Schmoedown Rulebook

The **Schmoedown Rulebook** is a book of all rules for the Movie Trivia Schmoedown starting from Season 8. See http://theschmoedownlive.com/rulebook for all of the rules for the Schmoedown

## Schmoedown Trivia Play Official Rules

The decisions of the Producer will be final and binding in all matters, including, without limitation, whether an answer provided is correct and/or within the required time limit. You understand that these rules and/or the formats herein may be modified from time to time by Producer and that any such modifications will be provided to you prior to your participation in the next round and/or match. Your continued participation will indicate your agreement to any such changes or modifications. The following is currently covered in this document:

* Singles Division Play
* Team Division Play
* Innergeekdom and Star Wars Division Play
* Title Matches and Tournament Finals Play
* Terms and Rules Applicable to All Match Play

### Singles Division Play

Singles Division match play is subject to the rules set forth below as well as the “Terms and Rules Applicable to All Match Play.”

Regular season non -title or tournament finals singles matches consist of 3 Rounds.

#### Round 1:

Round 1 consists of 8 questions being asked to both competitors at the same time. Each question will be worth 1 point. Each competitor has up to 15 seconds to write an answer on their dry erase board. There are no multiple choice opportunities in Round 1. Once the announcers have stated “pens down,” both competitors are required to stop writing. Any attempt to continue writing once the words “pens down” are finished being stated can be cited as an “Official Warning” (see below for rules about Official Warnings and The Pens Down Rule).

The questions in Round 1 can expected to be drawn from are any of the official Schmoedown categories included in the current season category guide. At the end of 8 questions, if a competitor has answered all 8 questions correctly, a bonus question worth 1 point will be administered. If both competitors are answering, then both competitors will be required to use their dry erase boards. If only 1 competitor is answering, the answer must be provided verbally within 15 seconds of the question being asked.

#### Round 2:

In Round 2, each competitor will spin the official Schmoedown Wheel to decide from what category they will be answering questions. Each competitor will be given the opportunity to answer 4 questions worth 2 points each. Each of those 4 questions will have 4 multiple choice answers the competitor can ask to be read. If a competitor chooses the multiple choice options, point value of the question will be reduced to 1 point. The competitor’s opponent will be able to steal points if the competitor being asked the question gives an incorrect answer. If the stolen points are on a question being answered for 2 points, the steal is worth 2 points. If the steal is on a question that has been reduced to multiple choice, the steal is worth 1 point. In order to steal the points, the opponent must answer the question correctly. A competitor will have 15 seconds to answer each question verbally. The Judges and question writers are permitted to grant additional time to answer questions with multi-part answers, or any other question that is deemed atypically complex. At the point the announcer asks the competitor for an answer, the competitor will have no more than 5 seconds to administer the answer. The same rules apply to competitor being given the chance to steal points. When an incorrect multiple choice answer is given by the competitor and a multiple choice steal becomes available, the announcer is required to read the multiple choice options to the competitor attempting the steal as a courtesy.

Competitors may request 1 repeat of 1 question’s multiple choice answers, but not the question, per match without the cost of a JTE Rule. Any additional requested repeating of the multiple choice answers will cost the competitor attempting the steal one of their 3 allowed “JTE Rules” (as described below).

At the start of Round 2, the competitor in the lead will be given the opportunity to decide whether they want to spin the Schmoedown wheel first to decide their category. If the competitors are tied, the higher ranked competitor is given the choice to decide. If they defer to their opponent, then their opponent spins first. When either competitor spins the wheel and lands on a category, they are given 60 seconds to declare whether they would like to continue on in the match and receive questions from that category or whether they would like to take a “mulligan” and re-spin the Schmoedown wheel a 2nd time. Mulligans are only available one time to each competitor in a match. The only case in which a mulligan is not available to competitor after their initial spin is if the wheel lands on “opponent’s choice.”

Every wheel in regular season play features both “Spinner’s Choice” and “Opponent’s Choice” slices. In the case of “Opponents Choice,” the competitor spinning the wheel must immediately defer to their opponent and let said opponent decide from which category on the wheel the competitor will be answering questions. The opponent’s decision must be made within 60 seconds. In the case of “Spinner’s Choice,” the active competitor can choose from which category on the wheel they will answer questions. That decision must be made within 60 seconds.

Once the first of the 2 competitors has finished their 4 questions, the only category on the wheel that is unavailable to the 2nd competitor is the category from which the first competitor answered questions. If the wheel stops on that same slice, the spin is negated and the active competitor is asked to re-spin with no penalty or further complication.

If it is determined the losing competitor is mathematically eliminated from the possibility of winning before the end of Round 2, the match is considered over decided by knock out.

#### Round 3:

At the beginning of Round 3, each competitor, beginning with the competitor in the lead, will select 3 numbers between 1 and 20. If the competitors are tied, the higher ranked competitor will be given the choice to choose their numbers first. The numbers correspond to 3 of the 20 categories that were determined and numbered randomly prior to each new match. The categories can be from any of the official Schmoedown categories included in the current season category guide.

Up to 3 questions will be administered to each competitor from the categories corresponding to the numbers that competitor selected beginning with the competitor with the least points. Until one competitor has been mathematically eliminated from the possibility of winning, each competitor will answer a question worth 2 points, a question worth 3 points and a question worth 5 points in that order. Each of the available 20 categories on a given day available in this Round have questions written at 3 difficulties to correspond with the 2, the 3 and the 5 point questions. The 2 point option being the simplest question, the 3 point option being slightly more obscure, and the 5 point question being of the highest level of relative difficulty the league offers in the singles division.

The competitor will have 15 seconds to answer each question verbally. The Judges and question writers are permitted to grant additional time to answer questions with multi-part answers, or any other question that is deemed atypically complex. At the point that the announcer asks the active competitor for an answer, the competitor has no more than 5 seconds to verbally answer the question.

Once the competitor with less points answers a question to either take the lead or tie the match, the other competitor will be asked to answer their next unanswered question.

If at any point in Round 3 it is determined that the losing competitor is mathematically eliminated from the possibility of winning, the match is over in favor of the winning competitor.

