Million Dollar Password From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Million Dollar Password Genre Game show Created by FremantleMedia, based upon a format created by Bob Stewart for Goodson-Todman Directed by Mark Gentile Presented by Regis Philbin Theme music composer Lewis Flinn Country of origin United States Language(s) English No. of episodes 10 (as of Jan. 4, 2009) Production Executive producer(s) Cecile Frot-Coutaz Vin Rubino Producer(s) Chris Ahearn Graham Shaw Editor(s) Eric Singer Camera setup Multi-camera Running time 42 minutes Production company(s) FremantleMedia Broadcast Original channel CBS Picture format NTSC (480i) Audio format Stereophonic Original run June 1, 2008 (2008-06-01) – present Chronology Related shows Password, Password Plus and Super Password External links Official website Million Dollar Password is an updated version of the game show Password on CBS hosted by Regis Philbin. The program began airing on June 1, 2008. FremantleMedia, based upon a format created by Bob Stewart for Goodson-Todman, produces the program.[1] Contents [hide] 1 Production history and notes 2 Gameplay 2.1 Million Dollar Password 2.2 Legal clues 3 Password outside of the USA 4 Licensed merchandise 5 Ratings 5.1 U.S. standard ratings 5.2 Season One (2008) 5.3 Season Two (2008–2009) 6 Notes and references 7 External links [edit] Production history and notes Million Dollar Password premiered June 1, 2008 at 8 pm Eastern Time.[2] The series' initial order consisted of six hour-long episodes, each comprising two games. These six episodes were taped in New York City's Kaufman Astoria Studios in March.[3] The second order, another six episodes, were taped on August 2, 3 and 4, 2008 in Los Angeles's CBS Radford studios.[4] Million Dollar Password's second season began on December 18, 2008 in a special Thursday broadcast. Three days later, the show moved to its regular Sunday time slot.[5] On the June 12, 2008 edition, Betty White became the first celebrity to play in all American television versions of Password. She returned on the episode aired December 28, becoming the first celebrity on Million Dollar Password to appear more than once.[6] Sande Stewart, the son of Password creator Bob Stewart, is a consultant for the show.[7] On January 7, 2009, CBS decided to remove the two remaining episodes in the season (one featuring Norm Macdonald scheduled for January 11 and Jamie Kennedy and another with Chelsea Handler and Jeff Garlin scheduled for January 25), along with a season one repeat scheduled for January 18 from its schedule. They were replaced with episodes of 60 Minutes, The Mentalist and Cold Case; all of these were programming shuffles created as a result of the AFC playoffs taking place at that time.[8] It is unknown when the episodes will air, or if the show is officially cancelled. This was despite the fact that the show was always among the top-25 shows for a given week in overall numbers; the show was popular among an unusually old demographic (as evidenced by its fourth-place ranking in the demographic of persons 18-49). [edit] Gameplay This format of Password departs somewhat from its predecessors in terms of gameplay. The first half of the game is an elimination game featuring two contestants and two celebrity guests. The contestants alternate playing 30-second rounds in which they attempt to match as many as five

given words with a celebrity partner using the traditional one-word clue method, like the Lightning Round. There is no limit on the number of clues for each word. Words can be passed on and returned to later; the gameplay has similarities to the bonus round of the original series, as well as the elimination round of the various Pyramid series[7] (also created by Bob Stewart). The contestants are each paired with one of the celebrity partners for the first two rounds, and then switch partners for the next two rounds. The rounds alternate between the contestant giving and receiving clues, such that they give and receive once to each celebrity. After four rounds, the contestant who has matched the most words moves on to the Million Dollar Password game. For the final round, the contestant who is trailing in score plays first. Their opponent does not need to play their final round if they are still leading after that, and otherwise has their round cut short as soon as they have passed their opponent's score. If the contestants are tied after four rounds, a tiebreaking word is given to both teams, starting with the winner of a coin-toss. The teams alternate giving clues and responses in "classic Password" format, until one contestant gets the word and wins the game.[7] [edit] Million Dollar Password Solved words to complete Value if 5 words are solved 5 out of 10 $10,000 5 out of 9 $25,000 (guaranteed sum) 5 out of 8 $50,000 5 out of 7 $100,000 5 out of 6 $250,000 (guaranteed sum) 5 out of 5 $1,000,000 (jackpot prize) The Million Dollar Password round has a six-step prize ladder (shown at right) with a top prize of $1,000,000.