Host: Drew Carey
Executive Producers: Michael Davies and Vincent Rubino
Series Premiere: August 7, 2007
Network: CBS
Airs On: Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 8-9 pm Eastern
Top Prize: $10,000,000
Overview:
Power of 10 is a high-stakes, fast-paced game show hosted by comedian and television star Drew Carey. With a jackpot of ten million dollars at stake, contestants push themselves to take risks and move through the game, risking money they've already earned to reach the top prize.
Power of 10 questions are based on polls taken from a cross-section of the American public. Contestants are challenged to pinpoint a range of percentage points, with the correct answer to the question falling within their chosen range. As the game proceeds and the prize amounts get higher, the range available to the contestant gets smaller.
First Round:
The game opens with two contestants going head to head to earn the chance to move on to the second round. Five questions are asked based on survey results compiled by the show. Each contestant must answer with a number, indicating how they believe the results of the poll question turned out. Contestants cannot see each other's answers, and the one who gets closest to the actual answer wins a point. The first person to win three points moves on.
Second Round:
In the second round of the game, contestants must again predict the results of survey questions, but this time they allowed a range of percentage points within which they believe the answer lies. If the correct answer falls within their chosen range, they move on to the next question. If not, their game is finished.
The percentage range given to contestants starts at 40 points to win $1000. With each consecutive question, the percentage range drops by 10 points and the prize is multiplied by 10. By the time the contestant gets to the one million dollar question, the percentage range has dropped to 10 points.
The Million Dollar Questions:
If a contestant's chosen range includes the correct answer to the one million dollar question, he or she must then guess the exact percentage from their chosen range to win the ten million dollar top prize.
Contestant's Winnings:
Like many other game shows, Power of 10 has guaranteed winnings for those who reach certain levels of play. If the first or second questions are answered incorrectly, the contestant walks away with nothing. However, for each consecutive question, he or she is guaranteed to win the current prize earned, divided by 10, if they answer a question incorrectly.
Contestants are able to stop playing the game at any time, before locking in their answer to the current question. If this option is chosen, contestants get to keep all of the money they've won up to that point.
Help From the Audience and a Friend:
After every question is read, the studio audience is given the opportunity to buzz in with their guesses. The results from the audience are shown on a large screen, giving some guidance to the contestant.
A friend or family member is also on hand to help each contestant make their choices.
Pros and Cons:
Drew Carey has settled in to his new role as game show host with ease, and Power of 10 is the perfect game to showcase his talents. Carey makes jokes, talks through the questions and possible answers with each contestant, and seems to enjoy his job as host.
The poll questions used as the basis for the questions on Power of 10 are sometimes edgy, sometimes controversial, and always entertaining. The answers fall between the predictable and the incredible, resulting in water cooler conversations across the country.
The only drawback to Power of 10 is that, with so much at risk in taking the chance to win ten million dollars, it is unlikely that we'll ever see anyone actually take that risk.
Sample Questions:
Here's a small sample of questions used on Power of 10, along with the answers:
- What percentage of Americans said that the purpose of sex was recreation instead of procreation? (answer: 63%)
- What percentage of Americans said if they saw a group of Arab men board a plane, they would not get on the flight? (answer: 36%)
- What percentage of Americans would trade in their current car for the Batmobile? (answer: 17%)
