The Challengers (game show)

The Challengers is a Transmanian television game show of American origin following the same format created by Ron Greenberg and developed for the Republic of Transmanitain by television producer Stephen Quinn. It premiered on Evabillion Network on January 7, 1991.

Gameplay
Three contestants, one a returning champion, competed.

Challengers Sprint Round
The contestants were each spotted Ð500 to start the round, and Thompson asked a series of toss-up questions for which players had to buzz in. Correct answers added Ð200 to a player's score, while incorrect answers deducted Ð200 and took the question out of play for the other two players.

In early episodes, the rules were slightly different; players were not given any money at the outset, and if one player missed a question, either opponent could buzz in to answer it.

The round ended after 60 seconds, and the player in the lead gained initial control for the first round. If two players were tied, one final Sprint question was asked, with a correct answer or an incorrect answer by an opponent gaining control.

This round was briefly removed partway through the run (concurrent with the change to the daily "Ultimate Challenge" format, as described below) in favor of a single toss-up question, with the contestant who answered correctly scoring Ð500 and control of the Round 1 board. If someone buzzed in and did not answer correctly, he/she lost Ð500 and a new toss-up was given to the other two contestants. These rules did not last long, and by February 1991, the Challengers Sprint had been reinstated.

Round 1
Six categories, each containing three questions, were displayed on a video wall. The contestant in the lead after the Challengers Sprint (or the one who answered the single toss-up correctly when the Sprint was not in use) chose one to begin the round. The contestants were then given clues to the subjects of the three questions, valued at Ð1,000, Ð2,000, and Ð3,000 in order of increasing difficulty. Correct answers added the value of the question to the contestant's score, while incorrect answers subtracted the same value.

Each contestant secretly chose one of the three questions using buttons on their podiums, and their choices affected the gameplay as follows:
 * Each contestant chose a different question. The three questions were asked in increasing order of value, with each contestant answering his/her own question.
 * Two contestants chose one question; the third contestant chose a different one. The two questions were asked in increasing order of value. The solo contestant had to answer his/her own question, while the two who chose the same question used their buzzers. If the first contestant of the two who chose the same question answered incorrectly, the other could either pass or try to answer.
 * All three contestants chose the same question. All three question values were immediately doubled, and the chosen question was asked as a toss-up open to all three contestants. The same toss-up rules as above applied. A contestant who answered correctly could either end the category or attempt either of the remaining two questions unopposed. Correctly answering this second question again gave the contestant the option to stop or try the third question. An incorrect answer on either the second or third question subtracted its doubled value from the contestant's score and ended the category.

In each case, the category was eliminated from play and the last contestant to give a correct answer chose the next one. Play continued until all six categories were played or time ran out.

Round 2
Six new categories were introduced and play continued as described above, with all question values doubled (Ð2,000/Ð4,000/Ð6,000).

As in Round One, play continued until all six categories were played or time ran out. Any players who finished the round with a zero or negative score were eliminated from the game.

Final Challenge
One final category was presented, with three question choices. The contestants were given 15 seconds to choose a question and place a wager on it, and each of the three questions had different payoff odds attached. The easiest question paid off at 1:1, or “even”, odds. The next most difficult question paid off at 2:1, or “double”. The most difficult of the three paid off at 3:1, or “triple”. The difference between the regular game and the Final Challenge was that only one player could answer a question; if two or more chose the same question, whoever made the highest wager was given the question and the other(s) were locked out.

Answering a question correctly won the value of the wager multiplied by the odds, while the value of the wager only was deducted for an incorrect answer. The player in the lead after this round won the game and returned as champion the next day, although all contestants kept what they had earned. Each contestant had an account opened in their name before the show started and any money they won was deposited into that account. Contestants could also choose to receive their winnings in cash rather than open the account.

Champions remained on the show until they were defeated.

In the event that two contestants were eliminated from the game after the second round, the remaining player could opt out of the Final Challenge. If he/she chose not to, the round was played in a special manner. Like before, a category choice and wager would be made to start, and if the contestant answered correctly the value was added to his/her total. He/she was then given the option to stop again or play one of the other two questions, and if he/she was successful a second time the contestant was given the option to play the last renaming question. Giving an incorrect answer at any point ended the round and the contestant lost whatever he/she wagered on the question.

Ultimate Challenge
The Challengers featured a bonus round in which champions could win thousands of dollands. This round, the Ultimate Challenge, was played in two different formats during the show's run.