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Post by mike on Jan 23, 2020 2:05:25 GMT -5
Another of Brendan's recaps:
The week of November 25, 1985, the celebrity guests on "The $25,000 Pyramid" were Abby Dalton of "Falcon Crest" and Ken Kercheval of "Dallas." It was the fifth visit to the game for Abby and the third visit to this version for Ken. It was the first time both of them had been on the game in a long time. Abby's last visit was in September of 1984, and Ken's was in October of 1983.
On Monday's game, waitress Janine Drisner challenged the returning champ, homemaker Mariann Wells. Abby and Janine took the first game and had the week's only big win when Janine guessed top category THINGS THAT ARE HOOKED and earned $10,000. Mariann attempted to tie that score in the next round, but she missed top boxes THINGS AT THE UNITED NATIONS (on which Abby got buzzed for saying "all of the nations' flags") and THINGS THAT REQUIRE A PARTNER. Mariann left with $2,150 and a trip to Paris.
On Tuesday, a contestant named Jerry (didn't catch his last name) was the new contestant. He and Abby won $500 in the first round, missing top categories THINGS IN A MINE and THINGS THAT ARE WHIPPED. He and Ken had a close call for $25,000 in the next round, but they couldn't get top category THINGS THAT ARE CENSORED. Janine left with her $10,000, plus a car and a trip to Hawaii.
Kris McDonnell was Jerry's opponent on Wednesday, and she took both games. She and Abby scored $550 in the first round, missing $200 box THINGS WITH TEETH (on which Abby got buzzed for saying "saber tigers") and top box THINGS THAT ARE LAUNCHED. Ken again came within one category of giving away $25,000 in the next round when Kris missed top box THINGS YOU GRIND. Jerry went home with $1,250.
There was no show on Thursday because of the Thanksgiving holiday, so Friday's episode was the last of a four-day week. The new contestant was teacher Joanne Schuber, sister of future "$100,000 Pyramid" champ Marilyn Evans. Kris and Ken took the first game but only won $300, missing top boxes THINGS YOU STEP ON, THINGS THAT HISS, and THINGS MADE OF PLASTER. Ken had one last $750 win in the week's final round when Joanne missed top box THINGS YOU DON'T TOUCH in her attempt for $10,000. Kris left with $2,700. So far, Joanne had won $1,850, and she would return on Monday.
Abby had kind of a scattershot history of giving away money on "Pyramid." She didn't win at all on her first visit, in January 1983, but in her next two appearances, she gave away $25,000 twice each week. Her last appearance, though, netted no big wins, while opponent Earl Holliman scored four $10,000 wins, including a double- header on the Wednesday show. Ken - who had played the New York versions of the game twice - had a strong week in late 1982, giving away $10,000 three times, with a double-header on Friday. However, he wasn't able to keep up that pace in future appearances, giving away the big money once a week at most (including a $10,000 win in the receiving chair in 1983). He was an enthusiastic player but sometimes seemed at a loss for words in the front games, taking a couple seconds to get his clues out.
Final tallies - Abby: 4 games, $13,750; Ken: 4 games, $3,650.
Next week's match: Martha Smith vs. Howard Morton.
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Post by mike on Jan 23, 2020 2:09:58 GMT -5
Week of May 4, 1987:
Celebrities were Gladys Knight and Michael Spound. This was Gladys' first time playing the game in Los Angeles. Surprisingly, Dick Clark did not remember her visits to the show in New York. Although this was her only appearance on this version, she would play a memorable week of "The $100,000 Pyramid" later in 1987 against her friend Smokey Robinson and three shows of Donny Osmond's version.
Michael and returning champ Eddie took the first game and won $10,000, the last category being THINGS THAT EXPIRE. Gladys and Eddie won game 2 and scored $300.
Michael and Eddie attempted to repeat their $10,000 feat in Tuesday's first round, but they had to settle for $500. New player Sue tried to tie that in the next round, but they stopped at $400, during which Michael got buzzed on WHY YOU MAKE LOVE (SEX) for saying "because you love someone." Since Sue didn't tie the high score and it was Eddie's fifth day, both players left the show. Eddie went home undefeated with $14,100, a trip to Rio, and a home computer.
Michael made it to the winner's circle with both new contestants, Gail and Jennifer, on Wednesday and scored $500 both times, which meant they would both come back on Thursday. Michael and Jennifer won $5,000 in the second round for breaking a 21-21 tie.
