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Host
Dave Holmes
Co-Host
K.D. Aubert
Broadcast
Nologo
MTV: 1/29/2002 – 5/2002

On Kidnapped, three friends had to work together to free a fourth pal from captivity by answering questions.

Synopsis[]

The game revolved around four college-age friends, one of whom was abducted by the show's production staff and held over night. The other three competed in a series of rounds (referred to as "trials") in an attempt to "free the hostage" and win a spring break trip.

The show would open with footage of MTV "Kidnapping" the victim a day in advance and placing him in a holding cell, which was an integral part of the game.

The game itself was played in four trials, each of which was played for the chance to select one of four keys. One of the keys would release the hostage, while the other three did nothing. In each of the first three trials, the team had to answer questions to reach a target; each correct answer scored two points, while an incorrect answer deducted one. If the target was met at the end of the trial, the team would be permitted to select a key; if they failed, the victim had to face a torture related to their worst fear in a certain way (a contestant afraid of birds, for example, might be locked in a cage full of them, followed by being "tarred" and feathered, etc.)

Trials[]

Question Trials[]

The three question trials were as follows:

Trial 1: The Interrogation[]

Team members had to match the victim's answers, similar to The Newlywed Game; the questions usually fell along the lines of "Which of you is more likely to…?" A team had to score ten points to earn a key here.

Trial 2: Solitary Acts[]

Given several choices, the team had to predict how the victim reacted or performed to several situations in pre-taped bits in his cell. Scoring five points won this round; the final question, however, was entitled "Screw Your Friends". This question involved predicting whether the victim would take an offered prize in exchange for a two-point deduction; a correct guess on this question allowed the team to break even.

Trial 3: Tell Me What You Know[]

This was a two-minute speed round in which the victim was given a category and would choose a teammate to answer the question. Points were added and subtracted in the same way; in this trial, however, the victim was subjected to torture (such as a live scorpion being placed on him or her) every time a teammate guessed incorrectly. Ten points awarded the key in this trial.

Final Trial: Desperate Act[]

In this round, the victim was strapped to a wheel with the names of his teammates on it; to earn a key, the chosen friend was required to participate in his own torture (such as eating a snow cone in which a whole raw fish was ground up with the ice).


After all four trials were played, the "Moment of Truth" was carried out: K.D. would scan each of the team's acquired keys in the lock. If the door unlocked, the victim was released, and the entire team won the trip; if none of the keys opened the lock, the entire team was punished (such as being made to wash Holmes's car).

Link[]

Official Website

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