If the competitor with less points is mathematically eliminated from the possibility of winning before the leading competitor is asked to answer any of their Round 3 questions, the match is considered over decided by technical knockout.

### Teams Division Play

Teams Division match play is subject to the rules set forth below as well as the “Terms and Rules Applicable to All Match Play.”

Regular season non -title or tournament finals teams matches consist of 3 Rounds. Teams will each be comprised of two competitors.

#### Round 1:

Round 1 consists of 8 questions being asked to all 4 competitors at the same time. Each competitor has up to 15 seconds to write an answer on their dry erase board. There are no multiple choice opportunities in Round 1. Once the announcers have stated “pens down,” all competitors are required to stop writing. Any attempt to continue writing once the words “pens down” are finished being stated can be cited as an “Official Warning” (see below for rules about Official Warnings and The Pens Down Rule).

The categories in Round 1 from which the questions can expected to be drawn are from any of the official Schmoedown categories included in the current season category guide. At the end of 8 questions, any competitor that has answered all 8 questions correctly in Round 1 will be administered a bonus question worth 1 point. If more than one competitor is answering, then all answering competitors will be required to use their dry erase boards. If only 1 competitor is answering, the answer must be provided verbally within 15 seconds of the question being asked.

#### Round 2:

In Round 2, each team will spin the official Schmoedown Wheel to decide from which category they will be answering questions. Each team is given the opportunity to answer 6 questions worth 2 points each. Each of those 6 questions has 4 multiple choice answers which the team will have the option of being provided. Using the multiple choice option reduces the point value of any question to 1 point. Opposing teams are able to steal points if the team being asked the question gives an incorrect answer. If the stolen points are on a question being answered for 2 points, the steal is worth 2 points. If the steal is on a question that has been reduced to multiple choice, the steal is worth 1 point.

Each team will have 15 seconds to provide their answer verbally to the question. The Judges and question writers are permitted to grant additional time to answer questions with multi-part answers, or any other question that is deemed atypically complex. Both competitors on the team can confer while they decide who will provide their answer. At the point the announcer asks the active team for an answer, the answering team member has no more than 5 seconds to verbally provide the answer. If the active team answers the question incorrectly, the same rules apply to the team being given the chance to steal points. When an incorrect multiple choice answer is given by the active team and a multiple choice steal becomes available, the announcer is required to read the multiple choice options to the team attempting the steal as a courtesy.

Competitors may request 1 repeat of 1 question’s multiple choice answers, but not the question, per match without the cost of a JTE Rule. Any requested repeating of the multiple choice answers beyond this course will cost the team attempting the steal one of their JTE Rules.

At the start of Round 2, the team in the lead at that point in the match will be given the opportunity to decide whether they will spin the Schmoedown wheel first. If the teams are tied, the higher ranked team is given the choice to decide. If they defer to their opponents, then their opponents spin first. In a team match, the team member who ultimately spins the wheel is up to the discretion of the team spinning. When either team spins the wheel and lands on a category, they are given 60 seconds to declare whether they would like to continue on in the match and receive questions from that category or whether they would like to take a “mulligan” and re-spin the Schmoedown wheel a 2nd time. Mulligans are only available one time to each team in a match. The only case in which a mulligan is not available to a team after their initial spin is if the wheel lands on “Opponent’s choice.”

Every wheel in regular season play features both “Spinner’s Choice” and “Opponent’s Choice” slices. In the case of “Opponents Choice, “ the team spinning the wheel must immediately defer to their opponents and let said opponents decide which of from categories on the wheel the active team will be answering questions. That decision must be made within 60 seconds. In the case of “Spinner’s Choice,” the active team may elect any of the categories available on the wheel as the category from which they will answer questions. This decision must be made within 60 seconds.

Once the first team has finished answering their 6 questions, the only category on the wheel that is unavailable to the 2nd team is the category from which the first team answered questions. If the wheel lands on that slice, the spin is negated and the active team is asked to re-spin with no penalty or further complication.

If it is determined that the losing team is mathematically eliminated from the possibility of winning before the end of Round 2, the match is considered over decided by knock out.

#### Round 3:

At the beginning of Round 3, each team, beginning with the team in the lead, will select 3 numbers between 1 and 20. If the teams are tied, the higher ranked team is given the choice to choose their numbers first. The numbers correspond to 3 of 20 categories that were determined and numbered randomly prior to the start of each new match. The categories can be from any of the official Schmoedown categories included in the current season category guide.

Up to 3 questions are administered to each team beginning with the team with the least points. Until it has been determined that one team has been mathematically eliminated from the possibility of winning, each team will answer a question worth 2 points, a question worth 3 points and a question worth 5 points in that order. Each of the available 20 categories on a given day available in this Round have questions written at 3 difficulties to correspond with the 2, the 3 and the 5 point questions. The 2 point option being the simplest question, the 3 point option being slightly more obscure, and the 5 point question being of the highest level of relative difficulty the league offers in the teams division.

When the category from which the 2 point question will be sourced is declared by the announcer, the active team must declare which of their 2 competitors will be answering it. Conferring is not allowed between teammates on the 2 point question or the 3 point question in Round 3. After the 2 point question has been answered, the other team member must answer the 3 point question from that category. As mentioned, conferring between teammates is not allowed on the 3 point question. If either team is asked to answer their 5 point question in Round 3, conferring between teammates is allowed while constructing the answer to the 5 point question.

Teams will have 15 seconds to verbally provide their answer to each question. The Judges and question writers are permitted to grant additional time to answer questions with multi-part answers, or any other question that is deemed atypically complex. At the point that the announcer asks the answering competitor or team for an answer, the competitor or team has no more than 5 seconds to verbally provide the answer.

Once the team with less points answers a question to either take the lead or tie the match, the other team will be asked to answer their next unanswered question.

At any point in Round 3 it is determined that the losing team is mathematically eliminated from the possibility of winning, the match is over in favor of the winning team.

If the team with less points is mathematically eliminated from the possibility of winning before the leading team is asked to answer any of their Round 3 questions, the match is considered over decided by technical knockout.

### Innergeekdom and Star Wars Division Play

Innergeekdom & Star Wars Division match play is subject to the rules set forth below as well as the “Terms and Rules Applicable to All Match Play.”

