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{{Infobox television
{{Infobox television
| image = Russian Roulette (game show - screencap).jpg
| image = Russian Roulette (game show - screencap).jpg
| editor = David Frediani<br>Tony Fisher
| runtime = 22 minutes
| runtime = 22 minutes
| producer = Howard C. Bauer
| producer = Howard C. Bauer
Line 8: Line 9:
| genre = [[Game show]]
| genre = [[Game show]]
| creator = Gunnar Wetterberg
| creator = Gunnar Wetterberg
| writer = Hennen L. Chambers<br>Renee Paulo<br>Tony Soltis
| director = Lenn Goodside
| director = Lenn Goodside
| presenter = [[Mark L. Walberg]]
| presenter = [[Mark L. Walberg]]
| narrated = [[Burton Richardson]]
| narrated = [[Burton Richardson]]
| music = Craig Stuart Garfinkle
| country = United States
| country = United States
| channel = [[Game Show Network]]
| channel = [[Game Show Network]]
| picture_format = [[NTSC]]
| first_aired = {{Start date|2002|6|3}}
| first_aired = {{Start date|2002|6|3}}
| last_aired = {{End date|2003|6|13}}
| last_aired = {{End date|2003|6|13}}
Line 22: Line 24:
}}
}}


'''''Russian Roulette''''' is an American [[game show]] created and executive produced by Gunnar Wetterberg that ran for two seasons on [[Game Show Network]] from June 3, 2002 to June 13, 2003. The show was hosted by [[Mark L. Walberg]] and announced by [[Burton Richardson]].
'''''Russian Roulette''''' is an American [[game show]] created and executive produced by Gunnar Wetterberg that ran for two seasons on [[Game Show Network]] from June 3, 2002, to June 13, 2003. The show was hosted by [[Mark L. Walberg]] (excluding the [[April Fool's Day]] episode that was hosted by [[Todd Newton]]) and announced by [[Burton Richardson]].


==Gameplay==
==Gameplay==
The ''Russian Roulette'' set consists of a circle with six trapdoors (referred to as "drop zones" by the host), four of which are occupied by the episode's contestants.
The ''Russian Roulette'' set consists of a circle with six trapdoors (referred to as "zones" by the host). Four consecutive positions are occupied by the contestants, each of whom has a slot-machine handle within easy reach. Throughout the game, zones are lit in blue or red to designate them as "safe" or "drop" zones, respectively. The first question of each round is played with one drop zone, and another zone is added on each subsequent question to a maximum of five.

Contestants are given $150 each at the start of the game.


===First round===
===First round===
One contestant is randomly chosen as the first challenger and asked a question, then must choose one opponent to answer it. That opponent is then given three answer choices and has 10 seconds to respond. A right answer awards $150 and makes them the challenger for the next question. However, a wrong answer or failure to respond in time forfeits all their money to the challenger and forces them to play Russian Roulette to determine whether they stay in the game. The opponent pulls the handle at their position to spin the arrangement of safe/drop zones around the six trapdoors. If a safe zone lands at the opponent's position, they become the challenger for the next question; if a drop zone lands at their position, they are eliminated and the trapdoor opens, allowing them to fall through the stage and out of sight.
The four contestants are each given $150 at the beginning of the episode, and questions for the first round are valued at that same amount.


The round ends when one contestant has been eliminated or time runs out, whichever occurs first. In the latter case, if one contestant is in the lead alone, they step off their zone and pull a handle at center stage to spin one drop zone among the other three contestants and eliminate one of them. If there is a tie for the lead, all four contestants are in danger and the host pulls the handle. The eliminated contestant's money (if any) is evenly divided among the other three.
The number of red lights on the field indicates the number of active drop zones, starting with one drop, and another drop zone is added for each succeeding question (up to five drops starting at question five) and increasing the odds that the contestant will be eliminated after providing an incorrect answer.

