Who's Still Standing takes a cue from GSN's original game show Russian Roulette and sends losing contestants through a trap door in the floor. The show is actually based on an Israeli format called Still Standing, and features Cash Cab's Ben Bailey as host.
Who's Still Standing at a Glance
- Host: Ben Bailey
- Executive Producers: Craig Plestis, Tim Puntillo
- Production Companies: Smart Dog Media, Universal Media Studios
- Series Premiere: December 19, 2011
- Network: NBC
- Top Prize: $1,000,000
Game Format
Who's Still Standing centers around a single contestant, occasionally referred to as the "hero," who faces ten challengers. Every player including the main contestant is standing on a circular trap door as the game plays out. To start, the contestant chooses one challenger to face off against.
Starting with the challenger, the pair takes turns answering trivia questions. The answers to the questions are shown as a series of empty boxes with a few letters filled in. For example, the question might be, "Who is the host of Fear Factor?" and the answer would be shown as, "J__ __G__." Players are given 20 seconds to answer each question. The game goes back and forth between contestant and challenger until one of them answers a question incorrectly.
If the challenger wins the round, the contestant drops through the floor and wins nothing. The game is then over and the challenger gets $10,000 for his or her efforts. If the contestant wins, the challenger wins nothing and drops through the floor. Host Ben Bailey then reveals a pre-determined dollar amount assigned to that challenger, which can range from $1,000 to $20,000. This money is added to the contestant's bank, and a new challenger is selected.
The contestant must eliminate five challengers in order to reach the point in the game where he or she can choose to walk away with his or her winnings. After this point, he or she can choose to walk after each sucessful elimination.
Passes
To start the game off, the contestant is given a number of passes. This number is two or three - it's a little confusing because some episodes start with two passes, while more current ones are shown with three of them. After eliminating five contestants, Bailey offers to "sweeten the deal" and adds another pass for the contestant.
Passes may be used to pass on a question, and that question then gets turned over to the challenger. A contestant can use as many passes as he or she possesses in a round.
How to Win the Million
The contestant's bank continues to grow with each successful roundThe only way to win the top prize, however, is to eliminate all ten challengers.
The Speed Round
After the main contestant either wins, loses, or walks away with his or her winnings, a speed round is played with the remaining challengers. Each question is worth $2,000 for the bank, and challengers are given ten seconds in which to provide an answer. An incorrect answer sends the player through the floor. The last person standing at the end of this round wins the bank.
Who's Still Standing - Should You Tune In?
Who's Still Standing is a fun game with oodles of play-along potential. It's major downfall (no pun intended) is that it's too easy. Anyone used to watching quizzers or puzzle-based game shows will breeze through this one with no trouble at all.
Host Ben Bailey is just as amiable as he is on Cash Cab, offering occasional humor without stealing the show from the contestants. The highlight of the show is the speed round, and I'd really like to see another take on the program, with lots more contestants and a much longer "speed" round.
For casting information for Who's Still Standing, visit our casting calls page for current calls, or check out the casting page at NBC.com.
