The game show "iceberg"

[BrandonFG]

But by the point of the pic (the $20,000 era), they would be replicating what was done earlier, and leaving that gap/creating a line there was part of it. The better things to look at would be the earliest pictures of the ABC $10,000 version, or clips like this one from Wednesday of premiere week:

Somehow, I completely overlooked the big $20K sign. IIRC they had to build a new Pyramid for ABC due to union rules, no?

[JasonA1]

IIRC they had to build a new Pyramid for ABC due to union rules, no?

That was my recollection too. Which is why we've found it so quirky they decided to recreate the look of the temporary fix at CBS.

-Jason

[Neumms]

If there were a fourth row of boxes, wouldn't the receiving player have blocked the view of it?

[chrisholland03]

If there were a fourth row of boxes, wouldn't the receiving player have blocked the view of it?

Yes - also a consideration that was identified in the pilot

[steveleb]

Way too many credible people who actually were there confirmed that there was indeed a fourth row.  Remember every iteration of the show leading up to the premiere involved a 10-in-60 rule.  And we know from the legacy of CHAIN REACTION that having an unwinnable bonus round at the outset never stopped Bob from selling a show.

Maybe there's a game show here...where the less obvious clues are revealed at first, with the goal to identify what's at the tip of the iceberg?  Double Dare with an Anarctic theme?  Danny DeVito as the host?

[Ian Wallis]

Way too many credible people who actually were there confirmed that there was indeed a fourth row.  Remember every iteration of the show leading up to the premiere involved a 10-in-60 rule.

FWIW, the TV Guide description of the debut in 1973 mentioned "10 questions in 60 seconds".