Cash Cab
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Cash Cab | |
 |
|
| Format | Quiz show |
| Run time | 30 minutes |
| Creator(s) | Adam Wood |
| Starring | John Moody (UK); Ben Bailey (US); Thomas Hackenberg (GER); Vicky Stavropoulou (GRE) |
| Channel | ITV1 (UK), Discovery (US), kabel eins (GER), Mega Channel (GR) |
| Production company | Lion TV |
| Airdates | Autumn, 2005 – Present |
Cash Cab is a game show originating in the United Kingdom in which passengers in a specially designated taxi cab are offered the chance to win money by correctly answering a series of trivia questions on the way to their destination. It was devised by Adam Wood. In late 2005, an American version of Cash Cab began airing with comedian Ben Bailey as host.
[edit] In the UK
In the UK the programme is made by Lion TV and shown on ITV1.
The show's host initially poses as an ordinary taxi driver and drives around the major cities of the United Kingdom in a cab. The show pays its passengers for correctly answering standard general knowledge questions. Contestants are recruited in advance but are not told that the quiz will be taking place in the cab, so although the "pick-ups" are not as random as they appear on screen, the contestants are genuinely surprised when the taxi turns out to be the Cash Cab.
The contestants tell the driver their destination before getting into the taxi and are not allowed to change it. They then have the distance they need to travel to answer questions. The first five questions are relatively easy and worth £10 each, the next five are a little harder and worth £50, the next seven, even harder and worth £100, and any question after that is worth £500. If the contestant gets three questions wrong, they lose the money they have won up to that point and are made to walk the rest of the distance. The host of Cash Cab, John Moody, is a genuine qualified taxi driver, and has an easy-going presenting style.
The format of the show has been sold to numerous countries around the world, including the USA (Discovery Channel), the Netherlands (BNN), Germany (Kabel 1), Greece (Mega Channel), Russia, Australia, France, Poland, Turkey, Indonesia and Spain. In Norway it has been commissioned as a prime time show.
[edit] In the US
The United States version of Cash Cab airs on the Discovery Channel. Unlike the original UK show, most contestants are not chosen beforehand. Some pre-screening occurs, although the contestants are not alerted to the actual nature of their participation. Once a passenger or group of passengers has been picked up, they must state their destination. Season one of Cash Cab took place in New York City. Anyone that hails the Cash Cab (identification number: 1G12) does not know that they are about to be on a game show until they hire the cab and the driver informs them of the rules. According to Variety, Discovery Channel initially ordered 40 episodes from Lion Television and taping of the initial run was completed in November 2005. A new set of 40 episodes were taped in 2006 to be aired in 2006.
When the driver/host of the Cash Cab, comedian Ben Bailey, informs the fare(s) of the rules of the game, though not always shown onscreen, the host does inform the passenger that once the Cash Cab starts, the cab will not take detours of any kind unless directed by a police officer, stop sign, traffic light, or other legal means of diverting traffic, and offers them the chance to get out of the cab if they do not wish to play. Further information reveals that a contestant must stay in the cab until they reach their destination, in order to keep the money they have won in the game. Answering three questions incorrectly at any point during the trip will force the driver to pull over and dismiss the fare without the money they had already won.
If the passenger stays in the cab, the game begins. The first four questions are worth $25 each, the next four questions are worth $50, and any question thereafter is worth $100. If a contestant has won more than $200 and the cab is forced to stop at a traffic light, the driver will start a Red Light Challenge. The driver will read a question that has multiple correct answers (usually four or five), and the passenger will then have 30 seconds to give those answers. Giving all the correct answers is worth $250, and failure to answer the question will not count as a strike, and they won't lose any money.
The passenger is allowed two "Shout-Outs" during the course of the trip, and each type can be used only once. The first type is the Mobile Shout-Out, in which the contestant is allotted a phone call to a friend by means of the driver's cell phone. The fare is allowed 30 seconds to consult with their friend and give an answer. The contestant may also elect to use a "Street Shout-Out," causing the cab to pull over so that he or she can consult with anyone on the street without any official time limit.
One of the show's gimmicks involves the host giving a disappointed response initially to a contestant's correct answer, then excitedly telling them they actually got the question right. Bailey usually does this multiple times, to almost all his passengers. This is similar to what Regis Philbin used to do when he hosted Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.
Should the passenger reach the destination, the driver offers the passenger a choice. The passenger has the option of keeping the prize money and leaving the cab, or the choice of answering a final, more difficult, Video Bonus question for double or nothing. Two or three games are usually played per episode.
