1 vs. 100

Hosts

Bob Saget (2006–2008) Carrie Ann Inaba (2010–2011)

Announcer

Joe Cipriano (2006–2008)

Broadcast

NBC: 10/13/2006 – 2/22/2008 GSN: 11/15/2010 – 1/11/2011

Packager

Endemol USA

1 vs. 100 was a short-lived adaptation of the Dutch format Een tegen 100 (1 tegen 100/1 Against 100) where it was one person who answered trivia questions in order to survive "The Mob" of 100.

Premise

The game always started by the host saying, "It's 1 vs. 100!"; as the game progressed, the host would say, "It's 1 vs. ##!", followed by the number of mob members left after the last question (e.g. if there were 79 mob members left, the host would say, "It's 1 vs. 79!").

A multiple-choice question with three possible answers was revealed. The Mob was given 15 seconds to lock in their answer before "The One" was given the opportunity to answer the question. He/she signified his/her answer by pressing one of three buttons that correspond to those answers. If the One was correct, all Mob members that answered the question incorrectly were eliminated from further play, bringing the "The One" closer to winning the game. The amount of money in the contestant's bank also increased by an amount based on the number of mob members eliminated in that question. If the contestant eliminated all 100 mob members, he/she won the grand cash prize. However, if "The One" was incorrect, the game ends and he/she would leave with nothing, and the remaining members of the Mob would split the losing contestant's winnings. But if everybody missed, nobody won, no money was awarded, and 100 new people came in to play.

To prevent the (next to) latter from happening, once a player reached a set prize limit, they were asked whether they wanted the Money (leave the game with the accumulated money) or the Mob (continue playing at risk of losing the money). After every subsequent question, a player could either quit or continue, only if he/she answered correctly.

The player was not given any information about the next question unless 10 or fewer Mob members remained, or no helps are available. At this point, the player was given a Sneak Peek, where they could see the next question, but not the answers, before deciding whether or not to continue. If a player decided to see the choices, they were committed to playing the question.

As for the Mob, its members would stay on the show as long as they could answer correctly. So they could stay on for multiple games, giving them multiple chances to win the money.

Contestants had three forms of assistance, or "helps," available to use at any point during the game:

• Poll the Mob – Contestants picked one of the three answers. The number of mob players who chose that answer was revealed. Originally contestants could ask one of those players why he/she chose that answer, although the player was allowed to lie; in the final shows this was not offered.
• Ask the Mob – One mob member who answered correctly and one who answered incorrectly were chosen at random. Each explained his/her decision to the contestant. Mob members had to tell the truth as to which answer they chose, but did not have to tell the truth as to why they chose that answer. Automatically eliminated one wrong answer, thus leaving contestants with a 50-50 chance of picking the right answer. If all mob members answered incorrectly, the solo player would be permitted to talk to one mob member and then would be informed that their answer was incorrect. If all mob members answered correctly, the solo player wasn’t told that and was given the option to lock the answer in. This would also occur if all the mob members answered incorrectly, but choose the same incorrect answer.
• Trust the Mob – Contestants committed to choosing the answer chosen by the largest number of mob members. If there was a tie for two answers, the solo player had a choice to one of those two answers.

Contestants could use multiple helps on a single question, but could only use each help once during the game. It was possible (as shown in episodes 2 and 6) that a mob member could be picked for both the Poll the Mob and Ask the Mob, even on the same question. The solo player had to make their decision on their answer within 10 minutes (after this time, the host would prompt for an answer, after which the solo player had to answer within one minute). Mob members had only fifteen seconds (longer than most versions, which is usually six, as in the Australian version, where the time is unedited) to submit their choice, even though it was edited down when it aired.

NBC Version

The game always opened with Saget saying, "This game is simple. Either you win… or they win." After asking the contestant if he/she was ready and asking the mob if they were ready, Saget would begin the game by saying, "It's time to play 1 vs. 100!" In later episodes, it was removed and after the introduction of the mobs, Saget would say, "It's 1 vs. 100 [(name of special mobs)]!" (The brackets represented mobs on special editions). Contestants played for a top prize of $1,000,000.

Programming history

The show first premiered on NBC as a five-episode series on October 13, 2006 and ran on Friday nights. On October 20, 2006, it was reported that NBC ordered ten additional episodes of 1 vs. 100, citing the show's encouraging ratings performance. The series returned to NBC's schedule with these new episodes on December 1, 2006.

