All Star Blitz


Aired
ABC Daytime, April 8, 1985-December 20, 1985
Run time
30 Minutes
Host
Peter Marshall
Announcer
John Harlan
Origination
Studio 55, ABC Television Center, Los Angeles, California

All Star Blitz was a game show.

Game Format[]

Main game[]

Two contestants, one usually a returning champion, competed to uncover and solve hidden word puzzles with the help of a four celebrity panel. The puzzles, which varied in length from two to six words, were concealed behind a grid of six monitors above the panel and each corner of the monitors had a star on it, with each celebrity representing three stars. The home audience was shown how long the puzzle was.

To begin play, four of the twelve stars were randomly lit (originally just two). The player in control chose one of the four panelists along with either the top, middle, or bottom row of stars. Marshall then asked a multiple choice question to the chosen celebrity, whose answer the contestant either had to correctly agree or disagree with, in much the same manner as The Hollywood Squares and Battlestars.

If the contestant chose correctly, the corresponding star lit up and he/she kept control; otherwise the opposing player assumed control. When all four corner stars were lit and a correct choice was made, whatever was behind the monitor was revealed and the contestant who uncovered it could either guess or continue playing. An incorrect guess lost control.

The first player to solve two puzzles won the match and a prize package. Rather that featuring models, celebrity guests often modeled and demonstrated prizes while being described by the announcer.

Blitz Bonanza[]

In the Blitz Bonanza round the champion was given one final puzzle to solve and was told how many words it contained. In order to reveal the puzzle pieces, the champion spun a large wheel which, when it stopped, would land on one of the six light borders around the puzzle pieces and reveal what was behind it. Players had four spins, and it was possible for the spin to cause an already-revealed piece to be lighted which did nothing but cost the player a spin. If after the four spins there were less than four pieces revealed, a player was offered a fifth spin if they decided to give up the prize package won in the main game.

After all spins were taken, the contestant and celebrities were given ten seconds to come up with a solution. A correct guess by the contestant won $10,000 plus $5,000 for each prior loss, up to a maximum of $25,000. Later, the jackpot increased by $2,500 for each unsuccessful attempt and was capped at $20,000. If the contestant was unsuccessful, every correct guess by a celebrity won the contestant an additional $250. Players could play the Blitz Bonanza four times before being retired.

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Merchandise[]

No known merchandise was made.

Photos[]

Trivia[]

At the time, this show replaced the short-lived, Mark Goodson-created Trivia Trap hosted by Bob Eubanks, which ran from October 8, 1984 until April 5, 1985.

Future game show announcer Randy West was a contestant.

The show was the first Merrill Heatter project to air on the network other than NBC since Hot Seat in 1976.

The show was originally intended for syndication by Telepictures as Hot Numbers, but it was later retooled for ABC.

In 1993, Merril Heatter Productions produced a revival under the name Hollywood Teasers with Robb Weller as the host.

The bonus round called "3-in-a-Row" was similarly played in the 2017 reboot of Hip Hop Squares in season 1, but unlike this bonus round, a spin on the board cannot land on a square occupied by a symbol.

Episode Status[]

All episodes are presumed to exist. USA Network aired reruns of this series from March 31, 1986 - December 26, 1986. See Also: All Star Blitz/Episode Guide

Link[]

All Star Blitz page

All Star Blitz

Contents