A crossword game you’ve played all your life, but never quite like this!
GAMEPLAY
Two contestants compete against each other to correctly solve words on a crossword board, given a clue one might see in a crossword puzzle.
CROSSWORD ROUND
Each show of CRISS-CROSSWORDS features two separate matches between two different contestants. The first pair of contestants will begin the first match. The CROSSWORD BOARD is revealed.
Contestants will try to solve one word at a time on the CROSSWORD BOARD. They will be told how many letters are in the first word and will be given one letter in the word to build on (which will always appear in the ★ square for the first word). They will then be given the crossword-based clue to try to solve the word.
All words in the CROSSWORD ROUND range from 5-9 letters in length.
Example – Building on the letter ‘S’, there are 9 letters in the word. Clue: They’ll keep you on top of things
An outline of the word will be made to show where the word begins and ends. As well, a set of blue-numbered tiles will appear. These tiles contain the remaining letters that will appear in the word, as well as three letters that do not, known as STOPPERS.
A coin toss will determine which contestant plays first.
The first contestant will then have the option to try to guess the word from the clue, or they may select two of the blue tiles to reveal two letters. If they choose to guess the word and are incorrect, control is passed to the other contestant. The other contestant is then given the same option.
In the above example, Nicole has chosen two tiles, #1 and #6. The two letters that are revealed are an O and an L. She will then decide which letter she would like to place, hoping it is a part of the word. She chooses the O.
The ‘O’ is a part of the word and is placed where it is correctly found. At this point, Nicole may try to guess the word again, or she MUST attempt place the L. She will not be allowed to choose another tile. Since she does not know the answer, she places the L.
The ‘L’ is not in the word, making it a STOPPER. The first STOPPER octagon light is lit, and control then goes to Jeff. Jeff now has the option to solve the word or choose two more tiles of his own.
Jeff selects two more tiles, which reveal an S and an H. He places each letter one at a time. Both appear in the word. Once again, he may solve the word or select two more tiles.
Jeff believes he knows the answer, so he chooses to solve. If he is incorrect, control goes back to Nicole. However, he guesses SNOWSHOES, and it correct and wins the first word!
The second word on the CROSSWORD BOARD is then outlined, this time going up and down, and gameplay continues in the same fashion until one contestant correctly solves THREE words.
If the contestants are tied after 4 words, the fifth and final word will be play in a SPEED SOLVE format. In this case, one letter at a time will be revealed in the word. The first contestant to buzz in and correctly solve the word wins the word and the match and moves on to the SPRINT ROUND!
THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND…
- If a contestant chooses two tiles, and the first letter they place is a STOPPER, the other contestant DOES have the option to select one additional tile to replace the missing letter.
- The CROSSWORD BOARD contains BLUE and PINK colored squares. On the TV gameshow, if a contestant placed a letter in a square that was colored and correctly solved the word right then, they would receive a cash bonus. $500 for BLUE, $1,000 for PINK. (See SUGGESTIONS)
- In SPEED SOLVE, if a contest buzzes in and is incorrect, the other contestant is allowed to see all but one of the remaining letters in the word.
SPRINT ROUND
The winning contestant from the CROSSWORD ROUND earns the right to play the SPRINT BOARD against the clock. The contestant must solve FOUR words as quickly as they can.
The contestant will be told how many letters are in each word and given the clue. In the example above, the first word has 5 letters (as indicated by the five diamonds at the top). Clue: They can be proper
As soon as the timer begins, two letters will appear, replacing the gold stars in the box at the bottom.
The contestant calls out ONE of the letters, which is then placed in the word (there are no STOPPERS in the SPRINT ROUND, all letters will appear in the word). After one letter is placed, the letters will shuffle and two more letters will appear in the box.
The contestant will continue to call letters until they believe they know the answer and stop the clock, or until all but one letter has been revealed.
As soon as the word is solved, the board will be reset for the next word. The clock will begin on the next word from where it was last stopped.
As with the CROSSWORD ROUND, words in the SPRINT ROUND will range from 5-9 letters. Each word in the SPRINT ROUND will become longer.
As soon as all four words have been solved, the clock stops and the time to beat is established.
The contestant who wins the second match of the CROSSWORD ROUND will then attempt to beat the established time in the SPRINT ROUND. They will be given the same four words, but the timer will count DOWN towards 0.
If the second contestant is able to beat the established time, they win the SPRINT ROUND and move on to play the SUPER SPRINT ROUND! If the timer reaches zero before completing all four words, the first contestant wins.
PENALTIES
If at anytime either contestant gives an incorrect guess to a word or takes too much time to submit a guess (three seconds will be given after stopping the clock), they will receive a 10 second penalty.
If the word has at least two letters still missing, the clock will start again for the same word after the penalty until it is solved. If any word has only one missing letter remaining and is not solved correctly, the contestant must solve an extra PENALTY WORD.
SUPER SPRINT ROUND
The winning contestant form the SPRINT ROUND now gets the opportunity to play the SUPER SPRINT ROUND for the grand prize!
The SUPER SPRINT ROUND plays the exact same way as the SPRINT ROUND, however the contestant must only solve TWO words, and has a total time of 10 seconds to do so. The two words will always be 6 and 7 letters in length.
The same penalty rules apply, therefore if any incorrect answer is given or too much time is used to answer, the SUPER SPRINT ROUND will end immediately. If the contestant can solve both words in 10 seconds, they win the SUPER SPRINT ROUND!
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 may play in teams instead of individuals.
As mentioned above, on the TV gameshow, contestants would receive a cash bonus for solving words when a letter was placed on a colored square. If you would like to provide your own prizes, you could use the “money” won as a currency to buy prizes. For example, if a contestant wins a total of $1,500, they could trade that money in for a prize (say a $5 Starbucks gift card is worth $500, a $10 Amazon card is worth $1,000, a paid day off work is worth $1,500 etc.). Again, you would need to provide these prizes, but we are happy to keep score for you.
Likewise, on the TV gameshow, contestants would win a jackpot cash prize if they successfully won the SUPER SPRINT ROUND. You may include that as a part of the “money” prizes won, or you may include your own bonus prize for whomever wins.
For any other additional questions or suggestions, visit the FAQ page, or email us at eekgameshows@yahoo.com
CRISS-CROSSWORDS PACKAGE: Includes two matches with both bonus rounds