Game Shows Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Host
Bill Cullen
Jack Clark (1966, sub)
Announcers
Don Pardo (1966–1967)
Jack Clark (1967–1969)
Broadcast
I Guess
Eye Guess
NBC Daytime: 1/3/1966 – 9/26/1969
Packager
Bob Stewart Productions

"This is (insert contestant's name), and he/she's about to try to win $5,000 in prizes on… EYE GUESS, starring Bill Cullen!"

Eye Guess was a wild & wacky game show where contestants used their memory to answer questions by uncovering answers on a game board.

Gameplay[]

Format #1[]

Main Game[]

Two contestants faced a nine square game board. The outer squares were numbered 1-8, while the center square was branded with the show's logo.

Two rounds of two boards (one for each board) were played and at the beginning of each round, the eight answers were revealed for six to nine seconds with the "Eye Guess" square left blank. Then host Cullen read eight questions pertaining to those answers. The contestant in control selected a number he/she thought the correct answer was hidden under and a correct choice scored points and kept his/her turn; an incorrect choice, however, scored no points and the player lost his/her turn. Upon an exposure of a wrong answer, a funny reaction would occur.

On one question, if the correct answer he/she thought was not hidden on the board, all that contestant had to do was call "Eye Guess" causing the "Eye Guess" square to be revealed and if the correct answer was exposed, he/she would score, but if that square was blank, no points were scored and that contestant lost his/her turn.

Although there were nine different answers per round, each round only featured eight questions, meaning one of the nine answers was not used (and never placed behind the "Eye Guess" space).

If a contestant could get five correct answers in a row, he/she also won a bonus prize.

Scoring[]
  • In Round 1, correct answers were worth 10 points.
  • In Round 2, correct answers were worth 20 points.

The first player to reach 100 points won the game.

Bonus Game[]

In the bonus game, the Eye Guess game board now hid prizes behind the numbers plus one "Stop!" card. The winner would pick off numbers one at a time and each time a prize was revealed, he/she won that prize. If at any point he/she exposed the "Stop!" card, the bonus round would end right there. Regardless of what happened, the contestant got to keep all the prizes found; if he/she found all seven prizes, however, he/she also won a new car. NOTE: If the "Stop!" card was revealed on the first pick, the contestant was allowed to choose another number as a consolation prize.

Initially, prizes consisted of cash up to $100 or merchandise. By November 10, 1967, all prizes became merchandise. At some point after this date, a new prize called "Jack's Pot" (named after announcer Jack Clark) was introduced, consisting of a cash prize that was awarded only if it was revealed on the first selection. If this did not happen, its location was revealed right away. The value started at $100 and increased by $100 each day until won.

During the first two weeks, the winner faced a board of eight mismatched celebrity couples. Cullen would read the name of a celebrity and the contestant had to locate that celebrity's spouse on the board. Each correct answer earned him/her $25. If the contestant cleared the entire board, he/she won a new car.

Format #2[]

On September 2, 1968, the format changed.

Main Game[]

Correct answers were no longer worth points; instead they were worth prizes with seven needed to win. Also, contestants who both missed four consecutive questions each received a series of at-home memory-improvement books.

Bonus Game[]

The bonus board still had the "Stop!" card but it now consisted of five "Go" cards (the middle line was not used in this version). Each time the contestant found a "Go!" card, he/she won a prize of increasing value. If the "Stop!" card was found, the game ended and all the prizes were lost; so the contestant was always given the option to stop and keep the prizes. Finding all the "Go" cards still won a car.

Merchandise[]

Four home games were released by Milton Bradley between 1966 and 1969, all following the original main-game format and second Bonus Board format. All four feature host Bill Cullen on the cover.

Gallery[]

Press Photos[]

Studio[]

NBC Studio 6A, New York City, NY

Rating[]

72px-TV-G icon svg

Inventor[]

Bob Stewart

Trivia[]

This was the first game show produced by Bob Stewart after several years that he spent with Goodson-Todman Productions.

The first & better known format of the show would be later used on the UK version of Nickelodeon's Finders Keepers.

There were three attempted pilots to revive Eye Guess, none of which made it to series: Punch Lines in 1979 hosted by Cullen, a new Eye Guess in 1981 with Nipsey Russell hosting and Eye Q in 1988 with Henry Polic II hosting.

Links[]

Eye Guess @ Tim's TV Showcase
Eye Guess @ billlcullen.net
Rules for Eye Guess

YouTube Videos[]

The first three minutes of a 1967 episode (audio only)
A full episode from November 8, 1967
The first half of a 1969 episode

Advertisement