The Who, What or Where Game

Three contestants, including a returing champion, competed in this general knowledge game patterned somewhat after the enormously-popular "Jeopardy!" Each contestant is given an initial bankroll of $125. Host James announces a category, each with three as-of-yet unrevealed questions--a "who," a "what" and a "where" question. Each question also had odds posted, based on the question's difficulty (most having even or 2:1 odds, with others had up to 5:1 odds). Each contestant secretly selects one question and wagers up to $50 on their ability to answer. All three wagers are revealed; if just one player chooses a specific question, he gets to answer it, with the contestant winning his/her bid multiplied by the odds if correct or losing his wager if he/she is wrong. However, if two or perhaps all three contestants choose the same question, only the highest bid is accepted; however, if two or all three bids on the same question are identical, the $50 limit is waived and the contestants can bid up to their entire bankroll. Only the winner of the auction gets to answer the question, with the wager added and multiplied or subtracted appropriately. The format is repeated through several rounds, with contestants able to bid up to $100 after an unspecified point in the game. For the final question, all contestants with positive scores could wager up to their entire bankroll on one final category, again with three question choices. The rules for answering were identical to previous rounds. All contestants kept what they had won, and the player with the highest cash winnings was champion and returned to the next show. Champions continued until winning five games or until defeated. —Brian Rathjen <briguy_52732@yahoo.com>