Tricia Hosking (#12), my cousin, making her game show debut..
1987 episode of the Toronto-based production of the Game Show Jackpot!
GLOBAL TELEVISION NETWORK
Canadian/USA Network (1985-1988)
The program was recorded in Toronto for the Global Television Network and aired in America on USA Network. The 1980s Jackpot was able to avoid the nation's "CanCon" quota system of requirements as host Mike Darow, whose previous hosting positions (The $128,000 Question and the original Dream House) were on American productions, was born in Canada and had worked on Toronto radio in the 1960s.
All cash awards to contestants were paid in Canadian dollars, which at the time was considerably weaker than the U.S. dollar. The resulting financial advantage lured packagers such as Stewart to produce games in Canada. Ken Ryan and John Harris, Global staff voice-over artists, served as announcers on this version.
Game Play
The riddles and Target Number returned, but there was no multiplier; the Super Jackpot was set at random, ranging from $4,000 to $9,900 in $100 increments. There was no separate Super Jackpot Riddle in this series. Instead, if a riddle was worth enough to cause a target match, it won both players the Super Jackpot if answered correctly. For each game, the Jackpot started at $100, and riddles were valued anywhere from $50 to $300 (again in $5 increments). Also, if the Jackpot Riddle was not found until the last player, an extra $1,000 was added to the Jackpot. Once the Jackpot Riddle was found and attempted, the King/Queen of the Hill and the person with the Jackpot Riddle traded places no matter the outcome of the riddle's answer.
Starting in season two, any player who answered all fifteen riddles without a miss won a new car. Also added was a "$10,000 Riddler Contest" in which the player who answered the most riddles correctly in a single week over a period of 10 weeks won a bonus of $10,000, with tied players splitting the money. A similar contest was held during the final six weeks of the second season, awarding a vacation package and $1,000 cash to the player with the most correct answers in a single week.
The final season featured a "$50,000 Riddle" contest. Any player who found and answered one of these designated riddles, which were considerably more difficult than the others used on the show, won an equal share of a $50,000 cash prize at the end of the season