The Challengers (game show)

The Challengers
The Challengers opening logo.
Genre	Game show
Created by	Ron Greenberg
Directed by	Morris Abraham, Chris Darley
Presented by	Dick Clark
Judges	Gary Johnson
Narrated by	Don Morrow Bob Hilton (substitute)
Composer(s)	Joel Hirschhorn Al Kasha Michael Lloyd
Country of origin	United States
Production
Location(s)	Hollywood Center Studios Hollywood, California
Running time	approx. 22-24 minutes
Production company(s)	Ron Greenberg Productions Dick Clark Productions
Distributor	Buena Vista Television
Release
Original network	Syndicated
Original release	September 3, 1990 – August 30, 1991

The Challengers is an American game show that aired in syndication from September 3, 1990 until August 30, 1991. The show remained in production for its entire run on the air, differing from most syndicated game shows which usually wrapped in the early summer.

The series was created by Ron Greenberg and was based largely on his 1969 production, The Who, What, or Where Game. Dick Clark presided over the show with Don Morrow announcing. The Challengers was a joint production of Ron Greenberg Productions and Dick Clark Productions, with Buena Vista Television as distributor.

Three contestants, one a returning champion, competed.

The players were each spotted $200 to start the round, and Clark asked a series of toss-up questions for which players had to buzz in. Correct answers added $100 to a player's score, while incorrect answers deducted $100 and took the question out of play for the other two players.

In early episodes, the rules were slightly different; players were not given any money at the outset, and if one player missed a question, either opponent could buzz in to answer it.

The round ended after 60 seconds, and the player in the lead gained initial control for the first round. If two players were tied, one final Sprint question was asked, with a correct answer or an incorrect answer by an opponent gaining control.

This round was briefly removed partway through the run in favor of a single toss-up question, with the contestant who answered correctly scoring $100 and control of the Round 1 board. However, after only a short time with this format, the Sprint later returned.

Six categories, each containing three questions, were displayed on a video wall. The contestant in the lead after the Challengers Sprint (or the one who answered the single toss-up correctly when the Sprint was not in use) chose one to begin the round. The contestants were then given clues to the subjects of the three questions, valued at $150, $200, and $250 in order of increasing difficulty (later reduced to $100, $150, and $200). Correct answers added the value of the question to the contestant's score, while incorrect answers subtracted the same value.

Each contestant secretly chose one of the three questions using buttons on their podiums, and their choices affected the gameplay as follows:

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