The $40,000 Chain Reaction (USA, Episode 2)

[dougmorrisontheair]

Great start. SENTENCE is right.










(ding; audience applause)

The first sentence of a paragraph, particularly in an academic paper or essay, is known as the topic sentence.

You're up to 30¢. Now let's go for $3. Under SENTENCE, your next link starts with a P.

[Deleted]

I have 2 ideas here.  Is the answer "period"?

[dougmorrisontheair]

Great guess -- but that's not it. That'll cost you your first free letter.










(ding)

And let's see if the R supports your other idea.

[Deleted]

My other idea was "punctuation", but I think I know it now.  Is it "prison"?

[dougmorrisontheair]

It is PRISON.










(ding; audience applause)

A convicted criminal could serve a sentence in prison.

Michael, you're up to $3. Each right answer from here adds another zero to that readout. You still have six free letters to play with. Let's see if you need any of them as you try to solve the link under PRISON -- starting with B.

[Deleted]

Break

[dougmorrisontheair]

That's it. BREAK.










(ding; audience applause)

An attempt to escape prison is a prison break. There was also the TV show "Prison Break", which starred Dominic Purcell and Wentworth Miller.

Michael, you're doing well. Thirty bucks in the bank. Still six free letters at your disposal. Next link's under BREAK starting with T.

[Deleted]

I'm thankful this next word doesn't begin with W. 

(audience laughter)

Anyway, I'll go with "time".

[dougmorrisontheair]

For that, I should charge you two free letters. (scattered laughter) But, no, it'll cost you just the one.









(ding)

An H.

[Deleted]

through?

[dougmorrisontheair]

No -- not THROUGH.  *Now* it costs you your second free letter on this link.









(ding)

And you get an E.

[Deleted]

Could it be "the bank"?

[dougmorrisontheair]

It could be. It might be. It is -- THE BANK.










(ding; audience applause)

A gambler who wins a lot of money can break the bank. There are also three game shows from different points in TV history that are united by the title "Break The Bank" but, otherwise, have nothing to do with each other.

Michael now has $300 in the bank over here -- and trying to win more with the link under THE BANK -- starting with C.

[Deleted]

cash?

[dougmorrisontheair]

Great and logical guess -- but not right. Another free letter.











(ding)

An H.

[Deleted]

Oh!  I know it now!  "Chase".

[dougmorrisontheair]

Great guess -- but not right. Another free letter goes away.









(ding)

And oddly enough, the next letter's an A.

[Deleted]

Now I'm stumped!  Is it "charge"?

[dougmorrisontheair]

No, it's not CHARGE. It's gonna cost you another free letter.










(ding)

C-H-A-P.

[Deleted]

Chaperone?  I don't know!

[dougmorrisontheair]

Not CHAPERONE. Here comes your last free letter.










(ding)

It's an L. You need to solve this and the last link correctly -- or else it's all over and you don't win the 30-grand.

Good luck, think it over, think carefully -- and take a guess under THE BANK.

[Deleted]

Chaplin?

[dougmorrisontheair]

If it's CHAPLIN, you're still in business















































(ding; audience applause)

Yes. Movie trivia comes into play again. "The Bank" is silent movie that starred Charlie Chaplin.

Michael, you now have $3000 and no free letters to help you. You get just one guess at the link starting with M under CHAPLIN for $30,000.

[Deleted]

Crossing my fingers here.  Movies!

[dougmorrisontheair]

If it is MOVIES, you've completed the comeback of the century. Is it MOVIES?

















































(buzz) (groans from the crowd, who later cheers Michael's $3000 win)

Rats. It was MUSTACHE. Charlie Chaplin had that famous toothbrush mustache.

Well, you get $3000 from this chain. Not bad. We've got a moment or two to stretch. I'm impressed you came up with SENTENCE after TOPIC right off the bat.  What made you think of SENTENCE?

[Deleted]

I just knew "topic sentence" from all the English classes I took in school.

[dougmorrisontheair]

Well, the English classes paid off early on. If only you got a chance to watch Charlie Chaplin movies before certain holiday breaks.

In any event, even though you didn't pocket 30 grand, Michael, you did win over $9000 today.

(clip from DBZ rolls)

Nappa: What? 9000? There's no way that can be right.

(audience laughs and applauds)

Just when I thought I could escape that, right? Despite what Nappa's questioning, you racked up $5500 in the main game, picked up a $1250 bonus along the way -- and $3000 here in the bonus round. It really does add up to a one-day total of $9750.

(audience cheers)

And -- you're the champion. So you'll defend your crown against a challenger. If you win that game, you'll try to save four pennies and then try to upgrade them to $40,000.

We'll take a break and give a lucky member of our audience a chance to share in the winnings -- when The $40,000 Chain Reaction returns.

(theme plays; audience applause)

[dougmorrisontheair]

Time to play an audience game for a fast $5000. This audience game is based on the speed chain seen in the revival of "Chain Reaction" on GSN. The winner of the qualifying round gets the setup of a four-word chain -- like this...







...the top and bottom links revealed in full -- as well as the initial letters of the second and third links, respectively. The player will then have one chance to correctly identify the second and third links. The correct solutions will lead to the identities of three different two-word phrases. So, staying with this example...








...the correct solutions are FOOD and CHAIN to give us "fast food" (something you can get at your nearest McDonald's or a similar restaurant), "food chain" (common ecology term) and "Chain Reaction" (this game).

If the player identifies one link in the speed chain correctly, (s)he wins $500. But if both are identified correctly, the payoff is $5000. Missing both pays a consolation prize of $250.

We respectfully ask those who played the main game to refrain from responding to this call for an audience game player -- for we like to spread the wealth here. So who wants to play?

[billmcdee]

I'll give it a go Doug.

[dougmorrisontheair]

(theme plays; audience applause)

Welcome back to The $40,000 Chain Reaction. We've got time to spare an audience game. And playing the audience game with us is Bill McDee. Welcome, Bill.

(audience cheers)

Before we start playing, please tell the folks about yourself.