Catch 21

infobox television
show_name = Catch 21


caption =
rating =
format = Game Show
runtime = 30 Minutes
creator = Merrill Heatter
starring = Alfonso Ribeiro
Mikki Padilla
country = USA
network = GSN
first_aired = July 21, 2008
last_aired = Present
num_episodes =
list_episodes =
website = http://www.gsn.com/shows/catch21/
imdb_id = 1277975
tv_com_id =|

Catch 21 is an American game show centered around blackjack, created by Merrill Heatter, and hosted by actor-singer Alfonso Ribeiro with actress Mikki Padilla as the card dealer. The first season of 42 episodes began airing nightly on GSN on July 21, 2008. The game is similar to "Gambit", a 1970s game show also created by Heatter; some similarities to the 1980s game show "Top Card" also exist.

First two rounds

Three contestants are each given a card to start a blackjack hand. (The cards were shuffled before the show.) To earn another card from the top of a single standard deck, a contestant has to buzz in and correctly answer a multiple-choice question, which always has three choices. (They can buzz in before the possibilities are given.) If correct, the player earns 100 points and can "freeze" the hand (in other words, stand); otherwise, the next card is drawn from the deck. The contestant can keep the card in his/her hand, or pass it to an opponent. If the player in control keeps a card, he/she is given another chance to freeze. Should a player bust, he/she is out of the round.

If an incorrect answer is given to a question, the other contestants have a shot at answering; if another wrong answer is given (unless the first player that rings in gave an answer that was one of the three choices during Round 1 only), the question is thrown out.

A player who draws 21 will instantly win the round. If two players bust, the remaining contestant automatically wins the round. Hands are not allowed to be tied, so a contestant cannot freeze on an amount already frozen by another player.

If only one contestant is still drawing cards and at least one contestant has frozen, no more questions are asked; the remaining player simply continues drawing cards until he/she either beats the highest frozen hand or busts.

The winner of the round wins 500 points and a "Power Chip" to use in the bonus round, should he or she make it that far. After two rounds, the player with the lowest score is eliminated.

In the event of a tie for second place at the end of the second round, their scores are cleared and a tiebreaker is conducted. Each player chooses either the first or second card from a pair of cards; the one with the higher card advances to the final round. Aces are always high.

Final Round

The final two contestants play one more round. It involves the same toss-up question format, but point scores are not kept. The player who ends up with the better blackjack hand in this round is declared champion, receives $1,000 and a "Power Chip," and plays the bonus round.

Bonus round

The winner controls three separate hands. Each hand gets its first card. Then cards are drawn one at a time for the contestant, who chooses a hand in which to place each one. Alternately, he or she can use a Power Chip (for the first few episodes, known as the "Burger King Power Chip", just like in the "World Series of Blackjack") to get rid of an unwanted card. Depending on the number of rounds won in the main game, the contestant can have up to three Power Chips. Getting 21 in one hand in the bonus game is worth $1,000; two 21s pay $5,000; and if 21 is scored on all three, the contestant walks away with the grand prize of $25,000. The contestant can stop at any time and keep whatever money has been won, except immediately after using a Power Chip. If just one hand goes bust at any time, the contestant loses all money earned in the bonus round; the $1,000 from the main game is unaffected.

Three contestants (Jevin Smith, Kathy Fordy, and Tony Tringhese) have won the top prize thus far.