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Post by pyramidfan on May 9, 2020 18:05:15 GMT -5
Week of August 4, 1986:
Guests were Betty White of "The Golden Girls" and Jamie Farr.
Betty and new player Nancy won the first game on Monday and accumulated $300. Jamie and Nancy had an almost-win for $25,000 but stopped at $750, missing THINGS YOU ESTIMATE (GUESS).
Jamie and Nancy had another $750 win in Tuesday's first round, this time missing THINGS YOU DON'T TOUCH. Jamie and new contestant Dave hit the jackpot for $10,000 in the next round on THINGS YOU KEEP.
Two more $750 wins came on Wednesday, both courtesy of Betty. She and new competitor Katherine missed THINGS WITH A PICTURE after Betty got buzzed for saying "A photo album," and Betty and Dave missed THINGS THAT ARE PRESENTED.
Jamie and Dave had another $10,000 win on Thursday, getting SOMETHING YOU PRESS with one second left on the clock. Jamie and Katherine tried to tie that mark in the next round but had to settle for $500.
Jamie and Dave scored $550 in the first round on Friday. The last round of the week was headed for a $25,000 win, but Betty got buzzed on top category THINGS THAT ARE CLEVER for saying "A smart fox."
Tallies for the week: Betty - 4 games, $6,950; Jamie - 6 games, $23,650.
Week of August 11, 1986:
Celebs were Audrey Landers of "A Chorus Line" and Brian Mitchell of "Trapper John, M.D." Both were revisiting the daytime show after long absences: Brian had last done "The $25,000 Pyramid" in May of the previous year, though he had done the nighttime version twice since then, and Audrey hadn't been on the show since November of 1983.
Brian and returning contestant Dave took the first game on Monday but only scored $300, with Brian getting buzzed on $250 box PARTS OF A CRIB for saying “The baby.” In his last round, Dave won $500 with Audrey, bringing his final total after five days to $23,950, a trip to London, and a video camera.
Audrey and new player Anna scored $750 in Tuesday's first round, missing THINGS THAT GLIDE. In the second round, Audrey and Brian broke a perfect-game drought by having the first 21-21 tie in eight weeks. Audrey and the other new player, Margaret, broke the tie and won $5,000 and then had the first big win of the week when they hit for $10,000 on THINGS THAT REPEAT.
Brian won every game for the rest of the week. On Wednesday, he and Margaret had a $750 win, missing THINGS IN A TANK. He and newcomer Pat won $10,000 in the next round on THINGS YOU POWDER.
Brian and Pat had a repeat of their $10,000 win in Thursday's first round, this time winning on THINGS ON A TRACK. New player Mitch tried to match it but stopped at $650.
Brian and Pat almost had a three-peat on Friday, but THINGS THAT ARE CONTINUED stopped them at $750. In the last round of the week, Brian and new contestant JoBeth won $500.
Tallies for the week: Audrey - 3 games, $18,450; Brian - 7 games, $25,150.
Week of August 18, 1986:
Celebrity players were Mary Cadorette and Danny Breen of "Not Necessarily the News."
The first three "NNTN" cast members to visit "Pyramid" did very well, but Danny broke that streak. For the first time on this version of the show, a celebrity lost all 10 of his games. Now, this might lead some people to believe that Danny was a bad player, but if you watch the shows, he did very well in the front games. It's just that Mary was just a little bit better each time. In fact, the very first game of the week ended at 21-20, as did one other game this week. On Thursday, both games got to 21-14 after the first five categories, and each time, Danny's contestant partners got the cuckoo while giving clues to him in the final category.
In the interest of not seeming repetitive by saying that Mary made it to the winner's circle with so-and-so each time, I'll say that she had $10,000 wins in the first round of Monday's, Thursday's, and Friday's shows, winning on THINGS THAT ARE LOWERED, THINGS THAT ARE STRAINED, and PERSONAL THINGS with contestants Liz, Coleen, and Paige. She also had $750 close calls in Wednesday's first round, Thursday's second round, and Friday's second round, missing THINGS YOU CLIP, THINGS ON A TRAY, and THINGS THAT ARE RELEASED.
Tallies for the week: Mary - 10 games, $36,200; Danny - 0 games, $2,200.
Week of August 25, 1986:
This week's stars were Cyndy Garvey and Terry Lester of "The Young & The Restless." Cyndy commented that she had never been able to play the game before this week because her local show in Los Angeles ran against "Pyramid."
Terry won both games on Monday, winning $500 and $550 respectively.
Cyndy won her first game in Tuesday's first round and also had her first big win, steering new player Joe to $10,000 when he guessed THINGS THAT BEND. Interestingly, Cyndy had said to him during the commercial, "Watch my face. I have a very bendable face, like a Gumby doll," so when the final category came up, Cyndy said "Gumby dolls," and Joe said the right answer immediately. Joe and Terry didn't have as much luck in the next round, only scoring $200.
Newcomer Maureen won both games on Wednesday, scoring $300 with Cyndy and $550 with Terry.
Cyndy and new player Grace won $600 in Thursday's first round, during which Cyndy got buzzed on SUMMERTIME THINGS for saying "After-springtime activities." Terry and Grace almost had a $25,000 win in the next round, but BRASS THINGS stopped them at $750.
New competitor Dinah helped Cyndy to another $10,000 on Friday when she guessed THINGS YOU APPRECIATE. Later, Dick Clark had to explain that even though Cyndy accidentally said "fire" in describing FIREPLACE THINGS, they checked the tape and Dinah said the correct answer at exactly the same as Cyndy gave her illegal clue. In the final round of the week, Terry and Dinah racked up $500.
Tallies for the week: Cyndy - 4 games, $22,000; Terry - 6 games, $5,250.
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Post by pyramidfan on May 9, 2020 18:05:41 GMT -5
Week of September 1, 1986:
Guests were Rita Moreno and Earl Holliman. This was Rita's first visit to the daytime show in over two years (she had been on the nighttime show a few weeks earlier). It would also be her last visit to this version of the show, though she would do one week of John Davidson's version in 1991.
Monday's first game ended in a 21-21 tie, which was broken by Rita and new player Annie Link. They almost won $10,000, but Rita got buzzed on $200 box WHAT A DENTIST USES because she misread it as "WHAT A DENTIST SAYS." In the next round, Annie and Earl earned $500.
Earl and Annie had the week's first big win on Tuesday, hitting $10,000 on THINGS YOU MEMORIZE. Rita and Annie scored $550 in the next round. A funny postmortem followed. Giving what he thought was the perfect clue for THINGS WITH AN EYE, Dick Clark said "The CBS trademark," to which Annie responded, "The peacock"?
Annie and Earl had another $10,000 win on Wednesday, this time winning on THINGS ON A DASHBOARD. Another 21-21 tie happened in the second round, broken by Rita and Annie again. They nearly won $25,000, missing top category THINGS THAT ARE DISMISSED.
Earl won both games on Thursday. After three hot days, Annie's streak came to an end when new player Marlene beat Annie's score of $500 by $50. Annie's final total was $35,350, a car, and a trip to Australia, placing her at number 41 on the list of biggest winners on "The $25,000 Pyramid" and at number 84 on the all-time list.
On Friday, Rita and new competitor Maureen won $300 in the first round, in which Rita got buzzed on IRRITATING THINGS for saying "A person that gets on your nerves." In the last round of the week, Maureen helped Earl have his first $25,000 win when she guessed THINGS YOU CLAIM.
Tallies for the week: Rita - 4 games, $16,850; Earl - 6 games, $47,650.
Week of September 8, 1986:
Celebrities were Meredith MacRae and Mitchell Laurance of "Not Necessarily the News." This was Meredith's only time playing the game in California. Her last visit to the show was just over 12 years earlier, when she won all 10 of her games against Jimmie Walker. In a remarkable coincidence, this time, she lost all 10 of her games to Mitchell. Even more of a coincidence, Mitchell was a cast member on "NNTN," whose Danny Breen had lost all 10 of his games to Mary Cadorette just two weeks earlier. It must be said, though, that most of Meredith's front-game scores were respectable, with one of the games ending at 20-21.
Like the Cadorette/Breen week, I'll spare the repetitive details and say that Mitchell had $10,000 wins in Tuesday's and Wednesday's first rounds. Both wins were with Ellen Crocker, who started playing on Monday and stayed the whole week, finishing up with $24,150 and a trip to Rio. She won on THINGS YOU SPRAY and THINGS YOU CHASE. Mitchell had close calls on Monday and Friday, missing top categories THINGS THAT ARE REGISTERED and THINGS WITH A HANDLE, and got buzzed twice: on THINGS IN A MEDICINE CHEST for saying "Prescription medicine" and on WORDS WITH ONLY TWO LETTERS for saying the soundalike word "To."