One contestant is shown a question and must challenge an opponent to answer it. The challenged contestant is then shown three possible answers and has 10 seconds to choose the right answer. A correct answer awards the contestant $150 and becomes the challenger for the next question; if the contestant answers incorrectly or runs out of time, he/she forfeits all of his/her money to the challenger and must play Russian Roulette by pulling a handle in front of him/her to rotate the drop zones in play around the six trapdoors. If a drop zone lands on that contestant's spot, the trapdoor opens and they drop through the floor and are eliminated from the game. Otherwise, the contestant remains in the game and becomes the challenger for the next question.

The round ends when a contestant drops and is eliminated. If time expires before this happens, one contestant is eliminated at random via one final handle pull at the center of the stage. The contestant with the highest score is granted immunity from the drop by coming to the center of the stage to pull the handle; if there is a tie for the lead, the host pulls the lever, with all four contestants in danger of elimination. The eliminated contestant's money (if any) is distributed evenly among the remaining three contestants.


===Second and third rounds===
===Second and third rounds===
The second round is played similarly to the first, with the three remaining contestants answering questions valued at $200 each, and questions now having four possible answers. In round three, the two remaining contestants face off with questions valued at $300 (season 1) or $250 (season 2). Play is similar to rounds one and two, except that the contestant who first hears the question may elect to answer it themselves or challenge their opponent. After round three, the last contestant standing keeps all their money and goes to the bonus round, while the runner-up drops automatically. If the runner-up had money after dropping in the third round, that money is given to the last contestant standing. If there is a tie at the end of round three, one final random Russian Roulette spin is played to determine the winner.
The second round is played similarly to the first, with the three remaining contestants answering questions that have four answer choices and are worth $200 each. The high scorer from the first round becomes the first challenger; in case of a tie, a random draw decides who will start.

The third round follows the same rules as the second, with questions now worth $300 (season 1) or $250 (season 2). Now, however, the challenger may either pass a question to the opponent or try to answer it directly. The last contestant standing keeps their money and advances to the bonus round; if time runs out, the low scorer forfeits their money to the high scorer and is automatically eliminated. Ties are broken as in the first two rounds.


=== Bonus round ===
=== Bonus round ===
The champion has 60 seconds to answer a set of questions, with one drop zone opening at the end of every 10 seconds, starting with the one to the champion's left and proceeding clockwise. They may pass a question and return to it after playing through all others if time permits, but drop immediately on a wrong answer or if time runs out. Money is awarded for each correct answer given before the champion drops.
The winning contestant is moved to the top-left zone and has 60 seconds to answer five "brain-teaser" questions correctly (ten multiple-choice questions of three answers in Season Two). These usually consist of anagrams and jumbled words (unscrambling letters to form the answer based on clues given), math problems and general-knowledge questions. The timer begins ticking while the host asks the first question. After every ten seconds, one drop zone opens on the play field. If time runs out or the contestant at any time gives an incorrect answer, he or she drops, but receives $500 ($300 in season two) for every correct answer. The contestant has the option to pass on a question and return to it if time permits. In Season One, the contestant was required to begin each answer with the phrase "My answer is..." so that thinking aloud would not be mistaken for an answer, but it is no longer required on Season two.

The number, type, and value of questions are as follows.

* ''Season 1:'' Five brain-teasers are asked, involving challenges such as math problems, unscrambling or anagramming words, and general-knowledge questions. The clock begins to run as soon as the host begins to ask the first question, and the champion may think aloud but must say "My answer is..." before responding. Each right answer awards $500.
* ''Season 2:'' Ten multiple-choice questions are asked, each with three similar-sounding choices. The clock begins to run after the host finishes asking the first question. The contestant is no longer required to say "My answer is..." in this part of the round. Each right answer awards $300.


