A game show during the 1970's and 1980's (compare with The $100,000 Pyramid and The New $25,000 Pyramid) hosted by Dick Clark. It paired two celebrities with ordinary contestants. During the first part of the game, one team member would try to describe a word or name to his/her partner. When the partner guessed the word, the next word was shown. All of the words/names had something in common, usually vaguely alluded to by the name of the category. After seven words, or 30 seconds, the round was over. This was played for three rounds, with a tie-breaker if necessary. In the first round, the celebrity read; in the second, the contestant read; in the third and tie-breaker rounds, the team was given the choice of who "gives" and who "receives."
Earlier versions of the show had the "Mystery 7" displayed on the board for selection. Later, this was hidden because Mystery 7 was always chosen first. The Mystery 7 category was mysterious because Clark did not reveal what common thread the words/names had until after the round was over. However, if all seven were guessed within 30 seconds, the contestant would win a prize, like a trip. Similarly, the 7-11 would net $1,100 for the contestant if all words were guessed within 30 seconds.
Teams scored one point per correct answer, for a maximum of seven points per round and 21 points per game. If there was a tie, a sudden-death tie-breaker was played until a winner emerged. As an added incentive, whoever broke a 21-21 tie won a bonus $5,000. Whoever had the most points was deemed the "WINNERS" (with quotation marks) and got to play the Pyramid.
The first time a contestant played the Pyramid on a show, he/she could win $10,000. The second time, the stakes rose to $25,000. The style was similar: one team member faced the pyramid, while the other faced the audience. A topic would display as a description, like "Things a Dog Would Say" or "Things With Laces". The person facing the pyramid gave a list of examples, but could not give a description. Once the second teammate guessed the category, the next category was displayed. In total, there were six categories, and 60 seconds. The team could pass and come back to un-guessed categories if time permitted. If all six categories were guessed, the contestant won the jackpot; if not, prize money was allocated per the following scale:
$300
$200 $250
$50 $100 $150
The dollar values increase as the player progresses, but the categories also become obscure. (You try to think of something with laces, besides shoes, in ten seconds under extreme pressure.) If time expires before all categories are finished, the player wins the total dollar amount of categories guessed correctly. The player with the most money gets to come back the following day to try again.
Thanks to the Original Game Show Page (www.gameshowpage.com) for help with this write-up.