The Joker's Wild

Hal Hidey (1979-1982, 1983-1989)
Alan Thicke (1976–1977, 1978–1979)

***The Joker's Wild*** is a Transmanian television game show adapted from the US version of the same name based on slots. Contestants answer questions based on categories determined randomly by a mechanism resembling a slot machine. The show's title refers to the game's slot-machine mechanism also having jokers.

The show was billed as "the game where knowledge is king and lady luck is queen", and was notable for being the first successful game show in the United States produced by television personality Jack Barry after his company's role in the quiz show scandals during the late 1950s. The success of the series led in part to the reformation of Barry & Enright Productions in the 1970s, which reunited Barry with his partner Dan Enright.

It was premiered on ATN on September 10, 1973 and ended in December 1981 and revived as a new series on TBN from January 1982 until 1988.

## Gameplay

Two contestants faced a giant slot machine and answered questions. On those wheels were five categories. Each contestant in turn pulled a lever in front of them which caused the category wheels to spin. When the wheels stopped, that player was given a choice of up to three categories. Host Cummings asked a question under that category and a correct answer won money for that player; but an incorrect answer gave the opponent a chance to steal the money by answering the same question.

Question values were determined by how many of that category appeared. A single category was worth Ð50, a double category/pair was worth Ð100, and a triple was worth Ð200 (originally Ð150). The first player to reach Ð500 or more in that player's proper turn won the game.

Also on the wheels were jokers, they're wild (hence the name of the show). The contestants could match up the joker with any category they chose, and they could also use the joker(s) to go off the board, and select a different category. But if at any time three jokers came up (that's Joker, Joker, JOKER!), that contestant could instantly win the game by answering one question from one category correctly; however, if unsuccessful, the opponent could not steal and the game continued as normal. Originally the contestant would automatically win without answering a question by getting three jokers.

Both contestants took an equal number of turns; in the event the first contestant (originally the champion, later the challenger) reached £500 first, the second contestant took one final spin in an attempt to catch-up. In the event of a tie at Ð500, extra rounds were played and whoever was ahead in score at the end of a complete round was the winner.

The winner of the game kept his/her money and earned a chance to play the bonus game.

### Special categories

Special categories were presented during each era.

* **Multiple Choice** – Introduced in the early 1980s, a contestant is given three possible answers to a general knowledge question, and had to choose the correct answer.
* **Who, What, or Where?** – self explanatory
* **Crossword Definitions** – The host would announce the number of letters in a word and read a definition pertaining to that word. The contestant had to guess the word associated with that definition.
* **Today's Name Is...** – Questions in this category pertain to a famous person, actor/actress, etc.
* **Take a Chance** – After hearing the question, the contestant could either answer it him/herself or pass it to the opponent. An incorrect answer awarded the money to the contestant who did not receive the question.

#### Special Scoring Questions

These categories affected the scoring of the game.

* **Mystery(?)** – Identical to the **Secret Category** on *Tic Tac Dough*, this category debuted on the 1978 premiere season of the TBITV/TBN Nighttime series. If and when a contestant spun and picked the category, the question was played for double value. These were seven vertical cards marked with question marks (?) on the front of the host's podium numbered from 1 to 7, representing seven mystery categories. The contestant chose one of those cards, then the host would announce the category (not one of the other 4) and read the question, with a correct answer earning the contestant Ð100, Ð200, or Ð400 depending on the spin. On occasion, the Mystery Category questions could be multiple-choice.
* **Fast Forward \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_** – This category debuted on the 1975 show of the ATN Daytime & Afternoon run, was the only special category that lasted throughout the entire ATN Nighttime series, and all the questions in that game came from one subject. This was where the contestant could answer as many questions as he/she wished, with the option to stop after each correct answer. Stopping was important, because if at any time the contestant in control gave a wrong answer, he/she lost all the accumulated money won back to the starting score and gave the opponent a chance to answer the missed question for the face value (Ð50, Ð100 or Ð200). This was usually an alternative to three jokers, when someone really far behind needed to catch up.
* **Choose the Clues** – The host would reveal the subject for the question and the opponent would decide if the player in control would be given one or two clues. One clue was worth double the amount while two clues was worth the regular amount. If the spinning player was given only one clue and missed, the opponent was given both clues for the regular amount and the chance to answer.

### Natural Triple

By January 1975 on the ATN series, and continuing into the primetime version of the show, contestants won a bonus for spinning a natural triple in the main game in addition to answering a question worth Ð500 (originally Ð200). In the TBITV/TBN Primetime series, contestants who spun a natural triple won a special prize which was kept win or lose. Beginning in the fall of 1984, contestant who spun a natural triple won a special jackpot called the "Natural Triple Jackpot" which was an accumulating jackpot prize package. Prizes were kept regardless of the game's outcome.