Tallies for the week: Meredith - 0 games, $2,200; Mitchell - 10 games, $28,000.
Week of September 15, 1986:
Celebrity players were Teresa Ganzel and "Hotel's" Nathan Cook. They would go on to be opponents three times on the nighttime version.
Teresa won both of Monday's games. She and Charmagne won $550 in the first game, during which Teresa got buzzed on IT MAKES YOU TINGLE for saying "Pins and needles." Marsha, who had won the game with $750 last Friday, won $750 again, this time missing THINGS YOU FINISH.
Nathan and Marsha scored $750 in Tuesday's first round, missing THINGS ON AN ITINERARY. In the second round, Teresa had her second $25,000 win when Marsha guessed THINGS THAT ARE SACRIFICED.
Newcomer Angy Okland won every other game of the week. She won $500 with Teresa in the first round on Wednesday. Originally, it was thought that she won $750 in the second round, but after checking the tape, the judge realized that she said "Things that are torrent" for THINGS WITH A CURRENT, so they deducted $250 from her score. She went on to have $600 and $550 wins with Nathan and two $750 close calls for $25,000 with Teresa, missing THINGS THAT SCALD and THINGS THAT ARE SERVICED.
Tallies for the week: Teresa - 6 games, $31,600; Nathan - 4 games, $2,750.
Week of September 22, 1986:
Guests were "Night Court's" Markie Post and Barry Jenner, who had been opponents earlier this year and would be partnered with blind contestants next year.
Barry won both games on Monday, scoring $550 for returning champ Angy in the first round and $500 for Mitch in the second round. There was a category called NIGHT COURT in the second round, but Markie's team didn't pick it.
Angy had another close call in the first round, missing THINGS THAT COME IN A SET. But her hard work paid off in the next round, when she won $25,000 in her last time in the Winner’s Circle, guessing THINGS THAT ARE SACRED (HOLY) from Markie's clues. This was Markie's fourth $25,000 on the daytime version. This brought Angy's final total, after winning 9 of her 10 games, to $30,300, a car, a trip to Hong Kong, and a VCR.
New player Sandi Moore won both games on Wednesday, winning $750 with Barry when she missed THINGS YOU CONQUER and $500 with Markie.
Markie guided both contestants to $500 on Thursday. In the second round, Barry got a category of people or characters who had appeared in commercials. Since he was appearing in a line of automobile ads at the time, his name was included in the list. However, when he said to partner Judy "My name," she didn't get the answer. He eventually had to point to where it was written on the set. Dick Clark said that it was a payback of sorts for when Barry had been on the nighttime show once and given the answer of "Foul-Ups, Bleeps, and Blunders" when his contestant partner gave the clue of "Dick Clark's show" for the word "blooper."
Friday's first round had an interesting ending. The judge originally thought that Judy had said "mites" in describing "termites" and cuckooed her, but both she and Markie insisted that she said "mice" - a terrible clue, which she acknowledged, but not illegal. After playing to a 20-13 score, Dick stopped the game and said that the judge checked the tape and discovered that Judy did indeed say "mice," not "mites." This made Judy's score 21, which made Barry and Sandi automatically lose. (In my opinion, they should have stopped tape after the fourth category. If they would have discovered the mistake earlier, the score would have been 14-13, and Barry and Sandi would have gotten the first pick of the last two categories.) After all that, Markie and Judy won $500. In the last round of the week, Markie guided Sandi to $10,000, winning on THINGS ON A BUSH.
Tallies for the week: Markie - 6 games, $39,200; Barry - 5 games, $5,100.
Week of September 29, 1986:
The stars were Meg Bennett of "The Young & The Restless" and LeVar Burton. It was Meg's first trip to the daytime show in almost two years, though she had played the nighttime version the week before. It turned out to be the last visit to the daytime version for these two very good players, though Meg would make three more visits to the nighttime show and LeVar would play in the $100,000 tournament in a few weeks.
This week, the money limits were raised at CBS. Before, a contestant got sent home when he or she hit $50,000, but now the limit was $75,000, with contestants being able to keep everything they earned up to $100,000.
Meg started the week off right when she and new player Ruth hit for $10,000 on THINGS THAT ARE RECYCLED. In the next round, Ruth and LeVar scored $550.
When Tuesday's show started, Meg said that she had been an undefeated contestant on Bob Stewart's "Three on a Match" in the early '70s and had furnished her first apartment with her winnings. LeVar and Ruth had a close call at $800 in the first round, missing THINGS THAT ARE ALERT. Ruth and Meg scored $350 in the next round.
Wednesday's first game ended in a 21-21 tie, which was broken by LeVar and Ruth, netting Ruth an extra $5,000. She added $10,000 to that, jumping back and guessing PARTS OF A SCALE. New player Jan tried to tie that score but stopped at $550.
Ruth and LeVar racked up $550 in Thursday's first round. In the second round, at first it appeared that LeVar and new contestant Klint Lowry had earned $800 after LeVar got buzzed on THINGS THAT ARE COMPACT for saying "A woman's makeup kit." However, after the commercial, Dick explained that LeVar's clue of "On-the-money change” was pretty close to a synonym for THINGS THAT ARE EXACT. They took back the $300, which knocked Klint back to $500, but since the judge felt it was a bit of a gray area, both contestants were invited back.
In Friday's first round, Meg and Klint won $500. In the last round of the week, LeVar had his first and only $25,000 win when Klint guessed THINGS THAT ARE DEDICATED. Ruth left the show with $29,450, a car, a trip to London, and a typewriter.
Tallies for the week: Meg - 3 games, $14,750; LeVar - 7 games, $44,050.
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Post by pyramidfan on May 9, 2020 18:06:07 GMT -5
Week of October 6, 1986:
Celebrities were, for her first visit, Millicent Martin of "Downtown" and Ken Kercheval of "Dallas."
Ken and returning champ Klint Lowry took the first game and earned $550. In her first crack in the Winner’s Circle, Millie hit the jackpot, earning Klint another $25,000 when he went back and guessed $250 box THINGS YOU PRACTICE. This made Klint the first player on this version to pass the $50,000 mark and continue playing.
Millie won both games on Tuesday, winning $300 for new player Nancy in the first round (and getting buzzed on HARDWARE STORE ITEMS for saying "The man behind the counter") and $750 for Klint, stopping short of $10,000 on STIMULATING THINGS.
Ken won both games on Wednesday but didn't produce high scores either time. He won $150 for Klint in the first round and $300 for newcomer Risa Grossman in the second round. Klint's final total was $53,600, a trip to Hawaii, and a VCR, placing him at number 5 among the top winners of "The $25,000 Pyramid" and at number 30 on the all-time list.
Millie herself had a bad round in the first Winner’s Circle on Thursday, earning only $150 for new contestant Diane. She bounded back in the next round, though, winning $750 for Risa, who couldn't guess THINGS IN A PITCHER.
Friday's first game ended in a 21-21 tie, which was broken by Ken and Risa, earning Risa $5,000. Ken then guided both Risa and new competitor Cindy to a $500 tie. Both women would return on Monday.
Tallies for the week: Millie - 5 games, $29,150; Ken - 5 games, $7,550.
Week of October 13, 1986:
Guests were Shelley Smith and Nipsey Russell, who were opponents on the second week of "The $50,000 Pyramid." Like that time, Shelley would win 8 of the 10 games this week.
Nipsey and returning champ Risa Grossman won the first game on Monday and scored $900, missing THINGS YOU BET ON. Risa and Shelley won the second game and hit for $25,000 when Risa guessed PRIMITIVE THINGS. This was Shelley's fifth time giving away the $25,000 on the daytime show - her third this year alone. It also meant that this was the fifth week in a row that the $25,000 was given away. There would be only one more $25,000 win this year...but that's to come later.
On Tuesday, Risa repeated her feat of winning both rounds, scoring $750 and $800 close calls with Nipsey and Shelley, missing THINGS YOU CULTIVATE and THINGS THAT ARE BARRICADED respectively. She also broke a 21-21 tie with Shelley in the second round, adding $5,000 to her total. She retired undefeated with $39,200, a car, and a trip to Rio, placing her at number 25 among the top winners of "The $25,000 Pyramid" and at number 67 on the all-time list - not bad for a contestant who had a grand total of $300 her first day on the show.
Shelley won every other round of the week, scoring $500 and $300 wins on Wednesday, $750 and $500 wins on Thursday (missing THINGS THAT ARE CONDENSED in the first round), and $300 and $10,000 wins on Friday, with Thursday's winner Julie getting the $10,000 on THINGS YOU ATTEND.
Tallies for the week: Shelley - 8 games, $46,450; Nipsey - 2 games, $2,950.
