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Power of 10 (American game show)

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Power of 10
Created byMichael Davies
Directed byMark Gentile
Presented byDrew Carey
ComposerLewis Flinn
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes18
Production
Executive producersMichael Davies
Vincent Rubino
Running time60 minutes
Production companiesEmbassy Row
Sony Pictures Television
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseAugust 7, 2007 (2007-08-07) –
January 23, 2008 (2008-01-23)

Power of 10 is an international Sony Pictures Television game show format featuring contestants predicting how a cross-section of local people from the host broadcaster's country responded to questions covering a wide variety of topics in polls conducted by the broadcaster and production company.[1]

Broadcast history

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The US version ran from August 7, 2007, to January 23, 2008, originally as a summer series and later as a replacement program on CBS, hosted by Drew Carey.[2] It aired twice weekly during the late summer and early fall. Each game featured contestants predicting how a cross-section of Americans responded to questions covering a wide variety of topics in polls conducted by CBS. The top prize was an annuitized $10,000,000.

The series was produced by Embassy Row Productions in association with Sony Pictures Television and was taped at Kaufman Astoria Studios in New York City.

On September 10, 2007, CBS ordered six additional episodes of the show slated for mid-season to extend the first season to 18 episodes. The summer finale aired on September 23, 2007, due to Kid Nation airing the following Wednesday.[3]

The show returned on January 2, 2008, airing on Wednesday nights, competing with the most-watched show in the United States at the time, Fox's American Idol.[4] However, on January 24, 2008, it was reported that CBS removed the show from the schedule after four episodes due to low ratings, with a possible return in the summer.[5] This summer run never materialized, and by April 30, 2008, the show had been canceled in favor of The Price Is Right $1,000,000 Spectacular, also hosted by Carey. Power of 10 was not included in CBS's 2008–09 schedule on May 13, 2008, confirming its cancellation.[6]

GSN picked up the rights to Power of 10 episodes in March 2011. The episodes began to air weekdays at 5:00 p.m. ET in order to promote Drew Carey's upcoming Improv series, which did not show much success. Power of 10 was eventually moved to weekends, and was replaced by Deal or No Deal in March 2012.

Rules and gameplay

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Two contestants attempt to predict the results of polls in a best-of-five elimination round. A question is read (e.g., "What percentage of Americans said they are afraid of circus clowns?") and the two contestants are given ten seconds to lock in their guess using a dial to select a percentage. If a contestant has not locked in their guess after ten seconds, the computer locks in the percentage on which the contestant's dial rests. The player who comes closest to the actual percentage earns a point. The first player to earn three points advances to the money round to play for the top prize.

In the money round, the contestant is given similar questions, and specifies a range of values on a scale from 0% to 100% that they believe includes each correct answer. The size of the range decreases with each question as cash awards increase:

Question # Question Value Percentage Range/Margin of Error
1 $1,000 40%
2 $10,000 30%
3 $100,000 20%
4 $1,000,000 10%
5 $10,000,000 "Exact" (see below)

For the first three questions, the correct answer to the question is revealed once the contestant locks in an answer by pulling down a handle or lever. For the $1,000,000 question, the correct answer is only revealed if the actual percentage is outside of the contestant's range. If the contestant correctly answers the $1,000,000 question, they are then given the chance to win $10,000,000 by picking the exact percentage (rounded to the nearest percent) out of that 10% range.

Missing a question ends the game. Contestants who miss either the $1,000 or $10,000 question leave empty-handed. From the $100,000 question onward, missing a question decreases the contestant's winnings "by the power of 10", meaning that he/she leaves with 10% of the money accumulated to that point.

For each question, audience members make exact-percentage guesses in order to show the contestant a full sample of the results for help in answering. Contestants can also ask an in-studio relative or friend to give an opinion before locking in an answer; contestants can also adjust their choice, if necessary, to elicit reactions from the audience or their friend/relative. Contestants can stop the game and take the money that they currently have at any time before locking in an answer.

Unlike most other game shows, the host is not made aware of the correct answers ahead of time, so Carey may help contestants think through questions and offer his own opinions about possible answers.

Notable U.S. contestants

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Jamie Sadler, a 19-year-old Upper Montclair, New Jersey pre-med student at the University of Florida, was the first contestant to earn the right to play for money on the game show, and won $1,000,000 (to be paid as a ten-year annuity). This made him the youngest person to ever win $1 million on a quiz show or game show (the second youngest was David Goodman on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire). Sadler accomplished this distinction by giving a range of 23% to 33% for the question, "What percentage of women consider themselves feminists?" Though given the chance to win the $10,000,000 grand prize, he declined to lock in a guess for the exact percentage within that range. Instead, he quit the game, and kept his $1 million prize. Subsequently, with no risk involved, he informally guessed 24%. The correct answer was 29%. This marks the first time CBS has ever awarded a $1 million prize on a studio game show (as opposed to the network's reality game shows like Survivor and The Amazing Race), and marks the first time an American game show has given away a million dollars to the very first contestant on its first episode (this record would be broken nine years later when a married couple won $1,300,010 on the first episode of The Wall).[7] On the show, Carey claimed that neither he nor the show's producers believed anyone would reach the $10,000,000 question so early in the show's run. As a result, Carey claimed that they were unprepared for its actual occurrence, but that he would "wing it".