[9] The contestant's partner in this round is the celebrity with whom they earned more points in the elimination game; if they earned the same number with both celebrities, their partner is the last celebrity they played with. The contestant may choose to give or receive the clues for the entire round. For each step of the ladder, the clue giver must get their partner to say five given passwords within 90 seconds. For each word, the clue giver may give a maximum of three clues (similar to Cashword from Super Password); they may pass, but cannot return to a word, like the original "Lightning Round" of the classic Password.[7] Successful contestants may take their winnings and leave, or may attempt the next prize level. At each subsequent level the game play remains the same, but the number of available passwords is reduced by one. Failure to complete a level ends the game. A contestant who fails on the first two levels leaves with nothing.[7] Failure on the $50,000, $100,000 or $250,000 levels means the contestant leaves with $25,000.[7] Should a contestant clear the first five levels, he or she wins a guaranteed $250,000 and gets a free shot at the $1,000,000 top prize (this was not the case in the first season). If a contestant clears the $100,000 level, he/she is shown the six (the first five in Season 1) passwords for the $250,000 level before making a decision. Also in the second season, if a contestant fails on one of the first two levels, they can re-do that level; the first attempt on that level is edited out of the broadcast.[10] Of the forty contestants that have been seen on the program, twenty have won the right to play the Million Dollar Password round. Thirteen have departed with $25,000, one walked away with $50,000 and five have won the $100,000. Six have seen the preview at the $250,000 level, but only one contestant has decided to continue and, subsequently, he lost. So far, not one contestant has won the $1,000,000. Only one contestant has won nothing in the final round. [11] [edit] Legal clues Throughout the game, the giver must wait for a response before giving a new clue, and only one clue may be given at a time. Breaking either rule forfeits the word. (The guesser may suggest the giver pass, but only the clue giver may officially do so.)[7] In this Password revival, antonyms are acceptable clues; hyphenated clues and acronyms are not. Using an illegal word will also forfeit the word.[7] [edit] Password outside of the USA The program was also aired in Canada. Season one was broadcast on CTV[12], while season two was broadcast on A.[13] The format has been adapted for viewers in Spain. The program, entitled Password, premiered on July 7, 2008.[14] Hosted by Luján Argüelles, it is nearly identical to the American program. The biggest differences include the top prize of €25,000 (with a guaranteed sum of €2,500 after completing the 5 out of 8 level) and changing the program to a forty-five minute (with commercials) weekday broadcast. It airs on the country's Cuatro channel.[15] Indonesia's variation, Password Jutawan, debuted on August 23, 2008. The show is hosted by Muhammad Farhan. The hour-long, weekly (airing on Saturdays) used by the American version is kept. Gameplay is very similar to the Spanish version, with a top prize of Rp200,000,000 (with a guaranteed sum of Rp5,000,000 after completing the 5 out of 9 level). It airs on Global TV.[16] A French adaptation premiered on January 10, 2009. Mot de Passe (French for Password) is hosted by Patrick Sabatier and retains the hour-long, weekly (airing on Saturdays) format of the American program.[17] Minor differences including not starting any clock until a contestant his given his/her first clue and adjusting the top prize to 1/10th of the top prize in the US version, but in euros (€100,000 with a guaranteed sum of €5,000 after completing the 5 out of 8 levels). After achieving their safe haven, contestants are given a "Joker". This allows him/her to see the first five passwords in one level of their choosing.[18] The program airs on France 2. [edit] Licensed merchandise Classic board games creator Endless Games distributes a home box version of Million Dollar Password.[19] iToys distributes a handheld electronic version of the program.[20] In November 2008, RealArcade published an iPhone/iPod Touch game based on the show, in December 2008 released the game on some mobile phone platforms and, in February 2009, released a version of the game for PCs and Macs.[21] [edit] Ratings [edit] U.S. standard ratings In the following summary, "rating" is the percentage of all households with televisions that tuned to the show, and "share" is the percentage of all televisions in use at that time that are tuned in. "18–49" is the percentage of all adults aged 18–49 tuned into the show. "Viewers" is the number of viewers, in millions, watching at the time. "Rank" is how well the show did compared to other TV shows aired that week. [edit] Season One (2008) # Air date Celebrity players Rating[22] Share[22] 18–49[22] Viewers (m)[22] Weekly rank [23] 1 Sunday, June 1, 2008 Neil Patrick Harris, Rachael Ray 6.8 12 2.2/7 10.69 #3 2 Sunday, June 8, 2008 Tony Hawk, Rosie O'Donnell 6.3 11 2.1/6 9.64 #5 3 Thursday, June 12, 2008 Susie Essman, Betty White 6.4 12 2.0/7 9.52 #7 4 Sunday, June 22, 2008 Shanna Moakler, Steven Weber 5.5 10 1.5/5 8.29 #12 5 Sunday, June 29, 2008 Sara