WIPEOUT

First round: Separate the fictitious characters from the real people. (The Hot Spot was behind Tom Sawyer, but was lost and reappeared behind Sam Spade.) Second round, first board: Link the pet name with the TV show on which it appeared (I trust I am grammatically safe with the pronoun "it") Second round, second board: Which U.S. cities held Republican or Democratic National Conventions in the past X years? Second round, tie-breaker: Which of these words can be both nouns and verbs? (The winner advanced to the bonus round by correctly guessing "screw.") Bonus round: Peter Tomarken demonstrated how the Bonus Round worked by trying to guess the six posted names who ruled England as King or Queen. The contestant had to run back and forth, trying to determine which of the listed animals are represented in the Chinese calendar.

First round: Select the right pairings of Hollywood actors and the U.S. Presidents they portrayed. (The "Hot Spot" was behind the pairing Randy Quaid and Lyndon B. Johnson. It was subsequently lost and reappeared behind Jason Robards as Abraham Lincoln. Makes sense, especially if you remember Randy Quaid said "You're such a _____ idiot!" in Dead Solid Perfect.) Second round, first board: Name which Atlantic Ocean Islands lie in the Caribbean Sea. Second round, second board: Get the right pairings of billiard balls and their solid colors. Second round, tie-breaker: which of these words are synonyms for "happy"? Bonus round: TV show namesakes.

First round: Isolate which movies starred Elizabeth Taylor. (The "Hot Spot" was behind The Sandpiper.) Tie-breaker: To determine who would go on to the second round, two contestants had to identify the musical numbers from Fantasia. Second round, first board: What were the last eight States to join the Union? Second round, second board: Guess the properties on the board game MONOPOLY™. (A reminder that MONOPOLY and everything connected with MONOPOLY are trademarks of someone somewhere.) Bonus round: Which of these U.S. Presidents had the misfortune to die in office?

First round: Pick out the state capitals. (The "Hot Spot" was behind Salt Lake City.) Tie-breaker: To determine who would go on to the second round, two contestants had to separate the Old Testament books. Second round, first board: Who were regular performers on the hit NBC series Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In? Second round, second board: Name the U.S. Presidents who have appeared on paper money (even if some of their bills aren't printed anymore). Second round, tie-breaker: Which suspense films were directed by the late great Alfred Hitchcock? Bonus round: Which of these fish are known to have specimens weighing 100 pounds or more?

First round: Name the slogans some men used in their Presidential campaigns. (The "Hot Spot," unbelievably, appeared under "Era of Wonderful Nonsense.") Second round, first board: Which of these slang words are terms used in golf? Second round, second board: Can you name the kids who starred in Hal Roach's Our Gang follies? Second round, tie-breaker: What are the correct pairings of Roman numerals and Arabic numbers? Bonus round: Name what are classified as Germanic languages.

First round: With the dawn of the 1989 model cars upon us, can you name which car models are current? (The "Hot Spot" was behind the Legend, but was lost as rediscovered in the Countach.) Second round, first board: Select the right pairings of months and their birthstones. Second round, second board: Recall the events that made headlines in 1987. Bonus round: There aren't many people who have won both an Oscar and an Emmy. Can you name them?

First round: Find the states with a smaller area than Missouri. (The "Hot Spot" was first housed in Illinois, but was moved to Florida.) Second round first board: Name the eight men who collided at Tombstone, Arizona for the famous gun fight at the O.K. Corral in 1881. Second round: Which animals are classified as mammals? Bonus round: Which languages are officially recognized by the United Nations General Assembly?

First round: Can you select which common items were invented by 1900? (The "Hot Spot" was behind the Automobile.) Tie-breaker: To determine who would go on to the second round, two contestants had to find what novels were written by Agatha Christie. Second round, first board: Single out the names for deserts. Second round, second board: Name characters who were common in the Charles M. Schulz comic strip Peanuts. Bonus round: What U.S. Cities reside on the Mississippi River?

First round: Get the right pairs of animal species and the terms used to describe the males. (The "Hot Spot" was behind the pairing "Deer" and "Buck.") Second round, first board: What songs were composed by centenarian Irving Berlin? Second round, second board: What countries have a population of over 100 million people? Second round, tie-breaker: Guess the correct nicknames of college sports teams. Bonus round: Which TV shows were created by Norman Lear?

First round: Which songs were big hits for Elvis Presley? (The "Hot Spot" was behind Crying In The Chapel.) Tie-breaker: To advance to the second round, two contestants had to duel, selecting the right pairings of fictional characters and their first names. Second round, first board: Which of these world cities lies on a coast (river, ocean, bay)? Second round, second board: Which of these soap operas enjoyed runs of more than ten years? Second round, tie-breaker: Name which states gave birth to at least one U.S. President. Bonus round: What are the most common last names in America?

First round: Prior to 1988, which of these actors had never won an Academy Award? (The ""Hot Spot"" was behind James Dean.) Second round, first board: What words appear in the Pledge of Allegiance? Second round, second board: Find the right pairings of foreign countries and their (pre-Euro) currencies. (The losing contestant made the fatal mistake of leaving the combination ""United Kingdom/Pound"" open, leaving the opponent the chance to take it and steal the game.) Bonus round: Try and figure out what animals have gestation periods longer than humans. (Peter Tomarken provides the correct answers and the length of gestation in days.)

First round: According to the Rhyming Dictionary, which of these words can't be rhymed? (The ""Hot Spot"" started off behind ""cusp,"" but was lost and resurfaced under ""gulf."") Second round, first board: Figure out what foods and dishes are named for real people. Second round, second board: Name the actors who starred in The Wizard of Oz. Second round, tie-breaker: Select breeds of cat. Bonus round: Find out which artists lived to see the 20th Century.

First round: Name which TV series was the top-rated show for at least one full season. (The ""Hot Spot"" was behind Bonanza, but was lost and popped up behind Laugh-In.) Tie-breaker: To determine who would go on to the second round, two contestants had to single out types of whales. Second round, first board: Select which Presidential candidates lost a Presidential election. Second round, second board: Find the countries in Asia. (One of the correct answers was Burma, one year before it became Myanmar.) Bonus round: What cities have truly busy airports?

First round: Learn the truths about Benjamin Franklin. (The ""Hot Spot"" fact was that Benjamin's father was a candlemaker.) Second round, first board: What things come in threes? Second round, second board: Name the South American countries. (One contestant points out that the board incorrectly spelled ""Suriname,"" one of the correct answers.) Bonus round: Single out which thoroughbred racing horses won the Triple Crown. (At the show's end, Peter Tomarken gives the correct horses and years they won it.)

First round: With what adjectives does the Boy Scouts of America define a Boy Scout? (The ""Hot Spot"" was under ""kind."") Second round, first board: Pick out the States that border the Atlantic Ocean. Second round, second board: Before ESPN made a career out of World Series of Poker, the game-winner had to select the correct names of poker hands. Bonus round: Which States consistently voted Republican for the last X elections?

First round: Find out which men co-starred with Barbra Streisand or had some other connection to her. (The ""Hot Spot"" started behind Richard Dreyfuss, but was lost and resurfaced with Gene Hackman.) Second round, first board: Separate the fictional detectives. Second round, second board: Guess the correct pairings of fictional captains and their ships. (Because it was a Paramount show, they had full writ to include as a correct pairing ""Kirk"" and Enterprise.) Bonus round: Can you guess the correct schools of art?