When the show was in development, one of its working titles was Eliminator. Some of the rules that were tested would have made the game more complicated (e.g., there were ways for eliminated ‘mob’ members to be returned to the game). Elimination ladders were similar to the original Dutch version, winnings were determined based on the cumulative number of Mob members eliminated, and of the three "dodges", one "dodge" was a second chance (which would be used in the French version of the game). Among those who auditioned to be host were Alan Thicke, Billy Bush, Bronson Pinchot, and Jim Lampley.

Even after the show debuted, there was considerable reworking of the rules and format. For instance, the value of eliminated mob members was different during the show's initial run of five episodes:

Question	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12+
Episode 1	$100	$500	$1,000	$2,000	$3,000	$4,000	$5,000	$6,000	$7,000	$8,000	$9,000	$10,000
Episode 2
Episode 3		$250	$500	$1,000	$1,500	$2,000	$3,000	$4,000	$5,000	$6,000	$7,500
Episode 4
Episode 5

Contestants were also able to stop after every question on the first five episodes, and the only two helps were "Poll the Mob" and "Ask the Mob," which had to be used in that order (and were just called "First Help" and "Second Help"). A massive lighting and graphic update was added on episode 6. Examples of this included yellow lighting when faced with the Money or Mob decision, flames bursting outwards in the mob when the contestant elected to go on, and purple electric plasma flowing inwards when the solo player chose to use a help. A new ladder for winning money was also added, which was as follows:

Question	Value
1	$1,000
2
3
4	$2,000
5
6	$3,000
7	$4,000
8	$5,000
9	$6,000
10	$7,000
11	$8,000
12	$9,000
13+	$10,000

In this money ladder, the contestant had to answer the first three questions correctly, before deciding whether to take the money or play on. Then, for the $2,000 tier, the contestant had to answer two more before deciding. All other tiers were as before, with the contestant being offered to stay or go after each question.

Season 1 Money Ladder as shown on the screen on the set.

The January 19, 2007 episode saw two players lose to the mob for the first time. The game on February 23, 2007 saw two players lose as well. Both of those players had all three helps left. Contestant Lou Siville became the first solo contestant to take the money rather than the mob after the first opportunity to quit. He left one help on the table. The March 16, 2007 episode included a special feature at the end of the game, where the contestant could bet all winnings on one more question, which had to be answered without the use of helps or the involvement of the mob. If correct, the contestant's money was doubled. If incorrect, the contestant would lose everything. If the contestant chose not to play, then this special round was played for fun, to see what would have happened. The contestant on the March 16, 2007 episode decided not to risk doubling her winnings to $306,000. She would have answered the question correctly.

Notable records included the $343,000 won by Barry Lander on January 12, 2007, which was the most ever won by the solo contestant until Jason Luna became the show's first millionaire. The most money ever lost to the mob was $263,000 by Raul Torres (February 16, 2007). The most money ever won by an individual mob member was $62,600 by Dennis Cisterna III, and a waitress named Chloe, over three shows while facing four contestants (February 23, 2007). The most questions answered by a mob member was 49 by Ned Andrews (December 15, 2006 through January 19, 2007).The highest number of mob members defeated was 95 by poker player Annie Duke (February 9, 2007, the "Last Man Standing" episode). The total number of solo contestants stood at 33 (17 winners, 16 losers).

Season 2

In May, NBC announced that 1 vs. 100 would return for its second season in Fall 2007 with an eight-episode run, again airing on Friday nights. The Singing Bee (Fatone) was originally scheduled to air after the initial run of 1 vs. 100, but its premiere was moved up to July to compete with FOX's new game show Don't Forget the Lyrics! (Brady) In July, NBC announced some fall scheduling updates that included 1 vs. 100’s season two premiere being temporarily delayed.

In late 2007, NBC announced that 1 vs. 100 would return as a winter replacement sometime in January, and the series debuted its second season on January 7, 2008, with a new set and money ladder system of obtaining prize money.

