Split Second (2)

The show where the questions have three answers, and it's up to three contestants to answer them for money and possibly even a brand new car.

The First Two Rounds
The host would ask a series of three part questions. Most questions had three clues to three answers (one for each answer) appear on a game board (in Hall's version it was a monitor), some questions on the ABC version would require its three answers to fit under a specific subject, and also on the ABC version, one question each show would be dubbed the "Memory Buster" in which host Kennedy gave a list of answers but only three answers the question. The first player to buzz-in got a chance to answer first, second to buzz-in can answer second, the slowest player answered last. In the event a contestant rung in too early before the clues were revealed, he/she was locked out and must answer last.

Each time a contestant correctly, he/she won some money. The contestants score according to how many of them gave a correct answer. Here how they score: Round one

Round two

Also in the first two rounds during the ABC version, any player who was the first to be the only person to answer correctly not only won the top value, but also won a bonus prize which became theirs to keep win or lose.

Countdown Round
The final round of the main game was always the Countdown Round. In this round the questions were the same as before except now when buzzing in, the contestant can give one, two or all three answers. For each time the player in control was right he/she gave another answer, but as soon as he/she missed, the other players had a chance to answer the remainder of the question according to how fast they buzzed in. The round is called the countdown round because each correct answer counted down one. For in this round the contestants are no longer playing for money, they're trying to countdown to zero. But where they must countdown from all depended on their final scores at the end of round two. The player with the highest score had the advantage of needing the least amount of answers, the second place player got the middle amount, while the third place player was in disadvantage position needing the most number of answers.

How many do they need all depended on which version: Countdown Round

The first player to reach zero won the game (in the ABC version, the player with the advantage can win the game with just one question). All three players kept the cash that they've won from the first two rounds but the winner of the game won the right to play for a brand new car.

The Car Bonus Round
The car bonus round was different depending on the series.

ABC Version
The day's winner faced five GM cars (usually Pontiacs, other times Chevys or Buicks). One of them was an active car (a car that would start), while the remaining four were disabled (they don't start). All the champion had to do was to pick the car that started. Successfully doing so won that car and a cash jackpot which started at $1,000 plus $500 for every day it's not won (originally it grew by $200). Contestants who won the car and money also retired undefeated from the show, if they don't win the car and should they make it back, there would be one less car to choose from. If the champion failed to win the car after the first four games and should he/she win the fifth game, the champion automatically won the cash jackpot and can choose any car he/she wants.

On the final episode of the ABC series, the champion failed to win a new car. But since it was the final show and because of the fact that no contestant would ever play for the car again (until eleven years later), host Tom Kennedy gave him the car anyway, and the jackpot was split between the two losers of that day's game (the jackpot that day was worth $1,000 since the car was won on the previous day).

80s Version
This version's car round had only one car each day, and it had two versions.

Version #1
Behind the car were five screens. One of them had the word CAR behind it, while the remaining four read $1,000. The winning contestant had a choice of one of the screens and if the screen he/she chose said CAR, that contestant of course won the car and retired from the show. If not, then he/she won $1,000 and the right to play on the next show with one less screen to choose from for each return trip.

Version #2
In this version this time instead of having just one screen say CAR, two others said CAR as well. While the remaining two had a different prize behind them (either a fur coat (indicated by the word FUR) or a trip (indicated by the word VACATION). The champion's job in this version was to pick the three screens that say CAR, doing so won the car but not doing so won the other prize. Upon revealing a smaller prize screen, host Monty Hall gave the contestant a decision to either take that prize plus $1,000 for every day he/she appeared on the show and leave the show or reject that prize and return on the next show. On the champion's fourth try, one extra screen said CAR making a total four screens saying CAR, but the same rules apply, this just gave the contestant an easier chance at the car.

In either version, any player who won five games in a row automatically won the car and retired from the show.

Links

 * ABC Split Second at the Game Show Galaxy
 * ABC Split Second at the Game Show Utopia
 * ABC Split Second at Game Shows '75
 * Screencaps of Split Second '86