Eye Guess

Eye Guess is a television game show that ran from January 3, 1966 to September 26, 1969 on NBC. Bob Stewart, a former producer for Goodson-Todman Productions, created and packaged the show, which was hosted by Bill Cullen. The two men would work together on numerous projects for the next 14 years. The announcers were Jack Clark and Don Pardo.

The Main Game

Two contestants faced a nine-space game board, divided into three rows of three boxes, on which eight answers were revealed on the outer boxes for only six to nine seconds, depending on the length and/or complexity of the group of answers, and then hidden from view. The center "Eye Guess" square remained blank. Players had to remember the location of the answers and match them by number to the questions asked by the host. A contestant choosing the correct response earned points and a bonus question. If the bonus question was missed, that contestant's turn ended and the opponent was asked the next question. A contestant could call for the "Eye Guess" square if the contestant thought that the answer to the question was not among the eight revealed choices. In such instances, the answer would be revealed only if it was correct for that question. Otherwise, a blank card would be revealed.

Choosing an incorrect number for a question could yield some very funny results, which was the main appeal on this otherwise simple show. An example of a classic wrong answer occurred when Cullen asked, "Why did the people elect President Johnson in 1964?" Wrong answer: "To take away the garbage." After the audience erupted into hysterical laughter, Cullen quipped, "Yeah, that sounds like LBJ."

Each game consisted of two rounds, with correct answers worth 10 points on the first round and 20 on the second. Although there were nine different answers per round, there were only eight questions. This meant that one of the nine answers was always incorrect (this irrelevant answer was never placed behind the Eye Guess square). Five consecutive correct answers won that player a bonus prize, usually a trip. The first player to reach 100 points won the game and earned the right to play a bonus round. Later, the producers changed the rules, awarding a prize for each correct answer, with seven as the winning score.

There were no returning champions. Each game featured two new contestants.

Bonus Round

Format #1

In the first bonus round, from January 3 to January 14, 1966, the player was shown eight pairs of celebrities (a man and woman). Cullen would read a name, and the player would be required to locate that celebrity's spouse on the board. Each correct answer awarded the player $25. The player also won a new car if he or she cleared the board.

Format #2

In the second bonus round known as the "Big Board," played from January 17, 1966 to August 30, 1968, players called out numbers on a new board which concealed seven prizes and a "Stop!" card. If the contestant happened upon the "Stop!" card, he or she kept all prizes revealed up to that point. However, if the "Stop" card was revealed after the first selection, the contestant was allowed to choose another number as a consolation prize. A player who uncovered all seven prizes without finding the "Stop!" card won a major bonus prize (such as a new car). Initially, prizes consisted of cash up to $100 or merchandise, but eventually all prizes were merchandise. Later, a new prize called "Jack's Pot" (named after announcer Jack Clark) was added. It consisted of a cash prize that was awarded if the contestant managed to reveal it on their first selection. If this did not happen, its location was revealed right away. The dollar amount was progressively increased in each game if it was not awarded. Once it was awarded, the prize value reverted to its starting point. The same rules for the bonus round applied as before.

In one instance, the prize card for the car, which was normally behind the Eye Guess opening and revealed only at the end of the round, was mistakenly placed behind #7. Unaware of this, the contestant called out #7 and was as surprised as everyone else, including Cullen, when the car was revealed. Rather than redoing the bonus round and editing the tape, the episode aired with this mistake and the contestant was awarded every prize on the board, including the car.

Format #3

The third and final bonus round took place from September 2, 1968 to September 26, 1969, now known as the "Risk Board." The top and bottom rows on the board concealed five "Go" cards and one "Stop" card. Prizes of increasing value were offered at each step, and the contestant could stop at any point. Players who uncovered all five "Go" cards without hitting "Stop!" won a new car. On the final episode of the show, Cullen encouraged the final winner to keep going as he revealed afterwards that the board consisted entirely of "Go" cards and Cullen had the "Stop!" card.

Episode Status

Due to extensive electronic wiping by NBC in the 1970s, very few episodes of "Eye Guess" survived. One color episode from 1968 aired on Game Show Network. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ABUAu3Vo1Q] and [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmR1r9GM6H0]

References

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