Stumpers!
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''Stumpers!'' is a game show hosted by
Allen Ludden Allen Ellsworth Ludden (born Allen Packard Ellsworth; October 5, 1917 – June 9, 1981) was an American television personality, actor, singer, emcee, and game show host. He hosted various incarnations of the game show ''Password'' between 1 ...
that aired on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
from October 4 to December 31, 1976.
Lin Bolen Lin Bolen (March 21, 1941 – January 19, 2018) was an American television executive and producer. She was most noted for her role at NBC daytime television programming as the first female vice president of a TV network, a position she held from ...
, former head of NBC Daytime Programming, developed the show. Bill Armstrong was the program's regular announcer, with
Charlie O'Donnell Charles John O'Donnell (August 12, 1932 – November 1, 2010) was an American radio and television announcer, primarily known for his work on game shows, and for his distinctive baritone voice. Among them, he was best known for '' Wheel of Fortun ...
filling in for several episodes. The show featured game play similar 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. The series premiered and ended on the same dates as ''
50 Grand Slam ''50 Grand Slam'' is a game show from Ralph Andrews Productions that aired on NBC from October 4 to December 31, 1976. Tom Kennedy hosted the show (although Peter Haskell served as emcee for the unaired pilot), with John Harlan as the announcer ...
'', which immediately followed ''Stumpers!'' on the NBC schedule and was hosted by Tom Kennedy.


Main game

Two rounds were played. The object of the game was to solve a "stumper", which was a puzzle consisting of three clues to a person, place, or thing. In round one, each member on a team gave clues to their opposing counterpart (contestant gave clues to contestant, celebrity to celebrity). The clue-giver was shown the three clue words, but not the answer, and read out the one they thought would be least likely to help their opponent guess the stumper. After each clue was given, the opposing player had five seconds to provide as many guesses as they could. If they failed to solve the stumper, the process was repeated with a second clue, then the third if necessary. A correct guess awarded 15 points on the first clue, 10 on the second, and 5 on the third. If the opposing player could not solve the stumper after the third clue, the clue-giver and their partner could score 15 points with a correct guess. The first round consisted of four stumpers, with each celebrity and contestant giving clues for a different one. For the second round, two stumpers were played with all point values doubled, and either member of the receiving team could guess after each clue. At the end of two rounds, the higher-scoring team won the game and advanced to the Super Stumpers bonus round. Ties were broken with one final stumper in which the host read one clue at a time, with anyone from either team able to buzz in. A correct guess won the game, while a miss gave the opposing team a chance to guess. If no one solved the stumper after the third clue, a new one was played.


Bonus round ("Super Stumpers")

The contestant had 60 seconds to solve 10 stumpers in a particular general category, based on clues given by the celebrity. The clues were displayed on a screen above the contestant's head, and the celebrity gave one at a time, trying to give the most helpful clues first. After hearing a clue, the contestant had to say "clue" in order to receive the next one; if the celebrity gave a clue without being thus prompted, the stumper was thrown out and the team forfeited their chance at the top prize. The contestant could offer multiple guesses, and could pass on a stumper and return to it after playing through all 10 if time permitted. The contestant won $10,000 for guessing all 10 stumpers, or $100 per correct answer otherwise. Two complete games were played per episode. Contestants could stay on the show until they were defeated or won Super Stumpers twice.


Episode status

Due to NBC's practice of
wiping Wipe or wiping may refer to: Hygiene * Toilet paper or wet wipes, or their use Arts and media * Wipe (transition), a gradual transition in film editing * Wipe curtain, a kind of theater curtain * ''Wipe'' or ''Screenwipe'', a television series ...
, the status of the entire series is unknown. The premiere and finale exist, along with another episode from December 1976.


References


External links

* {{IMDb title, tt0197180 NBC game shows 1970s American game shows 1976 American television series debuts 1976 American television series endings Television shows directed by Marty Pasetta