Regular season non-title or tournament finals Innergeekdom and Star Wars matches consist of 3 Rounds.

#### Round 1:

Round 1 consists of 10 questions being asked to both competitors at the same time. Each competitor has up to 15 seconds to write an answer on their dry erase board. There are no multiple choice opportunities in Round 1. Once the announcers have stated “pens down,” both competitors are required to stop writing. Any attempt to continue writing once the words “pens down” are finished being stated can be cited as an Official Warning (see below for rules about Official Warnings and The Pens Down Rule).

The categories from which the questions in Round 1 can expected to be drawn are any of the official Innergeekdom or Star Wars Schmoedown categories included in the current season category guide. At the end of 10 questions, if a competitor has answered all 10 questions correctly, such competitor will be administered a bonus question worth 1 point. If both competitors are answering, then both competitors will be required to use their dry erase boards. If only 1 competitor is answering, the answer must be provided verbally within 15 seconds of being asked by the announcer.

#### Round 2:

In Round 2, each competitor will spin the official Schmoedown Wheel to decide from which category they will be answering questions. Each competitor is given the opportunity to answer 5 questions worth 2 points each. Each of those 5 questions will have 4 multiple choice answers which the competitor can ask to be read. Choosing the multiple choice reduces the point value of any question to 1 point. Opponents are able to steal points if the competitor being asked the question gives an incorrect answer. If the stolen points are on a question being answered for 2 points, the steal is worth 2 points. If the steal is on a question that has been reduced to multiple choice, the steal is worth 1 point.

Competitors will have 15 seconds to provide a verbal answer to each question asked. The Judges and question writers are permitted to grant additional time to answer questions with multi-part answers, or any other question that is deemed atypically complex. At the point the announcer asks the active competitor for an answer, the competitor has no more than 5 seconds to verbally provide the answer. The same rule applies for the competitor being given the chance to steal points. When an incorrect multiple choice answer is given by the active competitor and a multiple choice steal becomes available, the announcer is required to read the multiple choice options to the competitor attempting the steal as a courtesy.

Competitors may request 1 repeat of 1 question’s multiple choice answers, but not the question, per match without the cost of a JTE Rule. Any requested repeating of the multiple choice answers beyond this course will cost the competitor attempting the steal one of their JTE Rules.

At the start of Round 2, the competitor in the lead at that point in the match will be given the opportunity to decide whether they will spin the Schmoedown wheel first to decide their category. If the competitors are tied, the higher ranked competitor is given the choice to decide. If they defer to their opponent, then their opponent spins first. When either competitor spins the wheel and lands on a category, they are given 60 seconds to declare whether they would like to continue on in the match and receive questions from that category or whether they would like to take a “mulligan” and re-spin the Schmoedown wheel a 2nd time. Mulligans are only available one time to each competitor in a match. The only case in which a mulligan is not available to competitor after their initial spin is if the wheel lands on “Opponent’s Choice.”

Every wheel in regular season play features both “Spinner’s choice” and “Opponent’s Choice” slices. In the case of “Opponents Choice,” the competitor spinning the wheel must immediately defer to their opponent and let said opponent decide from which of the categories on the wheel the active competitor will be answering questions. That decision must be made within 60 seconds. In the case of “Spinner’s Choice,” the active competitor may elect any of the categories available on the wheel as their category. That decision must be made within 60 seconds.

Once the first of the 2 competitors has finished their 5 questions, the only category on the wheel that is unavailable to the 2nd competitor is the category from which the first competitor answered questions. If the wheel lands on that slice, the spin is negated and the active competitor is asked to re-spin with no penalty or further complication.

If it is determined that the losing competitor is mathematically eliminated from the possibility of winning before the end of Round 2, the match is considered over decided by knockout.

#### Round 3:

At the beginning of Round 3, each competitor, beginning with the competitor in the lead, selects 3 numbers between 1 and 20. If the competitors are tied, the higher ranked competitor is given the choice to choose their numbers first. The numbers correspond to 3 of the 20 categories that were determined and numbered randomly prior to the start of the match. The categories can be from any of the official Schmoedown categories included in the current season Innergeekdom or Star Wars category guide.

Up to 3 questions are administered to each competitor beginning with the competitor with the least points. Until it is determined that one competitor has been mathematically eliminated from the possibility of winning, each competitor will answer a question worth 2 points, a question worth 3 points and a question worth 5 points in that order. Each of the available 20 categories on a given day available in this Round have questions written at 3 difficulties to correspond with the 2, the 3 and the 5 point questions. The 2 point option being the simplest question, the 3 point option being slightly more obscure, and the 5 point question being of the highest level of relative difficulty the league offers in the Innergeekdom or Star Wars division.

A competitor will have 15 seconds to verbally provide their answer to each question. The Judges and question writers are permitted to grant additional time to answer questions with multi-part answers, or any other question that is deemed atypically complex. At the point that the announcer asks the active competitor for an answer, the competitor has no more than 5 seconds to verbally provide an answer to the question.

Once the competitor with less points answers a question to either take the lead or tie the match, the other competitor will be asked to answer their next unanswered question.

If at any point it is determined that the losing competitor is mathematically eliminated from the possibility of winning, the match is over in favor of the winning competitor.

If the competitor with less points is mathematically eliminated from the possibility of winning before the leading competitor is asked to answer any of their Round 3 questions, the match is considered over decided by technical knockout.

Note: While the Star Wars division includes 20 categories and thus Round 3 asks competitors to select 3 numbers ranging 1 - 20, Innergeekdom includes only 16 categories, and thus in Innergeekdom matches all examples using the number 20 in this section should be considered using 16 in their place.

### Title Matches and Tournament Finals Play

Title Matches and Tournament Finals are subject to the rules set forth below as well as the “Terms and Rules Applicable to All Match Play,” unless other stated herein.

All matches challenging for 1 of the 4 different Schmoedown divisional championships consist of as many as 5 Rounds of play.

The rules and structure in Rounds 1, 2 and 5 are identical to regular season matches, except for 3 specific differences.

The first major difference is that Round 3 in the regular season is functionally the same as Round 5 in championship and tournament final matches. Aside from the numerical significance of 3 vs 5 in their titles, they are the same Round.

