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Author Topic: Cash Explosion  (Read 4709 times)

Adam Nedeff

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Cash Explosion
« on: February 15, 2004, 02:40:36 AM »
A post about the personnel shake-up suddenly made me try to remember WHAT the original format was. I vaguely remember 7 contestants played in tiered podiums on predominantly gold set; I actually do remember the show where the original host (who I seem to recall looked a lot like Gary Collins; a four-year-old watching TV who thinks "Gosh, that guy looks like Gary Collins" probably should have gone outside more often, looking back) passed the torch to Paul Tapie, making some weird joke about "I don't imagine you'll be needing my suits."...But rules? Rules are gone, here. Did my best to remember the rules, but then the clock struck 3:30 am and I realized I had class in the morning.

So how was Cash Explosion played?

MikeK

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Cash Explosion
« Reply #1 on: February 15, 2004, 04:30:01 AM »
[quote name=\'Adam Nedeff\' date=\'Feb 15 2004, 02:40 AM\'] So how was Cash Explosion played? [/quote]
 There were 7 players and a pyramid with one lane going up the pyramid for each player.  Each contestant had a box with cards (think a box of Trivial Pursuit cards).  The cards were numbered from -2 to 3, I believe.  The player moved up the board the number of squares on the card, down if it was negative number.  The first person to land on the final square shared by all 7 players (no overages i.e. the player must land on the space with an exact number) wins $50,000.

I hope that makes sense for a post at such a late hour.

I have vidgrabs from that version of Cash Explosion somewhere.  I'll post links tomorrow given I can find them.

dmota104

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Cash Explosion
« Reply #2 on: February 15, 2004, 09:06:15 AM »
The original host's first name was Bob (can't think of the last name).

In addition to what Mike noted...

\ Just as much as you had to reach the $50K goal exactly (read, if you were two squares shy of winning, you had to draw a "+2" card), you were eliminated if you drew a "-1" or "-2" card and that moved you down exactly to "square one".  

\ In every contestant's track was a randomly designated bonus square (IIRC, bells and the square's light flashing signaled the bonus was hit...this as opposed to the word "bonus" popping up on the "double play" board).  The bonus associated with the bonus square was a brand new car.  The player could leave the game and take the car or stay in the game.  (Also, IIRC, after two players hit their respective bonus squares and took/declined their cars, all the other players' bonus squares were voided.)

\ Before the double play era, the losing contestants were each given $1000.  The player could take the 1000 or trade it away for one spin of a wheel (spaces represented lots of cash and prizes; later limited to just cash; odds were really good you'd land on something better than 1000, so players often took a chance and spun).

\ Later in the run and before the double play board was introduced, each player was given $1000 to start the actual CE game.  For each legitimate move up or down the track, the player won/lost $50 (i.e., a "2" was worth $100 in addition to moving up the track 2 spaces; a "3" for $150; a "-2" for a loss of $100).  Still later, moving up or down was worth $100 per move.  Reaching the goal augmented the player's total to $50K while the others could keep their cash or trade it away for a spin of the wheel (IIRC, the most a player could win in the main game without winning the $50K was $1450/$1900; still, odds were good you'd win something more than $1000...yet there were a couple of $1000 spaces meaning a net loss of money).

...and there was a side-game I remember that was used during the double play era call "Whirl Win".  Worked much like the bonus game of the most recent version of "Beat The Clock".  Put the player in a booth where various denomination of cash are swirling around and grab as many bills as possible and place in his/her bag ($25,000 was possible).  In "Whirl Win", there was a specially marked bill that guaranteed a full $25,000 win if all the other cash wasn't in the player bag.

Don Howard

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Cash Explosion
« Reply #3 on: February 15, 2004, 12:35:15 PM »
[quote name=\'dmota104\' date=\'Feb 15 2004, 09:06 AM\'] The original host's first name was Bob (can't think of the last name).