For answering all the questions correctly, the contestant's winnings for this round is augmented to $10,000; the contestant is given an option to exchange the $10,000 for one final game of Russian Roulette for a grand prize of $100,000, with the number of drop zones opening during the previous segment used as the number of drop zones for the final game.
Correctly answering all questions before time runs out increases the champion's bonus round winnings to $10,000. They may either stop playing at this point and keep all winnings, or give up the $10,000 and play one final round of Russian Roulette, using the number of drop zones that opened during the question round. If a drop zone lands at the champion's position, they drop with no further winnings; if a safe zone lands at their position, they win $100,000. Three contestants won this top prize over the entire run of the series.


The champion's main-game winnings are not at risk, and any money won in the bonus round is in addition to this total.
At the end of the show's run, three contestants had survived the final drop and won the $100,000 grand prize.


==International versions==
==International versions==
Line 78: Line 85:
| Diana Bolocco
| Diana Bolocco
| [[Canal 13 (Chilean TV channel)|Canal 13]]
| [[Canal 13 (Chilean TV channel)|Canal 13]]
| [[Chilean peso|$]]100,000.000
| [[Chilean peso|$]]100,000,000
| May 5, 2013
| May 5, 2013
|-
|-
Line 86: Line 93:
| Shandong TV
| Shandong TV
| No limit for top prize
| No limit for top prize
| March 16, 2015 – 2016
| 2015–2016
|-
|-
| '''{{Flag|Egypt}}'''
| '''{{Flag|Egypt}}'''
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| 2002–2003
| 2002–2003
|-
|-
| '''{{Flag|Hong Kong}}<ref>{{Cite web |title= Official Website (Hong Kong) |url=http://tvcity.tvb.com/special/russianroulette/video/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020602135720/http://tvcity.tvb.com/special/russianroulette/video/index.html |archive-date=2002-06-02 |url-status=dead |access-date=2023-07-24 |website=www.tvb.com}}</ref>'''
| '''{{Flag|Hong Kong}}'''{{citation needed|date=November 2020}}
| '''一觸即發'''
| '''一觸即發'''
| [[Dayo Wong]]
| [[Dayo Wong]]
| [[TVB]]
| [[TVB Jade]]
| [[Hong Kong dollar|HK$]]500,000
| [[Hong Kong dollar|HK$]]500,000
| May 24, 2002 – September 27, 2002
| 2002
|-
|-
| '''{{Flag|India}}'''
| '''{{Flag|India}}'''
Line 140: Line 147:
| '''{{Flag|Romania}}'''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://tvr2.tvr.ro/prezentatori/florin-mihoc_4331.html|title=Florin Mihoc TVR 2|website=TVR2.TVR.RO}}</ref>
| '''{{Flag|Romania}}'''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://tvr2.tvr.ro/prezentatori/florin-mihoc_4331.html|title=Florin Mihoc TVR 2|website=TVR2.TVR.RO}}</ref>
| '''Ruleta Rusească'''
| '''Ruleta Rusească'''
| Razvan Exarhu<br>Florin Mihoc
| Răzvan Exarhu<br>Florin Mihoc
| [[TVR (TV network)|TVR 2]]
| [[TVR (TV network)|TVR 2]]
|10,000,000,000 old lei (2003-2004) <br>1,000,000 new lei (2005-2006)
|10,000,000,000 old lei (2003-2004) <br>1,000,000 new lei (2005-2006)
Line 150: Line 157:
| [[Channel One Russia|Channel One]]
| [[Channel One Russia|Channel One]]
| [[Russian ruble|₽]]1,000,000
| [[Russian ruble|₽]]1,000,000
| April 2, 2002 – June 28, 2003
| April 2, 2002 – August 6, 2004
|-
|-
| rowspan=2|'''{{Flag|Serbia and Montenegro}}'''
| rowspan=2|'''{{Flag|Serbia and Montenegro}}'''
| '''Ruski rulet!'''<br>'''Руски рулет!'''
| '''Ruski rulet!'''<br>'''[[:sr:Руски рулет (квиз)|Руски рулет!]]'''
| [[Irfan Mensur]]
| [[Irfan Mensur]]
| rowspan=2| [[Pink (Serbia)|RTV Pink]]
| rowspan=2| [[Pink (Serbia)|RTV Pink]]
| 3,000,000 RSD<br>€2,000
| 3,000,000 RSD<br>€2,000
| March 27, 2003 – September 23, 2004
| March 12, 2003 – September 23, 2004
|-
|-
| '''Ruski Rulet Show!'''<br>'''Руски рулет шоу!''' (VIP version)
| '''Ruski Rulet Show!'''<br>'''[[:sr:Руски рулет (квиз)|Руски рулет шоу!]]''' (VIP version)
| Milan Kalinić
| Milan Kalinić
| €2,000
| €2,000
Line 165: Line 172:
|-
|-
| '''{{Flag|Serbia}}<br>{{Flag|Croatia}}<br>{{Flag|Bosnia and Herzegovina}}<br>{{Flag|Montenegro}}<br>{{Flag|Slovenia}}<br>{{Flag|North Macedonia}}'''
| '''{{Flag|Serbia}}<br>{{Flag|Croatia}}<br>{{Flag|Bosnia and Herzegovina}}<br>{{Flag|Montenegro}}<br>{{Flag|Slovenia}}<br>{{Flag|North Macedonia}}'''
| '''Ruski rulet!'''<br>'''Руски рулет!'''
| '''Ruski rulet!'''<br>'''[[:sr:Руски рулет (квиз)|Руски рулет!]]'''
| Dragan Marinković Maca
| Dragan Marinković Maca
| RTV Pink<br>[[Nova BH|Pink BH]]<br>[[Pink M]]
| RTV Pink<br>[[Nova BH|Pink BH]]<br>[[Pink M]]
Line 182: Line 189:
| Luis Crespo
| Luis Crespo
| [[Telecinco]]
| [[Telecinco]]
| €10,000
| €100,000
| March 18, 2002
| March 18, 2002
|-
|-
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{{Game Show Network}}
{{Game Show Network}}

