Games - Russian Roulette

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	Games - Russian Roulette

Russian Roulette was an American game show hosted by Mark L. Walberg (not to be confused with Mark Wahlberg) that ran in two seasons from June 2002 to 2003. It aired on GSN. The Russian Roulette studio consists of a circle with six trapdoors, four of which are occupied by the episode's contestants. After the show's cancelation, the set was reportedly taken down and sent to Taiwan for their version.

Gameplay

First round

The four players are given $150 at the beginning of the show. One contestant, randomly selected to start the game, is read a multiple choice question (three choices in the first round, four thereafter, all increasing in difficulty as the round progresses) by the host, and must challenge another contestant to answer correctly. The challenged contestant has ten seconds to answer. If the challenged player gives a correct answer, they receive money and control of the next question. In the first season, the contestants received $150 in the first round, $200 in the second, and $300 in the third for each correct answer. In the second season, the third round was played for only $250 a correct answer. After every question, another "drop zone" is added, increasing the odds that the player will be eliminated after an incorrect answer. No more than five drop zones can be active in a round. In the event of any wrong answer, that player gives up all accumulated money to the challenger and must play Russian Roulette.

Playing Russian Roulette

The trap door of the player that answered incorrectly is "unlocked". After the host gives them a chance to say some "last words", they pull a handle in front of their trap door. This triggers the active drop zone lights (in red) to begin "spinning" around the field, much like a roulette wheel or (more appropriate to the metaphor) the cylinder of a revolver. The number of red lights depends on the number of drop zones added previously. In season one, it was a random spin. In season two, the player controlled the length of the spin by how long he or she pulled the handle.

If the drop zone light stops on the trapdoor on which the affected player is standing, that trap door opens and drops the player three feet (six feet in season one) into a room below the set, with thick padding. (Otherwise, the round continues.) Contestants are instructed to crouch down and roll when landing so their heads do not remain above the hole. Only one injury has been reported, a sprained ankle; nevertheless contestants are required to sign lengthy waivers and release forms. Once a player "drops out" of the game, the round is over and the next round begins after a commercial break.

After the fifth drop zone has been added and a question asked, or when time runs out in the first two rounds (indicated by a chime), the winnings of all remaining contestants are compared. The person with the highest winnings is escorted to the center of the stage, and is "safe from the drop." He or she pulls a handle in the center, for a random elimination spin where a single red light revolves around the "cylinder" until it stops on one of the remaining contestants — a successful drop always happens here. This ends the round, with the winnings of the player that fell being equally distributed among the remaining players (including the top winner) for the next round.

In the case of a tie for first place in a round-ending Russian Roulette, Mark himself pulls the lever, and all players are in danger of dropping.

Second and third rounds

The second round is played similar to the first, albeit with one fewer player. In the third round, since only two players remain, contestants have the choice to answer the question themselves or pass it to their opponent. A wrong answer forces the challenged to play Russian Roulette; a right answer gives him or her money and control of the next question.

In the third round, the chime can sound before reaching the fifth drop zone; whomever has the lower amount at this point is the one to drop. The last person remaining at the end of this round advances to the endgame.

Endgame

First season

The contestant is moved to the top-left zone and has one minute to answer five "brain-teaser" questions. These usually consist of jumbles, math problems, and general knowledge questions. The timer usually will start ticking while Mark asks the first question. For every ten seconds, one drop zone opens on the playfield. If time runs out or the contestant gives an incorrect answer, he or she drops, but receives $500 for every correct answer. Contestants must give their answer starting with "My answer is..." and the answer so that thinking out loud would not be mistaken for an answer. If the player gets all five questions correct, he or she will hear "Stop the clock!" and receive $10,000. He or she then has the option of forfeiting the $10,000 prize for one final Russian Roulette, with the number of drop zones unopened being safe. Should the contestant risk his or her winnings and receive a safe zone (which will remain shut), the prize increases to $100,000. The money won through the first three rounds, however, is the winner's to keep and therefore not touched for the bonus round.

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