The second major difference is that in championship matches where a competitor or team is defending a title, that competitor or team is given the option to either remove or leave on both “Spinner’s Choice” and “Opponent’s Choice” from the Schmoedown Wheel. If they are removed at the choice of the defending champion or team, the 2 slots on the wheel are replaced by 2 other categories as decided by the wheel handler for that match. This information is not provided to the challenger until the wheel is revealed for the match.

The 3rd and final difference is that championship and tournament final matches include a 2 additional Rounds played as the 3rd and 4th Rounds in the 5 Round match. Those 2 Rounds are called “The Betting Round” and “The Speed Round.” The rules for which are provided below.

#### The Betting Round:

In The Betting Round, the leading competitor or team is given the opportunity to spin the Schmoedown Wheel to decide from which category the question is to be drawn. In a team match, the team member who ultimately spins the wheel is up to the discretion of the team spinning.

The Schmoedown Wheel being used is the same wheel already used in Round 2 of the match. If the competitors or teams are tied entering The Betting Round, then the higher ranked competitor or team is to spin the wheel. There are no mulligans or re-spins allowed in The Betting Round.

After the category has been determined by the wheel spin, each competitor or team must declare a number of points between 0 and 3 that they will wager on the results of The Betting Round. That number is to be concealed from the opposing team or competitor and shown only to the announcers or the on-site line judge. After the numbers have been noted by the on-site line judge or announcers, 1 question will be administered to both competitors or teams from the category determined by the wheel spin. Each competitor or team has up to 15 seconds to write an answer on their dry erase board. There are no multiple choice opportunities in The Betting Round. Once the announcers have stated “pens down,” each competitor or team is required to stop writing. Any attempt to continue writing once the words “pens down” are finished being stated can be cited as an Official Warning (see below for rules about Official Warnings and The Pens Down Rule).

The announcer will then ask each competitor or team for their answer in random order. If either competitor or team writes the correct answer on their board, they win the number of points they declared earlier in The Betting Round. If either competitor or team has an incorrect answer on their board, or writes nothing, they lose the number of points declared earlier in The Betting Round.

#### The Speed Round:

There are two versions of the Speed Round. For in-studio matches, Speed Round #1 will be used. For digital-only matches, only Speed Round #2 will be used.

#### Speed Round #1

In Speed Round #1, all competitors or teams will be given a buzzer used to signify when they wish to answer a question. All competitors or teams will test their buzzers at the request of the announcer to guarantee their functionality prior to the first question in Speed Round #1 being asked. Speed Round #1 consists of 5 questions asked to all competitors or teams, each worth 1 point. There are no multiple choice opportunities in Speed Round #1, and there is no stealing in Speed Round #1

The questions in Speed Round #1 can be drawn from any of the official Schmoedown categories included in the current season category guide.

The announcer will read 5 questions in sequence to all competitors or teams. From the first word spoken by the announcer for each of the 5 questions, any competitor or team may buzz in to answer at any moment. The first competitor or team to buzz in will be given 2 seconds to verbally answer based on the information provided to them at the point in the question when they buzzed. If they answer correctly at that point within those 2 seconds, they or their team will be awarded 1 point. If they answer incorrectly or fail to answer within those 2 seconds, they or their team will lose 1 point.

#### Speed Round #2

In Speed Round #2, individual competitors will be given 60 seconds to answer a series of 10 questions. Each correct answer earns the competitor 1 point, each incorrect answer costs the competitor 1 point. Competitors have the option to say “Pass,” at which point the judges will move on to the next question; if time remains after the competitor proceeds through all ten questions, any question(s) the competitor passed on will be repeated in the order they were originally given until the countdown is concluded.

The countdown begins after the judges have finished asking the first question. The countdown concludes after 60 seconds have passed. Answers given or completed after the timer runs out will not be accepted and will not earn the competitor a point if they are accurate or cost the competitor a point if they are inaccurate.

In teams matches, Speed Round #2 will be divided evenly between the competitors. Before the commencement of Speed Round #2, the team shall be given 60 seconds to decide which competitor will answer questions first. That first competitor will be given 30 seconds to answer the first five questions in Speed Round #2. When they finish their round, by answering all the questions or reaching the end of the countdown, their teammate will receive the next five Speed Round #2 questions and have 30 seconds to answer them. All other rules besides the number of questions and the amount of time are the same in teams matches where Speed Round #2 is played.

Due to the rigidly-timed nature of Speed Round #2, no Challenges may be issued about the questions in this round.

### Terms and Rules Applicable to All Matches

The following terms and rules apply to all match play unless otherwise specific in the rules for the specific match or as determined by Producer prior to the start of any match.

#### Sudden Death Overtime:

If both competitors or teams have the same score at the end of Round 3 or 5 (as applicable), Sudden Death will be played. Sudden Death consists of an indefinite number of questions each worth 1 point being asked to both competitors or teams at the same time. Each competitor or team has up to 15 seconds to write an answer on their dry erase board. There are no multiple choice opportunities in Sudden Death. Once the announcers have stated “pens down,” both competitors or teams are required to stop writing. Any attempt to continue writing once the words “pens down” are finished being stated can be cited as an “Official Warning” (see below for rules about Official Warnings and The Pens Down Rule).

The categories from which the questions in Sudden Death can expected to be drawn from any of the official Schmoedown categories included in the current season category guide.

The first competitor or team to take the lead in Sudden Death wins the match.

Each competitor or team receives 1 JTE rule and 1 Challenge to be used by them or their manager in Sudden Death. Any remaining JTE rules or Challenges from regulation play during the match are invalid in Sudden Death.

#### JTE Rules:

During any match, each competitor or team is given the opportunity to ask to “repeat the question” 3 times. A “JTE Rule” must be initiated by the competitor or team before the announcer finishes their countdown from 5 to 1 or the “5 count” prior to the deadline for the answer to be provided by the competitor/team. If both competitors or teams attempt to ask for a JTE Rule simultaneously, both competitors or teams are charged for use of one JTE Rule. When confirmed by the announcer, the question will be repeated by the announcer exactly as it was originally stated. No additional information will be added or can be expected from the repeat. There is no required additional time between the announcer finishing their repeat and beginning their 5 count, however if the announcer elects to wait as many as 5 seconds to the start of the 5 count they can do so at their discretion. For the avoidance of doubt, using a JTE Rule does not extend the original time allotted to provide an answer to the question.