[[Category:Game Show Network original programming]]
[[Category:Game Show Network original programming]]
[[Category:2000s American game shows]]
[[Category:2000s American game shows]]

Latest revision as of 14:36, 23 December 2024

Russian Roulette
GenreGame show
Created byGunnar Wetterberg
Written byHennen L. Chambers
Renee Paulo
Tony Soltis
Directed byLenn Goodside
Presented byMark L. Walberg
Narrated byBurton Richardson
Music byCraig Stuart Garfinkle
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes131
Production
Executive producersGunnar Wetterberg
Michael Canter
ProducerHoward C. Bauer
Production locationsTribune Studios
Hollywood, California
EditorsDavid Frediani
Tony Fisher
Running time22 minutes
Production companiesGunnar Wetterberg Productions
Columbia TriStar Domestic Television
(seasons 1–2)
Sony Pictures Television
(season 2)
Game Show Network Originals
Original release
NetworkGame Show Network
ReleaseJune 3, 2002 (2002-06-03) –
June 13, 2003 (2003-06-13)

Russian Roulette is an American game show created and executive produced by Gunnar Wetterberg that ran for two seasons on Game Show Network from June 3, 2002, to June 13, 2003. The show was hosted by Mark L. Walberg (excluding the April Fool's Day episode that was hosted by Todd Newton) and announced by Burton Richardson.

Gameplay

[edit]

The Russian Roulette set consists of a circle with six trapdoors (referred to as "zones" by the host). Four consecutive positions are occupied by the contestants, each of whom has a slot-machine handle within easy reach. Throughout the game, zones are lit in blue or red to designate them as "safe" or "drop" zones, respectively. The first question of each round is played with one drop zone, and another zone is added on each subsequent question to a maximum of five.

Contestants are given $150 each at the start of the game.

