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FACT FILE Broadcast History:
September 16, 1985-January 10, 1986, Syndicated |
Main Game
Two contestants competed with the one behind the blue podium the champion and the one behind the red the challenger. At the start of each round, the contestant hits his/her buzzer to stop a randomizer consisting of dollar amounts. The selected value became the amount for the toss-up Catch Phrases.
On each toss-up, the computer slowly drew a graphical/animated representation of a Catch Phrase. Upon completion of a puzzle, a bell rang; the contestants were then allowed to buzz-in and guess the answer. For example, if the screen displayed the word "ACT" and then it suddenly disappears, the Catch Phrase to that would be disappearing act.
Correct answers added the predetermined money amount to the bank, which was claimed by solving the Super Catch Phrase hidden behind nine squares with the show's logo on eachone . After correctly solving a Catch Phrase, a contestant would remove one of those squares by pressing his/her buzzer to stop a randomizer on one of them. After the square was revealed, the contestant was given five seconds to solve the Super Catch Phrase. A correct solution to that phrase won all the money in the bank; otherwise, another toss-up phrase was played.
Several Super Catch Phrases were played accoring to time, and the contestant who earned the most money when time ran out won the game. Both contestants kept whatever cash they had earned.
Bonus Round
The winning contestant faced a 5x5 grid of 25 squares, each consisting of letters from A through Y in alphabetical order. The contestant chose a letter and tried to solve the Catch Phrase behind it. The objective of this round was to get five squares in row (across, up and down, or diagonally) in 60 seconds. Completing the objective won the contestant a prize package worth approximately $5,000. However, the center "M" square had the most difficult catch phrase on the board; getting five-in-a- row with that square earned him/her a prize package worth $10,000 which was often a car. In the event of time expiration, the contestant received $200 for each letter a Catch Phrase was correctly guessed.
Champions continued to play until they were defeated or had successfully held their crown for five consecutive days; any contestant who did so won a new car.
NOTABLES
- A robotic character called "Herbie", the show's mascot, appeared in some of the puzzles during Catch Phrase's run; his appearance and acting in the puzzle always gave an important clue to the solution.