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Hosts
Shandi Finnessey
Mel Peachey (04/2006 – 04/2007)
Jessica York (10/2006 – 10/2007)
Angelle Tymon (04/2007 – 10/2007)
Jeff Thisted (05/2007 – 10/2007)
Hannah Peckham (sub in June 2006)
Broadcast
185px-Quiznation-PlayMania-block
GSN: 2/23/2007 – 10/31/2007
Packager
Game Show Network (GSN)

Quiznation (or quiznation) was a short-lived live interactive revival of PlayMania.


Format[]

On quiznation, the contestants were home viewers. American residents 18 or older could enter the contest by text messaging a request or using the network's website. Potential contestants could enter up to ten (twenty in the final month) times per phone number on each show.

After a few moments, a contestant was notified whether or not their entry was chosen (at random) to proceed to another random selection process. If an entry was selected in the second phase, the contestant would be called on his or her home or mobile phone, depending on the method of entry. The contestant would then come on-air and be given a chance to play if the game lasted long enough. After a game was completed, the queue was cleared and a new entry was required. GSN charged a 99¢ fee for each text message entry, in addition to standard text messaging rates charged by the wireless provider. Entries on the website were free. Regardless of the method of entry, each entry had an equal chance of being selected. An entry did not necessarily guarantee an opportunity to appear on the show. Residents of certain states could be ineligible to play various entry methods

Programming history[]

On 2/20/2007, PlayMania, the original GSN interactive game show, broke off into two separate programs, quiznation and 100 Winners. Collectively, the programs were known as the PlayMania Block.

On 3/10, Jessica York filled in for Finnessey, who was preparing to compete on ABC's Dancing with the Stars. The next week, the spot was filled in by Mel Peachey, host of 100 Winners, on March 17 and 18. Finnessey was eliminated from Dancing on April 3. She hosted every Friday during her tenure on the show.

The 4/1 episode began as if 100 Winners was airing live with Shandi Finnessey, who had never appeared on 100 Winners, hosting. The first two "contestants" were asked questions "What show are you watching right now?" and "What is my name?", poking fun at the general ease of the answers on 100 Winners. Each "won" a $1,000 prize. The third question, "What day is today?", was answered by someone who said "April Fool's Day!". The program then cut to that night's episode of quiznation, hosted by Peachey. The May 1 episode marked Finnessey's first time actually hosting 100 Winners.

All three hosts appeared on the 4/6 show, which marked the one-year anniversary of PlayMania. 4/7 was Mel Peachey's "goodbye show", as she left the PlayMania Block to return home to England. On the April 21 show, after a week of eliminations, Angelle Tymon was introduced as the new host on the PlayMania Block. Tymon hosted the second hour, taking over from York, with her solo debut coming the following night. She served as back-up host to Finnessey.

A schedule change began 5/6. A Sunday edition of 100 Winners aired in place of the previously scheduled quiznation. In its place, Thursdays now featured an episode of quiznation. The May 18 edition featured the first appearance of The Price Is Right contestant coordinator Jeff Thisted as a new host.

By 6/14/2007, all scheduled airings of 100 Winners had been replaced with quiznation. The show was indefinitely canceled from the programming schedule, as it was no longer referenced in the official rules of the PlayMania Block. Also in the month of June, Optimistic Entertainment, the co-producer of PlayMania Block, went into administration.

On 7/17/2007, the Tuesday editions of quiznation were removed. The removal was to accommodate encore showings of Without Prejudice?. After 9/2/2007, the Sunday broadcast was removed as well, slightly over a year after it originally debuted.

The record for the most money given away on quiznation was $4,700. It was won on 9/5/2007 by a caller named Teresa.

quiznation aired its last episode, hosted by Jessica York, on 10/31/2007.

Games[]

quiznation featured various minigames that were played throughout the program; many were carry-overs from the original PlayMania. The rewards for the games were usually cash prizes ranging from $100 – $1,000 in cash, sometimes reaching up to, and over $2,000. There were a few methods quiznation employed to speed up a game or increase incentives for a game.

