It’s not what you say, it’s what you don’t say that counts!
GAMEPLAY
Two contestants compete against each other to try to identify famous people, characters, or places from clues given by a panel of four “celebrities”. After your party selects who will play the “celebrities” and who will play as the contestants, the game will begin.
The game begins by giving the “celebrities” a name, which will also be revealed to any audience members watching along. Let’s say the name that is given is famous Italian dictator Benito Mussolini.
Contestants will be told ahead of time if the name is specifically a famous person, character, or place. The first contestant will then choose a “celebrity” they wish to receive the first clue from.
Ann-Marie chooses Rosario Dawson for the first clue. (Your party’s names will fill the “celebrity” names for your show)
Rosario must now try to reveal part of the name to Ann-Marie. The idea is that the “celebrities” try to say anything they can that will lead the contestants to a word or syllable that sounds like part of the name.
For example, let’s say Rosario says, “There was a famous pair, one of them was a flying squirrel, the other was a _______.”
At this point, Ann-Marie submits a guess of “moose.” Once the contestant submits a guess to the clue, a ten-second timer will begin. If Ann-Marie is able to guess that the famous person is Benito Mussolini, she wins $200.
If Ann-Marie cannot come up with the right name, or gives an official guess that is incorrect, control goes to the other contestant (Leo), and he selects a different “celebrity” for another clue.
Let’s say Leo chooses Bill Murray, and Bill’s additional clue is, “If you want to know how someone is doing, you might ask them, ‘Hey, how have you ______’”
Leo then guesses “been.” Now Leo has the words “moose” and “been” to work with to come up with the famous person. If Leo is able to guess the name, he wins $150. $50 is deducted every time the name is not correctly guessed. If Leo cannot guess the name, Ann-Marie takes over control, chooses another “celebrity” for another clue, in hopes of winning $100.
If neither contestant can guess the name after four clues, that name is thrown out and another is given starting at $200.
Gameplay continues in this fashion until one contestant earns $500 or more. That contestant wins the game and gets to play the Bonus Round!
LEGAL/ILLEGAL CLUES
The idea is to have the “celebrities” say and do just about anything they can, short of giving away the name. However, there are certain things that are forbidden which, if done, will cause the contestant to be penalized and control will shift to the other contestant.
“Celebrities” are NOT ALLOWED to:
- Say any part of the name
- Acknowledge whether the clue they are giving is for the first, middle, or last name, in names with multiple words
- Use gestures that relate to the clue they are giving (Ex. Gesturing antlers while trying to get the contestant to say “moose”)
- Describe the person or place (Ex. He was a famous Italian dictator)
- Use proper names for clues (Ex. If the name is “Tom Kennedy,” you cannot give the clue of another famous Kennedy, such as President John. F…)
“Celebrities” ARE ALLOWED to:
- Nod “yes” or shake their head “no” while the contestant is guessing
- Use hand gestures to indicate to the contestant to stretch or shorten their guess, or if the clues need to be flipped
- Use clues that are homophones (same sounds but different spellings) [Ex. The name is Arthur C. Clarke. Clue: A candy bar that is crunchy peanut butter and chocolate is called a ____ Bar.]
Some names are not revealed to the audience, in which the words “Guess Who?” will appear, so the audience can play along for that name.
BONUS ROUND
The Bonus Round plays the same as the main game, however now the contestant will be giving the clues to the “celebrities.”
The object is for the contestant to get the “celebrities” to guess four different names using no more than 6 clues total.
The contestant will choose the first celebrity they wish to guess the first name.
If the first “celebrity” guesses the name correctly, the contestant wins $500. If the second name is guessed, their total is doubled to $1,000. Three correct names doubles the money again to $2,000, and all four brings the total to $5,000!
After each correct name, the contestant has the option to quit with their winnings or risk it for more money. If the contestant uses up all 6 clues before a correct guess, the contestant loses their pot and the Bonus Round ends.
SUGGESTIONS
*FOR ALL SHOWS: The main purpose for these shows is entertainment and fun, first and foremost. While many of these games display large amounts of money and/or lavish prizes, we do NOT provide any such prizes for the games. All parties are welcome to provide their own prizes/gifts that may be implemented in gameplay. Below are simply some suggestions we have come up with in order to make the gameplay more interesting and/or competitive.
*ADD A SWAG BAG!: Want to play for real prizes? Add a swag bag of awesome Eek! products to any gameshow package and award gifts as individual prizes or play for an ultimate prize package!
For larger groups, contestants and “celebrities” can play in teams rather than as individuals.
If you would like to provide your own prizes, you could provide them for winning the Main Game and/or Bonus Round.
Since contestants and “celebrities” are working together, it may be a fun idea to award both contestants and “celebrities” when they get a name right. Perhaps keep a running score and award a win to both the highest contestant and “celebrity”.
Since “Don’t Say It!” uses an accumulated cash system, you can use the “money” to keep score, or you could use the “money” won as a currency to buy prizes. For example, if a contestant “wins” a total of $2,500, they could trade that money in for a prize (say a $5 Starbucks gift card is worth $1,000, a $10 Amazon card is worth $2,000, a paid day off work is worth $5,000, etc.). Again, you would need to provide these prizes, but we are happy to keep score for you.
Since a “Don’t Say It!” package comes with three full games and bonus rounds, you may have the winners of the first two games compete in the final game, or use a “returning champion” feature, where whomever wins each game continues to the next.
For any other additional questions or suggestions, visit the FAQ page, or email us at eekgameshows@yahoo.com DON’T SAY IT! PACKAGE: Three Full Shows with Bonus Rounds