Hypothetically, this made it possible for a player to continue on indefinitely, assuming he/she consistently landed on the cash+spin squares - though the show had made certain that the odds of this occurring were nearly impossible. Many of the cash prize squares on the board also contained an extra spin (+S). If a player landed on this dreaded tile, an annoying animated gremlin in a red suit would come out and reap the player of every cent he/she had amassed. The board contained a wide array of outcomes: cash amounts ranging from $500-$,5000, vacation packages, material prizes (boats, appliances, etc.), “Pick a Corner” (in which the contestant would select any corner square on the board), various instructions (“Go Back 2,” “Move 1”), and finally, the Whammy. At the end of each spin, the player either had the option to “press his/her luck” (spin again) or pass any remaining spins to the next player. Whichever square was lit up dictated the player’s fate for that spin.
This Big Board was made up of 18 backlit squares, each containing a constant rotation of various cash and item prizes, as well as a selection called a “Whammy.” When a player’s spin began, a selector light rapidly bounced around the squares, lighting them up in a seemingly random sequence the player would then choose when to slam down a big red button, stopping the board. Whoever buzzed first and answered correctly earned three “spins” on the “Big Board,” the prized centerpiece of the game show:
#Catch your luck show catch series#
Each episode began with the show’s host, Peter Tomarken, asking the three contestants a series of multiple choice questions. The brainchild of two veteran television producers, it was billed as the most “technologically advanced” program of its kind utilizing cutting-edge audio-visual equipment, it tempted viewers and contestants with enticingly large payouts.Īs far as rules and structure go, Press Your Luck was pretty straightforward. In September of 1983, a flashy new game show called Press Your Luck hit the daytime broadcast on CBS. Press Your Luck: The Titanic of Game Shows What ensued was one of daytime television’s strangest moments - one that exposed the follies of both man and technology. For months, he’d studied the show’s game board, which lit up squares in a supposedly “random” sequence, and found that, in actuality, it was repeating the same 5 patterns over and over again.
#Catch your luck show catch cracked#
While CBS executives in the control looked on in horror and disbelief, Larson harbored a secret: he’d cracked the code of Press Your Luck. On May 19, 1984, before a live studio audience for the game show Press Your Luck, a squirrely-looking, gray-bearded 35-year-old named Michael Larson leapt from behind his podium and squealed with joy.įor the contestant, the show’s catchphrase, “Big bucks, big bucks, no Whammies!”, had just come to fruition: in an era where no single contestant ever won more than $40,000 - not even those competing on the ever-popular The Price In Right, or Wheel of Fortune - Larson had earned $110,237 ($253,000 in 2015 dollars).Īnd in achieving this, he’d overcome insurmountable odds…or had he?
~ Michael Brockman, head of the CBS daytime programming department, 1984
Here was this guy from nowhere, and he kept going around the board and hitting the bonus boxes every time.
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