Go (game show) Information

Go is an American television game show created by Bob Stewart and aired on NBC from October 3, 1983 to January 20, 1984. The show featured two teams, each composed of four contestants and a celebrity. The teams had to construct questions one word at a time to convey a word or phrase to their teammates. The concept of Go was based on a bonus round used on Chain Reaction, another game show created by Stewart.

Los Angeles and Buffalo meteorologist Kevin O'Connell was the show's host, and Johnny Gilbert was the announcer (Jack Clark served as a two-week sub for Gilbert).

Go aired at 12:00 Noon Eastern on NBC, long a problem timeslot for the three major broadcast networks at the time as their local affiliates would often preempt network programming to air newscasts or other programming and the shows the networks would place there would often suffer in the ratings. Go proved to be one of those programs, as NBC ended the series after only sixteen weeks of episodes had aired.

Main game

Two teams, consisting of one celebrity captain and four civilian contestants, competed. The main game was played in either three or four rounds depending on the score. The team that plays first selects a packet of words and phrases. Four of the team's members are the clue givers, while the fifth is the guesser. Two at a time, the team members construct a question appropriate to the clue, with the two members alternating adding a word to the question. After constructing the question, they rang a bell to prompt an answer from the guesser. If the guesser guessed correctly, he or she moved to the next pair of teammates to repeat the process; the guesser did not move if they gave a wrong answer, failed to guess, or if an illegal clue was given. Illegal clues included saying the word (or part of it), giving more than one word at a time, or forming an improper sentence. The team plays against the clock, playing until either providing a fifth correct answer or if the clock reaches 99 seconds before the team finishes guessing.

The opposing team then plays, trying to provide five correct answers in a shorter time period, but if the first team had fewer than five correct answers within their 99 seconds, the second team plays until guessing more answers than the opponent.

A team won the round by guessing their five words in the shorter time period (clock counting down), otherwise if time ran out, the other team won the round. Whether the team won or lost in the last round, the same team played the next round. For each round, the winning team accumulates points. The first round was worth 250 points, then 500 for round two, 750 for round three and 1,250 for the fourth round, if needed. The first team to reach 1,500 points won the game, converted their score into cash, and played the bonus round for $10,000. The losing team took home parting gifts. If the winning team won three rounds in a row, they played the bonus round twice, doubling the potential winnings up to $20,000.

Bonus round

In the bonus round, the receiver of the winning team tried to guess seven words in 60 seconds or less. For the first word, all four clue givers would take turns adding a word to the question, and any of the four could ring the bell to finish the question. When the guesser guessed the first word correctly, the fourth clue giver would run off stage, and the remaining three clue givers would build the question for the second word. When that word was guessed correctly, the third clue giver ran off stage, and the first two clue givers built the question for the third word. When that word was guessed correctly, the second clue giver ran off, and the first clue giver (the celebrity captain) would build the fourth question alone, simply giving the clue and then ringing the bell. When the fourth word was guessed correctly, the second clue giver ran back onstage, and the first two clue givers built the fifth question; then the first three would build the sixth question, and all four would build the seventh. Each correct answer was worth $200; seven correct answers won $10,000. As mentioned, if a team won the front game in the first three straight rounds, they played the bonus round twice, for a possible $20,000.

Champions

Originally, teams would stay on the show until they won five games or were defeated (only one team lasted the maximum five days). Beginning with the fifth week, this was changed to a "head-to-head" format; both teams stayed on for all five shows of the week, having a chance to win as much as $107,500.

From November 7 to 18, 1983, Go! had an all-star "Battle of the Daytime Soaps". The first week pitted the cast of Days of our Lives against the cast of Another World, while the second saw Another World returning to take on the cast of Search for Tomorrow, with all winnings going to charity. It was during these two weeks that Jack Clark filled in as announcer for Johnny Gilbert.

Episode status

The series has been rebroadcast on CBN Cable Network and GSN at various times.