  • Hints being given by the host or the graphics operator to viewers
  • Multiple guesses being allowed
  • The host also increasing the prize amount as an incentive, or alternatively, a certain number of callers set by the host would play for extra incentives.
  • A "speed round", a period of time where callers were taken more quickly than usual, being exercised.
  • To provide a sixth answer to the polling games, the host sometimes utilizing the "play-along pad" (a whiteboard) to record their personal answer to the game. The person who guessed that answer generally received $50–$75 in addition to any prize they would win in the main game.

These games were commonly played in rotation on quiznation.

Game Instructions
Alphabuck$ Like the games of Hangman and Wheel of Fortune, this game allowed players to attempt to guess a letter that was in the puzzle of a given category. If the player's letters were in the puzzle, he/she would earn a small cash prize per letter. He/she also had an opportunity to guess the puzzle and a correct guess won an additional, larger cash prize.
Anagram A word, name or phrase with the letters mixed up would be given related to a specified category. The contestant had to identify what the unscrambled phrase was.
Category Game Three items or names, all on ends of a triangle, were listed. The contestant had to identify what all of the items have in common in the most specific manner.
Chain Link Similar to Chain Reaction, a three-word word chain was given with the middle word not given. The contestant had to give the appropriate middle word.
Crossword Similar to a crossword puzzle, Crosswords featured four horizontal words with one letter in each word replaced with a question mark. Vertically, the letters behind the question marks made an actual word. The contestant had to identify (and spell) the hidden word. The portion needed to be filled in could appear to be multiple words; however, the host had an envelope containing the chosen word.
Faces A famous couple would have their images mixed, creating an odd picture. The caller had to identify one member of the pairing.
Missing Link Three words would be given; these words had a common word preceding (or succeeding) it to make a common word or phrase. The player had to complete the phrases.
Movie Quotes/T.V. Quotes/Ad Slogans Three quotes, each from a famous American film, television program or advertising campaign were listed, each with a cash prize beside it. The contestant had to guess which quote they were attempting for and where they thought it came from.
Picture Puzzle A rebus based on a popular, everyday phrase was given. (e.g., MEREPEAT would be "repeat after me", because the word "repeat" comes after the word "me.") The caller had to identify what the "decoded" phrase was.
Pixel A pixelated photograph of a celebrity was shown. The contestant had to identify who the celebrity was.
Song Titles Three titles of pop music songs were given. The contestant had to select one of the songs and identify the band or artist who made it famous.
Sound It Out A mondegreen was given that was either a title of a movie, TV program, book or song. The contestant had to figure out the real phrase.
Things You Find… The quiznation crew would pick three items one would commonly find in a designated location. The contestant had to identify one of the items that would be found.
Top 5 Similar to Family Feud, a category was given that was surveyed to Los Angeles residents and GSN.com users. (e.g., "Top 5 Actors With a Last Name Beginning with 'S'") The top five answers to the survey were hidden, and it was the contestant's job to reveal one of them. Once all of the answers were revealed, the game ended. A variation on a Top 5 was the quiznation 5. The difference was that the quiznation crew picked the five things on the list.
Vanity Plate In the same vein as Bumper Stumpers, a vanity license plate was shown and a clue was given to whom it would belong. The contestant had to identify what the phrase on the plate was.
What's Missing? A common symbol or image was shown, with an obvious part left absent. The contestant had to identify what would commonly be found on the image.
Word $lam Nine letters were listed in a random order. The object was to take the letters and make a smaller word based on the length requirement given. Each word could appear to have multiple answers; however, the host had an envelope containing the chosen words. The game could be played with three different-sized word requirements, at three, five, and seven letters, or with three words of the same length.

Other features[]

quiznation occasionally featured e-mails sent by viewers. Each episode could have a requested theme for e-mails. The tone of the e-mails varied widely, from serious to silly. Pictures could also be encouraged to be included.

Rating[]

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Trivia[]

This and 100 Winners were the two shows for GSN's short-lived interactive block called the PlayMania Block.

Link[]

Official "quiznation" site (via Internet archives)

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