20Q (game show)

20Q
Presented by	Cat Deeley (series)
Narrated by	Hal Sparks (as "Mr. Q.")
Country of origin	United States Canada
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	800 (24 aired)
Production
Running time	60 minutes
Production companies	Endemol Brightlight Pictures Muse Entertainment Enterprises Westwind Pictures Zone 3 Verte Films Amberlight Productions Summit Crescent Productions Limited Back Alley Film Productions Limited Remstar Corporation Spybox Pictures Prospero Pictures Reinvention Entertainment Omni Film Productions Limited Temple Street Productions Shaftesbury Films Creative Atlantic Communications Cineflix Productions Minds Eye Entertainment Buffalo Gal Pictures DHX Media Breakthrough Films and Television Amaze Films and Television E1 Entertainment Big Motion Pictures Haddock Entertainment DHX Media E1 Entertainment Incendo Media Galafilm Productions MarbleMedia 9 Story Entertainment Seven 24 Films Thunderbird Films Cellar Door Productions Pink Sky Entertainment Corporation Image Entertainment Inc. Pacific Bay Entertainment Force Four Entertainment Sardine Productions Image Duffusion International Saradipty Point Films The Nightingale Company Apartment 11 Productions No Equals Enertainment Lone Eagle Entertainment Glassbox Television Aircraft Pictures Pope Productions Yan Moore Productions Ltd. Angela Bruce Productions Lenz Entertainment Epitome Pictures Inc. Sinking Ship Entertainment Inc. Insight Productions Ltd. Insight Film Studios Ltd. BBC Worldwide Productions CCI Entertainment Ltd. Lions Gate Television Peace Arch Entertainment Cookie Jar Entertainment Slanted Wheel Entertainment Fresh TV Inc. S&S Productions Inc. Title Entertainment (Ottawa) Inc. Cite Amerique Carpediem Film and TV Sienna Films Portfolio Entertainment Whizbang Films Inc. Tricon Films and Television Protocol Entertainment Rhombus Media Leaping Lizard Productions Pyramid Productions Foundry Films Inc. CineGroupe Productions La Fete Inc. Coneybeare Stories Inc.
Original release
Network	GSN Nickelodeon (2011-present)
Release	June 13, 2009 – present
Related
20 Questions (1946-1955)

20Q is a Canadian/American game show based on the online artificial intelligence and handheld computer game of the same name. Licensed to and produced by Endemol USA. Starting on Episode 10 (which aired September 2, 2011), Brightlight Pictures, Muse Entertainment Enterprises, Westwind Pictures, Zone 3, Verte Films, Amberlight Productions, Summit Crescent Productions Limited, Back Alley Film Productions Limited, Remstar Corporation, Spybox Pictures, Prospero Pictures, Reinvention Entertainment, Omni Film Productions Limited, Temple Street Productions, Shaftesbury Films, Creative Atlantic Communications, Cineflix Productions, Minds Eye Entertainment, Buffalo Gal Pictures, DHX Media, Breakthrough Films and Television, Amaze Films and Television, Big Motion Pictures, Nelvana Entertainment Inc., Haddock Entertainment, Amaze Films and Television, DHX Media, E1 Entertainment, Incendo Media, Galafilm Productions, MarbleMedia, 9 Story Entertainment Inc, Seven24 Films, Echo Bridge Entertainment, Fireworks Entertainment, Cellar Door Productions, Pink Sky Entertainment, Corporation Image Entertainment Incorporated, Pacific Bay Entertainment, Force Four Entertainment, Sardine Productions, Image Duffusion International, Saradipty Point Films, The Nightingale Company, Apartment 11 Productions, No Equals Entertainment, Lone Eagle Entertainment, Glassbox Television, Aircraft Pictures, Pope Productions, Yan Moore Productions Ltd., Angela Bruce Productions Ltd., Lenz Entertainment Ltd, Epitome Pictures Inc., Sinking Ship Entertainment Inc., Insight Productions Ltd., Insight Film Studios, BBC Worldwide, CCI Entertainment Ltd., Lions Gate Television, Peace Arch Entertainment, Cookie Jar Entertainment, Slanted Wheel Entertainment, Fresh TV Inc., S&S Productions Inc., Title Entertainment Inc., Cite Amerique, Carpediem Film and TV, Sienna Films, Portfolio Entertainment, Whizbang Films, Tricon Films and Television, Protocol Entertainment, Rhombus Media Inc., Pyramid Productions, Foundry Films Inc., Coneybeare Stories, Inc., CineGroupe, Productions La Fete Inc., all started co-producing 20Q with Endemol. As a result, it is now a Canada/America co-production. it premiered on June 13, 2009 during Big Saturday Night airing on GSN, and is hosted by Cat Deeley of So You Think You Can Dance with the voice of the computer (named Mr. Q) provided by Hal Sparks.