Gladys made it back to the circle in Thursday's first round, winning $600 with Jennifer. In the next round, Jennifer and Michael again broke a 21-21 tie and won another $5,000, then added $25,000 to that when Jennifer guessed THINGS THAT ARE PUBLIC on Michael's clue "the American school system." Interestingly, when Michael gave away $25,000 in June of 1986, the top category that time was also THINGS THAT ARE PUBLIC. This may be the only time that a celebrity has given away $25,000 twice with the same top category both times.
On the last day of the week, Jennifer took both games. She and Michael scored $500 in the first round, and she and Gladys won $300 in the second round. She would return the next week.
Tallies for the week: Gladys – 3 games, $1,700; Michael – 7 games, $49,600.
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Post by mike on Jan 23, 2020 2:10:22 GMT -5
Week of May 11, 1987:
Guests were Linda Kelsey and Soupy Sales. This was the first time either celebrity had played the daytime version for a long time. Linda had just played the $100,000 tournament the previous week on the nighttime show, but this was her first visit to the daytime show since the summer of 1985. Soupy's last time on the daytime show was in the spring of 1985. This would be Linda's last visit to any version of the show.
Soupy and returning champ Jennifer Kirschner won the first game on Monday and scored $800 after Soupy got buzzed on $250 box THINGS THAT ARRIVE for saying "a baby on time." Linda and Jennifer won $500 in their attempt for $25,000.
Soupy and Jennifer again tried for $10,000 in Tuesday's first round but stopped at $500. In the second round, Jennifer broke another 21- 21 tie and won $5,000. Her last try for $25,000, though, was much less profitable, as she and Linda only won $150. Still, she left with an impressive record, winning nine games in a row (the only game she lost, her very first, had ended in a 20-20 tie) and accumulating $47,650, a trip to Hong Kong, an audio system, and a TV set, placing her at number 15 on the list of biggest winners on "The $25,000 Pyramid" and at number 52 on the all-time winners list. Especially interesting is the fact that although she went to the winner's circle nine times and left with a great total, she only won the big board once. Most of the rest of her winnings came from the three $5,000 tiebreaker bonuses and four 7-11s that she won.
For the second week in a row, Wednesday brought two new players. Linda and Debbie won the first game and provided the week's only big win when Debbie guessed THINGS THAT ARE DIFFICULT and won $10,000. Judy tried to tie that in the next round but instead scored $500 in a rare way: skipping the first and fourth boxes and getting the second, third, and fifth ones.
Debbie won both games on Thursday and scored $350 each time. Dick Clark got a kick out of Linda's clue of "toothbrush" for THINGS PEOPLE SHARE.
The last day of the week, Linda won both games. She and newcomer Pam won $400 in the first round, during which Linda got buzzed on $100 box "LINES YOU WRITE IN A DIARY" for saying "I'm writing…" Debbie and Linda wrapped up the week with a $150 win, so Pam would return on Monday.
Tallies for the week: Linda – 7 games, $18,150; Soupy – 3 games, $3,850.
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Post by mike on Jan 23, 2020 2:11:05 GMT -5
Week of May 18, 1987:
The stars were "Hotel's" Heidi Bohay and Smokey Robinson. Heidi had played the nighttime version twice in the last year and a half, but this was her first visit to the daytime version since January 1986. This was Smokey's first "Pyramid" appearance ever. Dick Clark said at the beginning of the show that Smokey had been bugging him for 10 years: "When am I gonna do the `Pyramid'?" He would go on to play the nighttime version once and three shows of Donny Osmond's version.
Heidi and newcomer Sue won the first game and scored $800, missing $250 box SECRET THINGS. In the next round, it looked like it would be a tie when Heidi skipped the $250 box and then got top box SMOOTH THINGS, but returning champ Pam went back and guessed THINGS THAT PINCH for a $10,000 win. This was Heidi's first win on the daytime show since her debut appearance, in October of 1984.
Smokey had his first shot in the winner's circle in Tuesday's first round. He sailed to the top and then got buzzed on top box SOMETHING YOU PRESS for saying "something that's wrinkled." Dick mistakenly said that the buzz was because "something" was in the answer, but I'm sure it was because the clue was too descriptive. Heidi and Pam tried for $25,000 in the next round and accumulated $500.
Wednesday was somewhat of a reverse of Tuesday for Pam: She scored $500 in the first round and $750 in the second round. The top box that kept her and Heidi from 25 grand was THINGS IN A PILE.
