Author Topic: Pyramid (Read 13944 times)

TLEberle · « **Reply #60 on:** January 14, 2005, 09:47:28 AM »

I'd rather have another shot at the $10k, myself. You know, there is something to be said for the lights, the pressure, the money, that hundreds of people are watching. I don't mind people getting a second chance to do it right, but I agree, I didn't think that you could go from $500 in the first half to $25,000 in the second.

Side note: if you DID conquer the Pyramid on your second try (in the 80s, did you still just win the $25k, and not the token money for each box in the first half too?

zachhoran · « **Reply #61 on:** January 14, 2005, 10:03:23 AM »

[quote name=\'TLEberle\' date=\'Jan 14 2005, 09:47 AM\']

Side note: if you DID conquer the Pyramid on your second try (in the 80s, did you still just win the $25k, and not the token money for each box in the first half too?

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If you won the second WC attempt, your winnings from the first WC were augmented to $25K.

Don Howard · « **Reply #62 on:** January 14, 2005, 10:16:35 AM »

As a fair amount of you remember, the Winner's Circle regulations on The $20,000 Pyramid really smacked of strangeness. Win on your first try and it's $10000 and goodbye. Blow it and win the top money during visit #2 and it was $15000 and goodbye. The $20000 win only happened if you blew it the first two times and won a third game and then conquered the Winner's Circle. And after that, weren't any Big 7 or Perfect 21 bonus winnings thrown out to make a $20000 total? Weird.

zachhoran · « **Reply #63 on:** January 14, 2005, 10:40:03 AM »

[quote name=\'Don Howard\' date=\'Jan 14 2005, 10:16 AM\']
And after that, weren't any Big 7 or Perfect 21 bonus winnings thrown out to make a $20000 total? Weird.

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The ABC run saw the player's total augmented to the amount won on their WC win. We reported in ATGS that the CBS $10K run allowed the contestant to keep winnings besides the $10K won on a WC in.

Ian Wallis · « **Reply #64 on:** January 14, 2005, 11:32:30 AM »

ABC did have a $20,000 limit at the time, but I agree that the payout structure was a little odd. It's almost like they were penalizing you for being a good enough player to get to the top of the pyramid on your first try. They probably should have allowed people to stay on the show until they passed the $20K mark and then said goodbye.

Re. the bonuses, I remember a couple of players that had racked up a few thousand in bonus money and previous winner's circle money, only to have it augmented to $20K with a winner's circle win. In effect, all of those bonuses were for naught once they won the big prize.

The '80s CBS version had one strange incident I can remember: a contestant had something like $23,500 in cash, but had also won a couple of Mystery 7 prizes. Dick told her at the top of the show that if she went over $25,000 she'd have to retire - but surely the prizes she won put her over that mark. Maybe they only counted the cash winnings in that version...or maybe it was just an oversight.

Don Howard · « **Reply #65 on:** January 14, 2005, 11:54:50 AM »

Let's see here about The New $25,000 Pyramid. Win two Winner's Circles in the same day and it's $25000 total, then so long. Win $10000 on the first day and $25000 in a second Winner's Circle trip on the second day and it's $35000 total, then so long. This be true?

zachhoran · « **Reply #66 on:** January 14, 2005, 11:56:28 AM »

[quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' date=\'Jan 14 2005, 11:32 AM\']

The '80s CBS version had one strange incident I can remember: a contestant had something like $23,500 in cash, but had also won a couple of Mystery 7 prizes. Dick told her at the top of the show that if she went over $25,000 she'd have to retire - but surely the prizes she won put her over that mark. Maybe they only counted the cash winnings in that version...or maybe it was just an oversight.

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Seems to me they only counted cash winnings. You almost never heard the retail value of a Mystery 7 prize. The only time I recall Dick making a reference to the value of an M7 prize was for a $3000 Yamaha keyboard. One five time champion was told they had won over $60K when the bonus prizes were added.

TLEberle · « **Reply #67 on:** January 14, 2005, 12:24:49 PM »

[quote name=\'zachhoran\' date=\'Jan 14 2005, 08:40 AM\']<snip> We reported in ATGS...

