Whew!
| Whew! | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Created by | Jay Wolpert |
| Directed by |
Bill Carruthers Chris Darley Tom Trbovich |
| Presented by | Tom Kennedy |
| Narrated by | Rod Roddy |
| Theme music composer | Alan Thicke |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | Unknown |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Bud Austin Burt Sugarman |
| Producer(s) | Jay Wolpert |
| Location(s) |
CBS Television City Hollywood, California |
| Running time | Approx. 25 minutes (with commercials) |
| Production company(s) | The Bud Austin Company Jay Wolpert Productions Burt Sugarman Inc. |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Original release | April 23, 1979 – May 30, 1980 |
Whew! is an American game show that aired on CBS from April 23, 1979, until May 30, 1980. It was hosted by Tom Kennedy and announced by Rod Roddy.
The game was created by Jay Wolpert. Production was initially credited to the Bud Austin Company, then later changed to Jay Wolpert Productions in association with Burt Sugarman Inc.
The gameboard consisted of five rows ("levels") of five squares each, with values from $10 to $50 in $10 increments, and a sixth level of three squares with values of $200, $350, and $500. Two contestants (or during the later half of the run, two teams of a celebrity and a non-celebrity) were told the categories for the first two rounds of play at the start of the match. The current challenger decided whether he/she would play as the charger or the blocker for the first round, and the champion took the other role. (If there was no returning champion, a coin toss determined which contestant made this decision.) The charger was led offstage to a soundproof booth, and the blocker then placed six blocks on the board. No more than three blocks could be placed on any of the first five levels, and no more than one on the sixth.
The charger was brought back onstage and given 60 seconds to advance through all six levels by correcting "bloopers", or factual statements in which one word had been changed. (Example: "The B&O was the first American passenger smell", with "railroad" as the correct answer.) The charger started on level one by choosing one of its squares; if a blooper was hidden there, it was revealed on that space's trilon and read out. The incorrect word was marked with an underline, and was the only part that the charger needed to correct. A correct answer allowed him/her to move to the next level. Uncovering a block incurred a five-second penalty, which was counted down by Kennedy and the audience (and sometimes the blocker as well) before the charger could continue. If the charger revealed all the spaces on a level without a correct answer, the level was "exhausted" and the charger was allowed to advance.
If the charger believed that he/she running short on time, and had not yet reached level six, he/she could call a Longshot. The clock was stopped, the charger immediately advanced to level six, and the blocker hid one secret block on that level in addition to the one that may have already been placed there. The charger then selected one square and attempted to correct its blooper if one was hidden there. The charger won the round by either clearing all six levels or successfully completing a Longshot. If the charger ran out of time, or either hit a block or failed to correct a blooper after calling a Longshot, the blocker won the round. The charger could not call a Longshot after reaching level six or during the five-second penalty for hitting a block, but could do so at any other time, even while Kennedy was reading a blooper.
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