The new player on Thursday was Christie Kanen, whose sister Louise would win $10,000 with Annie Bloom in October and whose sister Patty would win $10,000 with Constance McCashin on the nighttime version the next year. She and Heidi won $750 in the first round, having just a few seconds on top box THINGS THAT ARE STROKED. In the next round, Smokey had his first big win when Christie guessed THINGS YOU SPRAY for $25,000.
In Friday's first round, new player Larry won $10,000 with Heidi when he guessed top box THINGS THAT ARE FAITHFUL. In the last round of the week, Larry and Smokey racked up $500. Normally, he would return on Monday, but since there was a special all-celebrity tournament planned for next week, he would return the following week, when his partners would be a Golden Girl and a former "Pyramid" emcee.
Editor's note: In my opinion, this week demonstrated what was really fun about celebrities appearing on game shows. Here was Smokey Robinson, a music legend, appearing on a game that he had quite obviously been watching religiously for years and that he played along with at home. He was enjoying a career resurgence with the top 10 hit "Just To See Her," and at the top of this new swell of popularity, he came to CBS to do this game. He admitted on the air that the biggest challenge was just getting used to playing the game in the studio as opposed to at home, where he jokingly bragged that he had won millions for contestants. He was a true fan, and getting to see him grow in this foreign environment and become more and more comfortable with it and enjoy it more and more as the week progressed was so much fun as a viewer. And when he had his big $25,000 win on Thursday, he beamed from ear to ear and jumped around the winner's circle like crazy. He was obviously a very happy man at that moment, and it was a joy to see. (I almost wore out my tape of the original broadcast by replaying it over and over.) Unfortunately, that era of seeing celebrities on game shows purely as themselves seems to be over, what with today's producers coaching everyone so much that most, if not all, of the spontaneity has gone out of what seemed to be America's last genre of true reality TV: the game show.
Tallies for the week: Heidi – 6 games, $24,250; Smokey – 4 games, $28,950.
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Post by mike on Jan 23, 2020 2:11:47 GMT -5
Week of May 25, 1987:
This week was the first "Battle of the CBS Soaps" on "Pyramid." It was the second all-celebrity week for this version of the show. Three teams were featured: Patty Weaver and Terry Lester of "The Young and the Restless," Lauren Koslow and John McCook of "The Bold and the Beautiful," and Hillary Bailey-Smith and Scott Bryce of "As the World Turns." Terry was the only celeb who had previous "Pyramid" experience. The week was played round-robin style. Two teams would play against each other in the first round, and the winners would try for $10,000. That team would then face the third team in the second round, and if they were victorious again, they would try for a total of $25,000. Instead of a Mystery 7, another 7-11 would be played in the second round each day. The $5,000 bonus for a 21-21 tie was still in effect, but it never came into play during the week.
Y&R and B&B played the first round on Monday, and B&B won the game. Lauren gave the clues to John, and they scored $800, missing THINGS THAT CREAK when Lauren accidentally started to say a part of "creak." ATWT won the next round, and with Hillary giving the clues, they won $10,000 when Scott guessed top box THINGS THAT ARE SCHEDULED. Like Smokey Robinson the week before, you could tell that Hillary was a regular "Pyramid" watcher. Her clues were direct and quick.
Y&R won their only game of the week in Tuesday's first round. With Terry giving the clues, they won $10,000 when Patty guessed THINGS THAT SOAR. B&B won the second game, and with John giving the clues, a buzzer again stopped them at $800, this time because John said "in God" for THINGS YOU TRUST.
B&B won the first game on Wednesday, and with John giving again, they scored $550. This time John got buzzed on top box THINGS THAT ARE CENSORED for saying "blue words in a movie script." They won the next game and had the week's first try for $25,000. Lauren gave the clues, and they won $350, during which Lauren got buzzed on $150 box THIN THINGS (SKINNY) for saying "someone who's been on a diet for a long time." Unlike Hillary, although Lauren was decent at the game, you could tell that she wasn't as schooled in the types of clues to give.
ATWT won Thursday's first round. Hillary gave the clues, and they stopped at $800 when she got buzzed on $250 box THINGS THAT ARE PAMPERED for saying "a spoiled child." They tried for $25,000 in the next round. Interestingly, they switched seats and didn't do anywhere near as well with Scott giving, scoring only $250. (However, when Scott appeared on John Davidson's version four years later, it was obvious that he had practiced the winner's circle more. He hit for $10,000 twice that week, each time doing it in less than 40 seconds.)
