This is the Eek! Pyramid Scheme!  Can you get to the top?!

GAMEPLAY

Two teams of two will compete against each other, trying to give clues to a series of words, phrases, people, or characters.  Each game consists of six categories, with each category containing seven items to be described.  The categories will hint as to what the items may be related to.  For example, if the category is “Come Fly with Me,” you will describe things you find at an airport. Or if the category is “Check the Calendar,” you will describe certain holidays.  After all six categories are chosen (three for each team), the team with the most points wins the game!  

Each team will determine who the first person to give clues to their partner will be. After TEAM 1 selects a category, they will have 30 seconds in which to describe all 7 items relating to that category.  Each item will appear one at a time.  The clue giver may say anything related to the item.  They may also use hand gestures, voice inflection, and sign language.  If their partner is able to guess the item, the team receives one point.  

ILLEGAL CLUES/PASSES

The clue giver may not say any part or form of the word, phrase, person, or character, or use rhyming words that have no correlation.  If the clue giver gives an illegal clue, a “cuckoo” signal will sound, and the next item will appear.  If at any time a team PASSES on an item, they are not allowed to come back to it, however, if their partner does guess the item later in the round, they will receive credit for it. 

The category ends when all 7 items have been guessed/passed on, or the 30 second timer runs out.  After the first round, the person who was the clue giver will now receive the clues from their partner.  In the final rounds, the team gets to choose who will give and who will receive. The team that is trailing going into the final rounds always goes first.  

Since each category has 7 items to be guessed, and each team plays three rounds, a perfect score is 21.  The team who scores the most points after all six categories have been chosen wins the game and proceeds to the BIG PYRAMID!

*Each game will feature one category hiding a BONUS, in the same fashion as the TV gameshow.  The bonus will either be a “7-11” or “Mystery 7.”  The “7-11” indicates that the team receives a $1,100 bonus if they are able to get all 7 answers in that category within 30 seconds.  The “Mystery 7” indicates the team will win a special prize if they can get all 7 answers within 30 seconds, however they will not be given the topic beforehand. (See SUGGESTIONS)

TIEBREAKER

In the event of a tie, a tiebreaker round will be played to determine the winner.  TEAM 1 will choose the category (which will always be “Words that begin with a particular letter”).  If they get all 7 words in 30, whatever time left on the clock will be subtracted, plus one second, from TEAM 2’s timer.  If TEAM 2 gets all 7 words within their allotted time, TEAM 2 wins and proceeds to the BIG PYRAMID.  If TEAM 1 gets less than 7 words correct, TEAM 2 gets the full 30 seconds to simply beat TEAM 1’s score.  On the TV gameshow, if the tie was a result of a 21-21 tie, the winning team earned a $5,000 bonus!

BONUS ROUND – THE BIG PYRAMID

The winning team has the chance to climb to the top of the BIG PYRAMID and win the grand prize! The object is to guess six different subjects in 60 seconds.

The team will choose who will give the clues.  The clue giver may only provide lists of words or phrases to help their partner guess the subject.  For example, if the first subject is “Things that are Green,” the clue giver may say: Grass, Pickles, A Nauseous Face, etc.  If their partner guesses the subject, they will earn that category (and a dollar amount) and the next subject will appear.

ILLEGAL CLUES FOR BONUS GAME

The bonus game does have more rules regarding what can and cannot be said.  Here are examples of what would be considered an illegal clue:

  • Saying any part or form of the Subject – Ex. The Jolly Green Giant
  • Being too descriptive – Ex. A traffic light that tells you to Go
  • Using prepositional phrases – Ex. A person about to throw up (adjectives are legal, as long as they are not made into prepositional phrases.  Thus, “a nauseous face” would be considered a valid clue)
  • Hand gestures of any kind (You may want to sit on your hands or put them in your pockets, behind your back, etc. to prevent from accidentally using them)
  • Synonyms or definitions of keywords – Ex. Mint Paint

If at any time an illegal clue is given, the buzzer will sound and the team will lose credit for that subject, but play will continue to the next subject.  The team may still accumulate money for correct answers, but cannot win the grand prize at this point. 

Some subjects may read “What ______ Might Say.”  You are allowed to be more descriptive and use more words for these subjects, but still not allowed to say any part of the subject.  For example, if the subject was “What a Grape Might Say,” the clue giver may say:  I am a fruit.  You make wine with me.  I grow on vines, etc.

Some subjects may read “Why You _______.”  Again you may use more words, but still keep mainly in list form.  Your clues will most often begin with the word “because.”  For example, if the subject was “Why You Skip Breakfast,” the clue giver may say: Because you overslept.  Because you’re running late.  Because you aren’t hungry.  Because you’re out of bacon, etc.

The team may pass on a subject they are hung up on, and we will come back to it if there is still time.  If all subjects are cleared in 60 seconds, the team wins the grand prize!  If not, they win whatever money is showing from the subjects they did get right.

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!  

Determining Teams 1 and 2 may be done via coin flip, drawing, etc.

Since “Pyramid Scheme” uses an accumulated cash system, it may be fun to keep score to see how much each team wins altogether (main game bonus money and Big Pyramid money), and the team who wins the most are the big winners! 

The game is setup so that the winners of the first two games play the third game.  The first two games feature the “7-11” card and the third game has the “Mystery 7.”  The difficulty also increases in the third game.  The teams that win the first two games play for $10,000 as the grand prize at the Big Pyramid, and for $25,000 in the third game.  This is simply how our game is setup, you may amend this format how you wish.  You could use a “returning champion” feature for the winning teams, or you could swap partners during a game and keep individual scores, etc.  

If you would like to provide your own prizes, you can include them as the Mystery 7 prize or if a team wins the Big Pyramid. etc.  You could also use the “money” won as a currency to buy prizes.  For example, if a team wins a total of $11,500, 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 $5,000, a paid day off work is worth $10,000, etc.).  Again, you would need to provide these prizes, but we are happy to keep score for you.

For any other additional questions or suggestions, visit the FAQ page, or email us at eekgameshows@yahoo.com   

PYRAMID SCHEME PACKAGE: Includes three full games with bonus rounds