Quicksilver (game show)
| Quicksilver | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Game show |
| Created by | Stone-Stanley Productions |
| Presented by | Ron Maestri |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 130 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | David M. Greenfield |
| Running time | 30 Minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | USA Network |
| Original release | June 27, 1994 – October 13, 1995 |
Quicksilver is an American game show that saw contestants answering trivia questions that more often than not resulted in responses that were unintentional puns. The show aired on USA Network from July 27, 1994 until October 13, 1995 and was produced by Stone Stanley Entertainment. Ron Maestri hosted.
Three contestants competed in each game. There were no returning champions.
Four words or phrases were revealed at the start. These words or phrases were the answers to three questions in a packet. Maestri began reading a question, and contestants could buzz-in at any time. Due to the nature of the questions, being pun-laden as they were, buzzing-in early could cause a contestant to miss crucial information.
For example, given the choices Monty Hall, Picador, Pandora's Box and Trading Places, the host may ask "On the game show Let's Make a Deal…this is what host Monty Hall would ask contestants to do." A contestant buzzing-in before the question was finished might choose Monty Hall based upon Hall's association with the program. However, the correct answer in this case would be "picador," a play on the similar-sounding phrase "pick a door." Most questions had misleading wording and pun answers given in this format, known as a "swerve" in quiz bowl culture.
The contestant that buzzed-in with the correct answer received 25 points. An incorrect answer locked that contestant out of the rest of the question.
After every three questions, four new answers were revealed. Five packets of questions and answers were played in round one.
Five answers were revealed at the start of the round. Correct answers were worth 50 points, and after each correct answer was given it was taken off the board and replaced by another potential answer. Twelve total questions were played.
In addition to the displayed answer, there was a space marked "Quicksilver" at the top of the board (in some episodes, this was referred to as the "Mystery Blank"). If a contestant thought an answer to the question was not on the board, he/she would call out "Quicksilver" and give what he/she thought was the correct answer. Doing so earned the contestant 100 points and a bonus prize. The contestant was then asked a second question about the subject of the Quicksilver answer, on which he/she wagered a portion of his/her score (up to 200 points). Answering correctly added the value of the wager but answering it incorrectly or not answering it at all deducted the value of the wager. Only one Quicksilver answer was in play during the round.
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