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We reported? Got a rat in your pocket, Zach?

Robert Hutchinson · « **Reply #68 on:** January 14, 2005, 06:55:14 PM »

[quote name=\'Don Howard\' date=\'Jan 14 2005, 11:54 AM\']Let's see here about The New $25,000 Pyramid. Win two Winner's Circles in the same day and it's $25000 total, then so long. Win $10000 on the first day and $25000 in a second Winner's Circle trip on the second day and it's $35000 total, then so long. This be true?[/quote]

True that be.

Was the 7-11 added before or after the retirement level was upped from $25K? (Zach, feel free to answer.)

Tony · « **Reply #69 on:** January 14, 2005, 07:09:11 PM »

[quote name=\'Robert Hutchinson\' date=\'Jan 14 2005, 06:55 PM\']Was the 7-11 added before or after the retirement level was upped from $25K? (Zach, feel free to answer.)

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For the good of this forum, I shall provide my (hopefully correct) answer.
Given that the 7-11 premiered in September 1984, and that in the same month CBS raised their limit, I would think the former occured shortly after the latter. Exact airdates are largely irrelevant to the timing.

zachhoran · « **Reply #70 on:** January 14, 2005, 07:25:55 PM »

[quote name=\'Tony\' date=\'Jan 14 2005, 07:09 PM\'][quote name=\'Robert Hutchinson\' date=\'Jan 14 2005, 06:55 PM\']Was the 7-11 added before or after the retirement level was upped from $25K? (Zach, feel free to answer.)

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For the good of this forum, I shall provide my (hopefully correct) answer.
Given that the 7-11 premiered in September 1984, and that in the same month CBS raised their limit, I would think the former occured shortly after the latter. Exact airdates are largely irrelevant to the timing.

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It was actually 11/1/84 when CBS raised their limit to "retire at $50K, keep up to $75K", as referenced on Press Your Luck that day. You're off a bit more on when the 7-11 bowed; it bowed in APril 1983. Around the time the winnings limit was raised at CBS, the 21-21 tiebreaker prize changed from a econobox car(started earlier in 1984) to $5K.

aaron sica · « **Reply #71 on:** January 14, 2005, 07:45:58 PM »

[quote name=\'zachhoran\' date=\'Jan 14 2005, 07:25 PM\']
It was actually 11/1/84 when CBS raised their limit to "retire at $50K, keep up to $75K", as referenced on Press Your Luck that day. You're off a bit more on when the 7-11 bowed; it bowed in APril 1983. Around the time the winnings limit was raised at CBS, the 21-21 tiebreaker prize changed from a econobox car(started earlier in 1984) to $5K.

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Would this also be the day they dropped "NEW" from the title, or was that earlier?

zachhoran · « **Reply #72 on:** January 14, 2005, 07:57:59 PM »

[quote name=\'aaron sica\' date=\'Jan 14 2005, 07:45 PM\']

Would this also be the day they dropped "NEW" from the title, or was that earlier?

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They dropped NEW in early 1985.

Don Howard · « **Reply #73 on:** January 14, 2005, 09:15:48 PM »

Stepping back to The $50,000 Pyramid, the first WC visit was worth $5000. The second was worth $10000. Now then! Was the $10K added to what was earned on the 1st trip or was the total $$$ increased to that amount?

Robert Hutchinson · « **Reply #74 on:** January 14, 2005, 11:52:07 PM »

[quote name=\'zachhoran\' date=\'Jan 14 2005, 07:25 PM\']It was actually 11/1/84 when CBS raised their limit to "retire at $50K, keep up to $75K", as referenced on Press Your Luck that day. You're off a bit more on when the 7-11 bowed; it bowed in APril 1983. Around the time the winnings limit was raised at CBS, the 21-21 tiebreaker prize changed from a econobox car(started earlier in 1984) to $5K.[/quote]

Thank you, Zach. I was curious because I was calculating the theoretical maximum potential winnings of '80s Pyramid contestants. ($49,950 before the 7-11, $51,050 after, not counting non-cash prizes) Whee, esoterica.