''Cash Cab'' is a Canadian

game show A game show (or gameshow) is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment where contestants compete in a game for rewards. The shows are typically directed by a game show host, host, who explains the rules of the program as well as commentating a ...

produced by Castlewood Productions that began airing on September 10, 2008 on

Discovery Channel Discovery Channel, known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery, is an American cable channel that is best known for its ongoing reality television shows and promotion of pseudoscience. It init ...

and

Discovery HD Discovery Channel, known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery, is an American cable channel that is best known for its ongoing reality television shows and promotion of pseudoscience. It initi ...

. It is hosted by comedian Adam Growe. The game show airs in Canada instead of the American version of the series, which airs on the affiliated US

network. Cash Cab is the English version of the '' Cash Cab'' franchise available in Canada; the French version is called '' Taxi Payant'', and airs on V. In 2023, it was announced that the series would be revived as ''Cash Cab Music'', hosted by Growe. The show premiered in 2024 on

AXS TV AXS TV () is an American cable television channel majority-owned by Canadian broadcaster Anthem Sports & Entertainment. It is devoted primarily to music-related programming (such as concert films, documentaries, and reality series involving musi ...

in the United States and on

Game TV GameTV is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel. Owned by Anthem Sports & Entertainment, it primarily broadcasts competition-based programming, including game shows and reality competition series. The channel was first laun ...

in Canada.

Game show

The game show features rounds like "Shout Outs", "Red Light Challenges", and the "Double or Nothing" Video Bonus option at the end of each game. However, the Canadian version differs in its heavier focus on questions of science, technology, nature and adventure, as opposed to purely general knowledge. Regular questions are worth $25, $50, $100; while Red Light Challenge questions are worth $75. In the second season, a third "lifeline" was added: when contestants reach the $100 questions, they have the option to "swap out" a question, and the Cash Cab dispatcher will give them a new question. In the ''Cash Cab'' Vancouver season, a bridge bonus was added, which doubles the score for the current question once per session. After returning to Toronto, a high five bonus was added, which doubles the score for the fifth correct answer in a row. The 8th season and last season of ''Cash Cab'' aired in 2015, which features a new "Triple Play" component, where contestants have a chance to triple their winnings if they go for the Video Bonus Question, and only if they arrive at their destination strike-free. Over 200 episodes have been completed, plus a one-hour special. All episodes of ''Cash Cab'' were shot in Canadian cities, with all but 1 season of 26 episodes filmed in downtown Toronto. Season 5 was shot in Vancouver in the summer of 2011. The cab used is a facelifted XL20

Toyota Sienna The Toyota Sienna is a minivan manufactured and marketed by Toyota primarily for the North American market. It is named for the Italian city of Siena, in the region of Tuscany. It replaced the first generation Toyota Previa, Previa van in 1997 ...

minivan.

History

Following the success of the first season, Canada's host Adam Growe was invited to host a special season premiere episode of the American ''Cash Cab'' on December 23, 2008, which promoted the feature film '' Frost/Nixon''. In the summer of 2009, ''Cash Cab'' was briefly broadcast in a programming block with

Qubit In quantum computing, a qubit () or quantum bit is a basic unit of quantum information—the quantum version of the classic binary bit physically realized with a two-state device. A qubit is a two-state (or two-level) quantum-mechanical syste ...

. On July 16, 2011, a 61-year-old man from

Surrey, British Columbia Surrey is a city in British Columbia, Canada. It is located south of the Fraser River on the Canada–United States border. It is a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver regional district and metropolitan area. Mainly a suburban city, Surr ...

was struck and killed in

downtown Vancouver Downtown Vancouver is the central business district and the city centre list of neighbourhoods in Vancouver, neighbourhood of Vancouver, Canada, on the northwestern shore of the Burrard Peninsula in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. ...

by a vehicle used for the Canadian version of ''Cash Cab''. The incident happened while the producer was driving the cab back to the storage facility after filming.

Broadcast

''Cash Cab'' debuted on

on September 10, 2008 when it first aired in Canada on Discovery. Discovery was the only channel to air it until

The Comedy Network CTV Comedy Channel (often shortened to CTV Comedy) is a Canadian English-language discretionary specialty channel owned by BCE Inc. subsidiary Bell Media which focuses primarily on comedy programming and operates two time-shifted feeds, runni ...

started broadcasting it; it then began broadcasting on CTV Comedy Channel on June 1, 2011. On December 13, 2023, it was announced that the series would be revived as Cash Cab Music with Growe returning as host. It premiered in the United States on

on January 8, 2024, while premiering on

GameTV GameTV is a Television in Canada, Canadian English language Discretionary service, discretionary specialty channel. Owned by Anthem Sports & Entertainment, it primarily broadcasts competition-based programming, including game shows and reality com ...

in Canada on March 4, 2024.

Related shows

A French Canadian version is also aired on V (formerly known as TQS) and is filmed in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

. It is known as '' Taxi Payant'' (Paying Taxi) and uses a

Dodge Grand Caravan The Chrysler minivans are a series of minivans that have been produced and marketed by the American automaker Chrysler since the 1984 model year. Currently in its sixth generation, the model line is marketed worldwide, primarily in North America ...

. Comedian

Alexandre Barrette Alexandre Barrette (born September 30, 1981, in Quebec City, Quebec) is a French Canadian comedian and TV personality. He hosts several TV game shows seen on the V television network. They include '' Taxi Payant'', the French Canadian version ...

is the host.

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, id=1757027, title=Cash Cab Cash Cab 2000s Canadian game shows 2010s Canadian game shows 2008 Canadian television series debuts 2015 Canadian television series endings Canadian television series based on British television series Television shows filmed in Toronto Television shows filmed in Vancouver Discovery Channel (Canadian TV channel) original programming