VS. (game show)

"VS." was a game show that ran in 1999 on Comedy Central. It was hosted by Greg Proops. Joe Liss served as announcer.

The game show featured two three-member teams that were supposed to be complete opposites. One example might be firemen vs. pyromaniacs. Proops would ask both teams questions about general topics as well as topics relating to the subject that divided the teams.

Round 1

Four general-knowledge categories were played in this round, with two topics in each. After one team chose a topic, Greg read a toss-up question that was open to all six players. A correct answer awarded $100; a wrong answer carried no penalty but gave the opposing team a chance to steal. The second topic in the category was then played, after which a new category and pair of topics was shown.

Round 2

Now the board showed two categories at a time, one written specifically for each team. The team in control could choose from either side, and anyone could buzz in on every question. Correct answers in a team's own categories were worth $200 each, while answers for the opponents' categories scored $400. Wrong answers deducted $200 and gave the opponents a chance to guess. After each toss-up, the chosen category was switched out for a new one, up to a maximum of five on a side; beyond this point, that side would be left blank and the other side would be played. This round ended when time ran out or after all ten categories had been played.

Round 3

For this round, the six players were split into pairs containing one person from each team. Every pair received three toss-up questions, with all answers being one of three related choices (i.e. "SUV", "S&M", or "STD"). Correct answers scored $250, while wrong answers deducted this value and gave the opponent a chance to answer. After all three pairs of players had had their turns, the team in the lead won the game and got to keep their money; the other team received a worthless consolation prize.

Bonus Round (Grand Finale)

The winning team had a choice of two categories, one difficult and one in the team's area of expertise. For example, a team of hippies could pick either "International Grandmasters of Chess" or "Hippy Poems." Once they made their choice and heard the question, they had ten seconds to confer. A correct answer awarded the team another $1,000. Missing it gave the opponents five seconds to confer and win the money with the right answer.