#### Challenges:

During any match, each competitor or team is allowed 1 challenge (“Challenge”). The Challenge can be administered by either competitor/team or either of their managers or the acting “team manager on-site.” Issuing a Challenge is limited to only competing competitors and their managers. Non-competing teammates, audience members or observing competitors are not allowed to officially weigh in or allowed to issue any type of Challenge.

However, members of a competitor or team’s own faction who are present at the recording are permitted to privately discuss or suggest potential Challenges to their managers before the manager begins the official Challenge procedure. Competitors and managers from factions who are not in competition during the match who attempt to weigh in on Challenges may be issued an Official Warning.

After consulting with their managers, competitors, teams and/or managers have 15 seconds to officially present and explain their challenge. When a competitor, team or manager issues an official Challenge, the opposing competitor, team or manager will also be given 15 seconds to provide an official defense (“Defense”), to explain why they believe the judges should rule in their favor. Competitors, teams or managers will not be permitted to speak over one another during the official Challenge or official Defense. Once both the Challenge and Defense have been given, the judges will deliberate without further input from either side.

Challenges can be issued during any portion of the match from the time the live show or taping starts until the match concludes as long as the question being Challenged was the most recent question asked. As soon as the next question in the match has been asked to either competitor or team, the previous question can no longer be Challenged. The conclusion of the match is officially defined as the moment the post -match interviews begin to be filmed.

While past common practices for Challenges have included incorrectly worded questions, audience interference or accidental announcer interference, the scope of a Challenge can be as wide as either manager or competitor or team feels is reasonable.

If a competitor, team or manager issues a Challenge because they answered the question posed to them accurately, but did not provide the specific answer the question writers intended, the competitor will be permitted to keep their points instead of being asked another question. (e.g. “Who were the stars of The Rhythm Section?” The answer “Blake Lively and Sterling K. Brown” would be acceptable, even if the answer in the document was “Blake Lively and Jude Law.”)

Only two limitations restrict what can be Challenged:

A. The questions in Speed Round #2 cannot be Challenged (see above); and

B. The judge's ruling on a previous Challenge cannot be Challenged. Once an official Challenge has been issued and an official Defense has been given, the judges’ ruling will be accepted by all competitors, teams, managers and factions and gameplay will proceed.

The only limitation restricting when either competitor or team or manager can issue a Challenge is if a competitor or team is midway through answering a question as this could grant a competitor or team additional time to construct an answer. If any faction member outside of the competing competitor or team and their acting manager attempts to officially issue or interfere with a Challenge, the team interfering will be issued an Official Warning.

If the team or competitor issuing the Challenge is deemed correct in their Challenge, they are granted their one Challenge for a later instance in the match. If they are ruled incorrect in their Challenge, they no longer have the ability to Challenge or contest anything during the match.

When a Challenge has been formally issued by a competitor or team or their manager, the manager or competitor or team must walk away from the on-site line judge and announcers and not interact with them again until the Challenge decision has been made unless they are directly addressed by the judge. Additional approaches by competitor, a team or manager to the on-site line judge or announcer desk during Challenge deliberation will be considered a violation and can be cited with an Official Warning.

#### Precedents for Challenges:

Competitors, teams and managers will be permitted to cite precedent when issuing an official Challenge.

However, since the rules of the game have evolved over the first seven seasons, previous rulings are not consistent with the current rules of the game and may conflict with other precedents. As such, all precedents are considered null and void prior to Season 8.

Beginning with the first match of Season 8, every judges’ decision regarding gameplay and Challenges will, when consistent with this rulebook, set a brand new precedent for future Challenges, and may be cited by future competitors, teams and managers.

#### The Genre Challenge Rule:

If a competitor or team issues an official Challenge on the basis of genre (e.g. “The question/category said it was a horror movie, but the film in question is actually a thriller”), then the genre(s) listed on the film’s IMDb page will be used to determine the film’s genre for the purpose of the judges’ official ruling.

#### The Judges Mispronunciation Rule:

If a judge mispronounces an important element of a question - e.g. names, locations, alien species - to the extent that any of the competitors cannot recognize the words in question, that will be considered a valid official Challenge. Judges may spell words to avoid confusion and any potential challenges.

#### The Repeated Questions Rule:

All questions asked before Season 7 are eligible to be asked again in current or future seasons. Their repetition shall not be considered the basis for a valid challenge.

Starting in Season 8, questions cannot be repeated in the Singles, Teams, or Innergeekdom divisions until 3 seasons have passed since the season they were asked (e.g. if “Who directed Goodfellas” is asked in Season 8, that question cannot be asked again in that form until Season 11).

Starting in Season 8, any question cannot be repeated in the Star Wars divisions until 2 seasons have passed since the season such question was asked (e.g. if “What is the name of Watto’s species” is asked in Season 8, that question cannot be asked again in that form until Season 10).

Questions about the same piece of trivia may be repeated, provided they are asked in a different way. (e.g. if “Who directed Goodfellas” is asked in Season 8, the question “Which Best Picture nominee did Martin Scorsese direct in 1990” would still be a valid question before Season 11).

#### In Match Competitor or Team Interaction with Management:

Once each competitor or team has been issued their first question in Round 1, all faction mates are barred from interacting directly with their active competitor or team. Disrespect of this rule by faction members is considered tampering and will draw an Official Warning.

During the duration of any match, competitor and team management is allowed to approach their competitor or team between active sets of questions or during Challenges. This means that between questions 1 and 8 plus the potential bonus, during each competitors set of 4 questions in Round 2 and during all 6 questions in Round 3, managers are barred from entering or interacting with their competitor or team. Any communication, verbal or nonverbal, during these active portions of Rounds can be considered tampering and will draw an Official Warning if the on-site line judge sees fit.

No competitor will be allowed to act as an on-site manager during gameplay. Managers may assign an official assistant manager for the season to fill the in-game role when the official manager cannot be present, subject to the approval of Producer. If a competitor or team’s manager, or assistant manager, cannot be present, and the match cannot be rescheduled, the competitor must either proceed without their manager or forfeit the game.

