The Big Spin

infobox television
show_name = The Big Spin (2000)


caption = Three title incarnations, including one from "Big Spin 2000". (the top one's caption is incorrect, it should say "Winner's Circle Era")
format = Game show
runtime = approx. 0:30 (per episode), 22 minutes without commercials
creator = California Lottery
executive producer = Johnathan Goodson
starring = Chuck Woolery
Geoff Edwards
Larry Anderson
Jack Gallagher
Pat Finn
Maiquel Alejo
country = USA
website = http://www.calottery.com/Games/BigSpin/

"The Big Spin" is the California Lottery's television game show, originally a Mark Goodson production, now a Jonathan Goodson production. It currently has a fixed top prize of $3 million. The total prizes given in 2007 came out to $17,872,500, the most money given away in a game show that year, therefore being "the biggest money game show on earth", as the intro puts it. [http://www.centredaily.com/business/story/302068.html] From the show's start in 1985 until 1998, the show was taped in Sacramento, the state capital as well as headquarters of the lottery. Since 1999, the show has been taped in Hollywood, California at KCET Studios. [ [http://www.calottery.com/Media/CurrentQuarter/Archive/20012ndQtr/010526.htm Los Angeles Resident Wins More Than $2 Million ] ]

Hosts

1980s

The show started in September 1985 with Chuck Woolery for the first three months of the run. Woolery left to concentrate on hosting "Scrabble" and "Love Connection", and was succeeded by "Chain Reaction" and "Treasure Hunt" host Geoff Edwards in 1986, who would hold the position until December 1994. Edwards at the time was also hosting "Chain Reaction" in Canada, which required Geoff to, like Jim Perry (who hosted "Card Sharks" and "Sale of the Century" at the same time as his Canadian show "Definition"), commute between the two countries.

1990s

In January 1995 comedian and magician Larry Anderson (who hosted the 1987 version of "Truth or Consequences") took over as host, replaced by newsman Jack Gallagher in the fall of 1996, who remained with the show for the next 2 1/2 years.

2000s

In January, 1999, current host Pat Finn took over the show, which was briefly retitled "Big Spin 2000" to herald the new millennium.

In 1993, there were so many Spanish-speaking contestants on the show that they hired Maiquel Alejo (known as Maiquel Suarez until 1997) as co-host, in addition to serving as a translator for Spanish-speaking contestants. The announcer for the first 13 years was Rich Hardaway, then in 1999 was Jackie Taylor and since 2004, veteran game show announcer Randy West.

Getting on the show

When the California Lottery first started, there was only one kind of scratcher ticket. All participants who won a $100 prize sent in their tickets to participate in a random draw; one out of every 2,000 tickets sent in was selected, and the participant qualified for the Big Spin. (In the earliest days, there were 20 spins per week, not all of which were televised.) Later, instead of the $100 winners qualifying for the draw, qualifying tickets had their own symbol; as more of these tickets were printed, the chance of qualifying for the draw became 1 in 4,000.

Currently, for participation in Aces High or the Big Wheel, there is a Big Spin scratcher. This scratcher has numerous dollar amounts from $1 to $500. There are also TV SHOW, SPIN, and TICKET spaces. Matching three of a given word/amount wins said prize. TV SHOW scratcher winners go to the 10-person elimination rounds, while SPIN scratcher winners go right up to the Big Wheel and spin it, usually at the end of the show.

To get to the Fantasy 5 Dream Machine, a player must play $5 or more in Fantasy 5. A coupon is printed after the ticket, which, if mailed in, is entered in a random draw.

Current set and theme

The latest set, introduced in 2004 with Aces high, has the big wheel hidden behind a set of doors.

The theme song is borrowed from one of the prize cues used on "The Price Is Right".

When a contestant wins $1,000,000 on the wheel, the well known "Clang Clang Whoop Whoop" sound, also from "The Price Is Right", is heard.

10-Player rounds

In these games, ten players compete for a chance to go to the Big Wheel. One player would go on, the rest would get various denominations of money.

Winner's Circle

A simple game of chance. Ran from 1996-1999.

