Scattergories (game show)

Scattergories, the popular party game became an ill-fated, short-lived game show on NBC Daytime hosted by Dick Clark. It aired in 1993 from January 18 - June 10.

The Main Game

Two teams of four players competed in a battle of the sexes manner (four men vs. four women).

Round One

The team in control had 20 seconds to name up to six items that fit a particular category and started with a particular alphabet. (For instance, things that you'd see at Disneyland that start with the letter T.) Each time the team gives an acceptable word, they score a point. During their turn the other team could challenge if they think a word the controlling team said is bad. An incorrect challenge, gave the controlling team a bonus point. Play continues unitl time runs out or if they gave the six items.

The Celebrities

If the controlling team named at least four items they get to play in the second half of their round. In the second half they face five celebrities on a game board. They were prerecorded & gave answers in advance. The controlling would choose up to four stars; on each chosen star, the star's tape was played back for the team to reveal the answer he/she gave hoping that their answers were different from the star's. Each non-match is worth 1 point, but each match deducts 1 point.

After the first played their half of the round, the other team plays their half of the round.

Round Two

The second round is played the same way, but words/bad challenges/non-matches are now worth double or 2 points each.

The team with the most points at the end of round two wins the game, gets $500, and goes on to the bonus round.

Bonus Game

The winning team once again faces the five-celebrity game board, only this time each star has given two answers in advance. Each one begins with the same letter (one letter per star). The winning team now has 25 seconds to give up to 10 items in a particular subject. When they're done, the team watches each celebrity's clip. Each time the two answers given by the team do not match the star's answers they capture that celebrity.

Originally, the winning team picked one of 5 cards that assigned the jackpot to a particular celebrity; if that celebrity was among those captured, the team won a jackpot that began at $4,000 plus $1,000 for each day it wasn't won. This was later changed to have the team capture three celebrities in order to win the jackpot.

If the judges had problems with any of the answers given by the team, the celebrity the offending ones were attached to would be taken out of play.

Notes

The show aired along with a revival of Scrabble with Chuck Woolery (which got cancelled three years earlier). Both shows got cancelled on the same day.