First round

[edit]

One contestant is randomly chosen as the first challenger and asked a question, then must choose one opponent to answer it. That opponent is then given three answer choices and has 10 seconds to respond. A right answer awards $150 and makes them the challenger for the next question. However, a wrong answer or failure to respond in time forfeits all their money to the challenger and forces them to play Russian Roulette to determine whether they stay in the game. The opponent pulls the handle at their position to spin the arrangement of safe/drop zones around the six trapdoors. If a safe zone lands at the opponent's position, they become the challenger for the next question; if a drop zone lands at their position, they are eliminated and the trapdoor opens, allowing them to fall through the stage and out of sight.

The round ends when one contestant has been eliminated or time runs out, whichever occurs first. In the latter case, if one contestant is in the lead alone, they step off their zone and pull a handle at center stage to spin one drop zone among the other three contestants and eliminate one of them. If there is a tie for the lead, all four contestants are in danger and the host pulls the handle. The eliminated contestant's money (if any) is evenly divided among the other three.

Second and third rounds

[edit]

The second round is played similarly to the first, with the three remaining contestants answering questions that have four answer choices and are worth $200 each. The high scorer from the first round becomes the first challenger; in case of a tie, a random draw decides who will start.

The third round follows the same rules as the second, with questions now worth $300 (season 1) or $250 (season 2). Now, however, the challenger may either pass a question to the opponent or try to answer it directly. The last contestant standing keeps their money and advances to the bonus round; if time runs out, the low scorer forfeits their money to the high scorer and is automatically eliminated. Ties are broken as in the first two rounds.

Bonus round

[edit]

The champion has 60 seconds to answer a set of questions, with one drop zone opening at the end of every 10 seconds, starting with the one to the champion's left and proceeding clockwise. They may pass a question and return to it after playing through all others if time permits, but drop immediately on a wrong answer or if time runs out. Money is awarded for each correct answer given before the champion drops.

The number, type, and value of questions are as follows.

  • Season 1: Five brain-teasers are asked, involving challenges such as math problems, unscrambling or anagramming words, and general-knowledge questions. The clock begins to run as soon as the host begins to ask the first question, and the champion may think aloud but must say "My answer is..." before responding. Each right answer awards $500.
  • Season 2: Ten multiple-choice questions are asked, each with three similar-sounding choices. The clock begins to run after the host finishes asking the first question. The contestant is no longer required to say "My answer is..." in this part of the round. Each right answer awards $300.

Correctly answering all questions before time runs out increases the champion's bonus round winnings to $10,000. They may either stop playing at this point and keep all winnings, or give up the $10,000 and play one final round of Russian Roulette, using the number of drop zones that opened during the question round. If a drop zone lands at the champion's position, they drop with no further winnings; if a safe zone lands at their position, they win $100,000. Three contestants won this top prize over the entire run of the series.

The champion's main-game winnings are not at risk, and any money won in the bonus round is in addition to this total.

International versions

[edit]

On all versions of Russian Roulette outside of the U.S., the UK, Argentina, Portugal, and Poland (in season two), there are also displays of the contestants' heart rates on the screen (examples include Russia's, Poland's (season one), and Hong Kong's versions), and most versions even have the contestants themselves asking questions to their opponents. There is also a camera underneath each of the trapdoors to catch footage of the contestant dropping from another angle. Some may also have a maximum time limit of 15 seconds instead of 10 to answer questions. The Polish version has 30 seconds to answer the question in season one and 20 seconds in season two. Most versions of the show (except for the versions in the U.S., Greece, Taiwan and India) run for an hour rather than a half-hour. As of 2013, there are no versions of the show still in production internationally. However, China's regional broadcaster Shandong TV revived the show in the Spring of 2015 as a substitute for the previous edition using the format of The Million Pound Drop. This version uses a slightly different format – the daily prize fund always starts at RMB¥50,000, and each correct answer before the final round adds RMB¥1,000 to the final pot. The Chinese version is broadcast live on weekdays and runs for 65 minutes (including commercials).[citation needed]