Week of October 20, 1986:
The stars were, for her first visit, "Dynasty's" Leann Hunley and "Hotel's" Michael Spound. Though this was her only time playing this version of the show, Leann would go on to play the nighttime version twice.
Leann and new player John won the first game and scored $350, with Leann getting buzzed on THINGS AT A DISCOTHEQUE for saying "The disc jockey." Michael and John won $250 in the next round.
On Tuesday, Leann had her only big win on this version when she and new contestant Jody hit for $10,000 when they went back and got $250 box AFRICAN THINGS. She and John tried to tie it in the next round but stopped at $300.
Jody almost had another $10,000 win on Wednesday, but Michael got buzzed on THINGS IN SCOTLAND for saying "Scotch whisky," stopping them at $850. Leann and Jody's try for $25,000 ended with a $400 win.
New player Sarah won both games on Thursday, winning $550 with Leann and almost winning $25,000 with Michael but having to settle for $750 when she missed THINGS THAT CHALLENGE YOU.
Michael and Sarah had another $750 win in Friday's first round, this time missing ELEGANT THINGS. Michael finally hit the top in the last round of the week when new player Martha guessed THINGS YOU SELL for $10,000.
Tallies for the week: Leann - 5 games, $13,800; Michael - 5 games, $13,700.
Week of October 27, 1986:
Celebrity players were Mary Cadorette and Charlie Siebert. They would be opponents again on the daytime show in a few months.
Charlie and returning champ Martha started the week with a $10,000 win, scoring on THINGS THAT ARE WASTED. Mary and Martha came up a little short in the next round, winning only $300.
Martha won the next four games. She scored $150 and $500 wins on Tuesday, and on Wednesday, she had two close calls, at $850 and $750. Charlie got buzzed on THINGS YOU BLEND for saying "A cake mix," and Mary got buzzed for saying "Famous people" for PEOPLE WHO ARE PROTECTED.
New player Jessie gave Mary her only win of the week in Thursday's round, winning $10,000 on NARROW THINGS. She almost hit for $25,000 in the second round but missed THINGS YOU CHARTER and stopped at $750.
On Friday, Jessie and Charlie scored $550 in the first round. In the last round of the week, Charlie guided new contestant Patti to a winning score of $700.
Tallies for the week: Mary - 4 games, $12,650; Charlie - 6 games, $16,300.
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Post by pyramidfan on May 9, 2020 18:06:35 GMT -5
Week of November 3, 1986:
Guests were Lauri Hendler and Joel Brooks of "My Sister Sam." Joel's last appearance on the daytime show was over a year ago, though he had done the nighttime show a few weeks earlier.
Lauri and new player Merilee won the first game and scored $800, missing THINGS THAT ARE SCRUBBED. In the second round, Joel and Merilee scored $300 in their attempt for $25,000.
The first round of Tuesday's game provided a rare $950 score for new contestant Taryn when she couldn't guess "WHAT DELILAH SAID" from Lauri's clues. (She kept saying "Goliath" instead.) Though it was a tough score to beat, Merilee did it in the next round, winning $10,000 with Lauri on THINGS THAT ARE PRESERVED.
Lauri took both games on Wednesday also, winning $550 for new competitor Bob in the first round and $800 for Merilee in the next round, missing THINGS ON A SHELF.
Joe returned to the circle on Thursday and guided Merilee to $750, missing THINGS THAT IMPROVE WITH AGE. Going into the commercial, Merilee expressed to Joel her disappointment at missing the $10,000, saying, "I wanted to do it for you." Joel laughed and said, "And I wanted to do it for you." Lauri and Merilee tried for $25,000 in the next round and racked up $500, with Lauri getting buzzed on SENSITIVE THINGS for saying "A delicate person's feelings."
New player Lynn won $10,000 with Lauri in Friday's first round, guessing ANYTHING ON A LIST with 30 seconds left on the clock. In her last time in the Winner’s Circle, Merilee scored $500 with Lauri.
Tallies for the week: Lauri - 8 games, $25,200; Joel - 2 games, $2,150.
Week of November 10, 1986:
Celebrities were Jo Anne Worley and Clifton Davis of "Amen." This was Clifton's first visit to the show in almost eight years.
Clifton and returning champ Lynn started the week with a $10,000 win when Lynn went back and guessed $200 box SOMETHING WITH FANGS. In their attempt for $25,000, Jo Anne and Lynn earned $300.
Clifton and Lynn didn't have as good a day on Tuesday, winning only $150 in the first round. Lynn came back with Jo Anne in the second round and won $500, during which Jo Anne got buzzed on top box THINGS YOU LOCATE for saying “Planets in the sky.”
New player John took both games on Wednesday, winning $500 with Jo Anne and $300 with Clifton.
Thursday's first round almost had a $10,000 win, but new contestant Andréa wasn't able to guess top category THINGS THAT STAIN from Jo Anne's clues. In the next round, though, Clifton guided her to a $25,000 victory, winning on THINGS THAT ARE THICK.
In Friday's first round, Jo Anne helped new competitor Peg win $10,000, with THINGS YOU ENROLL IN being the final category. In the last round of the week, Clifton and Peg earned $500. Interestingly, there was a $25,000 attempt every day this week.
Tallies for the week: Jo Anne - 5 games, $13,500; Clifton - 5 games, $38,150.
Week of November 17, 1986:
The stars were Florence Henderson and Ed Nelson of "Capitol." This would be Ed's first and only visit to the program.
Returning champ Peg took both games on Monday. She won $750 with Ed, missing THINGS THAT ARE PUMPED, and $300 with Florence, who got buzzed on THINGS ON A TABLE for saying "Your tablecloth."
Peg won both of Tuesday's games also, scoring $350 with Ed and having a close call at $750 when Florence got buzzed on THINGS YOU BUILD for saying "A new building."
On Wednesday, Florence had the first big win of the week with newcomer Lori Malcolm, who won $10,000 on THINGS ON A MARQUEE. Florence and Peg attempted to match that score but stopped at $550.
In Thursday's first round, Ed had another $750 win when Lori couldn't guess THINGS THAT ARE SMUGGLED. Florence and Lori had a low-scoring round, winning only $150.
In Friday's first round, Ed had his only big win when Lori went back and guessed $250 box THINGS MADE OF WOOD. In the final Winner’s Circle of the week, Florence and Lori won $500.
Tallies for the week: Florence - 6 games, $12,250; Ed - 4 games, $12,950.
Week of November 24, 1986:
Celebrity players were Lynn Redgrave and "St. Elsewhere's" Ed Begley Jr. Although not mentioned on the air, this was Lynn's first visit to the game in almost three years.
Ed and returning champ Lori broke a 21-21 tie in Monday's first round and won $10,000 when Lori guessed THINGS THAT ARE BROAD. Lynn and Lori almost had a $25,000 win, but EXOTIC THINGS stopped them at $800.
On Lori's last day, she won $500 with Ed and stopped at $750 in an attempt for $25,000 when Lynn got buzzed on THINGS THAT ARE ISOLATED for saying "A prisoner in solitary." Lori told Lynn that she probably wouldn't have gotten that one. She can't have felt too bad, though, because she left undefeated, having won nine games and accumulating $41,750 and a car, placing her at number 21 on the list of biggest winners on "The $25,000 Pyramid" and at number 61 on the all-time list.
Because of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday and special programming airing for the next two days, Wednesday was the last show of the week. Ed and new player Christie won $750 in the first round, missing THINGS THAT ARE ENGRAVED. Ed and the other newcomer, Joanie, tried to match that but stopped at $550.
Tallies for the week: Lynn - 2 games, $1,550; Ed - 4 games, $20,100.
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Post by pyramidfan on May 9, 2020 18:06:53 GMT -5
Week of December 1, 1986:
Guests were Vicki Lawrence of "Mama's Family" and Brian Mitchell. They had been the premiere guests on "The $100,000 Pyramid" in September of 1985 and had also been opponents on Bob Stewart’s show “Double Talk” a few months earlier.
Brian and returning champion Christie won the first game and scored $800, with Brian getting buzzed on THINGS THAT ARE CHARGED for saying "A credit card." Vicki and Christie came up short in their attempt for $25,000, winning only $150.
In Tuesday's first round, Brian and Christie won $10,000 when Christie guessed THINGS THAT ARE PLUSH with one second left on the clock. In the second round, it appeared at first that Christie had earned $550, with Vicki getting buzzed on THINGS MADE OF SILVER for saying "Your sterling flatware." However, after the commercial, the judge reversed the call because sterling is an alloy of silver and copper, so Christie was credited with another $200.
