User:Daniel Benfield/Chain Reaction Video Archive

Chain Reaction started off as a fun game that got victimized by Fred Silverman's desire for a 90-minute talk show hosted by David Letterman (no offense to Dave or said show, mind you), then got revived six years later for a pretty good five-year run. The GSN era...well, the bad outweighed the good, I'll just put it that way.

LEGAL STUFF SO I DON'T GET SUED: I'm only linking to these videos, none of which were uploaded by me, for the purposes of research and as a public record. Footage ©1979-80/1986-93/2006-07 Bob Stewart Productions and associated entities.

NBC (1980)
NBC Daytime: January 14 - June 20, 1980 (115 episodes)

The original series, with a bonus round that was great but went from way-too-hard to way-too-generous to cheap to cheaper.


 * Taped 10/28/79 (Pilot: Nipsey Russell & Joyce Bulifant; Lynn & Allen vs. Bob & Judy, with Joan & Dan playing later; average quality)

First bonus format (first week only)
 * January 14, 1980 (Premiere: Joyce Bulifant, Patty Duke-Astin, Fred Grandy, Nipsey Russell {Part 3}; Candace vs. Pat, with a different Pat playing later; taped from GSN)
 * January 15, 1980 (#2: Joyce Bulifant, Fred Grandy, Patty Duke-Astin, Nipsey Russell; Pat at Instant Reaction, then vs. Sue with Trinda playing later; taped from GSN, which briefly shows the Ticket Plug slide before the final segment!)

Second bonus format (debuted January 21)

January
 * January 21-23, 1980 (Joyce Bulifant, Jay Johnson, Didi Conn, Robert Mandan; Linda {$5,760} at Instant Reaction, then vs. Lynn with Debbi playing later; taped from GSN, begins during intro)
 * January 25, 1980 (#10: Joyce Bulifant, Didi Conn, Robert Mandan, Jay Johnson; Debbi {$22,000!} vs. Marge {back due to an error Bill made yesterday}, with Betsy playing later; taped from GSN)
 * [Bill notes that Debbi is the all-time winner so far.]


 * January 28-30, 1980 (Elaine Joyce, Vicki Lawrence, Richard Paul, Nipsey Russell; open, commercial break, and credits, taped from USA in February 1986 with commercials)

February
 * February 1, 1980 (#15: Elaine Joyce, Nipsey Russell, Vicki Lawrence, Richard Paul; Mary Jo {Game 3 - $7,500} vs. Trudi, with Bill playing later; taped from GSN, video issues but watchable)


 * February 1980 (Shelley Smith, Robert Mandan, Peggy Cass, Fred Grandy; Instant Reaction round with Ava going for her second $10,000)
 * February 14, 1980 (#24: Shelley Smith, Robert Mandan, Peggy Cass, Fred Grandy; Eric {$3,250} vs. Pamela, continued from yesterday {34-17 in Pamela's favor} with Denise and Patty playing later; taped from GSN)

Third bonus format (debuted February 18)
 * February 21, 1980 (#29: Lois Nettleton, Soupy Sales, Debralee Scott, Jay Johnson; Jim {$3,150} vs. Amanda; taped from GSN, ends after first Instant Reaction)
 * February 22, 1980 (#30: Lois Nettleton, Debralee Scott, Jay Johnson, Soupy Sales; Bob {$250} at Instant Reaction, then {Game 2} vs. Paula with Kathy playing later; taped from GSN)
 * [Bill notes that Bob won yesterday.]


 * February 26?, 1980 (#32?: Lois Nettleton, Anita Gillette, Bart Braverman, Soupy Sales; Sherry {Game 2 - $1,050} vs. Bill, with Cathy playing later; taped from GSN {alternate copy, ends after first Instant Reaction)
 * February 28, 1980 (#34: Lois Nettleton, Anita Gillette, Bart Braverman, Soupy Sales; Cathy {$3,050} vs. Janet; taped from GSN, ends after first Instant Reaction)

Fourth bonus format (debuted March 3 or 10)

March
 * March 10, 1980 (#41: Betty White, Anita Gillette, ALLEN LUDDEN, Brian Patrick-Clarke; Ken {$32,000!} vs. Angelique, with Dee playing later; USA repeat from 1986, begins at "With today's special guest stars...", B/W video at times during Game 2)
 * March 14, 1980 (#45: Betty White, Anita Gillette, ALLEN LUDDEN, Brian Patrick-Clarke; close with some odd things happening during the fee plugs, taped from GSN)
 * [Uploader lists it as 3/12, but Bill's comments indicate it's Friday.]


