| Host | |
| Ty Treadway | |
| Announcer | |
| Edd Hall | |
| Broadcast | |
 | |
| Packagers | |
| Yani Brune Productions Merv Griffin Entertainment | |
| Distributor | |
| Program Partners | |
Merv Griffin's Crosswords was a game show where two contestants answer clues related to a crossword puzzle presented to them. Three players called "Spoilers" are added and they can get a chance to steal the active player's podium.
Gameplay
The game was played in three rounds. They played with the same crossword puzzle for the entire show.
Round 1
In the first round, the two main contestants filled in the words in the day's crossword puzzle by solving its clues one at a time. When answering, they must spell out the answer after saying the answer, naming the correct letters, and some answers may contain more than one word. The first player to buzz-in with a correct answer earned money for the question, but anyone who provided an incorrect answer, including misspelling or failing to answer in time, lost money and gave the other player a chance to answer.
Rounds 2 and 3
In the last two rounds, the main players were joined by three extra contestants called "Spoilers" who walked down the same ramp that the host did, and then stood behind podiums behind the main contestants. The Spoilers can ring in at any time but the front row players always get to answer first. Should both the front players miss or if they do not buzz in at all, that's when the Spoilers come in to play; if any of the Spoilers came up with the correct answer, they had a choice of which front podium to steal if neither of them answered or they both missed; if only one of the front players misses, then the Spoilers can only take that podium - no choice; either way, that Spoiler (who's now one of the front players) was also credited with the value of the clue. A Spoiler who misses gets locked out until someone else spoils or if the other two Spoilers also miss.
Scoring
| Length of Word | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3* |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 letters | $50 | $100 | $200 |
| 4-6 letters | $100 | $200 | $400 |
| Over 7 letters | $150 | $300 | $600 |
*The score format for round 3 was typically the same as round 2. On one episode of the show, the round 3 format seen above was used.
Special Words
Some of the words in the puzzle were special that either affected gameplay or won a prize.
Crossword Getaway
A correct answer to that word exposed that special, and won a trip which was inserted into the bank. This lasted for the first two months.
Crossword Extra
There were three (3) Crossword Extras in total for the early episodes, one per round. This was where the player who answered a clue had a chance to wager any or all of their current dollar total (or up to $500 for round 1 or $1,000 in rounds 2 and 3 if he/she had less than those amounts) on a follow-up clue, in a similar manner to Jeopardy's "Daily Double" clues. A correct answer added the wager, but a miss or failure to answer in time deducted it. On later episodes, there were four (4) Crossword Extras. There was one (1) each in the first and third rounds and two (2) in the second round. Players can wager up to $500 in round 1, $1,000 in round 2, and $2,000 in round 3, if they had less than those values at that moment.
Early Rules
There were only two (2) Crossword Extras, neither of which part of the main puzzle, so they were just what they sounded like. The player who buzzed in with the correct answer to the word, had a chance to solve the extra for $300 in the first and $600 in the second round. However, a miss in one of those clues provided no penalty at all.
Later Rules
In later episodes, there was one (1) Crossword Extra in each round throughout the game (total of 3); but after the removal of the Crossword Getaways, there were five (5) Extras (one in round one, and two in the last two rounds).
Crossword XBOX 360 Extra
For a brief period, the show was sponsored by XBOX 360. So therefore, the Crossword Extras were renamed Crossword XBOX 360 Extras.
The front player with the most money at the bell won the game. If the game ended in a tie, one final crossword clue was played in which the winner of that clue became the victor. The winner of the game kept all the cash (and trips) and went on to the bonus round where they can fill in the remainder of the crossword puzzle, lightning round style, for more cash and a trip. More information is right below.
Bonus Round
In the bonus game, the winning contestant had 90 seconds (1:30) to fill in the rest of the puzzle. The player selected a word (by number and direction), and then must answer it and spell it with the right letters after hearing the clue. They can also pass on a word and return to it later if they get stuck, although there is no penalty for an incorrect guess.
Successfully completing the crossword puzzle before the clock hit zero (0:00) won an extra $2,000 (later $5,000) and a trip. While the show was sponsored by Microsoft's XBOX 360 video game system, that system was also a part of the grand prize. In episodes with the alternate Crossword Extras, the winning contestant was guaranteed an additional $100 per correct answer throughout the bonus round, with completion of the whole puzzle also winning a trip.
Merchandise
A Board Game was Released by Parker Brothers in 2008.
Three official tie-in books were released in paperback by Timothy Parker on October 16, 2007.
A mobile version was released by Electronic Arts in 2008. (NOTE: it was also available as a download from the show's official website as well.)
Video game versions based of the show was released by THQ for the Nintendo Wii in 2008 and Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade in 2010.
Oberon Games released a downloadable PC version and began selling it to retail chain stores in 2008.
Cancelled Games
A DVD version was planned to be in the works by Parker Brothers, but it was never released.
A DS version was planned to be in the works by THQ but alas, it was cancelled before it was even started.
Rating
Music
An updated version of "Buzzword" by Merv Griffin (also used as a prize cue on Wheel of Fortune and the unsold pilot of the same name from 1986.)
Studio
Sunset Bronson Studios, Hollywood, CA
Inventor
Trivia
- Creator and executive producer Merv Griffin died before this show premiered. He was credited posthumously as executive producer.
- Although the title is in his name, this was the first and only show that was not hosted by Griffin at all.
- This was the only show that was not produced by Sony Pictures Television.
- At the time, Treadway was also the host of the unsold game show pilot called Combination Lock.
- Contestants Eddee Colos and Ed Young both won $12,800. Both of them completed the crossword puzzles at the last second.
- Despite low ratings Crosswords was renewed for a second season, but producers claimed they were putting the show on hiatus due to financial issues, stations were instead offered a repeats package of crosswords, a repeats package of Style by Jury (a Canadian makeover show) or Inside the Box (a Canadian pop culture game show). About a year later, producers officially cancelled the show.
- The show's theme song is an updated version of "Buzzword" written by Merv Griffin originally used as a prize music cue from Wheel of Fortune it was also the name of the unsold game show pilot from 1986.
Additional Page
Merv Griffin's Crosswords/Quotes & Catchphrases