On Friday, ATWT won the first game and went back to Hillary giving the clues. She and Scott scored $500 this time. In the last round of the week, they returned to the winner's circle and hit for $25,000 when Scott guessed THINGS THAT ARE SACRED (HOLY).
Tallies for the week: ATWT – 5 games, $40,450; B&B – 4 games, $5,000 (rounded up from $2,500); Y&R – 1 game, $13,300.
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Post by mike on Jan 23, 2020 2:13:47 GMT -5
Week of June 1, 1987:
Special guests this week were Betty White of "Golden Girls" and Bill Cullen. This would mark Bill's last appearance on the game and, as far as anyone can tell, his last appearance on TV.
Bill started off the week well, guiding returning champ Larry to $10,000 when Larry guessed top category SNEAKY THINGS. It was Bill's last big win and his first in over two years. He tried to tie that mark in the next round, but he and new player Kathy only scored $150.
Betty won both games on Tuesday and won $550 with both Larry and with newcomer Denise. Bill had a funny blooper in the first front game. For "Judas," Larry said to Bill, "He betrayed Christ," to which Bill responded, "Charlton Heston."
Betty and Denise took the first game on Wednesday and won $300. In the front game of the second round, there was a category called TO TELL THE TRUTH. Dick Clark asked Bill if he had done that game, and he said that he had. Dick then read a list of every game that Bill had hosted or sub-hosted, followed by a warm round of applause from the audience. Dick said, "Can't you keep a job, Bill?" Bill joked, "Not one of them lasted more than 13 weeks." Dick then told Bill that when he started out in the business, he wanted to be like Bill. Denise and Bill won that game and scored only $200, during which Bill got buzzed on $100 box THINGS AT A RACE TRACK for inadvertently saying "races."
At the beginning of Thursday's show, Dick said that he had rattled off the long list of Bill's shows the previous day, and then he asked Betty how many Emmys she had won. She humbly replied, "Five," to the applause of the audience. Dick reminded the viewers that one of them was for hosting "Just Men!" in 1983. Betty and newcomer Christine won the first round and scored $600. In the next round, Betty had her only big win this week when Denise guessed top category THINGS THAT SNAP.
In Friday's first round, Betty and new player Julie won $750. Betty got desperate on top box SOPHISTICATED THINGS and said "un-naïve things" and got buzzed with two seconds left on the clock. In the last round of the week, Bill and Julie scored $450. Interestingly, they had to pass $50 category THINGS ON THE $25,000 PYRAMID.
All in all, a good week for Bill and a great way for him to wrap up his "Pyramid" career: playing against a good friend, racking up one more big win (putting his total career winnings at over $260,000, at least; I didn't get to see his week against Shelley Smith in 1983), and getting a great tribute from Dick in the middle of the week. Also, as a bit of trivia, to the best of my knowledge, this was only the second week that no Mystery 7 prizes were won. The first week that this happened was the second week of the series.
Tallies for the week: Betty - 6 games, $12,750; Bill - 4 games, $15,200.
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Post by mike on Jan 23, 2020 2:14:01 GMT -5
Week of June 8, 1987:
The stars were Teresa Ganzel and Nipsey Russell. They had been opponents once before, on the nighttime version in 1985. This was Nipsey's last appearance on the daytime show; he would go on to play the nighttime version two more times.
Nipsey and returning champ Julie won the first round on Monday and scored $750, missing THINGS YOU APPRECIATE. Teresa and Julie had the week's only big win in the second round when Julie guessed top box THINGS WITH A SURFACE. This was Teresa's third $25,000 win, the first two happening in November of 1985 and September of 1986.
Nipsey and Julie won Tuesday's first round and scored $600 in an interesting way: Nipsey got buzzed on the middle two categories (THINGS YOU COLOR for saying "a dyed dress" and THINGS THAT STICK OUT for saying "the nose on your face") and they got the top box. Teresa and Julie tried for $25,000 again in the next round but stopped at $600 this time.
On Wednesday, Nipsey and Julie again took the first round, and they racked up another $750, this time missing THINGS YOU PROLONG. Teresa and Julie made another attempt at $25,000 in round 2, but they only won $300, with Teresa getting buzzed on $200 box AUTOMATIC THINGS for saying "a non-shifting car."
In Thursday's first round, Julie won her ninth game in a row, but she and Nipsey only won $350. Newcomer Brenda finally broke Julie's winning streak in the second round, and she and Nipsey won $750, missing THINGS YOU LOCATE. Julie left with $31,000, a trip to the Bahamas, an audio system, and a TV.
