Caesars Challenge

Infobox Television
show_name = Caesars Challenge
genre = Game show
creator = Michael Dubelko
Rick Rosner
director = Steve Grant
starring = Ahmad Rashād (host)
Dan Doherty (assistant)
Chad Brown (assistant)
Zach Ruby (assistant)
narrated = Steve Day
theme_music_composer = Stormy Sacks
country = USA
language = English
executive_producer = Rick Rosner
producer = Harry Friedman
location = Caesars Palace
runtime = 30 min.
channel = NBC
first_aired = June 14, 1993
last_aired = January 14, 1994
imdb_id = 0418375
tv_com_id = 5437

"Caesars Challenge" was an American game show that aired on NBC from 1993 to early 1994. To date, it was the last network game show to air on daytime television next to "The Price is Right".

Ahmad Rashad hosted the show, and Dan Doherty, dressed as a gladiator, served as the show's assistant. Chad Brown and Zach Ruby also served as assistants early in the show. Steve Day announced the program. The show was taped at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada, hence the title.

Front Game

Three contestants competed, one a returning champion (or designate if a previous champion had been retired).

Three rounds were played. The object in each round was to solve a jumbled word displayed on a 9-screen slot machine on stage. Round one used seven-letter words, round two used eight-letter words, and round three used nine-letter words. Each new word fit into a category that was originally revealed to everyone, but revealed to only the home viewers later in the series for unexplained reasons. Rashad would ask the players a toss-up question based on the category with three choices, and a player who buzzed in with the correct answer won money and chose a letter to place in its correct position in the word. In case two players guessed wrong, the third player won the money and the choice of letter by default. The player had 5 seconds to guess the word, and if correct, won additional money based on the unplaced letters left in the word. If they could not guess the word, play continued until someone guessed it. Two words were played in each of the first two rounds. Round three included as many words as time allowed.

During the time when the category was only revealed to the home audience, the host would announce the category of the word after the word had been correctly guessed.

coring

Lucky Slot

One position would be signified as the "Lucky Slot" for each new word. If, after choosing a letter who's correct position was the Lucky Slot, a contestant was able to guess the word correctly, they won a bonus. Each day began with a Lucky Slot bonus of $500, and $500 was added to the bonus after each word until it was won.

peed-Up Round

When time was running short (signified by a car horn), letters would be placed automatically into the current word, and the first contestant that buzzed in with the correct answer won money based on the unplaced letters. An incorrect answer locked that player out the rest of the way. The Lucky Slot was out of play during the speed-up round.

Winning the Game

The player with the most money at the end of the game won and advanced to the Bonus Round. In the beginning of the run, the winner shopped for prizes with their winnings. Later on, they were given a prize package equal to their winnings. The other players left with parting gifts.

Bonus Round

The bonus round for "Caesars Challenge" had two formats, the second replacing the first during the show's run.

Format #1

A giant rotating bingo cage filled with lettered balls lowered from the ceiling. One by one, the letters spilled out of the cage, and Doherty would announce them as they rolled down a ramp. Once a dictionary-certified nine-letter word could be formed from the letters, the cage stopped rotating and a booming voice (announcer Steve Day) announced "Caesar says stop!"

The nine letters would then be placed on the slot machine screens in the order that they rolled down the ramp. Based on a champion's tenure, he chose letters to be placed into their correct positions. Contestants were allowed to place one letter for each day they had been on the show. The contestant would then have 10 seconds to try to solve the word. If the contestant solved the word correctly, they won a car and retired as champion; otherwise, they returned on the next show. Contestants were allowed up to 8 wins on this version, with the eighth consecutive show automatically guaranteeing the car being won.

Format #2

The champion faced a game board with five words. The first word five letters, the second had six, and so on up to the fifth word consisting of nine letters. The first word would shuffle its letters (similar to the Speed-Up Round), placing a letter in its correct position each time. After each correct guess, the contestant moved on to the next word. Guessing all five words in 30 seconds won the car.

Starting with the introduction of this bonus round, the appearance limit was also changed. Champions now stayed on the show for a maximum of three consecutive shows or until they won a car, whichever came first.

Audience Game

During the closing credits of every show, host Rashad and gladiator Doherty would go into the studio audience to give people an opportunity to unscramble five-letter words. Correctly guessing the word won a handful of casino tokens and gold covered chocolate medallions from a bowl held by Doherty.

Champions

*Tom Gauer was the biggest winner during the series. He won a total of $53,000 in prizes, including a Chevrolet Blazer on his final day (the last word he solved was "cafeteria").
*The record for most money won in the main game was set by Neil Bines with $20,700. Neil solved every word in his game immediately after hitting the Lucky Slot (excluding the speed-up round). He also won an $18,000 car on his first day, winning a grand total of $38,700 in prizes. On the speed-up round, he immediately buzzed in after the first letter was put in its right position (the word was "albatross"). When Ahmad explained how the players had ten seconds to unscramble the word in the bonus game, he looked at Neil and said, "You probably won't need the 10 seconds, see?" (the word Neil solved was "gondolier").

Rerun Status

All episodes still exist. USA aired reruns of the series in 1994.

External links

* [http://www.caesarschallenge.com Caesar's Challenge fanpage]
* [http://www.loogslair.net/wiki/index.php?title=Caesar%27s_Challenge Rules for Caesar's Challenge]
* [http://www.qwizx.com/gssfx/usa/cae.html Sounds from the show]
* [http://www.flashgameshows.com/game-CCH.html Flash game of the first bonus round]
* [http://thegstemple.bravehost.com/rulesheets/caesar/challenge.htm Game Show Temple: "Caesars Challenge"]