Vicki and new player Michelle won $500 in Wednesday’s first round, and during the postmortem, Vicki described a typical rehearsal session for “Pyramid.” Vicki and Christie achieved the winning score of $750 in the next round, missing SNEAKY THINGS.
In Thursday's first round, Vicki helped newcomer Robbie win $10,000, with NATURAL THINGS (NATURE) being the final category. The second game ended in a 21-21 tie, which was broken by Vicki and Christie. Christie earned $500 in her last try in the Winner’s Circle.
Robbie won both games on Friday, scoring $750 each time, missing THINGS THAT ARE PINNED with Brian and INTIMATE THINGS with Vicki.
Tallies for the week: Vicki - 7 games, $18,400; Brian - 3 games, $14,850.
Week of December 8, 1986:
Celebrities were "Falcon Crest's" Abby Dalton and "Cagney & Lacey's" Robert Hegyes. This was Robert's first visit to the game in more than nine years.
Returning champ Robbie won the first four games of the week. He and Robert won $800 on Monday, missing CANVAS THINGS, and he and Abby scored $500 in the next round.
Robert got buzzed twice in Tuesday's first round, once for saying "Hold the pickle" on THINGS YOU PUT ON A HAMBURGER and once for saying "Under your arms" for HAIRY THINGS. He and Robbie only earned $150 that round. Robbie had a close call for $25,000 in the next game, but Abby couldn't get him to say $250 box THINGS THAT ARE PRINTED.
Newcomer Pace won both games on Wednesday, winning $500 with Abby and $450 with Robert. Thursday's new player, Lori, also won both of her games, scoring $750 with Abby when they missed THINGS WITH A HEAD and $500 with Robert, who got buzzed for accidentally saying "Spoon" instead of "Soup" on FOODS EATEN WITH A SPOON.
Friday's first round featured the only big win of the week and Robert's only big win in the L.A. versions of the show when Lori guessed THINGS YOU APPLY FOR and earned $10,000. New competitor Cheryl almost tied it but couldn't get THINGS YOU RECITE.
Tallies for the week: Abby - 4 games, $3,650; Robert - 6 games, $12,650.
Week of December 15, 1986:
The stars were Audrey Landers and Dick Cavett. Lots of 20-21 scores this week, but no perfect games were played.
Audrey and new player Sue won the first game on Monday and hit for $10,000 when Sue went back and guessed $250 box THINGS THAT MATCH. Dick and Sue scored $500 in their attempt for $25,000.
Dick and Sue had a close call in Tuesday's first round, scoring $800 when Sue couldn't guess THINGS YOU PASS. Dick and newcomer Shannon beat that score by winning $10,000 on THINGS THAT ARE ANNOUNCED.
New player Kelly won both games on Wednesday. She and Audrey won $500 in the first round, after which Dick Cavett complained that no one could have gotten the top category, THINGS THAT ARE OUTRAGEOUS. Kelly and Dick came close in their attempt for $25,000, missing only top box THINGS YOU RESIST.
Dick and Kelly hit for $10,000 in Thursday's first round, winning on THINGS THAT ARE SEIZED (GRABBED). Dick and new competitor Kevin tried to match that but stopped short at $350.
Kelly won both games on Friday, winning $500 with Dick and $550 with Audrey. At the end of the show, Dick gave his losing partner $3 from his own pocket.
Tallies for the week: Audrey - 3 games, $14,350; Dick - 7 games, $24,000.
Week of December 22, 1986:
The guests were Susan Ruttan of "L.A. Law" and Christopher Lemmon. Although this was the first visit to "The $25,000 Pyramid," Susan had played the nighttime version one time the month before. The set was decorated all week for Christmas.
Monday's first game ended in a 21-21 tie, which was broken by Susan and newcomer Becky, earning Becky $5,000. They went on to score $750 in the Winner’s Circle, missing THINGS THAT ARE CUTE. Susan and Kelly tied that mark in the next round when Kelly missed THINGS THAT CIRCULATE.
Susan and Becky had yet another $750 win in Friday's first round, this time missing THINGS YOU BRAG ABOUT (EXAGGERATE). In her last try in the Winner’s Circle, Kelly earned $10,000 with Susan, winning on THINGS THAT REQUIRE A LICENSE. She retired undefeated with $24,150, a trip to Australia, and a CD player.
Susan had another win in Wednesday's first round when she guided new player Darleen to $10,000, winning on THINGS AT AN EXHIBITION. Chris had his first front-game victory in the next round and helped Darleen win $550.
Thursday was Christmas day. In the first round, Chris, ironically, got buzzed on CHRISTMAS THINGS for saying "A Christmas tree.” He and Darleen got the rest of the board, though, which netted them $900. In their attempt for $25,000, Darleen and Susan won $300. Since it was Christmas, the losing contestant, Neil, was rewarded with a trip to the Virgin Islands.
On the last day of the week, Susan won both games, earning $300 for new player Debby and $750 for Darleen, who missed PRECIOUS THINGS.
Tallies for the week: Susan - 8 games, $33,000; Chris - 2 games, $2,550.
Week of December 29, 1986:
Celebrity players were Martha Smith of "Scarecrow & Mrs. King" and David Graf of the "Police Academy" movies. The set continued to be decorated for the holidays, except for Friday's show.
Martha won both games on Monday and had two close calls, scoring $750 for new player Linda and $850 for returning champ Darleen. The categories missed were THINGS THAT ARE RUINED and THINGS WITH INSTRUCTIONS.
On Tuesday, Martha won both games again. She guided new contestant Melinda to $10,000, winning on THINGS THAT ARE ANALYZED. In her last attempt in the Winner’s Circle, Darleen won $550.
On New Year's Eve, Melinda had another $10,000 win, this time with David. The final category was THINGS YOU CONSERVE. New competitor Paula attempted to match that score in the second round but only accumulated $300, with David getting buzzed on PEOPLE WHO TOUCH YOU (HANDS) for saying "A minister's words."
There was no show on New Year's Day. On Friday, new player Lisa won both games, scoring $550 with Martha and $300 with David, who got buzzed on THINGS THAT ARE ON TOP for saying "The curl on the cone."
Tallies for the week: Martha - 5 games, $14,900; David - 3 games, $12,800.
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Post by vahan on May 9, 2020 20:55:39 GMT -5
Nice to see these again, Brendan. I loved reading these so much. I remember you stopped at around September 7-11, 1987.
Side note: You haven't heard of any rumors about anything unfortunate happening to the tapes of the November 1983-April 1985 and April-October 1987 episodes (unplayable tapes or missing), have you? The only tape dates I've been able to identify for 1984 were January 22 (Martha Smith & Nathan Cook) and January 23 (Markie Post & Richard Kline).
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Post by pyramidfan on May 9, 2020 22:07:54 GMT -5
Side note: You haven't heard of any rumors about anything unfortunate happening to the tapes of the November 1983-April 1985 and April-October 1987 episodes (unplayable tapes or missing), have you? The only tape dates I've been able to identify for 1984 were January 22 (Martha Smith & Nathan Cook) and January 23 (Markie Post & Richard Kline). You mean because GSN hasn't shown them? No, the tapes are all good, as far as I know.
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Post by pyramidfan on May 10, 2020 20:45:42 GMT -5
Here are the recaps I did for 1987. They stop at the end of August.
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Post by pyramidfan on May 10, 2020 20:46:02 GMT -5
Week of January 5, 1987:
Guests were Shelley Smith and Stuart Pankin of "Not Necessarily the News." They would go on to play "The $100,000 Pyramid" against each other twice.
Shelley's partner in Monday's first round was Marjorie Azarow, who she had been partnered with on "Super Password" two years earlier. Stuart and returning champ Lisa won the first game and had a heartbreaker in the Winner’s Circle. They flew through the first five categories, and then Stuart said "Panty dorms" for THINGS THAT ARE RAIDED. Lisa said the answer, which was followed by the buzzer for the judge disallowing the clue, but because of the applause and cheering, nobody onstage heard it. When Lisa's crew ran up from the audience, the buzzer sounded two more times before Dick Clark finally heard it, took a look at the top box being turned to the pyramid-shaped box, and shouted "Hold it!" Dick explained what happened and had Lisa introduce the crew anyway and show the picture of her husband. Shelley and Lisa tried for $25,000 in the second round but only scored $300.
On Tuesday, Shelley took new player Judy to the Winner’s Circle and racked up $500. In the next round, with Shelley's help, Lisa finally had a "legitimate" win when she won $10,000 on THINGS THAT ARE ARRANGED.
Lisa and Stuart didn't fare so well in Wednesday's first round, scoring only $200. However, Stuart rebounded in the next round, winning $10,000 for newcomer Carol, who guessed THINGS WITH A HOOD with two seconds left on the clock.