New player Tracy won both games on Friday. She and Teresa won $400 in the first round, and in the last game of the week, she and Nipsey scored $200. She would return to play on Monday.
I have to say, it seemed like the producers forgot that this week wasn't the $100,000 tournament. The difficulty level of the categories was especially difficult all five days. It's not surprising that there was only one big win.
Tallies for the week: Teresa - 4 games, $26,300; Nipsey - 6 games, $4,850.
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Post by mike on Jan 23, 2020 2:14:22 GMT -5
Week of June 15, 1987:
Guests were Annie Bloom of "Not Necessarily the News" and Chris Lemmon of "Duet." This was Chris' second and last visit to the show. Although the categories in the winner's circle were much more reasonable this week, there were no big wins.
Annie and newcomer Melinda won the first game on Monday and scored $800 after Annie got buzzed on $250 box THINGS THAT YOU CROSS for saying "yourself at church." Returning champ Tracy tried to tie that mark but stopped at $150.
Annie and new player LaToi (really unsure of spelling) won Tuesday's first game and racked up $750 when Annie got buzzed on top box THINGS MADE OF ALUMINUM for saying "a metal roof." Melinda and Annie scored $500 in round 2, during which Annie got buzzed on $300 box THINGS THAT ARE BROAD for saying "a wide building."
Chris made it to the winner's circle in Wednesday's first round and won $800 for LaToi, missing $250 box THINGS IN A TAXI (CAB). The second round ended in a 21-21 tie, which was broken by LaToi and Annie, earning LaToi $5,000 in bonus money. An interesting thing happened afterward, though, which Dick Clark commented on after the commercial. The sixth answer for Chris and Theresa's tiebreaker was "ham," and Chris responded "hamburger" on the buzzer, for which they received credit because it contained the word "ham." After walking to the winner's circle, LaToi said to Dick, "Chris said 'hamburger' for 'ham.' Wouldn't that count?" She must have lost track of what word they were on and, when she saw the final "6" on the scoreboard, thought that they hadn't been given credit. That's one of the only times I saw a winning contestant try to score points for their opponent. Annie and LaToi scored $500 in their attempt for $25,000.
Chris and LaToi won Thursday's first round and again scored $800, this time missing THINGS WITH A MIRROR. More unusualness happened in the second round. When the front game started, Dick didn't notice that the screen was in front of Chris' partner, Pat, and not in front of Chris, where it should have been, so Pat started the round giving the clues. After the first category had been played, to make things even, LaToi gave the clues to Annie for their first category, then the celebs gave the clues in the second round, and, as always, the contestant had the option of giving or receiving in the third round. Pat and Chris won the game and scored $450 in the circle, during which Chris got buzzed on $100 box THINGS AT A DISCOTHEQUE for saying "a ball with reflective sides."
On the last day of the week, Chris and LaToi again won the first round, and they scored $750 when Chris got buzzed on THINGS YOU CLIP for saying "your laundry on a string." In the second round, LaToi and Annie scored only $200, during which Annie got buzzed on $100 box "WHAT LITTLE BO PEEP MIGHT SAY" for saying "I'm a little girl."
The buzzer was not kind to the celebs this week, as it made an appearance in 6 of the 10 rounds. Annie hadn't been on the show for a little over a year, and I think she was rusty on some of the rules for giving clues. Unfortunately for Chris, in his two appearances on the game, he never did hit the big money, though he had four close calls in his six visits to the circle. This marked the first winless week of 1987.
Tallies for the week: Annie - 6 games, $10,100; Chris - 4 games, $3,900.
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Post by mike on Jan 23, 2020 2:17:21 GMT -5
Week of June 22, 1987:
Celebrities were Mary Cadorette and Joel Brooks of "My Sister Sam." This would be Mary's last visit to the daytime show, but she would go on to do the nighttime show one more time and John Davidson's version once.
On Monday's show, on her fifth and last day, returning champ LaToi finally hit the big money when she guessed THINGS THAT ARE DELICATE from Joel's clues and won $10,000. An interesting situation happened in the second round. When new player Kevin was giving clues to Joel, the bell rang accidentally in the last few seconds, which made Joel think he had given a correct answer and which confused both players. After five categories, the score was 17 to 12, and Dick Clark asked the judge to have LaToi win by two points so that it would be a "clean" win. In giving the clues, LaToi passed the next-to-last word and then got the remaining word. This made the score 18-17, which Dick declared a tie because they needed the two-point margin. It worked out for Mary and LaToi, though, who broke the tie and earned $550 in the winner's circle. This brought LaToi's final total to $21,550 and a living-room set, and she retired undefeated.