 [/quote]
Bob Grossi was the man's name. He left WBNS-TV Channel 10, former home of the great Lee Vlisades who was replaced at the sportsdesk by a twerp, the CBS affiliate in Columbus where he was morning weatherman, to host a syndicated weekly show in 1985, whose name I forget, which lasted for one season. When Cash Explosion bowed in early 1987, he got that hosting job with Sharon Bicknell as co-host and Tom Bush was the announcer. Tom was best known to Cleveland TV viewers during the 1970s as the man who beautifully impersonated Jimmy Carter during sketches on The Houlihan and Big Chuck Show. Bob left in the Spring of 1988 to take over for Joe Holbrook as weeknight weatherman at 10-TV so Paul Tapie got the hosting job.
By the way, I got a look at the new hosting team in last night's boring $5,000,000  TPD (they must have used those three initials over a hundred times last night--I was ready to take a life) giveaway special last night. They read cue cards even less convincingly than Paul and Sharon. BUT!!! They're young. They're hip. They're stylin'. They've got attitude. How I hate them.
« Last Edit: February 15, 2004, 12:38:38 PM by Don Howard »

Radiofreewill

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Cash Explosion
« Reply #4 on: February 16, 2004, 01:30:40 PM »
[quote name=\'Don Howard\' date=\'Feb 15 2004, 12:35 PM\'] By the way, I got a look at the new hosting team in last night's boring $5,000,000  TPD (they must have used those three initials over a hundred times last night--I was ready to take a life) giveaway special last night. They read cue cards even less convincingly than Paul and Sharon. BUT!!! They're young. They're hip. They're stylin'. They've got attitude. How I hate them. [/quote]
 Agreed. That show was horrible. I had to change the channel about a third of the way through; I could literally feel my brain turn to mush.

Steve Gavazzi

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Cash Explosion
« Reply #5 on: February 21, 2004, 08:06:26 PM »
[quote name=\'Don Howard\' date=\'Feb 15 2004, 12:35 PM\'] [quote name=\'dmota104\' date=\'Feb 15 2004, 09:06 AM\']By the way, I got a look at the new hosting team in last night's boring $5,000,000  TPD (they must have used those three initials over a hundred times last night--I was ready to take a life) giveaway special last night. They read cue cards even less convincingly than Paul and Sharon. BUT!!! They're young. They're hip. They're stylin'. They've got attitude. How I hate them. [/quote]
 Coming in late here, but I'm glad to know I'm not the only person who doesn't like them.  Paul and Sharon were never really outstanding hosts, either, but at least they were familiar!

MaryM7643

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Cash Explosion
« Reply #6 on: February 21, 2004, 11:28:20 PM »
I hated it. Is there an address where we can e-mail the Ohio Lottery and complain? I'm sure there are a lot of people who were upset when they turned to Cash Explosion, and saw that Paul and Sharon had been replaced. How could they do this? That's almost like firing Pat and Vanna.

urbanpreppie05

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Cash Explosion
« Reply #7 on: February 22, 2004, 01:02:26 AM »
I'm the nice type of person that says, give them time. Maybe they'll get better. But as of now, they suck. But we'll see. They MAY get better.
insert signature here

Jim

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Cash Explosion
« Reply #8 on: February 22, 2004, 01:43:22 AM »
Paul and Sharon are a far distance short of being Pat and Vanna.  I can't remember one time Tapie made me laugh.  He certainly never built much excitement into the game play.  Sharon is pretty, but she is no knockout.

Don Howard

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Cash Explosion
« Reply #9 on: February 22, 2004, 09:12:23 PM »
I didn't know until a few days before the weekend of Feb 14th that there was to be a host replacement. Were there any words of farewell from Paul and Sharon on the Feb 7th show?

MikeK

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Cash Explosion
« Reply #10 on: February 22, 2004, 09:30:27 PM »
[quote name=\'Don Howard\' date=\'Feb 22 2004, 09:12 PM\'] I didn't know until a few days before the weekend of Feb 14th that there was to be a host replacement. Were there any words of farewell from Paul and Sharon on the Feb 7th show? [/quote]
 Nope, plus there was no mention that the 2/7 show was Cash Explosion's 17th anniversary show.

Radiofreewill

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Cash Explosion
« Reply #11 on: February 22, 2004, 09:35:58 PM »
Mary, you might want to try this contact page on the Ohio Lottery website. It's the only form of electronic contact I could find.