Bingo America

infobox television
show_name = Bingo America


caption =
rating =
format = Game show
runtime = approx. 22 minutes per episode; 30 minutes with commercials
creator =
starring = Richard Karn host Diane Mizota co-host Patrick Duffy host (March - May 2008) Crystal Wallasch co-host (March - May 2008)
country = USA
network = GSN
first_aired = March 31, 2008
last_aired = present
num_episodes =
list_episodes =
website = http://www.gsn.com/shows/bingo/
related = National Bingo Night, the predecessor
imdb_id = 1185281
tv_com_id = |GSN's "Bingo America", which premiered its second season on October 6, 2008, is an American game show hosted by Richard Karn and Co-Host Diane Mizota that follows two contestants as they try to compete to win up to $100,000. The show also lets at-home viewers play as fans can print bingo cards at GSN.com that allow them to play along with the show to win money. The second season of the show launched at the same time as the release of the interactive Bingo America DVD Game, sold on GSN's all-new online shopping destination, GSNshop.com. The DVD game simulates the TV show experience by allowing viewers to play along with the show everyday. Bingo America originally premiered on GSN on March 31, 2008 and was hosted by Patrick Duffy and Co-Host Crystal Wallasch.

Gameplay

Main game

Two contestants compete. On each turn, a Bingo ball comes out of the hopper and a question is asked. Each ball has a number from 1 to 75 and a letter in the word "BINGO" printed on it. If the question is answered correctly, the player earns the letter from that ball and the number on the ball is added in dollars to the bank, which starts each day at $500 (e.g., if I-29 comes out, the pot increases by $29). If the letter is a duplicate already earned by the player, no extra letters are earned. The first player that spells out BINGO from the earned letters wins the game.

Two regular games are played. If a player wins both games, they win the match and receive all the money in the bank. The winner then plays the Bingo Bonus Board.

If time runs short during a game they go to the 50/50 round. In the 50/50 round the remaining questions of that game are asked in a multiple-choice fashion, with two possible answers given. If a player answers incorrectly at this point, credit for the question (and the given letter, if applicable) is automatically given to his or her opponent, but no money will be added to the bank for that question (in the earliest-taped episodes, money was still added to the bank even if a player got a question by default).

For the sponsored weeks of the show's run, a sponsorship ball with the sponsors’ logo acts as a wild card in the regular game. The player who answers a question correctly when that ball is rolled out can choose any letter, and $100 is added to the bank. Some sponsors for the second season include: MoneyGram, Raisin Bran Crunch, and I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter.

If the match is tied after two games, a five-question tie-breaker game is played. The first question's answer begins with a B, the second question's answer starts with I, and so on. The first to answer three questions correctly wins the money in the bank and goes on to play the Bingo Bonus Board for a chance at $100,000.

Bingo Bonus Board

eason One

The winner of the main game plays the Bingo Bonus Board, which has used two different formats. In the first season of the show, each number on the Bingo Bonus Board represented a cash amount or a prize, ranging anywhere from a junk prize (labeled the "FUN" prize, which could be either a supply of Pink's hot dogs or a pet rock), up to a grand prize of $100,000 cash. Every prize was repeated at least twice on the board. The player chose one number at a time, and won the first prize to be revealed twice.

Marine John Stefan was the first person to win $100,000 on April 11, 2008. Stefan won a grand total of $101,447.

eason Two

In the second season, 55 of the 75 spaces have cash values hidden behind them, while 20 have "wrecking balls." The contestant starts with the "B" row, the only row without wrecking balls. After each selection, the player may either leave the game with the money accrued to that point, or risk those winnings by picking a ball from the next row. If a wrecking ball is chosen, the game ends immediately, and the player loses the money accumulated in the Bonus Round. The "I" row has one wrecking ball, the "N" row three, the "G" row six, and the "O" row ten, so the probability of clearing all five rows in BINGO is 7560/50625, or about 14.9%. Contestants who do so, however, keep all their winnings and have an opportunity to win the $100,000 grand prize if one of those five numbers drop down from the Bingo Sphere.

Audience and Home Viewer Gameplay

During the second season, audience members play a more active role in the show as each audience member is given a corresponding Bingo ball number T-shirt that is connected to one of the two in-show contestants. If an audience members' designated number is called and the in-show contestant answers the corresponding trivia question correctly, the audience member joins that contestant's team. If that contestant goes on to win the game and advances to the Bingo Bonus Round, the audience member receives a copy of the Bingo America DVD Game along with $25. The audience participation aspect of Bingo America debuted during the April 18, 2008 episode of Season One.

At-home viewers are also allowed to play along with the show by printing out bingo cards available at GSN.com. GSN characterizes the play-at-home portion as an "instant win sweepstakes". [ [http://www.gsn.com/shows/bingo/bingo_rules.html Bingo Rules] ] Once the taping of the show is complete and all of the randomly drawn numbers have been recorded, a computer generates thousands of bingo cards. In all, 100 winning cards are created that viewers can then download and print for the broadcast of the show a few weeks later. To win, players mark every number on their card that is announced during the show. The host repeats the numbers throughout the show and when a player gets a "Bingo", they're directed to GSN.com to claim their prize.

All winning players earn $50 except for select promotional "Winner Wednesdays" where the amount increases to $250 for some lucky winners. In Season One, GSN held a Tax Day promotion that raised the prize anount to $100. GSN also awarded $100 to lucky winners on the second night of the show as a way of giving back to fans after GSN.com experienced unexpectedly high traffic during the show's second airing.

At-home viewers can earn an instant win if the in-show contestant selects both of their "Bingo Bonus Numbers" during the "Bingo Bonus Round."

GSN does not place winning numbers on its website after the airing of the episode, unlike the predecessor, National Bingo Night. Many websites, such as MyUSAPoker.com, update the numbers nightly for people who miss the show or are unable to watch the program for another reason.

History

References

ee also

*National Bingo Night, the predecessor

External links

* [http://www.gsn.com/shows/bingo/ "Bingo America" on GSN.com]
* [http://myusapoker.com/default.aspx MyUSAPoker.com]