Two new players were introduced on Tuesday, Krisha (unsure of spelling) and Leann. Mary and Krisha won the first game and scored $350. A funny exchange happened in the second front game when, as a clue for "apple," Mary said, "Isaac Newton shot it off his son's head." Joel and Krisha won the second game and $300.
The first game on Wednesday ended in a 21-21 tie, which was broken by Mary and newcomer Bonnie, earning Bonnie $5,000. They almost made it to $10,000, but Bonnie couldn't guess $250 box THINGS ON A TRAY, so they stopped at $800. (Interestingly, the same category had kept Mary from a $10,000 win the previous August.) Krisha tried to tie that mark in the next round but only won $150.
Bonnie took both games on Thursday's show and won $350 each time. In the first round, she just missed a $650 score by saying top box THINGS THAT SHRINK right after the buzzer.
In Friday's first round, Mary had her last big win on any version of "Pyramid" when newcomer Valerie guessed THINGS THAT GLIDE with 30 seconds left on the clock. Valerie returned in the next round with Joel, and they won $500. She would come back on Monday.
Tallies for the week: Mary – 6 games, $19,400; Joel – 4 games, $13,350.
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Post by mike on Jan 23, 2020 2:17:40 GMT -5
Week of June 29, 1987:
The stars were Shelley Smith and Nathan Cook of "Hotel." They would play against each other one more time on the daytime version in 1988.
Nathan and Valerie won the first game and got off to a slow start, winning only $200. Nathan and newcomer Pat fared better in the next round, winning $800, with NATURAL THINGS (NATURE) being the only stumbling block on the way to $10,000.
Shelley and new player Sheraton won Tuesday's first round and also scored $800, missing THINGS THAT GIVE SUPPORT, for which Dick Clark gave what he considered the perfect clue: steel-reinforced brassieres. Pat and Shelley scored $300 in round 2, with Shelley getting buzzed on $50 box PARTS OF A CALCULATOR for saying "the little hand-holding buttons."
Shelley and newcomer Ruby took Wednesday's first round and scored $850, leaving only $200 category THINGS AT A CONVENTION on the board. In the front game of the second round, Dick announced that the Mystery 7 prize was a trip to Hong Kong, to which the audience said, "Oooooh!" Dick then told a story about how he had recently been to a taping of an unnamed game show (which, we found out later, was John Davidson's "Hollywood Squares"), and when they announced the prizes, a staffer held up a cue card to the audience that said "Ooooooh!" So every time Dick made a reference to the trip for the rest of the show, he made the audience say "Ooooooh!" Nathan and Ruby won the game (and the trip, by the way) and scored $150 in the circle.
In Thursday's first round, Nathan and Ruby had the week's only big win when Ruby guessed THINGS THAT ARE SPLIT. They had 33 seconds to get it and more than half of them. In the second front game, Shelley got cuckooed on "debate" for saying "A, B, C…" Dick surmised at the time that the cuckoo was inadvertent (which didn't matter because they had passed the word anyway), but at the end of the show, he said that there was a new rule that said you couldn't lead your partner to the first letter of the word. Nathan and newcomer David won the second game and tried to tie Ruby's $10,000 but won only $500.
In the first round of Friday's show, it looked like Nathan and Ruby had won another $10,000. But when they returned from the commercial, Dick had bad news. For some reason, the buzzer didn't ring in the studio when Nathan said "a breath of fresh air" for top box THINGS THAT ARE REFRESHING. This meant that Ruby had actually won $750 and not $10,000. (I'm guessing Dick must have been distracted when Nathan gave his clue; otherwise, I'm sure he would have said something.) Nathan and new player Julie won the second game, and Julie opted to give the clues to Nathan and won $500. Since Ruby had the high score, she would return on Monday, when her partners would be Kimberly Russell and Allan Kayser.
Tallies for the week: Shelley – 3 games, $4,150; Nathan – 7 games, $14,000.
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Post by pyramidfan on Jan 23, 2020 10:41:27 GMT -5
In addition, Anne won the Mystery 7 bonus prize on the April 3 show too. What was the bonus prize offered that day Brendan? A trip to Mexico.
