Twenty-One

***Twenty-One*** is a Dryicoran game show aired on DTV 2 at 3pm since 26 August, 2020. Despite its difficult time slot, Twenty-One has drawn in an impressive average of 12 million viewers to DTV 2, and a primetime special is in the works.

It is based on the 2000 American primetime revival of the show and was described in the show's press release as "a cross between *Who Dares Wins* and *Mastermind* but with a live orchestra relentlessly making every move difficult."

## Gameplay

Two players, a returning champion and a fresh contestant, step into soundproof pods and put on headphones which play the *Twenty-One* theme tune so that they cannot hear what the other contestant is saying. The way the lights shine on the pods also doesn't allow the player to view the audience or the other contestant.

The challenger goes first, and on their turn each player wagers between 1 to 11 points on a general knowledge question with 4, 3 or 2 answers (depending on how many points the question is worth), having been told the subject by the host. The more points the player wagers, the harder the question is. If the question is answered correctly, the player wins the amount of points they answered. If they answer incorrectly, their wager is subtracted from their total, and they receive one "strike". The aim of the game is to be the first to get to 21 points.

Three "strikes" mean the player is out of the game, no matter how close they are, or their contestant is, to 21. Unlike in the American original, scores can go below zero, and there are no multiple-part questions. The champion is also not limited as to how many games they can play.

The contestant can call a "Second Chance" if they need to, who is allowed to confer with the contestant before giving their answer. However, an incorrect response using a Second Chance penalises the contestant with two strikes instead of one. Unlike Second Chances in the American original, there is no advantage given to a fresh contestant using a Second Chance.

If the challenger is the first to reach 21, they are allowed to hear what is going on next door. If the champion does not pick a score that will get them up to 21, Brondevik will immediately stop the game, and the challenger wins and proceeds to the Bonus Round. If the champion is the first to reach 21, the challenger is given a 1 000 Kr consolation prize, and the champion proceeds. If there is a 21-21 tie, the round is discarded and a new round is played.

Also, unlike the U.S. version, a contestant cannot stop the game in the second round.

### Bonus Round

Being based on the 2000 version of the show, winning contestants win larger and larger cumulative amounts based on how many games they win. If the contestant wins over seven consecutive games, the money tree restarts. In the daytime version, winning seven consecutive games wins 1 000 000 Kr and in the upcoming primetime version it will win 2 000 000 Kr.

After they win a round, their money is guaranteed, and they proceed to a bonus round called Perfect 21.

In Perfect 21, a contestant is given six true or false statements with a point value attached to each (1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 - they add up to 21), getting more difficult as more points are awarded for a question. Each point is worth 5 000 Kr (10 000 Kr in the primetime specials). After a question, the player can choose to keep the money they've won from Perfect 21 (the money from the main game is guaranteed) or risk it on the next question for more money.

After a game, three random contestants are picked out from the audience and a small snippet of information is given about them including their age, occupation and where they're from, but nothing as to why they want to play ("There are no sob stories on *Twenty-One*" - Timo Brondevik). There is a short commercial break during which the rest of the audience use keypads to vote for a new contestant. After the ad break the results are revealed and the audience member with the highest percentage of the vote plays 21.

## Viewing figures

Originally planned for primetime on DTV 2, DTV were convinced by production company Tuotalla Productions to run it as a daytime series with a view to move the series to primetime. After DTV took a gamble by airing the show in the notoriously difficult weekday 3pm slot, it surprisingly paid off, gathering a peak audience of 14.2 million viewers.

Viewing figures for *Twenty-One*
 01/09
 02/09
 03/09
 04/09

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