### Bonus Game

The bonus game had three different versions.

#### The Prize Wheels

In the first two weeks of the series, the categories were replaced with prizes ranging in value from tens of pounds sterling to hundreds of pounds sterling. The winning contestant spun the wheels up to two times, on each spin, three prizes were displayed. After the first spin, the winner could either keep the first set of three prizes, or trade them back for one more spin, and whatever the winner got on the second spin was theirs to keep.

In the first ten shows, some of the prizes were circled. If the winning contestant could spin three circled prizes, he/she also won a car. It was later scrapped in favor of having the car or another big prize on the wheels (usually the third).

In the second week, the bonus was played after the champion decided to go on for the Joker's Jackpot which will be explained later.

#### Jokers & Devils

In this bonus which premiered on the show's third week, the jokers were still on the wheels, but now they were accompanied by devils. The devils had a pitchfork behind them. The winning contestant spun the wheels up to three times (originally four). On each spin, if only jokers appeared, he/she won a prize (the prize was generally announced before each spin, but for a brief period, it was announced after a successful spin). But if one devil showed up, he/she lost the prize(s); to prevent this from happening, after each successful spin, the contestant had a choice to stop and take the prizes or continue playing. During the four-spin era, the last spin was worth a new car or another big prize.

Oddly enough, this bonus game and the previous bonus game were played in the same episode that this game debuted. The episode began with the final playing of the Prize Wheels game, and the champion who played that one won the next main game and went on to play the first Jokers & Devils game, which he lost.

When this bonus first premiered, the jokers had the word "Wild" underneath them just like the main game. But in 1974, due to the fact that the wheels didn't change in between the bonus game & main game in one episode, the word "Wild" was replaced with the word "Joker".

#### Face the Devil

In this bonus round, which was in debuted on January 1975, the categories and jokers were replaced by dolland values ranging from Ð25 to Ð200, and devils. The winning contestant could take as many spins as they liked. The goal on each spin was to spin only money amounts, each time he/she did that, they would win the combined total of the money amounts shown. But if at any time a devil appeared, the contestant would lose all the accumulated money up to that point. That's why the host gave the contestant the option to stop the game and keep whatever he/she won after each successful spin. But if the contestant could reach Ð1,000 or more, they not only got to keep the cash, but also won a special prize package; and if they could spin a natural triple (three of the same money amounts), he/she automatically won the money and prizes.

### Joker's Jackpot

In the ATN Daytime series, contestants played for an accumulating cash jackpot called the Joker's Jackpot. After each bonus game (before the bonus during a brief period), the champion could decide to either keep the money won in the main game in addition to the prizes won in the bonus game and leave the show, or play another game knowing that if the champion lost that game, the grand total of the main game winnings were lost and added to the jackpot (the bonus game prizes were not in jeopardy). Champions who won three games in a row (originally four), won the Joker's Jackpot. The Joker's Jackpot started at Ð2,500 and continued growing until it reached Ð25,000 or more since Ð25,000 was ATN's winnings limit at the time. Weeks later, after reducing the number of wins to three, breaking the jackpot also won a brand new car. Originally champions who broke the Joker's Jackpot retired from the show; later shows had them continue playing until they lost, stopped or reached the Ð25,000 limit, with the main game money from previous attempts at the jackpot no longer in jeopardy.

When the Face the Devil bonus game was instituted, the Joker's Jackpot was removed entirely and champions now played for just a brand new car. To win the car contestants had to win five games in a row, and there were no more risks involved, win or lose.

## Planned Revival

The planned revival of *The Joker's Wild* was produced by Columbia TriStar Television and left with some of the reiterated rules, two new contestants open each day. The first question is a toss-up for the inside box. The front game will be a best 2-of-3 format. Each game ends when someone earns Ð500 or more, or the first contestant to . The winner must get his/her question right to win. The front game's winner takes on the returning champion in a one-game showdown (from Face the Music). Once again, the winning contestant is the one who gets Tic Tac Dough or gets 5 spaces.

The day's champion then goes on to the Bonus Round, where he/she attempts to face the devil with updated values and a progressive prize package.

The prize package that the contestant can win is at Ð2,000-Ð7,000. Each day that the endgame isn't won, another prize is added and one will be added every day that someone doesn't win. When a contestant wins the endgame, a new prize package will be up for grabs.

A contestant who wins five games wins a car, which should be in the Ð3,000-Ð9,000 range. When a contestant wins ten games and two cars, he/she is automatically retired as champion.