The game will be played in this format:
- Five tossup questions
- Instant Bargain #1
- Three tossup questions
- Fame Game #1
- Three tossup questions
- Instant Bargain #2
- Five tossup questions
- Fame Game #2
- Three tossup questions
- Instant Bargain #3
- Three tossup questions
- Fame Game #3
- Speed Round
- Winners Board
Each player begins with $20. You will be given 24 hours to answer each tossup question. A right answer earns $5, a wrong answer costs $5 (unless a negative score would result, in which case I take away what you have). I will judge the first answer given by any contestant only. If you do not know the answer, bold the word
For each Instant Bargain, I will offer the leader an item and tell that person both its retail price and how much I'm willing to sell you the item for, which is typically not more than a few cents on the dollar. (If there is a tie, the Instant Bargain works as a Dutch auction.) If you are willing to buy the item at the sale price, bold the word
For each Fame Game, I will start by asking a question about a celebrity and refer to him or her in the first person. If you answer correctly, you will advance to the Fame Game board; if you answer incorrectly, the other players get a chance. You do not win or lose money for simply answering the question. The Fame Game board contains nine numbered squares. You may select any unrevealed square, and you will win whatever's behind it. A $10 cash card will be hidden on the board in Fame Game #1, a $15 cash card will be added to that in Fame Game #2, and a $25 cash card will be added in Fame Game #3. Revealing a cash card adds that amount to your score.
The Speed Round will consist of however many tossup questions I can go through/come up with in 72 hours' time. You have 12 hours to answer or pass. After that, the player with the highest score wins (ties are settled via a sudden death question), will play the Winner's Board, and advances to play Match Game in the finals.
You will face a 20-square board. There will be one square labeled CAR, one square labeled $20,000, two squares labeled WIN, and sixteen squares labeled with the names of eight different prizes. You will pick squares until you get a match; a WIN card matches the next prize that comes up. (Getting both WIN cards doesn't do anything special and works just as if you picked only one.)