| packagers: Ralph Andrews/Larry Hovis Productions ('87-'88), Laurelwood TV in assoc. with IDTV Int'l (GSN) air dates: 9/87-9/88 in syndication & 8/5/02-present on GSN hosts: Michael Reagan ('87-'88), Ralph Andrews ('88), Chuck Woolery (GSN) announcer: Randi Thomas (season 2 on GSN version) HOW TO PLAY: ('87-'88): Two pairs of players competed to guess five letter words and complete a Bingo-type card. Each team was given a Lingo board with 7 out of 25 numbers marked off for starters. One team was shown the first letter of a five-letter word. One player took a guess at the word and had to spell it out. The guess was displayed along with a circle over each letter that was in the word but not in the right place. Squares indicate letters which are in the right place. The team was given 5 chances to guess the word. If they failed on their fifth try, ran out of time, or gave a word that didn't fit, wasn't a real word, was a proper name, or was misspelled, the other team was given a chance and one of the letters of the word popped into its right place and they had to use the remaining chances to guess the word. If the word was identified on the first guess, that team earned $1,000. If the word wasn't identified after five guesses, the teams alternated until the word was identified. The team that did so was given the opportunity to draw two balls from their own container. If a numbered ball was drawn, that number was marked off on the team's board. Also in each bin were red balls which, if drawn, instantly passed control to the other team. There were also prize balls in each bin. One was worth a $250 travelers' check, another worth a vacation, and another worth a jackpot worth $1,000 + $500 a day until won. If the team draws these balls, they had to win the game in order to claim them. After two balls were drawn or a red ball was drawn, another word was played. The first team to mark off five #s across, up/down, or diagonally won $250 and played No Lingo. The other team was given $100 as a parting gift. The winning team was shown a Lingo board with 16 #s marked off. They were then shown two letters of a 5-letter word. The number of guesses it took to identify the word was the number of balls that had to be drawn. If the team drew enough balls and avoided marking off 5 in a row, or if a gold ball was drawn, they won $1,000. They could stop there or play on at the risk of making a Lingo and losing the money. A maximum of 5 words was played, so there was up to 16 large at stake. A team's second shot at No Lingo started at $2k on the first word up to $32k on the fifth and final word. Their third attempt started at $4k and went up to a possible $64k. Later, it was changed to winning $500 for an across or up/down Lingo, $1k for a diagonal, or $2k for a "Double Lingo" which was used as a base amount for the bonus round. Not to mention, teams stayed on until losing twice. (GSN): The prize balls were ditched and each team starts with 12 #s marked off. In the first half, each word guessed scores 25 points and each Lingo scores 50 points. In the second half, the point values double and three "?" balls are added to each container, which allows the team to mark off any open space on their board. The team that's ahead when time is called plays Bonus Lingo. The winning team is given two minutes to guess as many five-letter words as they can. they are given five chances for each word. When their two minutes is up, the team is allowed to draw one Lingo ball for each word they got right. In the first season, each word was worth $100 and a Lingo ball. Thirteen numbers were covered and if the team made a Lingo, they won a prize package which included Borders Gift Cards, an Argus digital camera, a Croton Watch, and a Casio pocket PC. From the second season on, the winning team is allowed a free bonus letter. Each Lingo the team accomplished in the front game gives the team another bonus letter. After two minutes, twelve #s are marked off so that only one number allows for a Lingo to be made on the first draw, thereby winning a jackpot worth $10,000 plus another $1,000 per show until won. If they don't Lingo on the first draw, they can still win $5k. If the team fails to make a Lingo, they earn $100/word. The previous grand prizes for a first-draw Lingo have been as follows: season 2: $5k and a trip to Jamaica season 3: $5k and a Harrah's vacation package (OH, YEAH!) season 4: $10k In season 3, a Tournament of Champions was played. In the final game, Bonus Lingo was replaced by a third round in which each word scored 75 points and each Lingo scored 150 points. In the end, the team of Tim and Catherine won a pair of 2004 Suzuki Veronas! OTHER TIDBITS: Many winners in the late-'80s run were not paid their winnings and they eventually filed lawsuits. Michael Reagan is indeed the son of the late president Ronald Reagan. Randi Thomas, the announcer for the GSN run's second season, is better recognized as the voice of the reading program Hooked on Phonics. British-born Stacey Hayes was the show's co-host/announcer/judge during the third season. Early in the third season, she was joined for a short time by a model named Paula. Stacey was replaced the following season by Miss USA 2004 Shandi Finnessey. Chuck scored a Top 40 hit in '68 with a song called "Naturally Stoned". He also starred on GSN's first reality show of the same name. Back to my game show joint or my homepage. |
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