CHAIN REACTION

	Bill Cullen
	Johnny Gilbert
	NBC Studios 2 & 4, Burbank
	(NBC) 14-January-80 / 20-June-80

Two teams of three (a contestant and two celebrities) attempted to create a chain connecting the two words. Each chain had six connecting words (for a total of 8 words). The player in control chose to build the topmost unrevealed word or the bottommost unrevealed word, and the first unrevealed letter of the word was shown. If the contestant/celebrity guessed the word correctly, the team got one point for each letter in the word (two points if there was a + sign at the end). The first contestant to reach 50 points won $250 (later $100) and the losing contestant won $5 per point earned (until dropped). If no contestant reached 50 points, the board was cleared and a second chain was played the same way.

The bonus round was played the same way throughout the entire run, however the payoffs changed throughout. The object was for two of the team members to create a question, saying one word at a time, for the contestant to understand. Chain Reaction had five different payouts, described here:

1. ADD-A-ZERO (used on pilot; never aired) $0 in the main game, began with 1¢ in the bonus round; 60 seconds

2. HALF-ZERO (first week only) $250 in the main game, began with $1 in the bonus round; 60 second bonus round (each correct answer added half a zero to the winnings. Only whole zeroes would count towards the winnings)

3. MODIFIED ADD-A-ZERO $250 in the main game; 90 seconds (the first answer was worth $1, the next three added a zero to the winnings, the next four added $1000 to the winnings, and the final correct answer doubled the winnings.)

4, 5. STANDARD PAYOUTS $100 in the main game; 90 second bonus round (each correct answer was worth $100, ten correct was worth $10,000. Later, players began with the $100 won in the main game, so nine correct answers won $10,000.)

THE CHAIN REACTION FINALE

Bob Stewart wanted the show to go out with a bang, so two special events happened on the finale. The first was the most memorable bonus round in the history of the game: all four celebrities played the bonus round, round-robin for $1000 to charity. Beginning with Joyce Beaulifant and Betty White as the givers, and Ron Silver as the receiver, they played the bonus round normally, except that after every word, each player had to move to his/her left. On the second word, Jay Johnson and Ron Silver were the givers and Joyce Beaulifant was the receiver, and so on. This remains as one of the most memorable moments on finale shows.

The final board, shown while sentimentally explained by Bill Cullen.

CHAIN REACTION

	Blake Emmons, Geoff Edwards
	Rod Chalabois
	CFCF-TV, Montreal, Canada
	(USA) 29-September-86 / 27-December-91

The game was relatively unchanged from the Cullen version, except that celebrities were eliminated and a pass/play option was added for each team of two civilians.  Each word in the first chain was worth 10 points (except for the final word, which was worth double), in the second chain 20 points, and in the third chain 30 points.  First team to 200 won the game and played for a jackpot that began at $3000 (later $2000) and increased by $1000 until won.

In the bonus round, a standard chain was shown to the players, and the players alternated guessing the words.  If a contestant answered incorrectly, a letter would be added to the word, and they 'lost' a letter from theirtally.  The tally began at 9 letters.

In January 1991, the show became the $40,000 Chain Reaction.  The team element was eliminated and one contestant played the game in an attempt to be the weekly champ and win $7500.  The bonus round was a three word chain and offered $300 if a contestant solved the chain with one letter in the middle word, $200 with two letters revealed, and $100 with three letters revealed.

The top players came back to play in a tournament, and the winner of the finals (500 points were needed to win!) won $40,000.

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