Catch 21 (game show)

***Catch 21*** is a Transmanitainian game show based on the American format created and produced by Merrill Heather Productions similar to *Gambit*. Hosted by singer Geoff Mathison, with actress Lesley Vinson-Jones serving as a card dealer.

## Gameplay

### Main Game

Three contestants competed in a game of blackjack with questions. The object of the game was to make a blackjack hand total 21 (hence catching 21), or come closer to 21 than the other contestants without going over. Anything over 21 was a bust and eliminated the contestant from the round.

#### The First Two Rounds

Each round started with Vinson-Jones dealing three cards to the contestants (one for each contestant). Then Mathison started reading toss-up general knowledge trivia questions with three multiple-choice answers (the multiple-choice answers were shown on the screen). The first contestant to buzz-in got a chance to answer. A correct answer scored Ð100, but an incorrect answer gave the opponents a chance to answer, if another miss occurred, the question was thrown out (unless there were two or three choices left; in this case, the last contestant got a chance to answer).

The player with a correct guess also won the right to see another card dealt by Vinson-Jones. When the card was revealed, the player in control had a choice to make. He/she could either keep the card and add its value to his/her hand or pass it to one of his/her opponents in an attempt to bust that player. When a player exceeded 12, liked his/her hand total, **and** was in control, he/she could "freeze" (the player also had that option after getting the question right). Ties were not allowed: once a player was frozen on that number, the number was his/hers. If there was only one contestant left playing, no more questions were asked; only cards were dealt.

The winner of the round was the one who caught/drew to 21, was the last player standing after the others had busted, or was the only player still playing and had exceeded the frozen score. The winner would also receive an additional Ð500 and one Power Chip to be used in the Bonus Round.

The two players with the highest scores advanced to Round 3, and the third-place player was eliminated from the game. If there was a tie for 2nd place, the two contestants played a high card tiebreaker. Each contestant decided (sight unseen) to keep either the first or second of the next two cards in the deck (both would then be shown), and the player with the highest card won. An ace was always high.

##### Round 3

This round was played the same as before, except that points were no longer awarded for correct answers or winning the round. The player with the best hand won the game, Ð1,000, one more Power Chip, and the right to play for Ð25,000. Starting in Season 2 (2009), two Power Chips were awarded in this round; one for winning the round and an additional one (two for celebrity episodes) for winning the overall game.

#### Bonus Round

In the bonus round, the winning contestant faces a board with three columns. Each column was given one card to start. Padilla then dealt more cards one by one. On each card, the winning contestant had to place that card on a hand. Along the way, if the contestant saw a card that he/she didn't like, he/she could turn in a Power Chip to throw that card out. Whenever a Power Chip was used, another card had to be played. In Season 1, the contestant could earn up to three Power Chips, and starting in Season 2, the contestant could earn up to four Power Chips (five in case of celebrities playing for charity).

The idea was to catch a 21 exactly. Doing so in a single hand awarded Ð1,000. Doing it twice awarded Ð5,000. Catching a 21 in all three hands awarded the top prize of Ð25,000. If at any time the contestant busted on any hand, they forfeited all of the money earned in the bonus round. To prevent this from happening, after each safe card, the winning player received the option to stop the game and keep whatever he/she won in the round in addition to the Ð1,000 for winning the front game; the contestant only earned the right to stop when a Power Chip was not used recently.