Shelley had another $10,000 win in Thursday's first round when new player Mary Beth guessed a toughie, THINGS YOU SCAN. Shelley and Carl tried to tie that mark in the next round but stopped short at $500.
Mary Beth almost had a repeat of her $10,000 win in Friday's first round, but she wasn't able to guess top category THINGS YOU PURSUE from Stuart's clues. In the final round of the week, Stuart won $500 for new competitor Debbie.
Tallies for the week: Shelley - 5 games, $23,500; Stuart - 5 games, $14,400
Week of January 12, 1987:
Celebrities were Ilene Graff of "Mr. Belvedere" and Jamie Farr. Although Ilene had no big wins her first week on the show, she showed promise, and she sure came through on that promise this week. This would be Jamie's last time playing the daytime version. He would do the nighttime version one last time and would play John Davidson's version once.
In Monday's first round, Jamie and returning player Mary Beth scored only $300 in the Winner’s Circle. Ilene nearly gave away $25,000 in the second round, but Mary Beth couldn't guess top category THINGS THAT ARE PUBLIC.
Ilene shut out Jamie for every other game of the week. On Tuesday, she took new player Rob, a priest (the only priest I've ever seen on "Pyramid") to an $800 win, missing THINGS YOU PUNCH. In the next round, she and Mary Beth flew up the board, but despite having more than 30 seconds left on the clock, they couldn't get THINGS YOU RESTORE.
In Wednesday's first round, after a lot of close calls, Ilene finally had her first big win when new contestant Jeannie went back and guessed $150 box EXPENSIVE THINGS (LUXURIES) for a $10,000 win. In the front game, Jeannie had won $5,000 for breaking a 21-21 tie. Rob tried to tie the $10,000 mark in the next round but won only $550.
Ilene hit for $10,000 the next day when newcomer Diane guessed THINGS MADE OF WIRE. Ilene and Jeannie almost had a repeat win, but Jeanie couldn't guess THINGS SOLD BY THE QUART.
On the last day of the week, Ilene won $500 for new competitor Dolores and $600 for Diane, meaning Diane would return on Monday. Amazingly, Ilene won nine games in a row.
Tallies for the week: Ilene - 9 games, $33,000; Jamie - 1 game, $1,400.
Week of January 21, 1987:
Celebrity players were Mary Cadorette and Charlie Siebert. They had also been opponents the last week of October of 1986.
Charlie and returning champ Diane started the week off slow, winning only $300, during which Charlie got buzzed on THINGS THAT ARE WILD for saying "Untamed animals." In the next round, with Mary, Diane had her first try at $25,000 and scored $550.
Diane and Charlie hit for $10,000 in Tuesday's first round, winning on THINGS YOU TRACE. Charlie and newcomer Janice almost tied that mark, but top box THINGS THAT ARE EXTENDED stumped them.
Diane and Charlie had a repeat $10,000 win on Wednesday. This time, the top category was THINGS THAT HAVE A TOWER. In her last time in the Winner’s Circle, Diane won $500 with Mary. This brought her final total after five days to $33,050, and she left undefeated.
In Thursday's first round, Mary guided one of the new players, Linda, to $750, missing PROGRESSIVE THINGS. Charlie and Linda scored $500 in the next round.
Mary took both games on Friday. She and new competitor Carolyn won $650 in the first round, and she finally had a win in the second round when Linda guessed THINGS THAT CRUMBLE for $10,000.
Tallies for the week: Mary - 5 games, $16,850; Charlie - 5 games, $21,550.
Week of January 28, 1987:
Celebrity guests were Jo Anne Worley and Mitchell Laurance of "Not Necessarily the News." This was Jo Anne's last appearance on this version of the show, though she would go on to do the nighttime version one more time and John Davidson's version once.
Mitchell and returning champ Linda won the first game of the week, and Mitchell got buzzed twice for giving synonyms, saying "A stomach ache" on THINGS THAT HURT (PAIN) and "A high price" for THINGS THAT ARE STEEP, which left Linda with a $350 win. Linda and Jo Anne almost hit for $25,000 in the next round, but top box THINGS THAT ARE SCHEDULED stumped them.
On Tuesday, Mitchell and Linda again took the first round. They fared better this time, winning $750 when they couldn't get THINGS WITH SECTIONS. The next round proved to be a heartbreaker. It looked like Mitchell and newcomer Mark had won $10,000, but when they returned from the commercial, Dick Clark explained that on top box THINGS THAT YOU CROSS, Mitchell had given "A praying chest" as a clue, which the judge deemed illegal. However, the buzzer sound was not working, so everyone thought they had won. Dick said that Mark had actually only won $750, which caused a tie, so both players would return the next day.
Wednesday's first game ended in a 21-21 tie, which was broken by Mitchell and Linda, earning Linda $5,000 in bonus money. She scored $550 in the Winner’s Circle. Mitchell and Mark had another $750 win in the next round, missing THINGS ON A RING.
Mark and Mitchell finally hit the big money in Thursday's first round when Mark went back and guessed $250 box THINGS THAT ARE TIED for a $10,000 win. The second round ended in another 21-21 tie, which was broken by Mark and Jo Anne, earning Mark $5,000. They almost got $25,000, but Mark couldn't guess top box ORIGINAL THINGS.
Jo Anne and new player Kathy won Friday's first round and scored $800, missing THINGS THAT MAKE A SOUND. In the last round of the week, Mitchell and Kathy earned $500. Kathy would return on Monday, when Adrienne Barbeau and Brian Mitchell would be her partners.
Tallies for the week: Jo Anne - 3 games, $9,500; Mitchell - 7 games, $19,750.
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Post by pyramidfan on May 10, 2020 20:46:16 GMT -5
Week of February 2, 1987:
Guests were Adrienne Barbeau and Brian Mitchell. They had previously been opponents on "The $100,000 Pyramid" a few months earlier. This would be Brian's last appearance on the daytime version; he would make one more appearance on the nighttime version later in the year.
The first game of the week went to a 21-21 tie, which was broken by Brian and returning champ Kathy, netting her $5,000. She and Brian went on to score $550 in the circle. In the next round, Kathy and Adrienne had the year's first $25,000 win when Kathy went back and guessed $250 box CONTROVERSIAL THINGS. This was Adrienne's second $25,000 win on this version of the show, the first being four years earlier.
Surprisingly, after such a great start to the week, there was no more big money given away for the rest of the week. Brian won the next six games in a row. He had two close calls, both with Maxine Reynolds, who started on Tuesday. She won $750 in Tuesday's second round, missing THINGS BELOW THE WAIST, and $800 in Wednesday's first round, missing ENGLISH SPEAKING COUNTRIES. Brian's other scores were, in order, $500, $700, $500, and $150.
A slightly embarrassing mistake happened in Tuesday's second round. In the front game, Kathy and Adrienne got a name category, and when BRUCE WILLIS came up on the screen, Kathy stared at it for a minute, then pointed to Brian and said, "Him." Word to the wise for game-show contestants: Always know the celebrities' names on your episodes.
Adrienne won both of Friday's games, scoring $350 with newcomer Wendy and $800 with Maxine, missing SIMPLE THINGS in the latter round. Her high score meant Maxine would return on Monday.
Tallies for the week: Adrienne - 3 games, $28,350; Brian - 7 games, $9,500.
Week of February 9, 1987:
Celebrities were Florence Henderson and David Naughton of "My Sister Sam." It was David's first appearance on the game and Florence's last appearance on the daytime show. She would go on to play one week of John Davidson's version in 1991.
David and returning champ Maxine won the first game and scored $850, missing THINGS ON A UNIFORM. In her only attempt for $25,000, Maxine scored $350 with Florence. She left after five days with $6,250 and a video camera, making her only the fifth player to retire undefeated without ever winning the big money.
On Tuesday, Florence provided the week's first big win when newcomer Annette guessed THINGS THAT ARE REMOVED with only one second left on the clock. The other new player, P.J., tried to match that but stopped at $650 when Florence got buzzed on WHY YOU GET BORED for saying "A boring book."
Florence and new contestant Michael scored $350 in Wednesday's first round. In the second round, David had his first big win when Michael won $25,000 for guessing THINGS THAT ARE SUPPORTED.
Florence and new competitor Diane had a close call on Thursday when they scored $750, missing THINGS THAT ARE FAIR. Diane and David won $350 in their attempt for $25,000.
Friday the 13th proved to be anything but unlucky for Diane when she won $10,000 in the first round, guessing HOLLOW THINGS off of David's single clue of "a pumpkin." There wasn't as much luck in the next round, as Florence and Diane only scored $300, during which Florence got buzzed on THINGS THAT ARE NEAR (CLOSE) for saying "your close friends." Diane would normally have returned on Monday, but a special tournament would be played the next week, so she would return the week after that.
