# The Hustler (American game show)

The Hustler is an American television game show that aired on ABC from January 4 to September 23, 2021. Hosted by Craig Ferguson, it follows five contestants who collaborate to build up a cash prize by answering a series of trivia questions. One of the contestants is secretly designated as the Hustler beforehand and given the answers to all the questions. By the end of the game, two of the honest contestants have been eliminated; the other two must correctly choose the Hustler in order to stop them from winning the entire prize.
In April 2022, it was reported that the series was cancelled.

## Gameplay

The game consists of a total of 10 questions, each with four multiple-choice options. All of the questions are themed after the Hustler's personal life and interests. A hint about the Hustler is revealed on each turn, and the question is related to it. For example, if the clue indicates the Hustler is a fan of a particular television show, the question might concern a detail about that show.
The team is given 60 seconds to discuss the question and decide on an answer. The Hustler has been given all the correct answers ahead of time and may use this knowledge as desired throughout the game. If the players do not reach a consensus before time runs out, they are given a few extra seconds to choose a response; a failure to do so forfeits the money for that turn. Each of the first nine questions adds $10,000 to the bank for a correct answer, while the last question doubles the entire total for a correct answer or cuts it in half for an incorrect answer. The team can bank up to $180,000 over the course of the game.

### Eliminations

The Hustler eliminates one honest contestant each after the third and sixth questions. To protect their identity, every contestant is given a ballot with all five names and must mark one of them. The contestants place their ballots in envelopes and give them to the host, who sends them out of the studio via pneumatic tube capsule. The honest contestants' votes are discarded, and the Hustler's choice is eliminated with no winnings and must leave the studio through an exit concealed in a bookcase.

### Final vote

After the tenth question, the three remaining contestants each declare their guess at the Hustler's identity by placing cards with that person's name in front of their chairs. They are then given two minutes to debate the issue and may change their votes as desired during this period.
The true Hustler then stands up. If both of the honest contestants have voted correctly, they split the bank. Otherwise, the Hustler wins the entire bank.

## Episodes
### Series overview

| Season | Episodes | Episodes | Originally aired | Originally aired |
| Season | Episodes | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
| 1 | 8 | 8 | January 4, 2021 (2021-01-04) | February 25, 2021 (2021-02-25) |
| 2 | 11 | 11 | June 17, 2021 (2021-06-17) | September 23, 2021 (2021-09-23) |

### Season 1 (2021)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original air date | Prod. code | U.S. viewers (millions) |
| 1 | 1 | "A Puzzle, Wrapped In An Enigma, Tattooed In Mystery" | January 4, 2021 (2021-01-04) | 105 | 2.08 |
| 2 | 2 | "Have You Ever Stabbed a Melon?" | January 7, 2021 (2021-01-07) | 103 | 3.99 |
| 3 | 3 | "The Ultimate Game of Deception" | January 14, 2021 (2021-01-14) | 101 | 3.29 |
| 4 | 4 | "Watch Out for the Quiet Ones" | January 21, 2021 (2021-01-21) | 104 | 2.81 |
| 5 | 5 | "How To Spot a Liar" | January 28, 2021 (2021-01-28) | 106 | 3.05 |
| 6 | 6 | "Sweet Deceit, Salty Insinuations, Spicy Revelations" | February 11, 2021 (2021-02-11) | 102 | 2.56 |
| 7 | 7 | "Every Tic Could Be a Tell" | February 18, 2021 (2021-02-18) | 108 | 2.67 |
| 8 | 8 | "A Little Bit of Finger Pointing" | February 25, 2021 (2021-02-25) | 107 | 2.66 |

### Season 2 (2021)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original air date | Prod. code | U.S. viewers (millions) |
| 9 | 1 | "The Most Diabolical Game on Television" | June 17, 2021 (2021-06-17) | 205 | 2.00 |
| 10 | 2 | "Next Level Hustle" | June 24, 2021 (2021-06-24) | 201 | 1.99 |
| 11 | 3 | "Pick the Weird Stuff" | July 1, 2021 (2021-07-01) | 206 | 1.95 |
| 12 | 4 | "That's A Lot of Whips" | July 15, 2021 (2021-07-15) | 204 | 1.86 |
| 13 | 5 | "It's Not Shame, It's Just The Game" | July 22, 2021 (2021-07-22) | 207 | 1.70 |
| 14 | 6 | "Teamwork, HUZZAH!" | August 12, 2021 (2021-08-12) | 203 | 1.60 |
| 15 | 7 | "You're Overcompensating!" | August 19, 2021 (2021-08-19) | 211 | 1.71 |
| 16 | 8 | "A Real Imposter At Work" | September 9, 2021 (2021-09-09) | 208 | 1.29 |
| 17 | 9 | "Who's Twitchy Here?" | September 16, 2021 (2021-09-16) | 202 | 1.59 |
| 18 | 10 | "Connive and Strive" | September 23, 2021 (2021-09-23) | 209 | 1.85 |
| 19 | 11 | "A Little of This, A Little of That" | September 23, 2021 (2021-09-23) | 210 | 1.66 |

