Play the Percentages
| Play the Percentages | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Directed by | Richard S. Kline |
| Presented by | Geoff Edwards |
| Judges | Eric Warner, a.k.a. "Judge Von Erik" |
| Narrated by |
Jay Stewart Bob Hilton |
| Theme music composer | Hal Hidey |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Dan Enright |
| Producer(s) | Ron Greenberg |
| Location(s) | KCOP-TV/Chris-Craft Studios, Los Angeles, CA |
| Running time | approx. 22-26 Minutes |
| Production company(s) | Barry & Enright Productions |
| Distributor | Colbert Television Sales |
| Release | |
| Original network | Syndicated |
| Original release | January 7 – September 12, 1980 |
Play the Percentages is an American game show hosted by Geoff Edwards which aired in syndication from January 7 to September 12, 1980. Jay Stewart announced for the first six weeks, after which Bob Hilton became the permanent announcer.
The game changed format several times over its short run, but all forms involved some variation on asking questions with percentage answers or statistics.
Two married couples competed. One contestant from each couple was asked to estimate what percentage of 300 people answered a specific question correctly. Whoever was closest to the actual percentage, high or low, scored the actual percentage points. If both contestants guessed the same percentage, either contestant was given the option to change their estimate.
The contestant who scored the points could then either answer the question (without conferring with his or her spouse) or challenge his or her opponent to answer. A right answer or a successful challenge added the remaining percentage points to the couple's score. For example, if 53% answered the question correctly, a team earned 53 points for the closer guess and could earn an additional 47 points from a correct answer to the question or a successful challenge.
If the contestant with the initial control missed the question, the opponent could steal the points. Originally, a successful challenge also allowed the contestant to answer the question for the same number of points. Play alternated until a couple reached 300 points, at which point the team doing so won the game and $300.
Originally, if a team guessed the percentage exactly right, they won the game automatically. A week later, in addition to winning the game, the team won a cash jackpot that started at $10,000 for an exact guess, and the jackpot increased by $1,000 each game it was not won. Any couple who won five consecutive games received a new car.
On March 3, 1980, the format was overhauled. Two individual contestants, one a returning champion, competed in a straight quiz. Three categories were in play in each game. Two of the categories were selected by the players before the game, with each player selecting one that they felt they knew the most about. The third category consisted of random general knowledge questions and was called Potluck.
A round started with a category being determined by a randomizer, and two questions were asked in that category. The challenger chose a value from ten to ninety points in ten point increments for the first question with the points based on the percentage of the people surveyed who answered the question incorrectly, rounded to the nearest zero. Answering correctly earned the challenger the points, but the champion could steal them if the challenger did not answer correctly. The second question was played the same way, but with the champion determining the value.
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