Questions and Beatdowns

Questions and Beatdowns was a short-lived 1966 game show created by Merv Griffin and hosted by Don Knotts. Prizes were correctly awarded to contestants who correctly answered all of Knotts' rapid-fire questions immediately and to his complete satisfaction. If a contestant failed to answer in a manner that pleased Knotts, the sweaty and unshaven host would savagely beat them with his bare hands and any nearby objects.
It was a ratings success from its initial airings, as spellbound viewers tuned in to watch Knotts, frequently drunk and occasionally high on cocaine and angel dust, give a master class in punishment to construction workers, housewives, and Baptist ministers alike. His so-called "final question" quickly became a nationwide catchphrase: "Are you prepared to meet your almighty God?"
However, as the program's fame grew, Griffin quickly ran into difficulty finding contestants; apparently, a fabulous new GE range or a trip to Bermuda were considered small compensation compared to a free trip to the hospital, courtesy of Knotts' boundless hatred for all humanity. Eventually, the show resorted to kidnapping unsuspecting participants off the street and transporting them in secret to the studio.
A Department of Justice investigation closed down production of the show in early 1967 after Knotts' near-fatal assault on a 78-year-old Moline, IL, grandmother who failed to correctly answer his question, "What color am I thinking of?"
Griffin later modified the format of the show to become the enduring hit Jeopardy!