Starting here, the prize structure was determined by the number of mob members that were eliminated. Therefore, every 10 mob members eliminated increased the amount for the solo player. Once the player had either used up all three helps or eliminated at least 50 mob members, he/she was allowed a "Sneak Peek" before each question for the rest of the game. Only the question was revealed, not the answer choices, and the player would then have to decide whether to continue playing or leave the game with all money won to that point. Here's the way the money ladder went:

Mob members eliminated	Player's total
100	$1,000,000
90-99	$500,000
80-89	$250,000
70-79	$100,000
60-69	$75,000
50-59	$50,000
40-49	$25,000
30-39	$10,000
20-29	$5,000
10-19	$1,000
Less than 10	$0

On the second season premiere show, two games were played. One put 100 men against a woman, the other was the reverse. On that show, Jason Luna, a 21-year old from San Diego, faced the 100-woman mob and had eliminated all but 15 members by the time the following question came up:

According to Hallmark, what is the biggest card-giving holiday of the year?

• A: Christmas

• B: Mother's Day

• C: Valentine's Day

All 100 women missed, but Jason Luna had answered the question correctly and won $1,000,000.

Season 2 Money Ladder as shown on the screen in the center of the mob area.

Theme episodes

Christmas episode

A special Christmas episode aired on December 25, 2006 which featured Christmas-related questions and a Mob with members representing "The 12 Days of Christmas", including:

• Twelve members of the University of Southern California Marching Band drumline (drummers drumming)
• Eleven plumbers (pipers piping)
• Ten male ballet dancers (lords a-leaping)
• Nine female go-go dancers (ladies dancing)
• Eight farmer's wives (maids a-milking)
• Seven members of the Cal State Northridge water polo team (swans a-swimming)
• Six pregnant mothers-to-be (geese a-laying)
• Five boxers (golden rings)
• Four bird callers (calling birds)
• Three French chefs (French hens)
• Two dove hunters (turtle doves)
• Danny Bonaduce (a Partridge in a pear tree)

Santa Claus took a chair, and the remaining 20 contestants consisted of five "Santa's elves" and returning contestants, including Annie Duke, who missed on a question early in this episode and was eliminated after four shows, having correctly answered 37 consecutive questions.

The You vs. 100 at home game would have been worth $25,000 to the lucky winners in the Eastern US, plus the Mountain and Pacific time zones, but because the Philadelphia Eagles-Dallas Cowboys football game ran late and the Christmas episode of Deal or No Deal also ran past its scheduled time in both the Eastern and Central time zones, the contest was not held at all. 1 vs. 100 was joined in progress in the Eastern and Central zones following Deal or No Deal, while the entire show aired in the Western U.S. The $25,000 giveaway was rescheduled for January 19, 2007, during a regular episode. The next time that a game show was joined in progress on the network would be on August 31, 2010, when Minute to Win It was joined in progress in the Eastern and Central time zones following a Presidential address.

1 vs. 100 kids

The first game on the February 2, 2007 episode consisted of one hundred children. Five members left standing received $18,800 each.

Last Man Standing

Former top mob members, including Brad Rutter, Ken Jennings, Nancy Christy, Kevin Olmstead, and Annie Duke among others were in the mob for a "last man standing" game where the winner got a guaranteed $250,000. The rules were a little different, in that there were no helps, no money for each question, and one person, in this case, Annie Duke, was randomly selected to be the "one.” Thus, this game was actually 1 vs. 99. Also, she did not have the opportunity to walk away from the game (this rule is also used on many foreign versions of the show).

Duke and Jennings were two of the final five aiming for the prize. The question was "Who has been married the most times? - King Henry VIII, Larry King, or 'The King of Pop', Michael Jackson." Duke, Jennings, and two of the other remaining contestants incorrectly guessed King Henry VIII. Ultimately, the winner was entertainment lawyer and former actor Larry Zerner, as he was the only one who answered Larry King.

The Most Hated Mob in America

The February 16, 2007 episode featured a mob made up of the nation's supposedly most hated people, including 23 meter maids, 22 IRS agents, 20 telemarketers, and 16 DMV employees. Casey Smith left 29 people in the mob, opting to take his $142,000 winnings.

Battle of the Sexes

On January 4, 2008, the first night of the current prize structure, one woman played against a mob of 100 men and vice versa. The woman, Katherine Kazorla, lost $50,000 to the mob, while the man, Jason Luna, became the show's first millionaire.