Ten players stood around a circular maze. A motorized ball named "Scooter" was dropped in the center, moving randomly. The game ends when the ball falls through a hole. The player standing behind the hole went on to the Big Wheel round; the others won $1,500.

California Countdown

The first two-round elimination game. Ran from 1999-2000.

Ten players stood behind a letter in the word "CALIFORNIA." When announced, the amounts were displayed. Seven players won a cash amount from $1,750 to $2,500. Three players then went to the second round, where each player chose a part of a California map (or one of three surfboards.) One player went to the Big Wheel, the others won cash.

California Gold

A reworking of California Countdown. Ran from 2000-2003.

The first round had ten players, each standing behind a mock dynamite plunger. Players pushed down the plunger, revealing either the word 'Gold' or a money amount. The second round originally had gold dust from January 2000-March 2001, which later changed to gold nuggets taken out by a peg. The second format lasted from March 2001-December 2003. The player must get ten gold nuggets without going over to proceed to the Big Wheel, and the loser won $5,000.

Aces High

The latest 10-player elimination round. Started in 2004. Usually played near the beginning of the show, but if there are no people going directly to the wheel, this takes up the second half. Rarely, two Aces High games are played.

First round

There are a series of 20 cards on a conveyor belt, 10 of which are visible at any time. Each player stands behind one of the cards, which are either:

*One of two Aces
*The $4,000 card
*One of two $2,000 cards
*One of five $1,750 cards

All players enter a vote of advancing the cards 1, 2, or 3 spaces. The cards are then moved to a starting position, determined by random draw. The cards then move the sum of each player's vote, from 10 to 30 spaces. The people who earn money cards win the amount on the card. The two people who get the Aces go on to round two.

econd round

The two players who won the second round now compete for the chance to go to the Big Wheel. Each player had four card wheels, each with three cards: the Queen, the King, and the ace. The hand is randomly determined by spinning all four wheels, and the player pressing down on a card to stop them. The ranks, from highest to lowest, are as follows:

# Four of a Kind
# Three of a Kind
# Two Pair
# One Pair

After the first spin, the player with the lowest hand can spin any of his cards to try and get a better hand. If the player succeeds as such, the other player has a chance to spin. If the hands are tied, a one-card tiebreaker occurs.

The loser gets $5,000; the winner goes to the Big Wheel (see below).

Fantasy 5 Dream Machine

A Bagatelle-like game, introduced in 1995. At the start, the player pushes a button starting the first play, depositing a ball into the machine. The ball then bounces off pins and "spinners" to land in one of five spaces (from left to right):

*$30,000
*$10,000
*$40,000
*$25,000
*$20,000

On the next play, if the ball lands in the same space, the amount is negated. Maximum of five plays.

If all five spaces are filled at the end of the game, the total prize money is $150,000.

If there are no contestants going directly to the wheel at the end of the show, three Fantasy Five Dream Machines are played, with Aces High in the second half of the show.

If there are no contestants playing at the Fantasy Five Dream Machine, then a special award is announced.

The big wheel

The final winner of Aces High, or a person who has "SPIN" three times on the scratcher, goes up to spin the "big wheel." This wheel is different from other game show wheels in that it does not have a flipper to slow the movement down. It has 100 spaces. The lowest value is $20,000 and the highest is $1,000,000 (only appearing four times). There are also 12 spaces marked 'TRIPLE'.

Spinning disturbs a ball, which then bounces off pegs along the circumference of the wheel. Whatever space the ball rests in for at least five seconds is the amount won. The wheel must make three complete revolutions in order for the spin to be considered valid. The top prize in one spin is $1 million, however, if the first spin lands on a "triple" space, the amount won in the next spin is tripled.

A spin of the wheel always closes the show, whether the spinner got three 'SPINS' on the Big Spin scratcher or was the winner of Aces High.

During the Geoff Edwards era, all chosen contestants on the show spun the wheel.

References

External links

* [http://70.85.192.194/~loogsla/gameshow/rules/bigspin.shtml The Big Spin Rules]
* [http://www.tv.com/the-big-spin/show/19973/summary.html TV.com - The Big Spin]
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