Stumpers (game show)

Infobox_television
show_name = Stumpers!


caption =
format = Game Show
runtime = 30 Minutes
creator = Lin Bolen
starring = Allen Ludden
country = USA
rating=
network = NBC
first_aired =October 4, 1976
last_aired =December 31, 1976|

Stumpers! was a game show hosted by veteran emcee Allen Ludden that aired on NBC from October 4, 1976 to December 31 of the same year. Lin Bolen, head of NBC Daytime Programming, developed the show. Bill Armstrong was the program's regular announcer, however, Charlie O'Donnell also announced several episodes.

The show featured similar game play to Password with two teams (consisting of one celebrity and one contestant) attempting to guess the subject of puzzles based on clues provided by their opponents.

Main Game

The object of the game was to solve a "Stumper:" a puzzle consisting of three clues to a person, place, or thing. In round one, each player on a team gave clues to their opposing counterpart (contestant gave clues to contestant, celebrity to celebrity). The contestant or celebrity was shown the three clue words (but not the answer to the Stumper) and had to choose the one they thought would be least likely to help their opponent guess the Stumper.

After each clue was given, the opposing player would have five seconds to provide as many guesses as they could. If the opposing player guessed the subject correctly, their team was awarded points as based on the number of clues already provided:

If the opposing player was unable to guess the Stumper after being supplied with all three clues, the clue-giving team would earn 15 points for a correct guess in round one, 30 points in round two. If neither team was unable to guess the Stumper, no points were awarded and play continued with the next Stumper.

Two Stumpers were played per team member, for a total of four Stumpers per round.

Round two, the "Double-Up Round," consisted of two more Stumpers worth double the points from round one. Both team members could provide a guess during round two, despite which opponent supplied the clues.

The team that was ahead at the end of round two won the game and a chance at $10,000 in the Super Stumpers round. The most a team could score in total was 120 points.

In the event of a tie, Ludden would provide the clues, one at a time, and the teams would buzz in to guess. The first to give the right answer won the game, while a wrong guess gave the opposing team a chance to guess. If neither team answered correctly after the third clue, another tie-breaker stumper was played.

Bonus Round ("Super Stumpers")

The civilian contestant attempted to guess 10 Stumpers in 60 seconds based on clues supplied by their celebrity partner. This time, the celebrity chose the clue "most likely" to help the contestant guess the subject. If a contestant was stumped, they could only receive another clue by saying "clue." If the celebrity gave a clue without the contestant saying "clue", the stumper and the chance at the big money were discarded. Each correct Stumper won $100 for the contestant, and solving all ten won $10,000.

Two complete games were played per episode. Contestants could stay on the show until they were defeated or won the bonus round twice, for a possible total of $20,000. This top prize was reached at least twice, including the last episode.

Episode Status

Due to NBC's practice of wiping, the status of the entire series is unknown, however two episodes (the October 4, 1976 premiere and the New Year's Eve finale of that year) are known to exist among collectors of television game shows. Because it was developed and remains owned by NBC, even if it did exist it is unlikely that reruns will air any time in the immediate future.

The final episode

The final episode contained a $20,000 win by Jess Peterson, partnered with Bill Bixby, and a $900 loss by Joe Schwa, also partnered with Bixby. After the last bonus round, Ludden spoke to the studio and home audiences by stating how the show helped to test the imaginations and minds of Americans during its 13-week run, and how some schools actually used the game show as a teaching method to students. He also mentioned how happy he was that, after a 14-year stint as host of Password, he returned to a game similar to that show. Following the credit roll, Bixby and Anita Gillette came back on stage to have a toast with Ludden followed by a shower of balloons and confetti. Ludden would eventually return to "Password" two years later under the new title "Password Plus".