Hypothetically Improving the B&E Bonus Rounds…Could They Be Improved?

[TheInquisitiveOne]

Good evening.

This is a topic I’ve been thinking about for a while.

A decent chunk of the Barry and Enright (B&E) library had luck-based bonus rounds, most notably Tic Tac Dough, The Joker’s Wild, and Bullseye. Basically, it was “achieve objective X before hitting obstacle Y.” I always wondered if that was the only format they could work with, or if there was another format that put a little more emphasis on skill and knowledge, with the luck factor still being put in play.

Using TTD, this was what I thought of (this is purely hypothetical; this is by no means the definitive format, nor is it the only correct answer):

Nine new categories are in play. The champion has 60 seconds to try to go through the board. Questions are in “rapid fire” format. Each correct answer nets $100 and captures the square, which could be an X or an O. An incorrect answer throws the square out. Managing to get all nine squares is an automatic win, resulting in $5000 plus a prize package. Should time run out, any captured squares that result in three in a row (across, horizontal, diagonal) will be revealed to see if Tic Tic Toe has been achieved. Each one is $1000. If there is no three in a row possible, the game ends then and there.

I apologize if that seems a bit convoluted, it seems more straightforward as it plays out in my head. However, it gives the contestant a little more control, based on how deep his or her well of knowledge is, and how quickly they can process information. Also plays into the “strategy, knowledge, and fun.”

That’s my idea on improving one B&E bonus round format. How would you do the others? How would you do with what I proposed? Is there one better? Share your thoughts.

As always, I thank you in advance for your responses, and hope to hear from you soon. Be well.

The Inquisitive One

[Dbacksfan12]

I’m a little confused by your bonus game.  Is a Tic Tac Toe guaranteed, or are Xs and Os placed randomly?  Also, you say each one is worth $1000.  Is the $5000 plus the price package out if they don’t sweep the board?

My change would be to somewhat invert the bonus game.  Start the board with seven dragons.  One of the squares is a cash prize somewhere between $1000-$2500.  The other is a car.  Contestant picks a square.  If they find a dragon, they got nothing additional but return as champ.  If they find the $$, they win that as consolation and can return as champ.  Finding the car wins the car and retires you as champ.

Each day, a dragon is replaced with cash.  If they haven’t won the car by visit five, they can elect to take double their bonus winnings bank and leave.  If not, the board will continue to have three dragons, five cash boxes, and one car box.  They can continue on until a 10th day in which case they automatically win the car and any bonus cash accrued.

Edit: Upped cash amounts upon further review.

[Neumms]

Nice idea. There’s another in the GSN TTD thread. A lot depends on if the questions are gimmes like Wink’s or not.

I don’t mind that the Joker’s Wild bonus was all luck, it was that nothing unexpected could happen. It didn’t even have jokers. Lucky Hundreds at the end of the CBS run added excitement, then they never did it again. Snoop had the same dull game but he did have the budget to make quit-or-go-on a tough decision.

My idea offers more possible outcomes. It’s like TPIR’s Grand Game in that only one spin pays out.

The spaces on the wheels (dollar amounts merely examples):
$500, $1000, $3000, car, joker, devil.

We pay the highest dollar amount on the board (not the total), double it for a pair, triple it for three of a kind.

It takes three cars to win a car.

The jokers are wild as in the main game. Three jokers wins a progressive jackpot. Every spin adds to the pot.

The player can refuse his first spin and take up to four more—your stuck with whatever comes up on the fifth—but the devil ends the round immediately, no winnings.

[TheInquisitiveOne]

I’m a little confused by your bonus game.  Is a Tic Tac Toe guaranteed, or are Xs and Os placed randomly?  Also, you say each one is worth $1000.  Is the $5000 plus the price package out if they don’t sweep the board?

I should have clarified. The $5000 + prize package only happens if the board is swept. No Tic Tac Toe is guaranteed, as X’s and O’s are randomly placed on the board, revealed after the 60 second sprint. The $1000/Tic Tac Toe is a mid-tier consolation prize for not getting all 9 in a minute.

If all else fails, there’s still $100 for each captured square.

The Inquisitive One

[parliboy]

I'm going to start with the assumption that 1) we're looking at this from the viewpoint of the coming GSN TTD show, 2) GSN wants a 10k cash prize, and 3) GSN wants a win rate and budget similar to their other shows.

With that in mind, let's take the improvement that already exists from this format: the bonus from Bumper Stumpers. 

Start with 7 dragons, a tic and a tac on the board.  Contestant gets a choice of two categories to play.  The on-the-clock question round lets the contestant turn the dragons into additional tics and tacs.  One right answer adds a tic, the next adds a tac, the second adds a tic, etc.  Then you scramble the board behind numbers 1 through 9.  Contestant picks numbers.  Getting a dragon means they go home with the (presumably $1k) in main game winnings.  Getting a tic and a tac without a dragon gives you the $10k instead of the $1k.

Straightforward, somewhat retro, and fits into what GSN wants from their end game formats.