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Post by mike on Jan 24, 2020 0:21:33 GMT -5
Week of June 2, 1986:
Celebrities were Shelley Smith and Barry Jenner from "Dallas." They would play against each other again in the 8th "$100,000 Pyramid" tournament, in September of 1987.
Returning champ Vicki Rabb won both games on Monday, and she earned $550 with Barry and $300 with Shelley.
On Tuesday, Barry and Vicki hit for $10,000 when Vicki guessed THINGS YOU BLEND. Vicki and Shelley had a close call for $25,000 in the next round, but Shelley got buzzed on top subject THINGS YOU PROCLAIM for saying "America's independence from England."
Wednesday was Vicki's final day, and she and Barry again hit for $10,000, this time finishing on THINGS YOU REJECT. Vicki made it to the circle one last time, but she had to settle for $850 when she couldn't guess $200 box THINGS THAT ARE RESERVED from Shelley's clues. Vicki retired undefeated with $51,650, a trip to Hong Kong, and a CD player, placing her at number 7 on the list of biggest winners on "The $25,000 Pyramid" and at number 33 on the all-time list. She also became only the fifth player to win all 10 of her games. Interestingly, all five of the players who won all 10 games taped their shows within a year of each other.
Thursday's first round ended in a 21-21 tie, which was broken by Barry and newcomer Leslie Wilson, earning Leslie $5,000. They didn't fare so well in the circle, winning only $350. Leslie came back strong in the next round, though, and provided Shelley's only win of the week when she guessed THINGS THAT ARE SPECIAL for $25,000. In her first day on the show, Leslie had already won $31,100 and a Caribbean cruise. Incidentally, this was Shelley's fourth $25,000 win, having had one each in January of 1984, January of 1985, and March of this year.
On the last day of the week, Barry and Leslie returned to the circle and won $900 after Barry got buzzed on NUMBERS THAT CONTAIN A ZERO for saying "certain Social Security numbers." Barry and new player Mike tried to tie the $900 but stopped at $500.
Tallies for the week: Shelley - 4 games, $26,900; Barry - 6 games, $31,350.
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Post by mike on Jan 24, 2020 0:22:31 GMT -5
Week of June 9, 1986:
Guests were "Scarecrow & Mrs. King's" Martha Smith and Robert Mandan. This would be Robert's last time on "Pyramid."
Returning champ Leslie won both games, earning $500 in the first round with Robert and almost setting a record in the second round. If she would have been able to identify $150 category THINGS IN GIN RUMMY from Martha's clues, she would have won a total of $65,100. She did earn $5,000 in the second round for breaking a 21-21 tie, though.
There was another 21-21 tie in Tuesday's first round, but new player Patti broke it this time. Some odd things happened in the first round. First, the 7-11 card inadvertently didn't get placed in the correct box. The lights blinked and the bells sounded, but there was no card. Second, during Robert's clue-giving during the tiebreaker, an audience member shouted out the answer FEE, which neither Robert nor Leslie heard, apparently. During the first winner's circle, in which Patti earned $300, it was apparent that Dick Clark was still rattled by these two incidents, because Martha passed on the $200 box and Dick shouted, "Next, please! Next!" even though the next box had already been turned.
The day ended well, though, with Leslie winning $10,000 (the week's only big win) when she guessed THINGS THAT ARE DEVASTATING off of Martha's sole clue, "a horrible earthquake." This placed Leslie's total at $51,700, a Caribbean cruise, a piano, and a home computer, placing her at number 6 on the list of biggest winners on "The $25,000 Pyramid" and at number 32 on the all-time list. It also meant that, after only four days, she had to be retired undefeated since she had passed CBS' winnings cap of $50,000. She was only the second player to be retired before five days of play, the first being Mari Nikotera in April of 1985. It's scary to think of what Leslie could have done with one more day, because she achieved a perfect 21-point game in five of her eight games. In fact, in every game she played this week, she earned 21 points.
For the remaining three days, Martha had $750 close calls in the first round, missing THINGS MADE OF BAMBOO, THINGS THAT ARE SCARCE, and THINGS THAT ARE ANALYZED, respectively. In the second round of both Wednesday's and Thursday's shows, she only scored $300. On Friday, in the last try for $25,000 for the week, Robert and new contestant Nina won $400.
Tallies for the week: Martha - 8 games, $26,250; Robert - 2 games, $3,100.
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Post by mike on Jan 24, 2020 0:22:55 GMT -5
Week of June 16, 1986:
Stars for the week were Janis Paige of "Trapper John, M.D." and "Hotel's" Michael Spound. Janis was the very epitome of the nervous first-time player. She was obviously excited to be on the show but still had some kinks to work out of her game.
