The Big Surprise

The Big Surprise
Mike Wallace with Sue Oakland and Mary Gardiner, 1956.
Genre	Game show
Presented by	Jack Barry (1955–1956) Mike Wallace (1956–1957)
Narrated by	Jack Clark
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	2
Production
Running time	30 minutes
Release
Original network	NBC
Original release	October 8, 1955 – April 2, 1957

The Big Surprise is a television quiz show broadcast in the United States by NBC from October 8, 1955, to June 9, 1956, and from September 18, 1956, to April 2, 1957. It was hastily created by NBC in response to the ratings success of The $64,000 Question, which had premiered on CBS in summer 1955 and almost instantly became a hit. The Big Surprise offered a grand prize of $100,000.

The series was originally hosted by Jack Barry through March 3, 1956, after which he was replaced by Mike Wallace for the rest of the run.

Contestants who had performed an act of heroism or generosity were accompanied by "reporters" who explained why that contestant should be chosen. The contestant then answered questions about his or her family, friends, hometown, hobbies, and other special interests. Questions started in value at $1 and increased up to $100,000. An incorrect answer on any of the easy questions lost all winnings, while an incorrect answer on any of the hard questions lost half of the winnings.

If a contestant missed a question, another contestant could answer a question correctly and receive 10% of the original contestant's winnings, with the original contestant keeping the other 90%. While there were some alterations in the show's format over the next six months, it was basically a straight quiz with a few gimmicks such as two "insurance questions" which could be used, if answered correctly, to prevent the complete loss of winnings which otherwise occurred in the event of an incorrect answer to the regular questions. The questions were valued at $100, $200, $300, $1,000, $2,000, $3,000, $10,000, $20,000, $30,000, and $100,000.

Unlike The $64,000 Question, the contestant being queried did not stand in an isolation booth.

At least four people won the $100,000 grand prize:

The Big Surprise never approached the popularity of The $64,000 Question and had ended prior to the disclosure of the quiz show scandal, which forced all big-money game shows off the air in the United States for several years.

The series is believed to have been destroyed as per network practices of the era. Only the April 7, 1956, show is known to exist, which begins with guest contestant Errol Flynn going for $30,000.