On September 2, 2011, 20Q and The Money List moved to Nickelodeon with the remaining episodes, also, Minds Eye International, Cineflix International, FremantleMedia Enterprises, and ITV Studios Global Entertainment started acquiring the worldwide rights to the show,while Thunderbird Films, and FremantleMedia Enterprises distribute the show in the United States and Canadian Media Fund, The Government of Canada The Canadian Film and Television Tax Credit Program, and The Government of Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit Program, Rogers Cable Network Fund, Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund, Telefilm Canada, British Columbia Film, The Province of British Columbia Film Province BC, and Nova Scotia Film Development Corporation, Shaw Rocket Fund, SaskFilm, Manitoba Film and Sound, CTV Saskatchewan Program Development Fund, The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, The Government of New Brunswick, The Government of Quebec: Film and Television Tax Credit, Indepedent Production Fund, and The Government of Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan Film Employment Tax Credit Program, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and COGECO Program Development Fund, and Quebecor Fund started partcipating and assisting the show, but despite the funds and acquiring the worldwide rights, the series does not air in Canada however(along with The Money List).

On Episode 10 which aired September 2, 2011, the revival episode gained 28.5 million viewers (30.5 adults, and 40.4 K-11), making it the No. 1 telecast, passing The Money List which had 20.5 million viewers.

On September 2, 2011, 20Q became the second Nickelodeon show to have the 200-episode milestone, and the third is The Money List, and the first and second to pass the 200 episode milestone, and sometime in these 2 Canadian game shows, it will pass SpongeBob SquarePants, Rugrats and Johnny Test, which had 204 episodes and Johnny Test only had 91 episodes, and Rugrats only had 172 episodes.

On October 31, 2011, Nickelodeon started airing reruns of 20Q and The Money List starting at 8:00pm, so that if they miss the new episode the first time, or they want to see it again, Nickelodeon will air it.

In Argentina, the name of the show is Flor de palabra and is hosted by Florencia Pena and Richard Rubin of Beauty and the Geek.

Broadcast Promotion on Nickelodeon

The promo for 2 game shows, 20Q, and The Money List premiered July 30th, 2011, after the premiere of Victorious: Locked Up. It was also promoted during all of the shows in the Nickelodeon Play Date, as well in the credits. The day after the 2 game shows premiered on Nickelodeon, they promote them with all the other Friday Night shows. On October 31, 2011, Nickelodeon showed a special Halloween episode of 20Q and The Money List. They also showed a marathon of 9 episodes of 20Q and The Money List as part of Thanksgiving Weekend on and on December 1st, 2011, Nickelodeon promoted that they will show an all day marathon of 20Q and The Money List in honor to celebrate Christmas, with a 20Q marathon on December 24, 2011, and The Money List marathon on December 25, 2011.

Gameplay

The game is divided into four parts.

Preliminary game

The first part involves members of a randomly selected row of the studio audience. Mr. Q gives a category, and clues to the identity are revealed one at a time. The first contestant to come up with the correct answer qualifies to play the main game. Three qualifiers are determined in each preliminary round.

Main game

The three players then play the main game head-to-head. The computer gives a category, and then are given a choice of two questions. For example, if the category is Food and Drink, the questions would be "Is it caffeinated?" or "Is it served for breakfast?" A player in control asks either of the two questions, and if the answer is yes, that player retains control of the board; otherwise, s/he loses control. On each turn, after a question has been asked, the player can either choose a question that hasn't been played yet, or ask for a new pair of questions and ask one of those questions. If the player asks for 2 new questions she/he has to choose one of them. Or s/he can choose to attempt to come up with the correct answer. If correct, the player wins the game, $5,000, and a chance to play the semi final round against the winner of the second main game; a wrong answer loses control.

Semi-final

In the semi-final round, the players compete one at a time in the same category, with one player (via coin toss) on stage, and the other player offstage in a soundproof isolation booth. The first player is given a category, and then a series of clues. Every few seconds (signaled by two short low-pitched beeps), another clue appears on the screen. The player's objective is to guess the subject using as few clues as possible. The other player then plays the same category, and tries to come up with the answer in fewer clues. The player that can figure out the subject with fewer clues wins a prize and goes to the end game.

End game

In the end game, the player is given selection of two categories, and the computer must play the game as the contestant asks questions from a provided list of 20. While the computer can attempt to answer at any time, the contestant is only given one chance to guess the answer. At a critical point in the game, the computer goes into "sleep mode" and the host asks the contestant if s/he has any idea what the answer is, after which Mr. Q. awakens from his "nap". If the player buzzes in with the right answer before the computer does, s/he wins $20,000; if the computer is wrong, the human contestant gets one chance to win; should s/he be incorrect or the computer comes up with the right answer first, nothing additional is won.

Pilot

The pilot was taped on August 16, 2008 with Joey Lawrence of Blossom fame, but Deeley replaced Lawrence due to a conflict.

Ken Jennings was featured as the "residential expert”, who picked out the categories. The front game was played the same, except losers earned $1,000 for making it on stage, and the winner of the round won $20,000.

In addition, each contestant has a computerized scribble pad that shows the audience the answers they think the person, place, or object could be. The contestants would then buzz-in with their final answer.

Only one game is played; that player went on to the endgame, which was played the same, but before the round the player selected one of 25 balls, each having a covering concealing a number that, should the contestant win the round, would multiply the $20,000 won earlier, up to $500,000.

Finally, the "computer" had a female voice, and was referred to as "Debra-Q".

External links

• "20Q" official site