## Production

The series was picked up by ABC on October 12, 2019, and began production during late fall. The series premiered as a sneak preview on January 4, 2021, before moving to its regular timeslot on January 7, 2021. On April 7, 2021, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on June 17, 2021.
On April 1, 2022, it was reported that the series was cancelled after two seasons.

## Reception
### Ratings
#### Season 1

Viewership and ratings per episode of The Hustler :
| No. | Title | Air date | Rating (18–49) | Viewers (millions) | DVR (18–49) | DVR viewers (millions) | Total (18–49) | Total viewers (millions) |
| 1 | "A Puzzle, Wrapped In An Enigma, Tattooed In Mystery" | January 4, 2021 | 0.5 | 2.08 | — | 0.71 | — | 2.79 |
| 2 | "Have You Ever Stabbed a Melon?" | January 7, 2021 | 0.7 | 3.99 | 0.2 | 0.74 | 0.9 | 4.73 |
| 3 | "The Ultimate Game of Deception" | January 14, 2021 | 0.6 | 3.29 | — | 0.75 | — | 4.04 |
| 4 | "Watch Out for the Quiet Ones" | January 21, 2021 | 0.5 | 2.81 | — | 0.59 | — | 3.40 |
| 5 | "How to Spot a Liar" | January 28, 2021 | 0.5 | 3.05 | — | — | — | — |
| 6 | "Sweet Deceit, Salty Insinuations, Spicy Revelations" | February 11, 2021 | 0.5 | 2.56 | — | — | — | — |
| 7 | "Every Tic Could Be a Tell" | February 18, 2021 | 0.5 | 2.67 | — | 0.61 | — | 3.28 |
| 8 | "A Little Bit of Finger Pointing" | February 25, 2021 | 0.4 | 2.66 | — | 0.54 | — | 3.19 |

#### Season 2

Viewership and ratings per episode of The Hustler :
| No. | Title | Air date | Rating (18–49) | Viewers (millions) | DVR (18–49) | DVR viewers (millions) | Total (18–49) | Total viewers (millions) |
| 1 | "The Most Diabolical Game on Television" | June 17, 2021 | 0.3 | 2.00 | 0.1 | 0.74 | 0.5 | 2.74 |
| 2 | "Next Level Hustle" | June 24, 2021 | 0.4 | 1.99 | 0.1 | 0.59 | 0.5 | 2.58 |
| 3 | "Pick the Weird Stuff" | July 1, 2021 | 0.3 | 1.95 | 0.1 | 0.53 | 0.4 | 2.48 |
| 4 | "That's A Lot of Whips" | July 15, 2021 | 0.4 | 1.86 | 0.1 | 0.46 | 0.4 | 2.32 |
| 5 | "It's Not Shame, It's Just The Game" | July 22, 2021 | 0.3 | 1.70 | 0.1 | 0.44 | 0.4 | 2.14 |
| 6 | "Teamwork, HUZZAH!" | August 12, 2021 | 0.3 | 1.60 | 0.1 | 0.54 | 0.3 | 2.14 |
| 7 | "You're Overcompensating!" | August 19, 2021 | 0.3 | 1.71 | 0.1 | 0.57 | 0.4 | 2.29 |
| 8 | "A Real Imposter At Work" | September 9, 2021 | 0.2 | 1.29 | — | — | — | — |
| 9 | "Who's Twitchy Here?" | September 16, 2021 | 0.2 | 1.59 | — | — | — | — |
| 10 | "Connive and Strive" | September 23, 2021 | 0.3 | 1.85 | 0.1 | 0.38 | 0.4 | 2.23 |
| 11 | "A Little of This, A Little of That" | September 23, 2021 | 0.3 | 1.66 | 0.1 | 0.36 | 0.4 | 2.03 |