The Krypton Factor

A tournament-typed game show based on the UK series of the same name where contestants were tested on their mental ability and physical skill. All while trying to score points (aka The Krypton Factor).

Broadcast
ABC - August 7, 1981 - September 4, 1981 Syndication - September 15, 1990 - September 7, 1991

Packagers
Alan Landsburg Productions (1981) Kushner-Locke Company/Western International

Distributor
Universal Television/MCA

Hosts
Dick Clark (1981) Willie Aames (1990-1991)

Announcers
John Harlan (1981) Laura Cody (1990-1991)

Premise
Contestants were tested on their mental ability and physical skill.

Gameplay (1981)
Sixteen contestants competed in this five-week series, with four contestants competing in each of the first four matches. In this adaptation, a player's score was called a Krypton Factor, as was the case on the original UK version.

Phase I - Reflex Speed
The players played a video game in which successfully achieving a certain score within a specified time limit earned them each five points.

Phase II - Mental Agility
The players were faced with taking two mental agility tests. Each contestant wore headphones so only they can hear the questions.

Test #1
A series of five numbers was presented to each player, and in turn they have to repeat the numbers in order after applying a certain rule to each number. For instance, if the difference involved the distance between each number and ten, the correct response to "4-6-3-9-2" would be "6-4-7-1-8." Successfully doing so earned each player four points.

Test #2
A series of six letters was presented to each player, and in turn they have to give the next letter in line on each one. Successfully doing so earned each player six points. Sometimes they were given words and/or phrases from a category in a particular order, and the players have to give the same list in reverse order to get the six points.

A possible 10 points total can be earned by each player, but if anytime any player made a mistake, they have to sit out the rest of the round.

Phase III - Physical Ability
This round featured an obstacle course run that was pretaped in advance. Unlike the UK version, the course was designed to be fair to both men and women, so neither sex or age received a head start. The race began with a death slide into an inflatable mat, then players had to cross a pontoon bridge, crawl through tubes, drive a motor vehicle, ride a swing in order to kick down a door, and complete the course by walking in an inflatable wheel. The contestants earned points according to how they finished.


 * Scoring was as follows:
 * 1st Place - 20 points
 * 2nd Place - 15 points
 * 3rd Place - 10 points
 * 4th Place - 5 points

Phase IV - Observation
In the forth round, the players were tested on memory. For they were shown a scene from a current motion picture, and each player was asked a four-point question pertaining to visual or verbal detail with two possible answers and a six-point question requiring them to recall specific dialogue. Then all players were shown a lineup of six similar-looking actors, one of whom had a key part in the film clip. Each player separately locked in their guess as to the correct actor, and each player who identified the correct actor earned ten points. A possible total of 20 points can be earned this phase.

Phase V - General Knowledge
In the final round, the contestants were asked a series of general knowledge questions for the next three minutes (3:00). Each answer usually links to the next question. Only the first player to jump in got to answer, but players did not have to wait until the question was fully read to do so. Each correct answer was worth two points, but each incorrect answer was worth minus two points, with the values doubling to +/-4 points midway through the round.

The player with the most points at the end of the competition won $5,000 in gold, plus an invitation to the final week to complete against the other weekly winners for $50,000 in gold.

Gameplay (1990)
When the show returned, the show stayed the same except there were four rounds and the contestants were now teenagers. Two girls and two boys competed in each episode.

Round 1 - Intelligence
Each player in was shown a picture pertaining to a specific category, and had ten seconds to identify the subject of the picture for ten points. Afterward, three toss-up questions were asked pertaining to the set of four pictures, and all players used the buttons on their chairs to buzz in, but only the first player to do so could answer. A correct answer was worth five points, but an incorrect answer cost a player two points. Two sets of pictures were played in this manner.

Round 2 - Observation
This round was played like round four in the original version; for this was where players were tested on memory. For they were shown a scene from a public domain film or cartoon, and they were asked two questions about it, which could be either visual or verbal information, in turn in reverse order. Each correct answer was worth 10 points. There was also a bonus round in which the players were directed to the Krypton Cart, which concealed an object seen or mentioned in the film. The players were given five clues to its identity, and had to jump in to answer. A correct answer was worth 10 points but each player could only jump in once during the bonus round.

Round 3 - Physical Ability
Like in the ABC version, this round featured an obstacle course run that was pretaped in advance. This course took place in Palos Verdes and began with a death slide, followed by a bicycle race, and ended with the Krypton Pavilion, a series of skill and agility tests. The contestants earned points according to how they finished, and here's how they scored:


 * 1st Place - 20 points
 * 2nd Place - 15 points
 * 3rd Place - 10 points
 * 4th Place - 5 points

Only the first place finisher was seen crossing the finish line.

Final Round - General Knowledge
The final round was played like the original, the contestants were asked a series of general knowledge questions, with each answer leading to the next question, except the round now lasted for two minutes (2:00) and most questions had multiple choice. Also, the contestants played on a podium in the center of the stage instead of with the buzzers on their chairs. Each correct answer was worth five points, but each incorrect answer was worth minus two points.

The player with the most points at the end of the game won prizes, and the eight highest scoring members of each sex advanced to the quarterfinals at the end of the season, from which the four highest-scoring members of each sex advanced to the semifinals. The two highest scoring semifinalists of each sex completed in the finals, the winner of which received $20,000 in cash.

YouTube Videos
Clip of the first two phases 10 minute montage of clips of the ABC version with Dick Clark