Press Your Luck (Jayverse)

Press Your Luck is an American television game show created by Bill Carruthers and Jan McCormack. Contestants answer trivia questions to earn "spins" on a randomly cycling game board. The board's spaces display cash, prizes, extra spins, special items, or the show's mascot, a cartoon creature known as the Whammy. Landing on a Whammy eliminates any cash and prizes accumulated while also displaying a short comedic animation. Its format is a revival of an earlier Carruthers production, Second Chance, which was hosted by Jim Peck and aired on ABC in 1977. The original version of Press Your Luck aired on CBS between 1983 and 1986 before moving to Syndication since then. This version featured Peter Tomarken as host, Rod Roddy as announcer, and Carruthers as both director and voice of the Whammy. The original incarnation of the show gained significant media attention in 1984 for contestant Michael Larson, who won over $100,000 after memorizing the original pattern of the game board.
Following the show's cancellation by CBS in 1986, it aired frequently in reruns, first on USA Network and then on Game Show Network while the Syndicated Version continued onward since then. Adaptations of Press Your Luck have also aired in other countries such as Australia, the United Kingdom, and Germany, while an adaptation of Whammy! The All-New Press Your Luck also aired in the Philippines. The show has also been adapted into a number of video games for computers and video game consoles.
== Host ==
1983-2006: Peter Tomarken
2006-2018: Ricki Lake
2018-2019: Justina Valentine
2019-Present: Elizabeth Banks
== Announcers ==
1983-2003: Rod Roddy
2004-2010: Rich Fields (Various Replacement Announcers were used after Roddy's Death)
2010-Present: Neil Ross
== Gameplay ==
Three contestants compete on each episode. Gameplay consists of four rounds: two question rounds and two "big board" rounds.
In a question round, contestants earn spins by correctly answering a series of trivia questions asked by the host. Each question is initially presented as a toss-up open to all; after a contestant buzzes in and answers, the host reads that response and two more to the opponents as a multiple choice selection. Contestants earn three spins for buzzing in and giving the correct answer, and one for choosing it from the three options. If no one buzzes in, the host reads three answers and each contestant can earn one spin by choosing the correct one. There is no penalty for an incorrect answer at any time. However, if a contestant buzzes in and fails to respond, they are frozen out of the question and the host reads three answers to the opponents.
After the question round is completed, the "big board" round begins, with the contestants using their accumulated spins in an attempt to win cash and prizes. The game board consists of 18 spaces laid out in a rectangular loop that is six spaces wide and five high. Each space cycles through two or more items, which can include cash amounts (sometimes with an extra spin), prizes, spaces which offer a change in direction or alteration to score, and the show's mascot, a mischievous red cartoon creature known as the Whammy. A light flashes randomly around the board, marking one space at a time, and the contestant in control uses a spin by hitting their buzzer to freeze the board and collect whatever is lit at that moment. Landing on a cash or prize space adds its value to the contestant's total, while landing on a Whammy resets the total to zero and plays a short animation involving the Whammy for the viewing audience. Any contestant who lands on the Whammy a total of four times (known as "Whammying out") is immediately eliminated from the game and forfeits all remaining spins. When a prize is hit, a new one is put on the board to replace it.
Specialty spaces on the board include:
* Big Bucks: awards the highest cash amount on the board at the time to the contestant
* Pick a Corner: appears in one corner of the board and allows the contestant to choose one of the items in the other three
* Add a One: adds enough cash to place a one next to the contestant's score as its new leftmost digit (e.g., $500 becoming $1,500)
* Double Your Money + One Spin: adds enough cash to double the contestant's entire score and awards an extra spin
* Money or Lose a Whammy: contestant can either take the displayed cash amount or remove a previously hit Whammy, if any
* Take the Lead + One Spin: awards an extra spin, and adds enough cash to move the contestant into the lead by $1 if they are trailing
* The Big 40: awards 40 of a mystery prize or cash amount (introduced in 2023 in conjunction with the series' 40th anniversary; changed to The Big 50 in 2024 to mark 50 episodes of the primetime series, awarding 50 prizes while the syndicated version changes The Big 40 into the Big 41 in which a contestant can win 41 of something in Season 41 and Then in Season 42 it became The Big 42.)
Except for Big Bucks and Pick a Corner, all of these spaces are taken out of play after being hit once.
For the first "big board" round, initial control is awarded to the contestant who has earned the fewest spins in the question round (or is seated farthest away from the host in the event of a tie). If the contestant in control has any spins remaining after stopping the board, they may choose to either spin again or pass those spins to the opponent with the higher score (or the opponent of that contestant's choice in the event of a tie). Passed spins must be played by their recipient, but are converted to earned spins in the event of hitting a Whammy. Play during the "big board" round ends when all accumulated spins have been exhausted or forfeited.
The second half of the game also consists of a question round followed by a "big board" round. Initial control for the latter is given to the contestant with the lowest score, and the cash and prize values are higher than in the first round. Once all spins have been exhausted, the contestant with the highest score becomes the champion and keeps everything they have accumulated, while the other two receive parting gifts. The 1983 version of the program allowed the champion to return for the next day's episode; champions retired after reaching/exceeding a preset winnings limit (originally $25,000, later raised to $50,000 in 1984, then $75,000 in 1986, then $125,000 by the early 1990's and then $200,000 in the mid 1990's) or appearing on five consecutive episodes, whichever came first however that lasted until the end of Season 20 (2002-2003), However beginning in September 2003 contestant can stay on as long as he or she keeps winning, and keep all money earned. The 2019 ABC primetime version does not feature returning champions, but allows the day's champion to play a bonus game.
If two contestants Whammy out and the third one has any spins remaining, that contestant may play one spin at a time and stop at any point if desired. The game ends when the remaining contestant uses up all spins, chooses to stop voluntarily, or hits a fourth Whammy.
== Bonus Game ==
The 2019 primetime version features a bonus game not present in the daytime syndicated version since 1986, in which the day's champion plays the "big board" for a chance to win up to $1,000,000. The champion plays through five rounds, taking a set number of spins in each round: five in the first, four in the second, and three in all others. The board displays cash, prizes, directional/specialty spaces, and Whammys as in the main game, and cash/prize values increase from one round to the next. Some prizes are tailored to the champion's particular interests. Landing on a Whammy eliminates all winnings within the bonus round, but main-game winnings are not affected. If the champion ends a round with a bank total greater than zero, they may either end the bonus game at that point and keep all winnings, or continue into the next round with any personalized prizes lost to a Whammy being returned to the board. The game ends immediately upon collecting a fourth Whammy. The champion wins the entire bank for completing all rounds; however, if the bank reaches or exceeds $500,000 at any point, the game ends and cash is added to increase the bank to $1,000,000. Beginning in Season 4, a "Prize-a-Palooza" space appears on the board during the final round, awarding every currently displayed prize if hit.
Category:Jayverse