 At any given time, one contestant sat in the "Money Chair" and accumulated money while at the same time defending his / her position against a series of challengers in head-to-head quiz bouts. These bouts lasted a set number of seconds with both contestants using keypads to lock in their still-secret answers within five seconds of hearing each question. Winnings were accumulated at a constant rate of $ 10 per second spent in the chair, even when bouts were not being played and during the prime time commercial breaks. Contestants in the chair earned money until they were defeated by a challenger, who replaced the occupant on the chair. Only the four contestants with the highest total winnings got to keep their money once the countdown clock ran out of time.