Evans, Steve Schirripa 5.6 10 1.7/5 8.55 #7 6 Sunday, July 6, 2008 Monique Coleman, Damien Fahey 5.0 9 1.3/5 7.53 #3 [edit] Season Two (2008–2009) # Air date Celebrity players Rating[22] Share[22] 18–49[22] Viewers (m)[22] Weekly rank[23] 7 Thursday, December 18, 2008 William Shatner, Aisha Tyler 5.3 9 1.6/5 8.27 #24 8 Sunday, December 21, 2008 Julie Chen, Phil Keoghan 6.0 10 1.8/5 9.52 #19 9 Sunday, December 28, 2008 Adam Carolla, Betty White 6.3 10 2.0/5 9.84 #7 10 Sunday, January 4, 2009 Craig Ferguson, Serena Williams 6.8 10 1.9/5 10.43 #14 [edit] Notes and references ^ "Million Dollar Password: About The Show". CBS. http://www.cbspressexpress.com/div.php/cbs_entertainment/original?id=3164&dpid=56/. Retrieved on 01-07-2009. ^ "CBS Unveils its 2008 Summer Schedule". The Futon Critic. 04-14-2008. http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20080414cbs02. Retrieved on 01-08-2009. ^ ""Million Dollar Password" Taping". The Futon Critic. 01-07-2009. http://nyclinkup.com/event_detail.php?eid=20384. Retrieved on 01-08-2009. ^ "Million Dollar Password Taping this Weekend, Some Celebs Revealed". About.com: Game Shows. 08-01-2008. http://gameshows.about.com/b/2008/08/01/million-dollar-password-taping-this-weekend-some-celebs-revealed.htm. Retrieved on 01-08-2009. ^ "“Million Dollar Password” New Series Tonight at

8:00PM ET on CBS". BuzzerBlog. 12-21-2008. http://buzzerblog.flashgameshows.com/category/shows/password. Retrieved on 01-08-2009. ^ "Betty White's Password". Hartford Courant. 12-28-2008. http://blogs.courant.com/roger_catlin_tv_eye/2008/12/betty-whites-password.html. Retrieved on 01-14-2009. ^ a b c d e f g h "Preview of “Million Dollar Password”". BuzzerBlog. 03-10-2008. http://buzzerblog.flashgameshows.com/preview-of-million-dollar-password. Retrieved on 01-08-2009. ^ "CBS Pulls "Password," Adds "Mentalist" Post-NFL Showcase". The Futon Critic. 01-07-2009. http://thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=7907. Retrieved on 01-07-2009. ^ "Regis To Host "Million Dollar Password"". CBS News. 10-12-2007. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/10/12/entertainment/main3359960.shtml?source=RSSattr=Entertainment_3359960. Retrieved on 01-08-2009. ^ "A Few “Million Dollar Password” Changes and Clarifications". BuzzerBlog. 08-09-2008. http://buzzerblog.flashgameshows.com/a-few-million-dollar-password-changes-and-clarifications/. Retrieved on 01-08-2009. ^ "Million Dollar Password: Summary". TV.com. http://www.tv.com/million-dollar-password/show/75507/summary.html. Retrieved on 01-08-2009. ^ "Million Dollar Password". CTV. http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/show/CTVShows/20080508/home-MillionDollarPassword/20080825/. Retrieved on 01-07-2009. ^ "Million Dollar Password". A. http://www.atv.ca/victoria/tvshows_milliondollarpassword.aspx. Retrieved on 01-07-2009. ^ "Cuatro estrena el lunes su nuevo concurso, Password". Ojotele. 07-05-2008. http://www.ojotele.com/2008/07/06-cuatro-estrena-el-lunes-su-nuevo-concurso-password. Retrieved on 01-09-2009. ^ "Password". Cuatro. http://www.cuatro.com/programas/programas/entretenimiento/password/. Retrieved on 01-07-2009. ^ "Password Jutawan". Password Jutawan. http://www.passwordjutawan.com/index.php. Retrieved on 01-12-2009. ^ "Mot de Passe". France 2. http://programmes.france2.fr/mot-de-passe/index.php?page=article&numsite=2522&id_rubrique=2525&id_article=6467. Retrieved on 01-11-2009. ^ "Mot de Passe: Règles du jeu". France 2. http://programmes.france2.fr/mot-de-passe/index.php?page=article&numsite=2522&id_rubrique=2531&id_article=6473. Retrieved on 01-11-2009. ^ "Million Dollar Password Hits The Shelves". About.com: Game Shows. 11-29-2008. http://gameshows.about.com/b/2008/11/29/million-dollar-password-the-board-game.htm. Retrieved on 01-08-2009. ^ ""The Price is Right" and More Go Electronic with IToys". License!. 10-10-2008. http://www.licensemag.com/licensemag/Toys+&+Video+Games/The-Price-is-Right-and-More-Go-Electronic-with-ITo/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/565003?ref=25. Retrieved on 01-08-2009. ^ "RealArcade Announces FremantleMedia's "Million Dollar Password 2009 Edition" on Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch". Marketwire. 11-19-2008. http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Realnetworks-Inc-922734.html. Retrieved on 01-08-2009. ^ a b c d e f g h Unless otherwise cited, the overnight rating, share, 18-49 and viewing information come from TV by the Numbers. Seidman, Robert. "Nielsen Overnight TV Show Ratings". http://tvbythenumbers.com/category/ratings/nielsen-overnight-tv-show-ratings. Retrieved on 01-07-2009. ^ a b Unless otherwise cited, the weekly ranks come from TV by the Numbers. Seidman, Robert. "Nielsen Weekly Top Broadcast TV Show Ratings". http://tvbythenumbers.com/category/nielsen-weekly-top-broadcast-tv-show-ratings. Retrieved on 01-07-2009. [edit] External links Official website Million Dollar Password at the Internet Movie Database Million Dollar Password at TV.com Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Million_Dollar_Password" Categories: CBS network shows | 2008 television series debuts | American game shows | Television series by FremantleMedia