| Host | |
| Jordan Brady | |
| Dancers | |
| Heather Marie Damien Perkins Melanie Taylor | |
| Broadcast | |
 | |
| Packagers | |
| RPA Productions Telescene MCA TV | |
Grill Me was a broadcast pilot that was a quiz on popular culture set in a diner. Categories were considered as "meals", while payoffs were referred to as "prices".
Gameplay[]
Three celebrities competed in a game of pop culture in an attempt to win money for their favorite charities. The celebrities in this pilot were Dweezil Zappa, Susan Olsen, and Kristoff St. John. They were each given $99.95 to start; correct answers added money to their scores, while incorrect answers subtracted money from them.
Round 1: Appetizer[]
This round featured five pun-laden categories (with food names based on celebrities, TV titles or something else) presented to the celebrities (the first category was picked by the winner of a drawing of straws [or in Jordan's case, "Indian leg wrestling"]). Each category had three questions and each had a different value, from as low as $9.95 to as big as $17.95. The first question in each category was asked as a toss-up, and the first player to buzz in with the right answer earned money and control of the category. The winner of the toss-up was asked two more questions one at a time, each worth the same amount. If a contestant did not know the answer to a question, he/she could challenge an opponent (referred to as "forcing them to eat it") and make him/her answer the question for double the value. Once a category was done, it was "sold out."
The Appetizer Round categories were as follows:
- French Onion Snoop Doggie Dog (worth $9.95) – referred to rappers
- A Knish Called Wanda (worth $11.95) – not picked; most likely referred to Kevin Kline movies
- Bryant Gumbo (worth $12.95) – not picked; most likely referred to daytime talk shows
- Hot Serials (worth $14.95) – referred to soap operas
- Brady Brunch (worth $17.95) – referred to the Brady Bunch
Once all three players had chosen a category, a toss-up question was asked regarding a piece of music three dancers sung and danced to, with a correct answer being worth $25. This was referred to as the "Blue Plate Special", and in the pilot, it referred to The Contours' "Do You Love Me?".
Round 2: All-You-Can-Eat[]
Three possible answers were presented and then six questions were asked to the players. A right answer awarded $25, but a wrong answer eliminated the player from the round. The round ended when all the questions were asked or if all three players were eliminated. In the pilot, the choices were "Surf" (famous for being in water), "Turf" (famous for being on land), and "Smurf" (famous for being a cartoon character).
Round 3: Main Course[]
This was played in the same way as the "Appetizer" round, except the dollar values were raised, with values going from $24.95 to $36.95. The player who was in last place got to pick the first category for the round.
The Main Course Round categories in the pilot were:
- Kevin Bacon Lettuce & Tomato (worth $24.95) – not picked; most likely referred to Kevin Bacon
- Marconi & Cheese (worth $27.95) – not picked; most likely referred to radio DJs
- Ike & Tina Tuna (worth $30.95) – referred to celebrity marriages that ended in divorce
- Silence of the Lamb Chops (worth $33.95) – referred to the stars of the Silence of the Lambs franchise
- Not Ready for Prime Rib (worth $36.95) – referred to the cast of Saturday Night Live
At the end of the round, there was no Blue Plate Special, and the celebrity with the lowest score was eliminated from the game; however, he/she still received $2,500 for his/her favorite charity.
Final Round: Dessert[]
This round was like Rounds 1 & 3, only this time, there were only three categories. The player in the lead had a choice of either going first or picking the category (whatever he/she didn't choose went to the opponent). Each question was worth $50. In this round, a wrong answer gave the money and control of the round to the opponent, but a player could still force an opponent to "eat it".
The pilot's Dessert Round categories were:
- Second Banana Split – referred to co-stars of TV shows
- Murphy Brownies – not picked; most likely referred to the cast of Murphy Brown
- Schnozzberry Pie – not picked; most likely referred to famous people with big noses
The round was played for 60 seconds and when time expired, the celebrity with the most money won the game and received $5,000 for his/her favorite charity. The runner-up received $2,500.
Trivia[]
- This was Jordan Brady's second and last game show, his first was MTV's short-lived music quizzer Turn it Up! in 1990.
- The show used podiums from a previous USA network game show Quicksilver.
- It is unknown whether this was supposed to be a celebrity game or a civilian game.
Taping Location[]
Empire Studios, Burbank, California
Music[]
Scooter Pietsch
Sponsor[]
Honda
Inventors[]
Bo Kaprall & Michael Klinghoffer