Break the Bank (1976 game show)

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This Break the Bank Game Show is unrelated to the other two of the same name, but it's the one most adults today remember. As on The Hollywood Squares, a man and a woman compete in a game with nine celebrity panelists. Two panelists answered each question, but only one gave the right answer. Matching three like dollar amounts (always adjacent to one another) won the game and the right to face another challenger.

Tom Kennedy was the host on ABC from April 12 to July 23, 1976; Jack Barry took over when the show went into syndication a few weeks later.

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Game Show Tropes in use:

• Bonus Round: On the syndicated version. See Luck Based Mission below.
• Bonus Space: The money bags; collecting three of them broke the Bank, which started at $5,000 and increased by $500 (later $250) per game until won. On the Barry version, the Bank was always $10,000 in prizes (including a car).
• Game Show Winnings Cap: As was ABC's policy, champions retired after winning $20,000 (but were allowed to keep up to $30,000).
• Personnel:
  • The Announcer: Johnny Jacobs on ABC, Ernie Anderson in syndication.
  • Game Show Host: Tom Kennedy on ABC, Jack Barry in syndication.
  • Studio Audience
• Whammy: The BUST card, during the syndicated run.

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This show provides examples of:

• Cool Shades: Barry wore these because the set was so bright. Similarly, Kennedy had his glasses tinted.
• Follow the Leader: Suspiciously similar to The Hollywood Squares in nature, isn't it?
• Luck Based Mission: Any Barry & Enright bonus round is just that; here, pick panelists to win money so you can reach or exceed $2,000 without finding the BUST card, which makes you lose everything.
• Tertiary Sexual Characteristics: A variant. If the male contestant claimed a square, it got a mustache; if the female one did, it got a set of lips.