#### Expectation of Respectful Play:

The expectation of each competitor and manager is to play with respect for their opponent and to limit their interaction during question asking and answering. If the on-site line judge deems that this respect is not being given by both competitors or their managers, an Official Warning will be issued.

Profanity is not allowed during tapings by anyone involved with the production. To protect the family friendly aspect of the Movie Trivia Schmoedown, continued disrespect to this rule will result in Official Warnings being issued.

#### The Protection of Writers Rule:

Competitors are allowed to talk about the questions, but publicly directly addressing, insulting or de facto complaints about the writing staff is strictly forbidden.

The writing staff are not competitors in the program and are instead performing a production job. They are not to be treated as a target of kayfabe or “smack talk.”

Competitors who break this rule within a match will be issued an Official Warning.

Competitors who break this rule outside of a match - in post-game interviews, on social media or on Schmoedown podcasts - can be issued an official warning that will carry over into their next game (i.e. they will begin their next match with one or more “strikes” already against them). If two Official Warnings are issued, the competitor’s faction will lose a point.

#### The No Signalling Rule:

Competitors on the same team who attempt to reveal an answer to their teammate for a question during Round 1, the first two questions of Round 3, or any other aspect of teams play in which competitors are not allowed to confer on the answer are subject to an Official Warning.

#### Official Warnings:

If competitor or team is issued 2 Official Warnings during a match, the competitor or team will lose a point in match. If a 3rd Official Warning is issued, the match is considered forfeit by the offending competitor. In a teams match, if 3 official warnings are received the match is considered forfeit for the offending team as a whole, even if only one member of the team was responsible for the official warnings.

#### Wheel Selection and Composition:

In every singles or team match, each of the competitors or teams is allowed but not required to request 2 categories to be represented on the Schmoedown Wheel for that match. Players or team must request 2 categories, or none at all. The categories available to be requested can be any 2 of the official Schmoedown categories included in the current season category guide. Both requested categories from each competitor or team will be present on the wheel during the match. All categories in the current season category guide, as well as the standard Innergeekdom categories, are allowed to be requested. Star Wars division categories are not allowed to be requested in other divisions, except for a general “Star Wars” Innergeekdom slice. There are no limitations on how many times a player can request a category, unless the category is unavailable in the singles or teams division. All other categories on the wheel are chosen by the producers and/or writing staff. Except in extenuating circumstances, it is required that all category requests be made to the head writer or such other designee as identified by Producer no later than end of day 3 calendar days before the taping of a match or live event. If requests are submitted later than this, they will be strongly considered but cannot be guaranteed.

The requests for categories will be kept confidential with the head writer or such other designee as identified by Producer until the wheel has been physically built before the match or the on-site line judge or wheel handler on -site has shared the wheel information with both active competitors or teams. The wheel information will be shared with both competitors and their managers at the same time. Due to the logistics of match scheduling and live event coordination, there is no exact or uniform amount of time prior to the start of a match where wheel information is to be made available. All rulings on this issue are to be made by the on-site line judge.

Knowledge of which wheel categories were requested by competitors or teams is considered to be private information, only communicated between the requesting competitor or team, the question writers and the wheel handler. The concealment of this information will be handled as seriously as possible, and all efforts to randomize the physical position of the requested categories on the Schmoedown Wheel will be made. While in the past, the position of the requested categories on the physical wheel was adjacent to “Spinner’s choice” and “Opponent’s Choice,” that will no longer necessarily be the case.

While wheel composition is intended to be as fair and balanced for both competitors or teams as possible, due the immense depth of knowledge exhibited by many of the participants in the league, it is not possible to always guarantee an optimal balance of strengths and weaknesses for both competitors or teams. Considerations can be heard by the onsite line judge once the wheel has been revealed, but no concessions are likely to be made.

#### The Pens Down Rule:

In Round 1, competitors have only half a second after the judges declare “Pens Down” to put down their writing implements. It is a competitor’s responsibility to use a JTE Rule if they need more than the allotted time to finish writing. Judges may use their own discretion regarding the timing of the Pens Down Rule if there are specific extenuating circumstances (e.g. lag time in a digital match).

If any competitor writes or erases on their board, for any reason, after the judges have said “Pens Down” and 1 second has passed, but before the competitor has revealed their answer, their answer shall be declared null and void. They may also be issued an Official Warning.

#### Correct Written Answers vs Nearly Correct Written Answers:

In all Rounds that require written answers on white boards, the answer that is written on the board must be the correct answer, regardless of what the answering competitor or team states verbally. If a word or name written on a declared board is misspelled but phonetically matches the correct answer within reason as designated by the on -site line judge, the answer is considered correct.

Any movie title that is longer than 2 words that includes the word “the” as the first word in its title can be answered with the variable of including “the” in the answer or excluding it from the title. Examples: “The Green Street Hooligans” and “Green Street Hooligans” would both be considered correct answers, while “Thing” would be incorrect and “The Thing” would be considered correct.

Extenuating circumstances dictate exceptions to this rule in very specific cases. Distinctly different films in the same series such as “Suicide Squad” and “The Suicide Squad, or “Batman” and “The Batman” must be answered exactly and with no variability to the answer.

Because of the nebulous nature of this section as it relates to the vast history of film, in situations where there is confusion in drawing a distinction between 2 similarly titled films, the on -site line judge must determine whether or not both films in question could be included in an official Schmoedown question beyond a reasonable doubt. This decision is left entirely up to the on-site line judge, and possibly an on -site current question writer if possible.

Except in instances where the film title starts with “the,” the exact title of the film being declared as an answer is required. For instance, “The Girl With The Pearl Earring,” vs. “Girl With a Pearl Earring.” The former would be considered incorrect and the latter would be considered correct.

#### The David O'Russell Rule:

Punctuation is considered irrelevant when spelling the titles of films or names of performers and creatives. Any punctuation mark is ignored when declaring a written answer. For instance, both David O. Russell and David O’Russell are considered correct.

