Peer Pressure

Peer Pressure was a game show where youths performed stunts and answered questions about moral dilemmas. The show aired in syndication from 1997 to 2000, and was hosted by Nick Spano and Valarie Rae Miller.

Main game
Three youths, ages 12 to 17, competed in this game, whose centerpiece was a life-sized board game spread out on the studio floor. One at a time, each contestant determined his/her moves via a "Magic 8 ball," which reveals a type of activity (a stunt or a moral-based question) and the number of spaces the contestant can move upon a correct answer or completion of said stunt. Landing on a "Move Ahead" space allowed the contestant to move ahead two more spaces; he/she had to move back two spaces upon landing on "Go Back;" in addition, if the contestant ends on those spaces when being assessed a penalty, he/she still had to follow its instructions.

Activities
Four different activities were possible:


 * Decision – The contestant and a "Peer Group" (a jury composed of about 10-12 teenagers in the studio audience) were read a moral dilemma-type question (e.g., "She's a really pretty, petite young blonde, but often wears plain white T-shirts and blue jeans to school because that's what she likes to wear. Does she turn you off because she dresses like a tomboy?") The contestant, without knowing how the Peer Group voted, supplied his/her answer and often gave some reasoning. If the response agreed with the consensus of the Peer Group, the contestant advanced.


 * Odd Job – The player performed a stunt (such as sorting clothing by type into the appropriate laundry basket), and had to meet the goal in a time limit to move.


 * Temptation – A prize is described. The contestant could take the prize and accept a two-step penalty; or pass it up and advance.


 * Fast Track – Similar to "Odd Job," except the stunt is more difficult and always worth eight steps (e.g., preparing three banana split sundaes on a moving conveyor belt within a time limit). Even if the contestant failed, they got a two-space consolation move.

After each contestant has taken a turn, the host asked a "Pop Quiz" question. Correct answers allowed that player to advance three spaces, while a wrong answer (or failing to answer) meant a three-step penalty.

Bonus Round: "The Pressure Cooker"
After an undefined time limit, the player making the least progress is disqualified from further play. The remaining contestants advance to the "Pressure Cooker" round, which were yes/no dilemmas (played just like the "Decision" question), asked in an alternating format; the player who had made the most progress on the board had the advantage of going first. The first contestant to guess three questions correctly won the game and bonus prizes.

Second & Third Season changes

 * The second season actually consisted of first season episodes edited with new graphics (as they had lost the rights to the "Magic 8 Ball") and Pop-Up Video style commentaries, and the copyright date changed to 1998.
 * For the third season, the show was renamed "Pressure 2", to coincide with a new kids' game show called Pressure 1. The third season consisted of the same first season episodes, edited a second time with different graphics, a new logo, and the copyright date changed to 1999. (The old logo could still clearly be seen on the set.) For this season, the word "Peer" was censored every time the name of the show was spoken.