Tallies for the week: Florence - 6 games, $15,350; David - 4 games, $38,400.
Week of February 16, 1987:
This was the first all-celebrity week on "The $25,000 Pyramid." Four of the top players (in the L.A. era, anyway) competed for their favorite charities: Shelley Smith, Teresa Ganzel, Henry Polic II, and Earl Holliman. The rules for this week had the teams changing every round. A total of $25,000 was up for grabs every day in the Winner’s Circle: $10,000 in the first round and $15,000 in the second, and the celebrities would split the money evenly. Rather than a Mystery 7, another 7-11 was played in each day's second round. Finally, the celebrity who won the most front games during the week would receive an extra $5,000.
Shelley and Earl won the first game. Earl gave the clues to Shelley, and they won $500. Henry and Earl took the second game. This time, Henry gave the clues, and the score again was $500.
Shelley and Henry (the only two celebs this week who had been opponents on the show before) won Tuesday's first round, and, again, the score was $500. Henry had gotten buzzed in the round for saying "A clock sound" for THINGS THAT CLICK. The second round finally produced a win when Shelley and Earl won $15,000 after Shelley guessed THINGS THAT COME IN A PACK with 29 seconds left on the clock.
A heartbreaker happened in Wednesday's first round when Earl misread the first box as "WHAT A DENTIST SAYS" rather than WHAT A DENTIST USES and got buzzed. Henry went on to guess the rest of the board, so he and Earl split $1,000. Teresa finally had her first win in Wednesday's second round. She took the receiving chair (as far as I know, she was the only one of the four celebrities who had played the receiving chair before this week), and she and Earl won $750, missing THINGS THAT ARE STEADY.
Another heartbreaker occurred in Thursday's first round, again at the hands of Earl. On $200 box PARTS OF A CASH REGISTER, he inadvertently said the word "cash." Shelley went on to guess the rest of the board, which netted $850 for both of them. In the next round, Shelley took the giver's chair for the only time this week, and she and Teresa won $15,000 when Teresa guessed SOLD BY THE DOZEN with 29 seconds left on the clock. Hmm...29 seconds...sounds familiar...
The last day of the week was full of winning all around. The two teams played to a 21-21 tie in the first round, and Teresa and Earl broke it, splitting $5,000 in the process. They went on to split $10,000 when Teresa guessed THINGS THAT ARE WIDE with only 1 second left on the clock. In the week's last round, Henry finally had a big win when Teresa guessed THINGS THAT RATTLE, netting both of them $15,000. Henry got so excited that his watch flew off and shattered when he jumped up. He laughed it off, saying, "Believe me, it's worth it, as long as that charity got that money."
Earl was the celebrity who won the most games - seven - so he earned another $5,000, bringing his total winnings for Actors & Others for Animals to $23,450. However, Teresa was the week's big money winner, earning $25,625 for the American Cancer Society. The other two celebs also did very well, with Shelley earning $18,125 for the Amanda Foundation (another animal charity) and Henry winning $11,800 for the American Foundation for AIDS Research.
Week of February 23, 1987:
Celebrity contestants were Martha Smith of "Scarecrow & Mrs. King" and Nipsey Russell. This was a quick return for Martha, who had just been on seven weeks earlier.
Nipsey and returning champ Diane won the first game and scored $750. Diane guessed the $250 in the last few seconds of the round, so they never got to see the top box. Martha and Diane scored $500 in the second round.
Diane took both games again on Tuesday, winning $550 with Nipsey and $500 with Martha. So far, she had won eight games in a row.
Diane's winning streak ended on Wednesday, however, when newcomer Sally took both games. She had a close call with Martha in the first round, scoring $750 when they missed THINGS THAT ARE PRODUCED. In the next round, she and Nipsey won $500.
Martha and new player Millie had a rough go of it in Thursday's first round, scoring only $250. In the next round, Martha and Sally provided the only big win of the week when Sally guessed THINGS THAT GLITTER and won $10,000.
Nipsey and Sally scored $650 in the first round on Friday. There was a funny exchange during that game. On THINGS YOU TAKE OUT, Nipsey said "Chinese food" and "your girlfriend," to which Sally responded, "Things that are easy." In the last round of the week, Martha and Sally scored a low $150, but since she won both rounds, Sally would return on Monday, when her partners would be Abby Dalton and Luis Avalos.
Tallies for the week: Martha - 6 games, $14,350; Nipsey - 4 games, $2,450.
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Post by pyramidfan on May 10, 2020 20:46:31 GMT -5
Week of March 2, 1987:
Celebrities were Abby Dalton and Luis Avalos. This was Luis' only visit to the game.
Abby and new contestant "V" won the first game on Monday and started the week with a $10,000 victory, winning on THINGS THAT ARE FRAGILE. In the second round, Luis had his first try in the Winner’s Circle and scored $300 with "V," during which he got buzzed on UGLY THINGS for saying "Not pretty."
On Tuesday, Abby and new contestant Cody scored a $10,000 win in the first round. They had 33 seconds to get THINGS THAT DROOP, and Cody finally guessed it with 8 seconds left. Abby and "V" tried to tie that mark in the next round but only won $400.
Luis and Cody won the first game on Wednesday, and Cody opted to take the giver's chair. She started off badly, though, saying "Southern fried chicken" for $50 box SOUTHERN DISHES. She also got buzzed on $200 box THINGS WITH CHEESE for saying "Veal Parmesan." They ended up with only $250. She went back to the receiving chair in the next round, but she and Abby did even worse, getting only $150, during which Abby got buzzed on $150 box THINGS YOU BURN for saying "Your eggs in the morning."
On Thursday, Luis and Cody again won the first round, and although Luis gave the clues this time, they had a carbon copy of their round the day before: They scored $250, with Luis getting buzzed on the $50 and $200 boxes (for saying "T-shirt" for KINDS OF SHIRTS and "The burner in the oven" for THINGS WITH A FLAME). Luis and newcomer Sherry won the next round and got all the way to the top, but Luis got buzzed on THINGS THAT ARE TRANSFERRED for saying "Bus to bus."
Luis and Sherry won Friday's first round and scored $350. In the last round of the week, Luis and new player Rick won $300, meaning Sherry would return the next week.
Tallies for the week: Abby - 4 games, $20,550; Luis - 6 games, $5,500.
Week of March 9, 1987:
Guests for the week were "Mama's Family's" Vicki Lawrence and Howard Morton. This was their second time as opponents. They would go on to play against each other on John Davidson's version one time. This was also Howard's last appearance on the daytime version. He would play the nighttime version once more in 1988, in addition to the visit to John's version.
A rare event this week: Each day had a $25,000 attempt. In the interest of brevity, Vicki tried for $25,000 on Monday and Friday, with Howard making the other three attempts. The first four days had three $750 close calls in attempts for $10,000, with Howard missing THINGS YOU APPRECIATE on Monday and Vicki missing THINGS THAT CLING on Tuesday and PADDED THINGS on Thursday. The other wins were, in order $300, $500, $300, $150, and $300.
Finally, Howard and Karen Rutledge hit for $10,000 in Friday's first round. They had 33 seconds to get THINGS THAT ARE DANGEROUS (RISKY) and used 20 of them before getting the answer. Vicki and Karen wrapped up the week with a $550 win.
Tallies for the week: Vicki - 5 games, $5,950; Howard - 5 games, $12,800.
Week of March 16, 1987:
The celebrity players were Millicent Martin and Paul Kreppel of "It's a Living." It was the second visit for both of them, and each had one big win in their last visit.
The first eight games belonged to Paul. He and returning champ Karen started the week with a $10,000 win, with the final category being THINGS YOU CONFIRM. Newcomer Margie only was able to win $300, and Paul got buzzed on $250 box FOODS YOU EAT WITH YOUR HANDS for saying "Moroccan food."
Tuesday had a rare $150 tie (with Paul getting buzzed in the first round on $150 box PEOPLE WHO CARRY A GUN for saying "The Rifleman").
There was a rebound the next day, as Karen and Paul scored another $10,000 win when Karen went back and got $250 box THINGS WITH A DIAL. Patti (a returning contestant from the Florence Henderson/Ed Nelson week in November 1986) almost tied her but missed top box THINGS IN A BUNDLE. Karen left the show undefeated with $33,950, a trip to Spain, and an audio system, placing her at number 50 among biggest winners on this version of the show and at number 98 among all versions of the show.
Thursday's show was uneventful, with Paul only getting $150 with Carolyn (during which he got buzzed on $200 box THINGS IN A POLICE STATION for saying "The cops") and $300 with Roger.