#### Limitations on Self Correction When Declaring Answers Verbally:

When any competitor or team declares an answer verbally it is expected that the declaration being issued by that competitor or team is their final answer. If circumstances not limited to but including the announcer being unable to hear the answer fully create a situation where a team or competitor must be asked to declare their answer a second time it will be treated as an exception, not the expected code of conduct. “Final answer” is not a question that should ever be expected to be asked unless required. Furthermore, if any competitor or team attempts to change their answer in any way should they be asked to repeat it, only their initial attempt to answer will be considered. Any attempt by a team or competitor to issue a different answer than their first one given can be cited for an Official Warning.

If any competitor speaking an incorrect answer self corrects their incorrect answer to the correct one without pausing or taking as much as 1 full second, it is an accepted answer. If there is as much as 1 second of pause or silence, the self correction will not be considered an official answer. Exact rulings on this issue will be made by the on -site line judge.

#### Benefit of the Doubt Rule:

Except where specifically stated otherwise in this rulebook, the judges’ have full discretion to allow superficially incorrect answers to be accepted as correct, in which the correct answer was clearly given but insignificant details are technically omitted or wrong, like incorrect punctuation (“David O’Russell” vs. “David O. Russell”) and minor spelling errors (“Idris Alba” vs. “Idris Elba”).

This rule does not negate the rules about the correct use of articles in one word titles, nor does it negate the need for competitors to make distinctions between two films with the same title (e.g. remakes) or extremely similar titles (e.g. “Changeling” vs. “The Changeling”).

Competitors may challenge these Benefit of the Doubt rulings if they feel the error made by an opposing competitor was not superficial (e.g. “Southside With Me” vs. “Southside With You”).

#### The "Exception to the Rule" Rule:

Although the purpose of this rulebook is to outline correct gameplay procedures and competitor behaviors, it is understood that the Schmoedown is a partially scripted show, and certain rules in this book could be intentionally altered for distinct storytelling purposes (e.g. a scheduled teams match becoming a 2-on-1 match, in “Rachel Cushing vs. Blofeld’s Cat”). A contestant’s continued participation will indicate their agreement to any such alterations. Any manipulation of the rules outlined in this book for the purposes of drama must made with all participating competitors’ full complicity and permission.

Under no circumstances shall the actual gameplay and/or victor(s) of the match be scripted.

#### Availability of Official Documents Rule:

The rulebook will be provided to ALL current competitors, managers and officially designated assistant managers at the beginning of each season, whenever new managers and competitors join the league in the middle of the season, and whenever official changes are implemented. The rulebook will remain available to any competitors or managers who request it throughout the season.

All lists of eligible films, for Innergeekdom and every other category which is specific enough to warrant such a list, will be provided to managers and competitors of every division at the beginning of every season, and whenever those lists are updated throughout the season. These lists of eligible films will remain available to managers, competitors and officially designated official managers who request them throughout the season.

Although the content of the rulebook and lists of eligible films are not considered confidential, competitors and managers are not permitted to share the documents publicly. Public availability of these documents will be at the discretion of the producers.

#### The Announcement of New Categories Rule:

New categories may be added to singles, teams and Innergeekdom division play only twice a year: once between seasons, and once before tournament season.

New categories, or “slices,” must be announced to all managers and competitors one calendar month before they are implemented in actual gameplay (e.g. The categories are announced on January 1 and June 1, but only begin showing up on the wheel in matches recorded on or after February 1 and July 1, respectively).

#### The New Star Wars Category Rule:

Since a new Star Wars division wheel slice is created every time a new Star Wars movie is released, these categories may be introduced into Round 2 as soon as the film(s) debut on home video, in any format.

#### The Category Retirement Rule:

Although new categories can be added to the wheel twice a year, categories can only be removed from the wheel between season and must be announced simultaneously along with the announcement of new categories.

#### The Oscars Eligibility Rule #1: Eligibility of Feature Films:

Unless specifically stated as an exception, only films that were eligible for the general Academy Awards during the year of their release (e.g. over 41 minutes long, released to the American public theatrically in Los Angeles and New York) will have questions written about them for the Schmoedown.

Exceptions Include:

A. Feature-length films released before 1927, the first year of eligibility for the Oscars, are still eligible. (e.g. Nosferatu, Metropolis, the films of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton)

B. Feature films included in any slice/category that is or could be specifically dedicated to streaming content, provided they are included in the list of eligible films.

C. Extended and Director’s Cuts in Innergeekdom and/or Star Wars categories, provided they are included in the list of eligible films.

#### The Oscars Eligibility Rule #2: Release Dates:

The year of a film’s Oscars eligibility shall henceforth be accepted as the official “Movie Release Date” for all relevant Official Challenges, even if other release dates are provided on IMDb, Wikipedia or any other source, as a result of staggered international releases or early festival premieres.

Exceptions will be made for any films that fall under the exceptions in the above rule (e.g. pre-1927, extended or director’s cuts, films included in streaming-exclusive categories, etc.).

#### The Oscars Eligibility Rule #3: Eligibility of Awards Shows:

Given the large number of awards ceremonies for motion pictures throughout the industry, only the Academy Awards will be eligible for awards-specific questions in the Movie Trivia Schmoedown.

Question writers may reference other awards ceremonies within a question, but competitors will not be expected to know the winners/nominees of the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards, Independent Spirit Awards or any other awards to answer a question in the Schmoedown.

#### Streaming Category Rules:

Official Schmoedown categories may be implemented which incorporate movies released to streaming services, under specific guidelines. These categories/slices may be exempt from other eligibility rules provided the list of eligible films are issued to all managers and competitors.

Questions about streaming-exclusive films will not be eligible for categories that are not specifically designated as featuring streaming films, except in the Innergeekdom division, provided the films are included in the list of eligible films.

Slice/categories may include, but are not necessarily limited to:

A. Netflix - A slice dedicated to prominent original Netflix movies; a list of eligible films will be provided to each manager and competitor.

B. Streaming - A slice dedicated to prominent streaming films across multiple platforms, including but not limited to Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Apple TV, Peacock and Shudder; a list of eligible films will be provided to each manager and competitor.