She did win both of Monday's games, though neither score was that high - $300 and $400, respectively. Her inexperience showed in the second round. She reached top category THINGS THAT COME IN A TUBE and said "Pass" after a few clues, to which Dick Clark said, "You have to go back to one of the ones you skipped." Indicating she wanted to go back to THINGS AT A CONVENTION, she said, "Convention." The buzzer rang, but she still continued to give clues for that category until the 60 seconds expired.
Tuesday's first round ended in a 21-21, which was broken by Michael and Nina, earning Nina $5,000. The winning team went on to hit for $10,000 on THINGS YOU GRIND. Nina's husband, future "$100,000 Pyramid" contestant Mike Crum, ran onstage after the big win. Michael tried to duplicate that $10,000 win in the next round, but new contestant Mike only won $500.
Janis' lack of experience showed again in Wednesday's first round when she got buzzed on top category THINGS ON A PRAIRIE for saying "Western" after partner Mary guessed "things in a desert." They got the rest of the board, though, jumping back and picking up CHRISTMAS SONGS in the $50 box right before time expired. In the next round, Nina chose to give the clues to Janis and earned $650. She might have tied the $750 had she jumped back from top box THINGS THAT PROBE to NEIL SIMON PLAYS OR MOVIES in the $100 box, which she skipped without giving any clues.
In Thursday's first round, Janis and new player Susan scored $500 in the circle. Michael and Susan almost had a $25,000 win in the next round, but Susan got stumped by top category THINGS WITH A STRAP, even after Michael said "this chair."
Friday ended with a bang, with new contestant Vicki Collins winning $10,000 with Janis, guessing THINGS YOU CRAVE (DESIRE) with 30 seconds left on the clock. Vicki and Michael wrapped up the week with a $25,000 win when Vicki went back and picked up $150 box THINGS ON A LAWN. This was Michael's second $25,000 win, the first being in May of 1984.
Although Janis was nervous and did make some rookie mistakes, it was obvious that she enjoyed the experience very much and was especially excited to give away the big money in the winner's circle. It's too bad she didn't make more appearances after this and hone her skills; it was fun to watch such a determined new celebrity.
Tallies for the week: Janis - 6 games, $5,900; Michael - 4 games, $42,350.
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Post by mike on Jan 24, 2020 0:26:03 GMT -5
Week of June 23, 1986:
This week was a rematch of "Night Court's" Markie Post and "Hotel's" Nathan Cook, who played against each other in July of 1984. Their last outing was much more successful, with Markie winning $10,000 once and Nathan winning $10,000 twice. For only the fourth time in this version of the show, there were no big wins all week. This was especially surprising because returning champ Vicki Collins, who had hit the big money two times her first day, won seven of her next eight games.
The first day, Vicki earned $500 and $550 respectively. In Tuesday's first round, she lost her only game, and new player Phyllis won $750 with Markie, missing THINGS YOU CONSIDER. Vicki topped that by winning $850, missing COURAGEOUS PEOPLE (BRAVE).
Vicki earned $750 in both games on Wednesday, missing ORIGINAL THINGS in the first game and THINGS IN A FLEA MARKET in the next round.
On her last day, she won $500 with Nathan, who got buzzed on $250 box THINGS WITH A CLASP for saying "the back of a bracelet band," and in her last attempt for $25,000, she came very close, winning $850 after not being able to identify THINGS IN A DORMITORY - surprising because she had been able to get top category THINGS THAT ARE EXTENDED, which was much tougher. Still, she retired undefeated with $34,150, a car, a trip to Spain, and a computer, placing her at number 48 on the list of biggest winners on "The $25,000 Pyramid" and at number 94 on the all-time winners list.
The final day of the week was lackluster, as neither winner's circle produced a high score. Newcomer Lynn won $300 with Nathan and $200 with Markie. After her second failed attempt, Lynn said to Markie, "I need to practice the big board." She would get another chance the next week.
Much like the Lois Nettleton/LeVar Burton week and the Adrienne Barbeau/Henry Polic II week earlier this year, it was surprising that players of Markie's and Nathan's skill level weren't able to hit the big board, especially since they played most of the week with a contestant who had started off so well. Both of them would return to their former glory before long, though.
Tallies for the week: Markie - 6 games, $3,950; Nathan - 4 games, $5,350.
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