 * March 18-19, 1980 (#47-48: Anita Gillette, Nipsey Russell, Gina Hecht, Fred Grandy; Arlene {$100} at Instant Reaction, then {Game 2} vs. Brooks with Bernie playing later)


 * March 24, 1980 (#51: Joanna Gleason, Patty Duke-Astin, Brian Patrick-Clarke, Nipsey Russell; Mary {$11,400} vs. Dennis, continued from last Friday at 29-15 with Gail playing later and an amazing Instant Reaction; taped from GSN)
 * March 25, 1980 (#52: Joanna Gleason, Patty Duke-Astin, Nipsey Russell, Brian Patrick-Clarke; Mary vs. Darn, with Carol playing later; taped from GSN)

April
 * April 1, 1980 (#57: Joyce Bulifant, Jay Johnson, Judy Norton-Taylor, Robert Pine; Jane {$11,800} vs. Linda, continued from yesterday at 41-8 with Ed playing later; taped from GSN, ends during eligibility disclaimer)
 * April 2, 1980 (#58: Joyce Bulifant, Judy Norton-Taylor, Robert Pine, Jay Johnson. Ed at Instant Reaction, then vs. Debbie with Judy playing later; taped from GSN)


 * April 8-11, 1980 (Geoff Edwards hosts: Vicki Lawrence, Gina Hecht, Jack Carter, Wesley Eure; Judy {$600} vs. Mark, continued from yesterday at 41-40; taped from GSN)
 * April 14-18, 1980 (Geoff Edwards hosts: Jo Anne Worley, Constance McCashin, Robert Walden, Richard Paul; Stephanie {Game 4 - $2,500} vs. Dianna, continued from last time at 23-7; taped from GSN, ends after first Instant Reaction)

May
 * May 7, 1980 (#83: Jo Anne Worley, Steve Kanaly, Sharon Spelman, Sal Viscuso; Erin {$3,400} vs. Linda; taped from WNBC {alternate copy})
 * [Bill mentions a 10-game limit.]

June
 * June 20, 1980 (#115/Finale: Betty White, Jay Jackson, Joyce Bulifant, Ron Silver; Arnie {Game 3 - $20,000!} vs. Sarah, continued from yesterday {46-33 in Arnie's favor} with Diana playing later and the celebs playing Instant Reaction for charity; has commercials {alternate copies: #1, has commercials but bright video; #2, no commercials})

The New Era (1986-91)
USA, Daily: September 29, 1986 - June 28 [December 27], 1991 (debuted on Global in June 1986)

No celebs, and two-player teams means no Instant Reaction, but the format may actually be stronger here. Switched to solo players in 1988, then became The $40,000 Chain Reaction on New Year's Eve 1990.

According to one recollection, USA aired episodes with original host Blake Emmons from January 12-March 27, 1987 to end Season 1.

Blake Emmons (June-September 26?, 1986)
 * June 1986 (#2: Karen & Lorraine {Day 2 - $3,000+} vs. Ada & Bob {Jackpot: $3,000}; taped from GSN's "Faux Pause Picks", audio/video out of sync)

Opening montage added
 * 1986 (Danielle & Ruth {$10,500!} vs. Anthony & Karen, with the champs going for the 5th game/$5,000 bonus {Jackpot: $4,000}; Canadian broadcast, open through end of first chain and full closing segment)

Geoff Edwards

Team format
 * September 29, 1986 (Geoff's Premiere/first aired on USA: Max & Lori vs. Nona & Chuck {Jackpot: $3,000}; no last segment)


 * 1986 (Gail & Carol {$9,800!} vs. Darnley & Laura {Jackpot: $4,000}; ends after first chain)

Repainted set, slightly altered format
 * 1987 (A fun blooper that I'm pretty sure didn't air, involving Geoff's Missing Links game; has timecode)


 * 1987 (Cindy & Liz {$900} vs. Arlen & Karen {Jackpot: $5,000}; begins as Geoff walks out)
 * [According to one comment on the video, Season 2 aired from January 4-July 1, 1988.]


 * 1987 (John & Antoinette {$1,300} vs. Theresa & Fiona {Jackpot: $6,000})
 * 1987 (John & Antoinette vs. Dianne & Patricia)

Solo format, $40,000 Chain Reaction era
 * Early 1991 (Nick vs. Monique, "picking Semifinalists"; ends after second chain)
 * Early 1991 (Diana vs. Carline?; last few minutes, very low audio)


 * June 28, 1991 (Finale: Brett vs. Linda {alternate copy, average quality})
 * [Rod notes that Brett won yesterday, while Linda won two days ago.]

GSN (2006-07)
GSN, Tuesdays-to-Saturdays: August 1 - October 27, 2006/March 13 - June 9, 2007 (130 episodes)

...Boy, what a mess. The game's now a battle of the sexes (why?) with each chain consisting solely of two-word phrases or compound words (lateral thinking? What's that?). It retained a form of Missing Links (from the USA era) for use after each chain, but also added a betting round that usually didn't turn out too well because this version had quite a few bad players.

For Season 1, words in the front game could be revealed entirely, leading to head-bashing moments when the players struggled with a word even when it was spelled out. Season 2 restored the traditional rule of not giving the last letter.

Instant Reaction was restored to the format, adding a blindfold for the guesser with seven right answers doubling the team's front-game score and ten answers tripling it; shortly into Season 1, this was cut down to five and seven right answers, respectively. Season 2 dropped the time from 90 to 60 seconds, gave the bell to the guesser (which also stopped the clock), and awarded $100 per right answer with five netting $5,000.

