Grand Slam (U.S. TV series)

infobox television


show_name = Grand Slam
format = Game show
rating = TV-G
runtime = 60 minutes
starring = Dennis Miller
Amanda Byram
Pat Kiernan (off-camera)
country = UK
network = GSN
first_aired = August 4, 2007 - September 8, 2007
num_episodes = 8
website = http://www.gsn.com/grandslam/
tv_com_id = 73849|

"Grand Slam" is a United States game show based on the British series of the same name. The program airs on the GSN, and premiered on August 4, 2007. It is hosted by Dennis Miller and Amanda Byram, who both provided play-by-play. The off-camera "Questioner" is Pat Kiernan. The series is from Embassy Row Productions in association with Sony Pictures Television and GSN. Legendary "Jeopardy!" champion Ken Jennings was the winner of Season One, beating out Ogi Ogas, a contestant on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire".

Premise

The program features 16 of the biggest winners in United States game show history in a single-elimination style tournament. The contestants are seeded by the amount of money won on their original show(s). The sole winner takes home the $100,000 Grand Prize and a crystal trophy.

Gameplay

The contestants face off against each other in a rapid-fire style series of questions. There are four rounds of questioning: General Knowledge, Numbers and Logic, Words and Letters, and "Mixed" (questions from all of the previous categories). Exclusively for the final match, a fifth "Contemporary Knowledge" round was added as round #3, between "Numbers and Logic" and "Words and Letters". In each round, the players are given one minute on their clocks, and the first contestant (determined by coin toss for the first round; alternates for each subsequent round) is asked a question by the off-camera "Questioner", and his clock starts counting down. The timing mechanics are similar to that of a chess clock--if a contestant answers correctly, his clock stops, and his opponent's clock starts running. However, if the active contestant answers incorrectly or passes, their clock continues to run and another question is asked.

When one contestant's clock expires, the round ends. The total quantity of time left on each player's clock at the end of each round is added to the one minute they begin with in the fourth round. The contestant who wins this final round wins the match.

Each contestant is given three "switches" at the beginning of the game, and one more before the fourth round; a contestant can use one by saying "switch" during their turn. This stops their own clock and begins their opponent's turn with the current question. Switches can be used consecutively to switch the question back and forth between contestants.

List of Players

*Brad Rutter - Current all time "Jeopardy!" champion, all-time American game show winnings leader (at the time), winning $3.255 million.
*Ken Jennings - 74-time "Jeopardy!" champion, winning $3.02 million; as of October 2008, he has become the all-time American game show winnings leader.
*Dr. Kevin Olmstead - "Jeopardy!" contestant and "Millionaire" winner of $2.18 million.
*Ed Toutant - "Millionaire" winner of $1.86 million.
*David Legler - "Twenty-one" winner of $1.765 million.
*John Carpenter - first ever "Millionaire" winner, and winner of $250,000 during Millionaire's Tournament of Champions.
*Rahim Oberholtzer - "Twenty-one" winner of $1.12 million.
*Nancy Christy - first and only woman winner of "Millionaire".
*Ogi Ogas - "Millionaire" winner of $500,000.
*Phyllis Harris - Contestant on "Millionaire", "Super Greed", "Wheel of Fortune", "Trivia Trap", "Scrabble", and "Card Sharks", winnings totaling $497,150.
*Thom McKee - long-running "Tic-Tac-Dough" contestant, winning $312,700.
*Frank Spangenberg - "Jeopardy!" tournament champion, winnings totaling $269,596.
*Leszek Pawlowicz - Contestant on "Jeopardy!", "Win Ben Stein's Money" and "History IQ", winnings totaling $194,700.
*Michelle Kitt - Biggest winner of "The Weakest Link", winning $107,500.
*Victor Lee, 2007 "World Series of Pop Culture" champion, winning $83,333.
*Amy Kelly - Biggest winner of "Lingo", winning $20,500.

Tournament Bracket

The listed score is the number of seconds the winner had remaining at the end of the match.

16TeamBracket
RD2=Quarterfinals
RD1-seed01=1
RD1-team01="Brad Rutter"
RD1-seed02=16
RD1-team02=Amy Kelly
RD1-score01=134.09

RD1-seed03=8
RD1-team03=Nancy Christy
RD1-seed04=9
RD1-team04="Ogi Ogas"
RD1-score04=110.09

RD1-seed05=4
RD1-team05=Ed Toutant
RD1-seed06=13
RD1-team06="Leszek Pawlowicz"
RD1-score06=50.67

RD1-seed07=5
RD1-team07="David Legler"
RD1-seed08=12
RD1-team08=Frank Spangenberg
RD1-score07=62.86

RD1-seed09=2
RD1-team09="Ken Jennings"
RD1-seed10=15
RD1-team10=Victor Lee
RD1-score09=36.10

RD1-seed11=7
RD1-team11=Rahim Oberholtzer
RD1-seed12=10
RD1-team12="Phyllis Harris"
RD1-score12=81.42

RD1-seed13=3
RD1-team13=Kevin Olmstead
RD1-seed14=14
RD1-team14="Michelle Kitt"
RD1-score14=3.34

RD1-seed15=6
RD1-team15="John Carpenter"
RD1-seed16=11
RD1-team16=Thom McKee
RD1-score15=55.31

RD2-seed01=1
RD2-team01=Brad Rutter
RD2-seed02="9"
RD2-team02="Ogi Ogas"
RD2-score02=16.82

RD2-seed03=13
RD2-team03=Leszek Pawlowicz
RD2-seed04="5"
RD2-team04="David Legler"
RD2-score04=44.55

RD2-seed05=2
RD2-team05="Ken Jennings"
RD2-seed06= 10
RD2-team06= Phyllis Harris
RD2-score05=139.77

RD2-seed07="14"
RD2-team07="Michelle Kitt"
RD2-seed08=6
RD2-team08=John Carpenter
RD2-score07=9.18

RD3-seed01=9
RD3-team01="Ogi Ogas"
RD3-seed02=5
RD3-team02=David Legler
RD3-score01=97.48

RD3-seed03=2
RD3-team03="Ken Jennings"
RD3-score03=165.45
RD3-seed04=14
RD3-team04=Michelle Kitt

RD4-seed01=9
RD4-team01=Ogi Ogas
RD4-seed02=2
RD4-team02="Ken Jennings"
RD4-score02=87.67

Results

Games are listed in the order in which they aired.

First Round

emifinals