Blockbusters - TV.com

Blockbusters: Summary

Airs Next:NBC at Weekdays 10:30 AM (30 min.)
Status:Ended
Premiered:October 27, 1980
Last Aired:April 23, 1982
Show Categories:Game Shows

Are two heads really better than one? That's what the early 1980s version of Blockbusters attempted to determine.

That's because a solo player was pitted against a family pair (siblings, parent/child, uncle/aunt and nephew/niece, grandparent/grandchild ... anything except husband and wife or other form of couple), with one set of contestants the returning champion(s). The object was to connect both sides of the 5-by-4 board of hexagons through correct answers. The solo player (red) had to connect vertically (at least four blocks), while the family pair (white) went side-to-side (needing to connect at least five blocks).

Each hexagon had a letter, which was the first letter in the answer to a question host Cullen read. For example, if a player chose "B," the question might be � "What 'B' is a male amphibian or Jerimiah in the Three Dog Night song 'Joy to the World'?" Answer � Bullfrog). Anyone could ring in and answer, with a correct answer gave the player/team the box and a wrong answer allowing the opponent(s) to answer. Players always tried to block the opponent's progress at all times (requiring them to work their way around and answer more than the minimum number of questions needed to win); often, players chose a box that could help them but not do their opponent's a bit of good.

Each game in the best-of-three match was worth $500, with two games winning the match and a trip to the Gold Run bonus round.

In the Gold Run, the player (or one member of the family team) had 60 seconds to connect the left to right sides of the board by answering Blockbusters-style questions. Each block represented a single letter or (much more often) an acronym (e.g., "YP" could lead to the question, "Telephone directory containing business listings and advertisements." Answer: Yellow Pages). Passing on a question or giving an incorrect answer caused that box to turn black, and the player had to work their way around it. The player/team won $5,000 for making a connection, but if they were unsuccessful, they earned $100 for every question they had right; and yes, Cullen was kind enough to provide the answers to those questions that were missed. (Note: Early on, the bonus round ended automatically if it was no longer possible to make a side-to-side connection. Also, early in the 1980-1982 run, a player/team played the Gold Run after every game won for $2,500 the first time and $5,000 the second time.)

Teams competed until defeated or winning 10 games; thus $60,000 was possible (achieved by several players/teams). Later in the run, the 10-game limit was upped to 20 and successful contestants were invited back to compete for more cash; more than once, the $120,000 maximum was achieved.

Oh, did two heads really prove better than one? On the last show, Cullen let us know � not really, since about half of the champions were solo players and the other half were the family pair. But it was an interesting concept and a fun game to watch.

Nearly five years after the original Blockbusters left NBC, a new version appeared. While the major rules were similar, two solo players competed in the best-of-three affair (now hosted by Bill Rafferty). The champion had to connect side-to-side and the challenger went top-to-bottom in round one, with both players switching in round two. If a tie-breaker round was needed, the board was reduced to a 4-by-4 grid. Games were worth $100 each, and champions played the Gold Run as before (except that if the bonus game isn't won, the $5,000 bonus is increased by $5,000 for every playing until claimed).

Are two heads really better than one? That's what the early 1980s version of Blockbusters attempted to determine.

That's because a solo player was pitted against a family pair (siblings, parent/child, uncle/aunt and nephew/niece, grandparent/grandchild ... anything except husband and wife or other form of couple), with one set of contestants the returning...