I originally wasn't gonna do this version, but I kept noticing a bunch of clips online and I figured I might as well...and thanks to the Game Show News Net (GSNN) recaps, I now have a near-complete set of episode listings at User:Daniel Benfield/Chain Reaction 2006 Episode Guide. :)


 * 2009 (International Sales Reel, noting the show's success on GSN {including clips of the later Season 1 version of Instant Reaction} and in Italy)
 * July 15, 2013 (Promo noting that reruns are moving to Monday nights, with some clips)

Season 1 (2006)


 * 2006 (Dylan Lane talks about the show and hosting it {uploaded 8/25/06 by GSN's YouTube page})
 * 2006 (Contestants talk about how they handled the pressure of being on the show, plus the casting people discuss how players are chosen {uploaded 8/25/06 by GSN's YouTube page})
 * [The casting director mentions that they look for "People that are energetic, upbeat, normally; obviously, people with good personalities." While they note the use of a written test and mock chain during the auditions, neither she nor her assistant use any variation of "play the game well"...which doesn't really surprise me, especially since Instant Reaction was made easier twice.]

First Instant Reaction format (seven to double, ten to triple)
 * August 1, 2006 (Premiere: Randi/Alex/Kelly vs. Matt/Joe/Doug {Part 4, Part 5}, with a really obvious edit late in Instant Reaction)
 * August 23, 2006 (Rachel/Lisa/Marianne vs. Jeff/Theo/Shelby; Instant Reaction only)
 * August 26, 2006 (Shannon/Alisha/Andrea vs. Paul/Brian/Chris {Part 3}, with some pretty good evidence that Dylan Lame Lane can't say "You were so close!" without coming off as fake)


 * August 31, 2006 (Moira/Denise/Rachel vs. Anthony/Jordan/B.J. {Part 3}; ends after betting round)
 * September 6, 2006 (Jackie/Christina/Stephanie vs. Vinnie/Mike/Evan {Part 3}; no open, fast-forwards through commercials)
 * [According to the uploader, "We were so good they had to change the rules afterwards. We ended up winning $2200 more retroactively."]

Second Instant Reaction format (five to double, seven to triple; debuted September 12)
 * September 12, 2006 (Barbara/Dana/Jennifer vs. Eric/Charlie/Pete, with the debut of the second Instant Reaction format; Instant Reaction only)
 * September 13, 2006 (Stephanie/Crystal/Dionne vs. Gerard/Ari/Ariel; montage including full Instant Reaction)


 * September 19, 2006 (Malinda/Kathryn/Selimah vs. Brandon/Norman/Michael {Part 3}; first few seconds missing)
 * September 22, 2006 (Jennifer/Lilly/Noreen vs. Carl/Devin/Shaun, with a really bad Instant Reaction; post-November 2008 repeat {transparent nine-square GSN logo}, Instant Reaction only)

Season 2 (2007)
 * March 14, 2007 (Tari/Jamie/Jenny vs. Ken/John/Bobby; Instant Reaction only)
 * March 17, 2007 (Kim/Laura/Jessica vs. BOB HAGH/Mike/Jason {Part 3})
 * March 21, 2007 (Lindsay/Kat/Kim vs. Joe/Craig/Walter {Parts 3, 4, and 5}; begins near end of open)


 * April 12, 2007 (Win With Words {Teachers vs. Students} Week, Day 3: Coach Toombs/Coach Peterson/Coach Rainaldi vs. Michael/Astrid/Julia; no GSN logo, large iSkysoft logo in top-left corner throughout)
 * April 24, 2007 (Dawn/Kim/Laura vs. Keyz/Mat/Michael; begins right after intro, ends after betting round)
 * April 25, 2007 (Dana/Danielle/Cynthia vs. Michael/Sammy/Luis {Part 3})


 * May 11, 2007 (Laura/Colleen/Phoebe vs. Ryan/Andy/Dave {Part 3, Part 4})
 * May 18, 2007 (Lisa/Shauna/Siobhan vs. Tim/Walter/Lucas; montage including first part of open and full Instant Reaction)


 * June 2, 2007 (Nathalie/Michelle/Megan vs. Kevin/Chad/Patrick {Part 3, Part 4})

French-Canadian Version (1986-91)
TQS: 1986 - 1991

Action Réaction, hosted by Pierre Lalonde on the same set.


 * 1986 (First 1:10 of the first chain, with the Jackpot at $2,000)
 * 1987 (Episode with different score displays and the Jackpot at $1,000 {Parts 2, 3, and 4}; begins just before first chain)
 * 1989 (Full bonus game, with the Jackpot at $3,500)


 * 19?? (Parody called Action Contraction on some show called RBO)

British Version (1988-93)
ITV: March 21, 1988 - May 14, 1993 (185 episodes in 6 series)

Lucky Ladders, hosted by Lennie Bennett.


 * November 1, 1988 (Intro)
 * 19?? (Frustrating clip of two really bad teams who can't solve BOXING DA_...and never bother to try for the other available word because that'd just make too much sense)