Bonus round

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This article is about a game show bonus round. For a video game bonus stage, see Bonus stage.

A bonus round (sometimes also called a bonus game or sometimes in the industry an end game) is a special round in game shows and other games. It usually comes after the main or "front" game as a bonus for the winner. The game play of the bonus round usually varies from the standard gameplay of the main game, although there are often elements of the main game in the bonus round.

One of the earliest forms of bonus rounds was the jackpot round of the original Beat the Clock series. After two rounds of performing stunts, the wife of the contestant couple would perform at a jackpot board for a jackpot prize. Another early example was the lightning round on the Goodson-Todman word game Password, starting in 1961.

Since then, many game shows have included the bonus round; some officially called bonus rounds, and others in the same format with other names. Some bonus rounds include unique elements; for example, The Price Is Right has contestants play individually in the front games and then compete with each other as a bonus round, which is opposite most other bonus rounds. Some end games that would generally be considered a bonus round, such as Lingo's, are not truly bonuses, as the player(s) do not win any prize in the main game, and the entire prize is played for in the end game. Nevertheless, the general term of "bonus round" has often been used to describe this type of end game.

Game shows with bonus rounds include:

• The $10,000 Pyramid and its successors ($20,000 Pyramid, $25,000 Pyramid, etc.) - The "winner's circle"
• Blockbusters - "Gold Run"/"Gold Rush"
• Body Language- "Sweepstakes"
• Card Sharks - The "Money Cards"
• Concentration and Classic Concentration (but not the original 1958-1973 version)
• Chain Reaction
• Finders Keepers - "Room-to-Room Romp"
• Fun House - The "Fun House"
• Get the Picture - "Mega Memory"
• Hollywood Squares' most recent version
• The Joke's on Us - The "Add-a-word Game"
• Legends of the Hidden Temple - "Temple Run"
• Make the Grade - The "Honors Round"
• Match Game - a two-part bonus round, "Audience Match" and "Super Match"
• Nick Arcade - The "Video Zone"
• Password - The "Lightning Round"
  • Password Plus, different format from its predecessor - "Alphabetics"
  • Super Password, same as Password Plus but renamed - "Super Password", also a "Ca$hword" bonus round played by the winners of the second puzzle each game.
• That's the Question
• The Price Is Right - The "Showcase Showdown"
• Starface
• Think Fast! - The "Locker Room"
• Tic Tac Dough- "The Mean Dragon"
• Win Ben Stein's Money - The "Best of Ten Test of Knowledge"
• Lingo - "Bonus Lingo"
• Wheel of Fortune
• Whew!- "Gauntlet of Villains"
• The Joker's Wild (Syndicated Run)- "Beat the Devil"
• The Big Showdown
• Scrabble- "Scrabble Sprint" (later on, another 10-second bonus game after the sprints)
• The Sale of the Century - "The Sale of the Century"
• Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego
• Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego - "The Trail of Time"