C. 2020 - A slice dedicated to the theatrically released films of 2020, as well as the films of 2020 that were intended for a theatrical release but went straight to digital as a direct result of the pandemic (e.g. Trolls: World Tour, Mulan, Bill & Ted Face the Music, Artemis Fowl)

#### Eligibility of Performer/Director-Specific Categories:

The only films eligible for categories about specific actors, actresses or directors (e.g. Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Kathryn Bigelow) shall be films that the person(s) in question wrote, directed or acted in.

If the subject of the category performed any other role in a film they also wrote, directed or acted in, those films are eligible for questions. But any films for which they exclusively performed other roles (e.g. producing, editing) would not be considered “their” films, and should not be eligible in categories dedicated to their specific filmographies.

#### Digital Match Rules:

Matches played outside of a studio, in a digital format, will follow the rules for gameplay outlined above, with the following exceptions:

A. Hands Up Rule - Competitors are expected to keep their hands visible during every aspect of gameplay in which they can earn points (e.g. Round 1, Round 2, during their own questions in Round 3/5, Speed Rounds, Betting Rounds). Repeated failure to do so may result in an Official Warning.

B. Competitor Isolation Rule - Competitors must be alone in their room when they are actively competing.

C. Teams “Final Answer” Rule - In teams matches, whenever teammates are allowed to confer, teams will say “Final Answer” when they submit their official response, to prevent confusion.

D. Teams Isolation Rule - In teams matches, teams will answer their questions in isolation from the other team, to allow competitors to openly confer. The opposing team will leave the digital match and wait in a separate digital space, while their manager watches the team answering questions in case a challenge needs to be made. When all the Round 2 questions have been answered, the opposing team will return to the match and will be presented with all steal opportunities available to them, as well as the incorrect answers their opponents gave.

E. Digital Betting Round Rule - Each competitor/team will be given 60 seconds to confer with their manager after the category has been chosen for the betting round, while their opposing team waits in a separate digital space, before the betting round officially commences.

F. Digital Challenge Rule #1 - In a digital match, competitors and managers will have a few additional seconds to Challenge the previous question in Round 1 and Round 2, and will be able to interrupt the next question being asked if the judges have already started. Once the next question has been asked, competitors and managers are no longer able to issue a Challenge about the previous question. This rule does not apply to Round 3, Round 5 or Betting Rounds, the questions in which must be challenged before the judges begin asking the next question. This rule also does not apply to digital Speed Rounds, in which challenging is not allowed.

G. Digital Challenge Rule #2 - In a digital match, competitors and managers will be allowed to Challenge the last question in the game, after the winner has been declared, for 15 seconds, even if the official post-match interview has already begun. After 15 seconds have passed, competitors and managers are no longer able to issue a Challenge about the final question.

### Alternate Gameplay Modes

Matches with special rules may take place at any point in the season. These alternate gameplay modes may be altered to feature new elements not discussed in this rulebook (see: The “Exception to the Rule” Rule, above).

The standard versions of each currently-existing alternate mode are as follows:

#### Fatal Three-Way, Four-Way, Five-Way, Etc.:

Fatal X-Way matches (where “X” stands for the number of competitors) follow the rules of conventional matches, but with more competitors, and the following adjustments to gameplay.

A. In Round 2, Fatal X-Way matches play similarly, except if the competitor in the lead defers to the secondplace opponent, the next competitor may also choose to defer to their third-place opponent, and so on. The competitor in last place may not defer.

B. If Opponent’s Choice is chosen in Round 2 of a Fatal X-Way match, all competitors and their managers may confer to decide which category to give to their opponent.

C. In a Fatal X-Way Round 2, steals will be obtained via the use of whiteboards to allow multiple competitors to answer the same question. Except for the amount of time provided, which may vary depending on how many times the question is repeated, the rules regarding the white board and writing/erasing after the clock has run down are the same as Round 1.

#### Iron Man:

Competitors in an Iron Man match compete for 30 minutes and answer as many questions as possible in the time allotted.

The format for the first 28 minutes is the same as Round 1. All competitors are given the same questions and write the answer on their white boards. Standard Round 1 rules apply, except the number of questions is determined by how many questions can be asked in the established length of time instead of a predetermined number of questions.

At the 28 minute mark, a short break is called so the competitors can be equipped with buzzers. The last two minutes are a standard Speed Round #1. Each question is worth 1 point. A wrong answer costs the competitor 1 point.

Each competitor is given 3 JTEs. Although issues with questions may be addressed, there are no “official” challenges in an Iron Man match, to prevent exploitation of stopping the clock or keeping the clock running while questions are not being asked.

The competitor with the most points at the end of the Iron Man match is the victor

#### Free 4 All:

The Free 4 All format may contain any number of competitors. Prior to the match each competitor is given a number ranging from 1-X, with “X” being the total number of competitors.

At the start of gameplay, the first five competitors in numeral order (i.e. 1-5) are called to the stage. Five questions are asked in the Round 1 format. Competitors answer with white boards, and standard Round 1 rules apply.

At the end of five questions, the competitor with the fewest correction answers for the round is eliminated and leaves the stage. If multiple competitors have the same, lowest score, all competitors who earned that score leave simultaneously. If, at the end of five questions, all five competitors have the same score, the competitors will resume answering questions until at least one competitor gains a point advantage, resulting in the competitors with fewer points leaving the stage.

At the end of Round 1, new competitors enter the stage, in numerical order, until all five spots on the stage have been occupied. Round 2 and all subsequent rounds follow the same format. There is no limit to how many rounds a competitor may participate in, provided they never have the lowest number of points in any round.

The winner of the Free 4 All is determined by who is the last competitor left standing, not the number of points won. The final round(s) begin when the final competitor in numerical order takes the stage. At the end of five questions, the competitor(s) with the fewest points leave the stage. If only one competitor is left, they are declared the winner. If more than one competitor is left, the next round continues. After five questions, the competitor(s) with the fewest points leave the stage. If only one competitor is left, they are declared the winner. If more than one competitor is left, the gameplay resumes until only one competitor remains on stage and is declared the victor.

Competitors are issued no JTEs in the Free 4 All format. Issues with questions may be addressed but there are no “official” Challenges in a Free 4 All.

At the judges’ discretion an “MVP” may be declared at the end of the Free 4 All. No formal criteria has been set for this award, which is entirely at the judges’ discretion.