Stumpers (game show)
| Stumpers | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Lin Bolen |
| Presented by | Allen Ludden |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 Minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | October 4 – December 31, 1976 |
Stumpers! was a game show hosted by Password emcee Allen Ludden that aired on NBC from October 4 to December 31, 1976. Lin Bolen, head of NBC Daytime Programming, developed the show. Bill Armstrong was the program's regular announcer, however, Charlie O'Donnell also announced 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.
Main Game
The object of the game was to solve a "Stumper:" a puzzle consisting of three clues to a person, place, or thing. In round one, each player on a team gave clues to their opposing counterpart (contestant gave clues to contestant, celebrity to celebrity). The contestant or celebrity was shown the three clue words (but not the answer to the Stumper) and had to choose the one they thought would be least likely to help their opponent guess the Stumper.
After each clue was given, the opposing player would have five seconds to provide as many guesses as they could. If the opposing player guessed the subject correctly, their team was awarded points as based on the number of clues already provided:
| Clue | Round 1 | Round 2 |
|---|---|---|
| First clue | 15 points | 30 points |
| Second clue | 10 points | 20 points |
| Third clue | 5 points | 10 points |
If the opposing player was unable to guess the Stumper after being supplied with all three clues, the clue-giving team would earn 15 points for a correct guess in round one, 30 points in round two. If neither team was unable to guess the Stumper, no points were awarded and play continued with the next Stumper.
Two Stumpers were played per team member, for a total of four Stumpers per round.
Round two, the "Double-Up Round," consisted of two more Stumpers worth double the points from round one. Both team members could provide a guess during round two, despite which opponent supplied the clues.
The team that was ahead at the end of round two won the game and a chance at $10,000 in the Super Stumpers round. The most a team could score in total was 120 points.
In the event of a tie, Ludden would provide the clues, one at a time, and the teams would buzz in to guess. The first to give the right answer won the game, while a wrong guess gave the opposing team a chance to guess. If neither team answered correctly after the third clue, another tie-breaker stumper was played.
Bonus Round ("Super Stumpers")
The civilian contestant attempted to guess 10 Stumpers in 60 seconds based on clues supplied by their celebrity partner. This time, the celebrity chose the clue most likely to help the contestant guess the subject. If a contestant was stumped, they could only receive another clue by saying "clue." If the celebrity gave a clue without the contestant saying "clue", the stumper and the chance at the big money were discarded. Each correct Stumper won $100 for the contestant, and solving all ten won $10,000.
Two complete games were played per episode. Contestants could stay on the show until they were defeated or won Super Stumpers twice. This happened at least twice, including the last episode.
Episode Status
Due to NBC's practice of wiping, the status of the entire series is unknown; Two episodes (the Premiere and Finale) are known to exist among collectors of television game shows.
Because it was developed and remains owned by NBC, even if it does exist it is unlikely that reruns will air any time in the immediate future.
The Finale
The Finale contained a $20,000 win by Jess Petersen, partnered with Bill Bixby, and a $900 loss by Joe Schwab, also partnered with Bixby. After the last bonus round, Ludden spoke to the studio and home audiences by stating how the show helped to test the imaginations and minds of Americans during its 13-week run, and how some schools actually used the game show as a teaching method to students. He also mentioned how happy he was that, after a 14-year stint as host of Password, he returned to a game similar to that show.
Following the credit roll, Bixby and Anita Gillette came back on stage to have a toast with Ludden followed by a shower of balloons and confetti, in one of the classiest ways to end a game show. Ludden would eventually return to NBC to host Password three years later under the new title Password Plus from January 1979 until he permanently retired after suffering a stroke in October 1980. Ludden later died in June 1981 (the latter show ended in March 1982).