Host: JD Roth
Executive Producers: Ashton Kutcher, Jason Goldberg, Karey Burke, JD Roth, Todd A. Nelson
Series Premiere: September 23rd 2008
Network: ABC
Airs On: Tuesday nights at 8pm Eastern
Top Prize: $250,000 plus prizes
'Opportunity Knocks' Overview:
How well do you know your family? This question is the main premise behind Opportunity Knocks. The production staff and crew travels all over the country, setting up the stage in the contestants' own front yards. The family then plays a series of games based on their relationships, habits, homes, and lives in order to win cash and prizes.
Setting Up:
The first step in the game is for host JD Roth to arrive at the door of the lucky family. The family is told of their good fortune, and then whisked away to a hotel for the next 24 hours as the stage is built in front of their home.
Once the set is ready, all of the neighbors as well as extended family and friends are invited to watch the taping, giving the game a bit of a block party atmosphere. That is, if your average block party included Hollywood-style production and loads of cash and prizes!
Playing the Game:
Each family member has the opportunity to answer four trivia questions based on the family, their history, and their habits. Correct answers earn $2,500 for the first question, $5,000 for the second, $7,500 for the third, and $10,000 for the fourth. If all four are correct, then the family wins a prize geared towards the family member currently playing.
At the end of this round, families are offered a choice: play a bonus round for the chance to double the money they've won so far, or risk losing it all for the chance to win $250,000 in cash.
The Questions and Challenges:
The highlights of the show are the questions asked and games played in order to win money and prizes. At first glance they seem simple enough, but with the added pressure of trying to win things for the family, some of them become incredibly difficult.
All of the games are customized for the family playing. Some examples include asking kids to identify mom's spaghetti sauce in a taste test, asking dad to identify his own lawn from divots taken around the neighborhood, and asking a boy to identify his brother after being blindfolded and touching the hair of four different men, one of whom is his brother.
The Prizes:
Just as the questions and challenges are designed for the family playing, so are the prizes. Prizes can be as simple as new appliances to replace old ones, or they can be a little more extravagant, like a classic car that dad has always dreamed of, or a trip to meet Miley Cyrus for a young girl. Family vacations are also given away, according to locations the family has dreamed of going together.
Who Would Enjoy 'Opportunity Knocks'?:
This show is just offbeat and unusual enough that it should draw in a wide variety of viewers. It is perfectly suited for family viewing, and families will enjoy playing along at home, trying to get the right answers that apply to themselves. Anyone who enjoys Extreme Makeover: Home Edition will also get a kick out of the show, as the idea of the show coming to the family and bringing them good fortune is carried over here, albeit on a smaller scale.
