Press Your Luck (1983)

In the electrifying game show "Press Your Luck," three eager contestants, including a defending champion, engage in a battle of strategy and chance. The charismatic host, Tomarken, guides the contestants through a two-round game that tests both knowledge and nerve. Each round commences with a toss-up question, with the first contestant to signal given the opportunity to answer. This initial response, alongside two other possible answers, forms a trifecta of options from which the remaining contestants can select. A correct answer sees the first contestant rewarded with three spins, while their rivals each gain one. Four such questions are posed, transforming the spins into currency for accumulating cash and prizes on an 18-space board. Control of the board is passed from one contestant to another, each stopping a ceaselessly flashing cursor with a press of their signal device and the accompanying cry of "STOP!" The lit space reveals the contestant's winnings--a cash amount, a prize, perhaps an extra spin or other action. However, lurking in the shadows is the Whammy, an animated devil who can strike at any moment, forcing the contestant to forfeit all they've amassed in the game. The contestants must decide whether to press their luck and risk the wrath of the Whammy or pass their remaining spins to an opponent. Those who fall foul of the Whammy four times are ruthlessly eliminated from the game. The highest scorer after two nail-biting rounds emerges victorious and returns to defend their title. Only the winner gets to keep their spoils, with the game continuing until a contestant secures five victories, is defeated, or accumulates winnings of $25,000, later increased to $50,000. "Press Your Luck" is remembered for its most notorious contestant, Michael Larson, who in 1984 exploited his memorization of the gameboard cursor's flashing patterns to rack up a staggering $110,000 in cash and prizes, prompting an overhaul of the game design. An adrenaline-charged reinvention of the 1977 game show "Second Chance," "Press Your Luck" has captivated audiences in reruns on the USA Network and Game Show Network, as contestants grapple with the tantalizing unpredictability of the flashing light-board and the ever-present threat of the Whammy, in this compelling blend of strategy, chance, and high-stakes gamble.

Press Your Luck is a game-show show created by Bill Carruthers.

Press Your Luck is currently streaming for free (ad-supported) on Freevee.