Big Brother 8 contestants Daniele Donato and Amber Siyavus won the opportunity to appear on the show following a Power of Veto Challenge on Big Brother. The pair were taken out of the house to compete and returned to the house following filming. Amber won in the opening round and made it to the $100,000 question, but answered incorrectly and left with $1,000.

Contestant Matt Hoffman, who later went on compete on Big Brother 12, didn't make it past the first round.

On the episode that aired on January 2, 2008, two contestants that made it to the money round and each won nothing in the same episode for the first time.

International versions

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Country Title Host Network Highest prize Prize in US$ First aired
Arab League Arab World القوة العاشرة
El Kuwa El Ashira
George Kurdahi MBC 1 SR 10,000,000 US$2,664,346 October 14, 2008 – July 21, 2009
 Armenia 10-Ի ՈՒԺԸ
Tasi Uje
Aram MP3 Shant TV դր.10,000,000 US$27,700 2008
 Australia Power of 10 Steven Jacobs Nine Network A$1,000,000 US$828,593 March 31, 2008 – April 7, 2008
 Brazil Jogo dos 10
(aired as a segment of Domingão do Faustão)
Fausto Silva Rede Globo R$500,000 US$291,886 May 2008
 Bulgaria Всичко по 10
Vsichko po Deset
Ivo Andreev NOVA 500,000лв. US$349,000 2007
 Chile El Poder del 10 Julián Elfenbein Chilevisión CL$100,000,000 US$183,000 April 22, 2008
 Colombia El Poder del 10 Diego Trujillo RCN TV CO$1,000,000,000 US$474,441 February 4, 2008
 China 十倍钱进
Shi Bei Qian Jin
He Haopeng Guangdong TV CN¥1,000,000 US$146,000 March 1, 2009 – September 6, 2009
 Finland Power of 10 Janne Kataja MTV3 100,000 US$140,000 January 2, 2009 – March 6, 2009
 France Jouez pour 5 fois plus Jean-Pierre Foucault TF1 1,000,000 US$1,459,204 February 17, 2008 – April 13, 2008
 Germany Power of 10 Dirk Bach VOX 1,000,000 US$1,459,204 April 21, 2008 – May 13, 2008
 Greece Power of 10 Konstantinos Markoulakis Mega Channel 1,000,000 US$1,459,204 October 8, 2008 – July 11, 2009
 India 10 Ka Dum Salman Khan Sony TV Rs. 100,000,000 US$2,151,463 June 6, 2008 – September 9, 2018
 Israel תוצאות האמת
Totsot Ha-Emet
Guri Alfi Channel 2
(Reshet)
10,000,000 US$2,905,700 January 2008
 Mexico El Poder del 10 Omar Germenos Azteca 13 MX$1,000,000 US$75,600 May 11, 2008
 Norway Power of 10 Hallvard Flatland TVNorge 10,000,000 kr US$1,560,000 August 31, 2008
 Philippines Power of 10 Janno Gibbs GMA Network 10,000,000 US$208,000 May 10, 2009 – December 27, 2009
 Poland Strzał w 10 Cezary Pazura Polsat 1,000,000 US$434,775 March 29, 2008 – January 25, 2009
 Russia Магия Десяти
Magiya desyati
Vera Brezhneva Perviy Kanal 10,000,000 US$399,016 January 7, 2008 – August 31, 2008
 Spain Energía de 10 (pilot) ? Antena 3 €10,000,000 US$10,914,000 2008 (pilot not picked up)
 South Africa Power of 10 Mark Pilgrim M-Net R10,000,000 US$1,230,203 August 2008
 Sweden Power of 10 Mikael Tornving Kanal 5 1,000,000kr US$146,466 Spring 2008
 Ukraine 100% Україна
100% Ukraïna
Hanna Bezulyk 1+1 1,000,000 US$131,000 September 5, 2008 – November 1, 2008
 Venezuela El poder de Ganar Leonardo Villalobos Venevisión Bs.F 400,000 US$186,000 September 18, 2008
 Vietnam Quyền năng số 10 Minh Béo
Anh Quân
HTV7 100,000,000 US$5,555 May 19, 2008 – March 1, 2010

Awards and nominations

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Power of 10 won the Best Game Show prize at the 2008 Rose d'Or ceremony.[8]

References

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  1. ^ Hale, Mike (August 15, 2008). "Taking Educated Guesses to Try to Beat the Odds". NY Times. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
  2. ^ Cohen, Sandy (October 10, 2007). "Drew Carey: Born to Be a Game-Show Host". Washington Post. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
  3. ^ "'Power of 10' Sticks Around For Midseason". Orlando Sentinel. September 10, 2007. Archived from the original on 2018-11-04. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
  4. ^ "CBS announces 'Jericho's' return and NBC shakes up 'L&O;' franchise". Chicago Tribune. December 3, 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-12-06. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
  5. ^ Adalian, Josef (January 23, 2008). "CBS revives primetime 'Price is Right'". Variety. Archived from the original on February 23, 2008. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
  6. ^ Kimball, Trevor (May 14, 2008). "CBS Announces Their 2008-09 Schedule. Who's Been Cancelled?". TVSeriesFinale. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
  7. ^ Huff, Richard (August 8, 2007). "Teen tees off, wins $1M prize". Daily News. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
  8. ^ "Rose d'Or Winners 2008" (PDF). Rose d'Or AG. 2008-05-06. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-05-30. Retrieved 2008-05-07.
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