GSN Repeats and Revival

GSN began airing reruns of the show on June 6, 2009, with one or more episodes shown every day. With the popularity of those shows and the Xbox live video game, in August 2010, GSN announced a casting call and that the network would be producing new episodes.

The initial order of 40 half-hour episodes began airing weekdays on November 15, 2010. In the new GSN version, hosted by Dancing with the Stars judge Carrie Ann Inaba, the mob was pre-taped and members participated via webcam. The mob was digitally inserted into the program, and mob members could appear on multiple episodes. Contestants would win the top prize of $50,000 by eliminating all 100 mob members during their appearance and had two helps available: Poll the Mob and Trust the Mob.

Here's what the GSN money ladder looked like:

Mob members eliminated	Player's total
100	$50,000
90-99	$25,000
80-89	$10,000
70-79	$5,000
60-69	$2,500
50-59	$2,000
40-49	$1,500
30-39	$1,000
20-29	$750
10-19	$500
Less than 10	$0

On November 30, 2010, here’s what the GSN money ladder looked like:

Mob members eliminated	Player's total
100	$50,000
90-99	$25,000
80-89	$10,000
70-79	$5,000
60-69	$4,000
50-59	$3,000
40-49	$2,000
30-39	$1,500
20-29	$1,000
10-19	$500
Less than 10	$0

Here's what the GSN money ladder looked like during the $100,000 week:

Mob members eliminated	Player's total
100	$100,000
90-99	$50,000
80-89	$25,000
70-79	$10,000
60-69	$8,000
50-59	$6,000
40-49	$4,000
30-39	$2,000
20-29	$1,000
10-19	$500
Fewer than 10	$0

In addition, contestants were only given the option to choose the money or the mob once they had reached at least $1,000 on the prize ladder, and the "Sneak Peek" could not be used until the contestant had reached at least $10,000.

The season finale of GSN's 1 vs. 100 aired on January 11, 2011. Inaba later announced that she would not be returning, and the series was eventually canceled.

International Versions

The following are a list of countries that did their versions of 1 vs. 100:

• Arabia
• Argentina
• Australia
• Austria
• Belarus
• Belgium (Flanders language only)
• Brazil
• Bulgaria
• China
• Colombia
• Croatia
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hungary
• Hong Kong
• Indonesia
• Israel
• Italy
• Lithuania
• Netherlands (country that originated the program)
• Norway
• Philippines
• Portugal
• Russia
• Serbia
• South Korea
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Taiwan
• Thailand
• Tunisia
• Turkey
• United Kingdom
• Vietnam

Play at Home Games (NBC)

Trivia

Celebrities appeared as members of the mob. They include game show stars Bob Eubanks and Wink Martindale, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? champions John Carpenter, Dr. Kevin Olmstead, and Nancy Christy; Deal or No Deal models Meghan Markle, Katie Cleary, and Marisa Petroro; big-time Jeopardy! champion, Ken Jennings; and Oscar the Grouch, who was the only Muppet contestant.

Poker player Annie Duke was also one of the mob members; in fact, she was one of the longer-lived members. She was even brought back for a special game where she had to defeat the mob to win any money for her charity.

Endemol originally intended for the top prize to be $3,000,000.

Some of the show's music cues (excluding the theme music) were later used on 20Q.

1 vs. 100 is the first short-lived revival on GSN that was based on a former NBC primetime game show, the second was Minute to Win It hosted by Apolo Anton Ohno from 2013 until 2014.

The NBC version was broadcast on Friday nights.

Rating

Music

Groove Addicts & Anthony Phillips

Studio

Hollywood Center Studios

Inventor

Based on the Dutch game show Eenenheren versenagerht Einhunderwoortentortengen or Een Tegen 100/1 Against 100 for short.

In Popular Culture

The formerly popular satire magazine MAD featured a 1 vs. 100 parody in Issue #483 (November 2007) titled 1 is Worse Than 100 written by Dick DeBartolo and illustrated by Tom Bunk, hosted by Boob Braggit (parody of Bob Saget).

Additional Pages

1 vs. 100/Merchandise
1 vs. 100/Quotes & Catchphrases

Links

NBC site (via Internet Archive)
GSN site (via Internet Archive)

YouTube Video

Jason Luna the sole millionaire on the NBC version