After a lot of close calls, Millicent finally had a win in Friday's first round. Even better, she guided newcomer Susan to a $10,000 win, with THINGS THAT ARE DESIGNED being the final category. In the week's only try for $25,000, Paul and Susan won $500. Susan would return the next week.
Tallies for the week: Millicent - 1 game, $12,200; Paul - 9 games, $24,500.
Week of March 23, 1987:
The stars were Melody Thomas Scott of "The Young & The Restless" and David Graf of the "Police Academy" movies. They had been opponents a few months earlier on the nighttime version, and they would go on to play against each other on John Davidson's version.
This was a special week, as the show was celebrating going into its 15th year on the air. Dick Clark read a press release that had gone out the week before "The $10,000 Pyramid" premiered in 1973, and he showed one of the old tickets from a taping at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York. It was only fitting that Melody was a guest, as "Y&R" premiered on CBS the exact same day as "Pyramid" had.
David and Susan won Monday's first game and scored $750, missing NARROW THINGS. After the second round, it appeared that Susan had won another $750, but after the commercial, Dick explained that they had to take back $200 because they couldn't accept Melody's clue of "A winding road" for THINGS THAT BEND.
David and Susan started Tuesday off with a $10,000 win when Susan guessed THINGS THAT REPEAT. In the next round, Melody and Susan won $350.
After two strong rounds, David and Susan faltered in Wednesday's first round, scoring only $150. Newcomer Debbie won $750 with David in the next round, missing THINGS THAT ARE ORGANIZED.
On Thursday, David wore a satin jacket with the "Pyramid" logo on the back - a jacket he won in a bet with Bob Stewart, he said. He wore it in honor of the show's 14th anniversary, which was that day. He and Debbie almost had a win in the first round, but he got buzzed on top box THINGS THAT ARE GLAZED for saying "Icing." New player Lori tried to match that score but only accumulated $500.
Melody finally had a big win in Friday's first round, winning $10,000 for new contestant Janet Mickey on THINGS THAT ARE SMUGGLED. Debbie almost tied that mark in the next round but missed FAMOUS BEACHES in the $150 box.
Tallies for the week: Melody - 4 games, $14,000; David - 6 games, $16,200.
Week of March 30, 1987:
Celebrity players were Jenny O'Hara of "My Sister Sam" and Clifton Davis of "Amen." This was Jenny's first and only visit to this version of the show. She had done the nighttime version a few weeks earlier and would play it one more time in the fall.
Returning champ Janet won Monday's first round with Clifton and scored $550. In the next round, Jenny had her first big win when Janet won $25,000 after going back and guessing $100 box WHY YOU HAVE AN AFFAIR with 2 seconds left on the clock.
Clifton and Janet almost had a $10,000 win in Tuesday's first round, but they missed top box THINGS THAT ARE PUNCTURED. In the next round, Jenny and Janet looked like they might repeat their $25,000 win when they burned through the first four categories, but then Jenny got buzzed on THINGS THAT GLISTEN for saying "Sparkling ice" and THINGS THAT ARE LEVEL for saying "A flat surface." Dick Clark had a question for the judge about one of the categories. When Janet responded "What you say to an umpire" on "WHAT YOU SAY TO A REFEREE," Jenny said "Another word," and Dick asked the judge if he still wanted to accept that answer. The judge said yes, explaining that the quotation categories are played a little broader and Jenny could have been saying "I'm another word for an umpire."
Clifton and Janet had a $550 win in Wednesday's first round. In the second round, Jenny and Janet had yet another try at $25,000, but they stopped at $350, during which Jenny got buzzed on THINGS THAT ARE EXTRA for saying "An additional newspaper."
Thursday was Janet's last day on the show, and she decided to try giving the clues to Clifton in the first round. She scored $550 in this attempt. She went back to the receiving chair in the next round, and she and Jenny almost broke the daytime record for money given away, but top box THINGS THAT ARE DEVASTATING stopped them. Still, Janet wound up her stay with an impressive record, winning 9 games out of 10 (with the one game she lost ending at 20-21) and accumulating $42,850, a car, a trip to Fiji, and a piano. This places her at number 19 among biggest money-winners on the daytime show and number 59 among winners on all versions.
The last day of the week had new players Anne and Linda both winning $300 in the Winner’s Circle with Clifton. He got buzzed in both rounds: for saying "Shoppers" on $200 box THINGS IN A SHOPPING MALL in the first round and for saying "A raisin in the sun" on THINGS THAT SHRIVEL in the second round. The second game ended in a 21-21 tie, the first one in regulation play in two months, and it was broken by Anne, earning her an extra $5,000. Because it was a $300 tie, both contestants would return on Monday, when their partners would be Susan Ruttan and Dick Cavett.
Tallies for the week: Jenny - 4 games, $27,700; Clifton - 6 games, $11,850.
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Post by pyramidfan on May 10, 2020 20:46:49 GMT -5
Week of April 6, 1987:
Celebrities were Susan Ruttan of "L.A. Law" and Dick Cavett. This would be Dick's last appearance on the daytime show, but he would do the nighttime show two more times.
Both contestants were returnees, as they had tied at $300 on Friday. Linda and Dick won the first game and almost started the week with a win, but they couldn't get top box THINGS THAT REVOLVE. Anne tried to tie the $750 in the next round but stopped at $550, during which Dick got buzzed on $200 box THINGS WITH A PICTURE for saying "A portrait gallery."
Susan had a couple buzzers herself in Tuesday's first round. She got nailed on her first clue for $50 box THINGS THAT GO FAST, "A speeding car," and the judge disallowed her clue of "The side of your house" for $250 box THINGS WITH A WALL. Newcomer Kathy got $450 in that round. She and Dick almost had a $25,000 win in the next round, but the top box proved a stumper again. This time, it was THINGS YOU PLACE.
In Wednesday's first round, Kathy and Dick again stopped at $750. It was heartbreaking because they had flown through the first five categories in less than 30 seconds, and then Dick said "An ovened cake" for THINGS THAT RISE, which got him the buzzer. Dick argued with the judge (which was typical with Dick after a buzzer), but to no avail. The buzzer would haunt him again in the next round, when he said "A vacuum cleaner" on $150 box THINGS USED FOR CLEANING. He and new player Scott went on to get $600. However, at the end of the show, Dick Clark explained that there had been a scoring error in the first round that had cost Scott a point unfairly, so they opted to bring both contestants back the next day.
In the first round of Thursday's show, Cavett again scored $750, this time because Kathy missed THINGS ON A TRACK. The next round provided the week's only big win as Susan guided Kathy to $25,000 (Susan's only $25,000 win). The final category was THINGS YOU PRAISE.
On the last day of the week, Susan's partners tied at $500. This meant that both Kathy and newcomer Pat would return. However, they would not come back the next Monday, as there was a special week in the works. They would return the following week.
Tallies for the week: Susan - 4 games, $28,650; Dick - 6 games, $5,600.
Week of April 13, 1987:
Guests for the week were "Night Court's" Markie Post and Barry Jenner. They had been opponents twice before on the daytime show. This would be Barry's last appearance on the daytime show, but he would go on to do the nighttime show two more times and John Davidson's version twice.
This was the first time that there was a full week of blind contestants on "Pyramid." The first time they had been on was on Tuesday, August 23, 1983, followed by the first three days of 1985, in what had been a four-day week because of a New Year's Day preemption. Every day would feature two contestants who would only play for one day, and as a special bonus, each contestant got a trip for two to Mexico.
Barry and Rhonda started the week off right, winning $10,000 on THINGS AROUND A POOL. Robert tried to tie that mark in the next round but stopped at $800, missing THINGS WITH A COVER.
In Tuesday's first round, it looked as if Markie and Jody had won $800 because Markie got buzzed on $250 box THINGS WITH CLAWS for saying "Lobster hands." However, when they came back from the commercial, Dick Clark explained that they could make no actual determination as to whether a lobster had a hand or not, so they awarded Jody the $10,000. It became a moot point in the next round because, with Barry's help, Jody won $25,000, which wiped out the $10,000 win. The top category was THINGS THAT ARE SEIZED (GRABBED).
Incidentally, this was the fourth time that Markie had a $10,000 win erased because of a $25,000 win that immediately followed. In fact, her first win ever was wiped out thanks to Richard Kline hitting for $25,000 in the next round. If it weren't for this, her ranking in the top money-winning celebrities would be even higher.
Barry was on a hot roll this week. He gave away $10,000 to Burns in Wednesday's first round, with Burns guessing THINGS THAT ARE ANNOUNCED with one second left on the clock. Burns almost repeated Jody's double-header in the next round, but he and Markie missed THINGS THAT ARE SERVICED. Markie pointed out that it was the only answer he had missed, as he had gotten two 21-point games in the front rounds.
