I happened to stumble on to what I think is a cool, entertaining, fun game show on - of all channels - The Discovery Channel.
The show is called Cash Cab.
Imagine this - you're in New York City (probably just Manhattan). You're looking for a cab to take you somewhere. A van-style cab pulls up. You get in and tell the driver your destination.
Suddenly, you hear a musical "sting" over the speakers in the cab and the ceiling of the cab lights-up (it looks like the dance floor from Saturday Night Fever, only upside down and on the ceiling). The driver (the host, Ben Bailey) turns to you and welcomes you to The Cash Cab which is a rolling television game show inside the cab. And asks you if you want to play. The cab itself has at least 4 cameras hidden in the interior of the cab and up to two others buried in the advertising sign on the roof. The cab does have a medallion on the hood and it does have a fare meter. In fact, there's no way you'd know it wasn't just a normal cab. However, it appears that the people that show-up in the cab do not have to pay a fare.
Basically, the show is just a question and answer show. If the passengers want to play, Ben will ask them a series of questions while on the way to their destination. A graphical map pops up that shows you the route Ben is going to take and how many blocks away they are from their destination. the longer the drive, the more opportunities the passenger(s) have to win more money. Or, they have to pray for a traffic jam.
The first 4 questions - on the easy side - are worth $25 each. Each round the difficulty goes up, along with the cash - $50 for the next 4, or $100 for the rest. Answer the questions - you get the cash. If you miss the question, you are awarded a strike. If you get three strikes, Ben pulls the cab over, and kicks you out - without winning any cash, no matter where you are (you'll have to catch another cab to get to your destination!) There are sound effects and the ceiling lights with each answer.
Now, if the passengers get stumped, they have 2 one-time "options" (think "Life Lines" from Who wants to be a Millionaire): One is a "Mobile Shout-Out" where you use Ben's Motorola Razr phone to call one person to get the answer, or the "Street Shout-Out", where Ben pulls the cab over to the curb and you find someone (and only one person) walking by on the street to answer your question (could you imagine a cab pulling over to the curb as you're walking by and the passengers ask you to answer a question for them?)
If the "contestants" get up to $200 and Ben has to stop at a red light, they qualify for a "Red Light Challenge". The get 30 seconds to answer a question that will have multiple answers ("other than Rudolph, name all of the reindeer"). If they get the question right in 30 seconds, they get $250 - if not, there's no penalty (no strikes), they just don't win any additional money.
If the passengers make it to their destination without getting kicked-out, they win their money in cash on the spot, doled-out by Ben. HOWEVER, Ben offers them a Double-or-Nothing chance on a "Video Bonus Question". Ben flips-up a little LCD monitor for the passengers, they watch the clip and try to answer the question (it's always the hardest question of the trip). If they win, they double their winnings; if they lose, the get nothing but a free ride and the experience of playing in the Cash Cab.
It's simple and fun. The contestants are just everyday people off the street, not people applying for a gameshow, so that right there adds a nice flavor to the show. It's amazing how many people that get into the cab that you can tell within 30 seconds if they're going to get to their destination or not!
Entertaining! Weekdays, right now at 6PM EST on The Discovery Channel.
2004- Even warmer
2003- Visitor
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2002- Oh, please, just get it over with...
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2001- Wolves 3 - Moose 6
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