| Hosts | |
| Lamorne Morris & Sarah Karges | |
| Broadcast | |
 | |
| Packager | |
| Super Delicious Productions | |
BrainRush (spelled as BrainRu$h) was a short-lived quiz show where unwitting contestants were asked to answer a series of trivia questions while on roller coasters. It can often be thought of as a roller-coaster-themed version of Cash Cab.
Gameplay[]
Round 1: Quick Quiz (Boomerang)[]
The host would sit on the Boomerang. Anyone who sat next to the host automatically became a contestant. Each contestant was asked a series of questions over the course of the ride. (As noted in Episode 4, the total time was a minute and 45 seconds (1:45).) Each correct answer was worth $25. The two contestants who earned the most money advanced to the second round.
In the event of a tie, a tiebreaker question with a numerical answer was asked (generally, the question was about the Boomerang coaster). The contestant whose guess was the closest to the correct answer without going over would move on while the eliminated contestant was paid his/her winnings immediately.
Round 2 (Silver Bullet)[]
Each of the remaining two contestants would pick one of two games. hidden in two colored envelopes. The player with the least earnings from Round 1 would go first. Generally, each part of the game was worth $50 and both games had the same amount of money available ($300). The money from both rounds were combined, and the person with the most money at the end of the round won the game. Similar to Round 1, the losing contestant was paid his/her winnings immediately. If there was a tie at the end of Round 2, a numerical question was asked in a similar manner to Round 1.
Games in Round 2[]
- Streetwise – The host would tell the player five letter of the alphabet during the ride, and the player had to remember those five letters. Each recalled letter was worth $50. In addition, regardless of the player's performance the player was given the five correct letters, and had to unscramble them into a slang word based on a clue that was given by the host. If the player unscrambled the word within 30 seconds, he/she won another $50.
- Regurgitator – The player was read a short story (typically from an article from USA Today) as the coaster moved up the lift hill. He/She was then asked six questions about the story over the course of the ride. Each correct answer was worth $50.
- Represent – During the ride, the host would tell the player three random words and there were three random pictures shown around the park. After the ride, the player would attempt to list any of the words and/or pictures for $50 each.
- Hurling Hangman – The player looked for three letters while on the ride. At the end of the ride, they would attempt to recall the letters for $50 each. Afterward, they used the letters to complete three words within a time limit of 10 seconds. Each word correctly completed was worth a further $50.
Round 3: Motor Mouth (Xcelerator)[]
The contestant would select one of four categories for the round. Prior to the start of the final level, he/she was given the chance to eat a food item for a $100 bonus. The contestant had to eat the entire dish to earn the bonus.
Categories in Round 3[]
- Zap-Pow – Superheroes & Comic Books
- Penalty Box – Sports
- Watch-Out – Television & Movies
- Know It All – General Knowledge
The contestant was then asked a question with multiple answers, and had to give as many correct answers as possible over the course of the ride (a total of 24 seconds in length). The first correct answer was worth $50 while each additional correct answer was worth $50 more than the previous one (i.e. giving 5 correct answers won $750 or $50+$100+$150+$200+$250).
Afterwards, the contestant was given the option of keeping all their winnings or risking half of it on one final question. The contestant would sit on the coaster in the station to answer the question. If the contestant gave the correct answer (the light turned green), his/her winnings were doubled and the coaster took off immediately; however, if the answer was incorrect (the light turned red), the contestant would lose half of their total (the total was rounded down in the event of halving an odd amount). In the latter event, the host offered the player a final ride anyway, regardless of the result. The $100 bonus for eating the food was not doubled or halved.
Rating[]
Trivia[]
The show was originally going to be called Headrush before it.
The show took place at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, CA. Some of the fastest roller coasters the park housed were used on the show.
Host Lamorne Morris went on to star on the hit FOX sitcom New Girl as Winston Bishop, the sitcom itself had seven seasons airing from 2011 until 2018.
See Also[]
Scream If You Know The Answer! – A show similar to BrainRush airing on The Travel Channel in 2011.