| Hosts | |
| Kevin Pereira (2012–2014) Bill Bellamy (2014–2015) | |
| Broadcast | |
  | |
| Packagers | |
| Canter-Krank Industries paraMedia inc. Apploff Productions Scripps Broadcasting Telepictures | |
| Distributors | |
| Warner Bros. Television (2012–2014) MGM Television (2014–2015) | |
Let’s Ask America (stylized as Let's A$k America) was a game show where the players used Skype and webcams to play, and competed for a large cash prize by answering questions previously posed to people all across America (hence the name of the show).
Gameplay[]
In the first round, there were four contestants, and each of them attempted to answer the four multiple-choice questions. In this round, questions had two possible answers. The host first read the two answers and then follows with the question. All four contestants had approximately 30 seconds to write down their answers onto the card included in their game kits.
Once all contestants had verbally acknowledged that they had written down their answers, the host asked them each to reveal their answers in a sequence determined by the producers. The host then revealed the correct answer, and each contestant that answered the question correctly was awarded the prize money assigned for that question. Contestants who answered incorrectly received no prize money. After the correct answer to the first question was revealed, all four contestants were given the next question.
The process was repeated with a total of four questions. The first question was worth $100, with subsequent questions increasing by that amount, up to $400 for the fourth question. The lowest scoring contestant at the end of the round was eliminated and left with nothing. In Season 3, the amounts changed to $100, $150, $200, and $300.
If there was a tie for the lowest score, a tiebreaker determined which contestant would be eliminated. The tied contestants played a special game called "Dash for Ca$h". The host would give the contestants a name of an item they had to find within their home. The contestant who found the required item last or failed to find the item was eliminated. Some rounds featured specific rules the contestants had to follow while searching for the item, a certain activity that had to be completed once the item was found, or starting in the Season 2, the host would give the contestants a question with two answers, and the contestants had to find the correct item related to the answer first to move on.
The second round was conducted in the same manner, with each question having three possible answers. Question values began at $500 and increase by that amount, up to $1,500 for the third question. Again, the contestant with the lowest amount of money was eliminated and left with nothing. In Season 3, the amounts changed to $500, $750, & $1,000.
The third round featured the two remaining contestants competing against each other in a two-question showdown. Each question featured four possible answers. The first question was worth $2,000 and the second was worth $4,000. The higher-scoring contestant at the end of the third round was the winner and keeps the money earned, and the runner-up was eliminated and left with nothing. In Season 3, the amounts changed to $1,500 & $2,500.
Bonus Round[]
During the commercial break, the winning-contestant would write down a wager for the final question. The question was then presented along with four possible answers, and the contestant had to answer the question within 30 seconds. A correct response added the wager to the contestant's final total, while an incorrect response deducted that amount. However, if the contestant wagered all money earned to that point and answered correctly, the wager was paid out at 5-to-1 odds. During its three-season run, David Luea from Boston, MA was the only contestant able to play a perfect game. For the first two seasons the top prize was $50,000, but in Season 3 it was reduced to $35,000.
In Season 1 only, a contestant who wagered their entire winnings on the final question and failed to provide a correct answer was given a $1,000 consolation prize (or merchandise if the contestant's final score was less than $2,000 before the start of the bonus round). Starting in Season 2, contestants who wagered their entire score but were incorrect left with nothing.
International Versions[]
The following list of countries that have previously aired their versions of Let's Ask America includes:
France[]
Titled Jouons a la maison, Tout le Monde a sa Chance (Let's Play at Home, Everyone Has a Chance) aired on France 3 hosted by Alex Goude from April 18, 2020 until February 20, 2021. This was made due to the COVID-19 epidemic at the time.
Philippines[]
Titled Let's Ask Pilipinas originally aired on TV5 as part of their Everyday All the Way weekday primetime block from October 14, 2013 until its cancellation on March 28, 2014 it was then briefly revived for its third and final season on July 7, 2014 until its cancellation again on November 21, 2014. Originally hosted by Aga Mulach for the first two seasons from 2013 until 2014 who was then replaced by Ogie Alcasid for its third and final season in 2014.
Saudi Arabia[]
Titled اسأل السعوديةإ سأل_السعودية# Let's Ask Al Saudia Let's Ask Saudia إسأل السعودية originally hosted by Saudi comedian, Abdul Majid Al Reheidi in season 1 who was later replaced by Faisal Al-Saleh in season 2 and is produced by In Media Plus aired on Saudi Channel -1 originally on January 10, 2021. Like the French version, this was made due to the COVID-19 epidemic at the time.
Rating[]
Trivia[]
- For the first season, the show aired on Scripps stations across the country; Season 2 added two non-Scripps stations. For Season 3, the show reverted back to the core Scripps stations; plus, it also changed distributors from Warner Bros. to MGM.
- On local celebrity games, the participants played for their favorite charities. Each celebrity's charity was guaranteed $1,000.
- In 2015, the show was originally going to be possibly replaced by a revival of Love Connection hosted by comedienne Loni Love, that airs on several Scripps-owned stations. If Scripps had decided to pick up the revival, it would've most likely began as a slow roll-out on a handful of stations similar to TMZ's spinoff series TMZ Live. However, plans fell though at the last minute.
Production Location[]
Glendale, CA
Related Show[]
Let's Ask Cincinnati - a locally-produced version for Cincinnati, Ohio hosted by Bob Goen that aired on WCPO 9 in 2014.
Links[]
(Pereira era) Official Site
(Bellamy era) Official Site
YouTube Links[]
Let's Ask America's YouTube Channel
Local radio host prepares for 'Let's Ask America' game show