Win, Lose or Draw

For other uses, see Win, Lose or Draw (disambiguation).

Win, Lose or Draw
Genre	Game Show
Directed by	Richard S. Kline
Presented by	Bert Convy (1987–1989, syndication) Robb Weller (1989–1990, syndication) Vicki Lawrence (1987–1989, NBC)
Narrated by	Bob Hilton (NBC) Gene Wood (Syndication)
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	585 (Syndication)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Burt Reynolds Bert Convy
Producer(s)	Richard S. Kline
Running time	22–24 minutes
Production company(s)	Burt & Bert Productions Kline & Friends
Distributor	Buena Vista Television
Broadcast
Original channel	NBC (1987–1989) Syndication (1987–1990)
Original run	September 7, 1987 (1987-09-07) – June 8, 1990 (1990-06-08)

Win, Lose or Draw is an American television game show that aired from 1987 to 1990 in syndication and on NBC. It was taped at CBS Television City, often in Studios 31, 33, and 43 at various times. It was co-produced by Burt & Bert Productions (headed by Burt Reynolds and Bert Convy, the original host of the syndicated version) and Kline & Friends for Disney's Buena Vista Television.

Broadcast history

Both the NBC daytime and nightly syndicated series premiered on September 7, 1987. The teams were composed of two celebrities and a contestant.

Vicki Lawrence hosted the NBC series for its entire run, which ended on September 1, 1989. Bob Hilton served as announcer. Bert Convy hosted the syndicated series until the end of its second season in 1989. He then left the series to host 3rd Degree and Robb Weller took over for the third and final season. Gene Wood announced for all three years.

Reruns of the syndicated version aired on the USA Network from December 31, 1990 to December 24, 1992 and also on Game Show Network from April 15, 2002 to March 14, 2004.

Gameplay

Two teams, men versus women, each composed of two celebrities and one contestant, took turns guessing a phrase, title or thing that one teammate was drawing on a large pad of paper with markers. The drawer could not speak about the subject in his or her drawing and could not use letters, numbers, or symbols. If one of these illegal clues was used, any money won in that puzzle was split between the two teams. However, if a non-drawing team member mentioned a word that was part of the answer, their teammate at the sketch pad was then allowed to write it down.

In the first three rounds, each team had one minute to solve a puzzle, earning $200 for a correct guess. At the thirty-second mark, a doorbell sounded, and the drawing player had the option of handing the marker off to one of his/her teammates, but the puzzle value would then be cut in half. If the team did not guess within the time limit, the opposing team was given one chance to confer and guess. If they gave the correct answer, they were awarded the money; if not, no money was awarded. The first round was later changed to have the drawing contestant sketch a series of clues to a puzzle, one clue at a time. If the team guessed the puzzle from the identified clues, they scored $200.

Following round three, one player for each team was nominated to draw clues in a 90-second speed round. The topics for drawing were simpler for this round compared to those in previous rounds. Each correct guess was worth $100, and the team could only pass twice. The speed round started with the team that was ahead. The team with the most money at the end of the game won, and the contestant on the winning team received a $1,000 bonus in addition to the money they had already earned. The contestant on the losing team only received the money earned. If both teams were tied at the end of the speed round, each contestant received a $500 bonus.

1989–1990 changes

The first three rounds were played as outlined above, except that the drawer's partners could not start guessing until 25 seconds had elapsed. In addition, the drawer could not hand the marker off at the halfway point. A correct guess after the first 25 seconds was worth $200, and after 30 seconds it was reduced to $100. A successful steal by an opponent was worth only $50.

In the speed round, the drawer had 60 seconds to convey as many correct answers to his/her teammates as possible. Each correct guess was worth $50 instead of $100, although the team could still pass twice. The team with the most money won the game and advanced to the bonus round.

Tie-breaker

If the game ended in a tie, a tie-breaker was played with the last team to play the speed round going first. The drawer received a choice of two words, leaving the other for the other team to play. The first team established a time with their chosen word for the second team to beat. The team who guessed their word in the shorter amount of time won the game and advanced to the bonus round.

Bonus round

The champion team attempted to draw and guess clues for 90 seconds, similar to the speed round. The first correct guess earned $50, with each one thereafter doubling the money. Passing cost the contestant all bonus cash earned up to that point. Identifying seven drawings in 90 seconds (regardless of the number of passes) won the contestant $5,000.

Champions on this version could stay on the show until they were defeated or won ten games.

Home versions

Board game

Milton Bradley Company created its version in 1987. It could be played like the TV show or a variation of the game with pawns and a gameboard. Party, Junior, and Travel Junior editions were produced, plus a Refill Pack for the game.

Computer and video games

Win, Lose or Draw DOS game

Hi Tech Expressions released two editions of the DOS version of the game in 1988 plus a Junior Version, followed by a Nintendo version in 1989. Both versions of this party game featured a scene set in a living room, with the game contestants (representing real-life players) seated on opposite couches, much like the television show. While the game system drew a picture on the screen, one of the players would have a limited amount (60 seconds for the main game, and 90 for the speed round) of time to type in the word or phrase represented by the image. If the player typed in the incorrect answer, a player on the opposing team would have an opportunity to type the correct answer (in single-player games, the game system would type a random incorrect answer). The team that typed the correct answer would win money for that round. The team that earned the most money at the end of the game won.

Other versions

Kids' version

In 1989, The Disney Channel produced a kid's version called Teen Win, Lose or Draw hosted by Marc Price.

Canadian version

Canadian channel TVA aired a French language version called Fais-moi un dessin (Make me a drawing) hosted by Yves Corbeil from 1988 to 1991.

UK version

Main article: Win, Lose or Draw (UK game show)

External links

• Win, Lose or Draw at MobyGames
• Win, Lose or Draw at the Internet Movie Database