Win, Lose Or Draw

[JacksonBrowne1980]

what was your favorite version of Win, Lose Or Draw?

[HYHYBT]

Vicki Lawrence. I just liked her better than Convy, and it was before they started over-complicating the game.

[TLEberle]

How complicated could the game get? It's picture charades.

[Fedya]

How complicated could the game get? It's picture charades.

If the game had come out after Millionaire, they probably would have had a money ladder and lifelines.  That's two ways to complicate things.

[DoorNumberFour]

Vicki Lawrence. I just liked her better than Convy, and it was before they started over-complicating the game.

Bert Convy all day. Vicki Lawrence, in my opinion, is a terrible host -- she comes off as massively cynical and mean-spirited. From what I hear, she's a meanie off-camera too, but still.

[TLEberle]

If the game had come out after Millionaire,

But it didn't. It debuted in 1987.

they probably would have had a money ladder and lifelines.  That's two ways to complicate things.

The syndicated version eventually did have a money ladder in the bonus round, but it was only from 50 to 1600 then to 5000.  But it's still picture charades, and not complicated.

Yes, they had the Password Puzzle which was odd. You also could hand off which would cut the value of the puzzle in half. That's not rocket surgery nor is it complicated. For what it was they did it well, and it was a perfect vehicle for Bert Convy because there was never more than $5,000 on offer for the contestants all up.

[parliboy]

The syndicated version eventually did have a money ladder in the bonus round, but it was only from 50 to 1600 then to 5000.

True... Though a big reason for the 5000 cap was discovering the hard way on the network version what 10-in-a-row does to the budget.

[JasonA1]

True... Though a big reason for the 5000 cap was discovering the hard way on the network version what 10-in-a-row does to the budget.

I've concluded for a long time that story was apocryphal because I've not seen an episode using that format. None of the fanpages ever included that format in their rulesheets, either. Has anybody seen one?

-Jason

[parliboy]

I've concluded for a long time that story was apocryphal because I've not seen an episode using that format. None of the fanpages ever included that format in their rulesheets, either. Has anybody seen one?

Saw it myself in its original broadcast.  Don't know what to tell you other than that.

[TLEberle]

If the final round was sixty seconds and the first name was worth $125 I think the double-redouble would be a fine format for Hollywood Game Night's end game.

[JasonA1]

Saw it myself in its original broadcast.  Don't know what to tell you other than that.

That's a whole sight better than any evidence we've had before. I can only wonder how few episodes used that format if one hasn't turned up on YouTube, etc.

-Jason

[golden-road]

Saw it myself in its original broadcast.  Don't know what to tell you other than that.

So the endgame debuted with Vicki? I always thought it debuted with Weller.

[whewfan]

On a related note, can someone refresh my memory on why Bert Convy ended up hosting Third Degree and got Robb to host Win Lose or Draw?

Regarding Vicki, I thought someone that was a contestant on PW+ when Vicki was on posted something on here saying she wasn't all that nice, in contrast to Carol Burnett who has been regarded as being very nice.

[Bob Zager]

On a related note, can someone refresh my memory on why Bert Convy ended up hosting Third Degree and got Robb to host Win Lose or Draw?

Regarding Vicki, I thought someone that was a contestant on PW+ when Vicki was on posted something on here saying she wasn't all that nice, in contrast to Carol Burnett who has been regarded as being very nice.

From a few books I'd read:

Buena Vista Television, which distributed WLOD, wanted a "younger," host, which led to Convy being dropped, and Robb Weller becoming the new host.

It was his being dropped from WLOD, that led Convy to decide to host Third Degree (distributed by WB).  Original hosting choice for TD, Peter Marshall, sued Burt and Bert Productions, because a representative for the company talked to Marshall about the sudden decision, and not Convy himself.  Marshall dropped the lawsuit, after finding out about Convy having brain cancer.

I know Vicki Lawrence often had conflicts with her bosses at the time she did her daytime talk show, and that it eventually led her to leave, and Marilu Henner took over.

[parliboy]

So the endgame debuted with Vicki? I always thought it debuted with Weller.

Nope.  Have you ever seen Zach pop up on Youtube videos on Win, Lose, or Draw talking about the format change and about someone winning $26k in a single show?  Dude's got plenty of qualities that frustrate us, but he knows his game show minutiae.