Game Show Summer Olympics - Event #1 - LINGO

Greetings to all. Brian Sapinski, Sonic Whammy here, your host for the Game Show Summer Olympics. Over the next 9 weeks, we will be showcasing some intense game show competition, and we hope that many of you will sign up and encourage your friends to as well.

Here's how the overall competition will work:

Starting this week, on July 2, we will have 8 preliminary "events". Anyone who wishes to participate in the announced event will register at my address: SonicWhammy@aol.com. From the contestant pool, I will randomly choose 8 or more players to compete in the event that week, and they will be contacted on Tuesday with all instructions.

Each contestant will be scored for their performance on a 1000-point scale, and the overall score for a contestant will be averaged among all the events they participate in.

At the end of 8 weeks, the 6 players who have accrued the highest averages will compete in the Grand Finals on the final show of the Olympics on August 27th. However, in order for your average to be eligible, you must compete in at least 3 events over the preliminary period (subject to change based on the size of the contestant pool).

It should be a great competition. We look forward to the fun and excitement.

Now for this week's event: LINGO

First, the key differences. Unlike the show, each contest will be one-on-one, and it is encouraged for all players to have pencil and paper on hand since there will be no screen to look at.

In addition, all contestants should copy the tables below, which features the Lingo card configurations that will be used during the show. (I hope to have a link with an actual picture of these boards to print shortly, and will update this post at such point.)

Card #1

x	1	2	x	3
4	5	x	6	x
7	x	x	8	9
10	11	x	12	x
x	13	14	x	15

Card #2

1	x	x	2	3
x	4	5	x	6
x	7	x	8	x
9	x	x	10	11
12	13	14	x	15

Card #3

1	x	2	3	x
x	4	x	5	6
7	8	x	x	9
x	x	10	11	12
13	x	14	15	x

Card #4

1	x	2	x	x
3	x	4	5	6
x	7	x	x	8
x	9	10	11	12
13	14	x	15	x

Card #5

x	1	x	2	3
4	5	6	x	7
8	x	x	9	x
10	11	x	12	x
x	13	14	x	15

Card #6

1	x	2	x	3
4	5	x	x	6
x	7	x	8	9
10	11	x	12	x
13	x	14	15	x

Bonus Lingo

1	2	3	x	4
x	x	x	5	x
x	x	x	6	7
x	8	x	9	x
10	11	12	13	x

Key rules for gameplay on the show:

1) The first letter of the word will be announced. The player in control will say and then spell their 5-letter guess. If there are any letters in correct position, I will read the word with the right letters in their places. After that, any letters out of position will be mentioned.

Example: If the word is RACER and the player guesses RAISE, I will say: "R-A-blank-blank-blank, out of position, E."

2) When a contestant wins a word, they will choose a number from 1-18. The number chosen will determine which of the 15 open positions on their Lingo card is to be filled in, or if a Red Ball Stopper has been chosen. On the next pick, the player will choose from 1-17, then 1-16, and so on (so you are allowed to repeat a number).

All other rules of the game are identical to the show. Anyone who can win the game and complete a Bonus Lingo on the first selection will receive the top score of 1000 points. Will anyone do it? We will find out this Wednesday night.

Good luck to all!

Stay Way Past Cool! (That's my motto... M-O-T-T-O)

Brian Sapinski
The Sonic Whammy