Country Name Host Channel Prize Air dates
 Argentina Decisión Final Horacio Cabak América AR$100,000 June 6, 2003
 Brazil[1] Roleta Russa Milton Neves Rede Record R$500,000 October 31, 2002 – October 31, 2003
 Bulgaria Руска pулeткa
Ruska ruletka 		Nikolay Georgiev BNT 1 100,000лв April 2003 – March 2004
 Chile[2] Ruleta Rusa Diana Bolocco Canal 13 $100,000,000 May 5, 2013
 China 让梦想飞·智命一击
Rang Meng Xiang Fei · Zhi Ming Yi Ji 		Yang Bo Shandong TV No limit for top prize March 16, 2015 – 2016
 Egypt الدائرة
El Daera 		Ayman Kaisouni ERTU1 £E250,000 September 2010
 Greece
 Cyprus 		Ρωσική Ρουλέτα
Rosiki Rouleta 		Miltos Makridis Mega Channel €100,000 2002–2003
 Hong Kong[3] 一觸即發 Dayo Wong TVB Jade HK$500,000 May 24, 2002 – September 27, 2002
 India Bachke Rehnaa Zara Sambhalna Mohnish Behl SET Rs.1,000,000 September 9, 2002
 Indonesia Russian Roulette Dede Yusuf Trans TV Rp100,000,000 September 4, 2002 – December 31, 2003

 Poland[4]

Rosyjska ruletka Henryk Talar
Krzysztof Ibisz 		Polsat 100,000 zł September 3, 2002 – April 7, 2004
 Portugal[5] Decisão Final José Carlos Malato RTP1 €30,000 May 28, 2012 – January 13, 2013
 Romania[6] Ruleta Rusească Răzvan Exarhu
Florin Mihoc 		TVR 2 10,000,000,000 old lei (2003-2004)
1,000,000 new lei (2005-2006) 		2003–2006
 Russia[7] Русская рулетка
Russkaya ruletka 		Valdis Pelsh
Maxim Galkin (25 December 2002) 		Channel One ₽1,000,000 April 2, 2002 – August 6, 2004
 Serbia and Montenegro Ruski rulet!
Руски рулет! 		Irfan Mensur RTV Pink 3,000,000 RSD
€2,000 		March 12, 2003 – September 23, 2004
Ruski Rulet Show!
Руски рулет шоу! (VIP version) 		Milan Kalinić €2,000 September 15, 2003 – July 16, 2005
 Serbia
 Croatia
 Bosnia and Herzegovina
 Montenegro
 Slovenia
 North Macedonia 		Ruski rulet!
Руски рулет! 		Dragan Marinković Maca RTV Pink
Pink BH
Pink M 		€2,000 April 17, 2007 – September 4, 2007
 Singapore 灵机一洞 Hsu Nai-lin MediaCorp TV Channel 8 S$10,000 2003–2004
 Spain Decisíon Fínal Luis Crespo Telecinco €100,000 March 18, 2002
 Taiwan 俄羅斯輪盤 Kevin Tsai (Cai Kangyong) Star Chinese Channel NT$1,000,000 Unknown
 Turkey Rus Ruleti Berkun Oya Star TV 1,000,000YTL April 12, 2008
 United Kingdom[8] Russian Roulette Rhona Cameron ITV £10,000 October 31, 2002 (Pilot)
April 1, 2003 – April 22, 2003

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Video". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
  2. ^ "Ruleta Rusa | Área Comercial - Canal 13". www.13.cl.
  3. ^ "Official Website (Hong Kong)". www.tvb.com. Archived from the original on 2002-06-02. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  4. ^ "Video". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
  5. ^ Portugal, Rádio e Televisão de. "Decisão Final - Concursos - RTP". www.rtp.pt.
  6. ^ "Florin Mihoc TVR 2". TVR2.TVR.RO.
  7. ^ Группа любителей шоу «Русская Рулетка» | VK. m.vk.com.
  8. ^ "Russian Roulette - UKGameshows". www.ukgameshows.com.
[edit]
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