Debt | |
---|---|
Genre | Game show |
Directed by | James Marcione |
Presented by | Wink Martindale |
Narrated by | Julie Claire |
Theme music composer | Alan Ett |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of seasons | 2 |
Production | |
Running time | approx. 22–26 minutes |
Production company(s) |
Lifetime Productions Faded Denim Productions Buena Vista Television |
Release | |
Original network | Lifetime |
Original release | June 3, 1996 – August 14, 1998 |
Debt is an American game show hosted by Wink Martindale which aired on Lifetime from June 3, 1996 to August 14, 1998. The show featured contestants who were trying to earn money to get out of debt.
The game was conceived by Sarah Jane West. Its host was Wink Martindale, and Kurt Engstrom was featured as an assistant playing the role of a security guard. Julie Claire was the show's announcer.
Three new contestants competed per episode, each having accumulated several thousand dollars' worth of debt for various reasons (school loans, paying for a wedding, etc.). For scoring purposes, their debts were averaged before the game began. Scores were shown in negative amounts to indicate their remaining debts.
In the first round, contestants faced a gameboard with five categories, each with five questions in negative dollar values ranging from −$50 to −$250, in increments of $50. The first selection went to the contestant who had the lowest debt before averaging the scores. The contestant in control chose a category and value, and Martindale asked "Who am I?" toss-up question. (Example: "I'm the name of the fictitious, mustachioed 'ranking officer' who hawks the Quaker Oats cereal Peanut Butter Crunch.") Contestants buzzed-in to answer and were required to phrase their response as "You are..." to receive credit (although the contraction "You're" also was accepted). (The correct answer to the example is "You are Cap'n Crunch.") A correct answer deducted the question's value from the contestant's debt. A wrong answer or failing to respond within the time frame added the value, increasing the contestant's debt, and allowed the others to buzz-in. The contestant who answered correctly then chose the next question from the board. If no one did so, the contestant who gave the last correct answer kept control.
A "Debt-onator" was hidden behind one question, judged by the producers to be the most difficult one of the round. Regardless of the displayed value, it was played for −$500.
The players were warned when the round entered its final two minutes. Once time ran out or all 25 questions had been asked, the contestant with the highest debt was eliminated and received a consolation prize of a $200 savings bond, along with a piggy bank styled as the character Hamm from the Pixar movie Toy Story.