Barry wasn't quite as hot on Thursday. His contestants, Stephanie and Mack, only won $150 and $300, respectively.
Friday's first round went to a 21-21 tie, and Dick asked the powers that be if they could skip the tiebreaker and split the potential $5,000 bonus between both contestants and give each of them a chance to win $10,000. The higher-ups agreed, so Markie and Carmen made their attempt first, scoring $750 when they missed THINGS THAT ARE SETTLED, and then Barry and Roger had their try, winning $500. This now meant either contestant would be trying for $25,000 when he or she won the next round. That contestant turned out to be Carmen, who won $300 with Barry.
Tallies for the week: Markie - 2 games (and 1 unbroken tie), $5,100; Barry - 7 games (and 1 unbroken tie), $52,850.
Week of April 20, 1987:
The special guests were Adrienne Barbeau and, for his only visit, Marty Cohen. It's a big surprise to me that Marty didn't make more appearances on the show. He was a natural player, and it was clear that he had watched the show and knew the kinds of clues that were most effective. It was revealed during the week that his wife, Maria, had been a contestant on the show in 1984 and won the $1,100 bonus. (Though it wasn’t mentioned on the air, Maria’s partners were Elaine Joyce and Nathan Cook.)
Both contestants were holdovers from a $500 tie the week before. Marty and Kathy won the first game and accumulated $500. Adrienne could tell what kind of week it was going to be for her when Marty blazed through the tiebreaker in only 14 seconds. In the next round, Marty had the week's only big win when Pat guessed THINGS THAT ARE BONDED for $10,000.
In Tuesday's first round, Marty and Pat almost had a repeat of their $10,000 win, but $200 box THINGS IN A TANK tripped them up. Adrienne and Pat tried for $25,000 in the next round but only scored $300.
On Wednesday, Marty guided both contestants to a $400 tie. Interestingly, the $100 box stumped both contestants: WHY YOU USE A COMPUTER in the first round and THINGS ON THE SKIN in the second.
Pat had two close calls at $750 on Wednesday, missing THINGS THAT ARE DISMISSED with Marty and THINGS THAT ARE CONFISCATED with Adrienne. Since this was her fifth day, she retired undefeated with $17,950, a home computer, and a VCR.
Two new players were introduced on Friday, Angie and Hope. Adrienne and Angie won the first round. They got $800, missing $250 box THINGS THAT ARE CONFIDENTIAL, on which Adrienne got buzzed for saying "A secret." Marty and Angie wrapped up the week with a $450 win in their attempt for $25,000.
Tallies for the week: Adrienne - 3 games, $4,050; Marty - 7 games, $16,650.
Week of April 27, 1987:
The stars were Ilene Graff of "Mr. Belvedere" and, for his only time on the show, Blake Clark of "Gimme a Break." Ilene was a replacement for Edie McClurg, who Dick Clark had announced as an upcoming guest the previous Friday. Although not as schooled a player as Marty Cohen, Blake is someone else who picked up the game pretty quickly and who I was surprised never returned to the show.
When Monday's show began, Dick Clark said that it was Clark Week since he, Blake, and Angie shared that last name. Blake and Angie won the first game and scored $300. In the second round, Ilene and Angie won $550 in their attempt for $25,000.
Blake and Angie had a close call in their attempt for $10,000 in Tuesday's first round, missing THINGS YOU CONSIDER in the top box. Ilene provided the week's only big win in the next round when Angie guessed THINGS IN A FLEA MARKET for $25,000. This was Ilene's only $25,000 win.
Blake won both games on Wednesday, and each contestant scored $500. This was one of the rare times when each contestant achieved the tie score in a different configuration: Angie got all but the top two boxes, while newcomer Eddie got the second, third, and fifth boxes. In the second round, Blake got buzzed on $50 box DIET FOODS for saying "Low-calorie foods."
Thursday started the same as every other day this week had started, with Blake and Angie trying for $10,000. They stopped at $300, during which Blake got buzzed on THINGS THAT ARE COMPLICATED for saying "Hard algebraic equations." Blake and Eddie almost hit for $10,000 in the next round, but $250 box THINGS YOU EDIT stopped them at $800.
On Friday, Blake and Eddie again tried for $10,000, but they stopped at $400. Blake got buzzed on $250 box THINGS THAT ARE PETTY for saying "A woman's slip," which the judge felt was leading to "petticoat" illegally. In the last round of the week, Ilene and Eddie scored $500 in their attempt for $25,000. As the high scorer, Eddie would return on Monday, when the celebrities would be Gladys Knight and Michael Spound.
Tallies for the week: Ilene - 3 games, $28,250; Blake - 7 games, $5,000.
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Post by pyramidfan on May 10, 2020 20:47:07 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.
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 Kerstner 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.
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, Larry 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.)
Tallies for the week: Heidi - 6 games, $24,250; Smokey - 4 games, $28,950.
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 pyramidfan on May 10, 2020 20:47:26 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), 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.
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 high for` 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.
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.
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.
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 May 10, 2020 20:47:43 GMT -5
Week of July 6, 1987:
Celebrities for the week were Kimberly Russell of "Head of the Class" and Allan Kayser of "Mama's Family." This was the first and only appearance on the show for both celebs. Since they were a little younger than the standard players, the material in the Winner’s Circle was noticeably easier. Even so, there was only one big win for the week. We'll get into that later.
Returning champ Ruby won both games on Monday. She and Allan scored $500 in the first round. In the second round, Ruby took the giving chair because Kimberly said she felt more comfortable receiving the clues, and they scored $700.
Tuesday saw the return of contestant Jim, who had been on with Rita Moreno and Earl Holliman in September of 1986 and was brought back to the show due to some unnamed problem in his first appearance. (Two mysteries I have yet to solve: One, why did it take so long for him to get back on the show? Two, what was the error in his first appearance? I've watched that episode several times and have yet to see anything wrong with it.) Both games were won by Jim, who scored a perfect 21 each time. Kimberly gave him the clues in the first round, and they won $400, during which Kimberly got buzzed on $200 box THINGS WITH STRINGS for saying "Laces." Jim and Allan had a close call for $25,000, but they missed top box THINGS YOU BELIEVE IN. In both front games, Ruby employed an interesting strategy. In the last category, she passed a word early, and when she got to the seventh word, she jumped back and started describing the passed word, knowing that if she had gone on and gotten the seventh word, they could no longer try for the missed word. Clever, but it didn't work either time.
Jim and Allan won the first game with a perfect score on Wednesday. This was Jim's fourth 21-point game in a row, with the second game of his original appearance ending in a 21-21 tie. He earned $300 in the circle, during which Allan got buzzed on $200 box THINGS THAT PREDICT (FUTURE) when he started verbalizing actual predictions someone would make. Newcomer Jill won the second game, and she and Allan won $500.
Kimberly and new player Kim won the first game on Thursday, and they had a close call, missing $200 box THINGS ON A GOLF COURSE and stopping at $850. Jill tried to tie that mark in the next round, but she again scored $500.
On Friday, Kimberly and new contestant Mary won the first round and scored $800, missing only $250 box THINGS IN THE AIR. In the second round, Allan and Mary got all the way to the top, and it looked for a moment as if they had won the $25,000, but before the celebration took place, Dick Clark stopped both players and asked to go to a commercial to discuss something. When they came back, the guests were back at the tables. Dick explained that on the top box, THINGS YOU COUNT WITH, he thought he had heard Allan say "In your mind," which would have been unacceptable. But during the commercial, they went back and listened to the tape in the booth, and Allan clearly said a "D" in the first word of the clue, meaning he had said "and," not "in." Since this was an acceptable clue, Dick announced that Mary had indeed won the $25,000. There was a brief celebration, and Mary's husband ran onto the platform to hug his wife and shake Allan's hand. After last week's take-back of Ruby's $10,000 win, it's understandable that Dick was hoping to prevent a similar heartbreak. However, the reverse happened here: A contestant and celebrity should have had a joyous celebration and were somewhat robbed of it. And this wasn't the only time this would happen in the coming weeks.
Tallies for the week: Kimberly - 5 games, $6,850; Allan - 5 games, $28,150.
This issue is a short one. Reason being, at this time, the Oliver North hearings had thrown a big monkey wrench into network daytime programming. In fact, most of this week was seen in the afternoon rather than its normal morning time slot. Because of this, CBS opted to show reruns for the next four weeks, re-airing episodes from January and February of 1987. The show resumed showing new episodes on August 10th, with celebrities Lara Jill Miller and Harry Waters Jr. The next three weeks of new episodes to air, however, had been taped prior to the CBS decision, so sometimes the dates Dick mentioned on the air didn't match their actual airdates.
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