
The Wayne Brady Show was a variety show hosted by Wayne Brady that originally ran from August 8, 2001 to March 11, 2002 on ABC. Due to low ratings, the show was cancelled by ABC and reformatted into a daytime variety talk show for syndication...
.
Round One
Three contestants competed. In round one, Stevens asked a series of questions worth $1,000.After up to three questions were played, round one ended with a mini-round called "DisOrDat", which had a similar format to the computer game. Stevens gave the players a clue and the contestants had to choose one of the two possible answers. Correct answers were still worth $1,000. If any player gave an incorrect answer, the others could not steal; also, in the DisOrDat, a player giving a wrong answer took $1,000 away.
Round Two
Round Two was the same as Round One, but with dollar values doubled. Round Two ended with a feature called "The $2,000,000 Question". The question's supposed value would start at $2,000,000 and decrease over time, starting when Stevens began reading the question. While Stevens was trying to read, something unexpected would happen (e.g., Stevens' hand would get caught in the conveyor belt he rode on at the top of the show, getting attacked by a gang of ninjas, the question card catching fire, answering a cell phone in the middle of the question, being interrupted by his dog who was trying to eat the card); during this time, the money continued to count down; by the end of the question, the value was usually under $200 (in one episode, it was worth just $4). Whoever eventually answered the question correctly won the remaining value of the question. It is unknown what would have happened if the value of the question had reached zero.Round Three
Round three featured questions worth $3,000 apiece. Always popping up in this round was a question worth $3,000 under the category of "Things That Sound Dirty but Aren't."For the final question of the round, worth $5,000, all three contestants were asked a math question involving several elements of pop culture and fact, performing the operations in the order they appeared in the question (for instance, the unit number on M*A*S*H added to the number of digits in a U.S. Social Security number
Social Security number
In the United States, a Social Security number is a nine-digit number issued to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and temporary residents under section 205 of the Social Security Act, codified as . The number is issued to an individual by the Social Security Administration, an independent...
, minus the number of Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
on the cover of The White Album, and the result divided by the number represented by a roll of "snake eyes"; the answer would be (4077 + 9 - 0) / 2 = 2043). They had 30 seconds to solve the problem; during their thinking time, they would be distracted by such things as a crying baby, a high school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
marching band
Marching band
Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
, and children playing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star on violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
s. At the end of the round, the answer was revealed, and the players revealed their answers. Any players answering correctly earned $5,000. At the end of this question, the two highest scorers moved onto the "Jack Attack". The other player was eliminated and received a consolation prize
Prize
A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people to recognise and reward actions or achievements. Official prizes often involve monetary rewards as well as the fame that comes with them...
; this player would usually would be seen on camera disappearing via a CGI
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
effect.
Jack Attack (Round Four)
Round four was called the Jack Attack. It was played between the two remaining contestants. Stevens' head would pop up on the screen as both a comical sight and a possible distraction. The players were given a category and a series of clues. A series of answers then flew onto the screen. When an answer that fit both the category and the clue appeared on the screen, the players would buzz in and call out the answer. Correct answers were worth $5,000, but every incorrect answer given deducted $5,000 from the player's score. After six questions, the player with the highest score won the game and kept the money, while the other player received a consolation prize.See also
- You Don't Know Jack (video game), the computer game the TV series was based on