The $40,000 Chain Reaction (USA, Ep. 52, charity bonus game)

[bighornbattle]

Keeper.

[dougmorrisontheair]

You've completed the chain.









(ding; audience applause)

Let's recap this chain.

You could drink water from a fountain, a plastic bottle, or the tap. Kids can fill water into a balloon for some summertime fun. Clowns take balloons and shape them into certain animals. Animals are in a zoo -- and are kept in line by a zoo keeper. And game show host Jack Clark was the keeper of "The Cross-Wits".

That's the chain -- swept by the champ. George has a commanding $4000 lead -- and is just one word away from winning that $15,000 Levitz gift card.

Will the champ win again -- or will Kourtney pull off the comeback of the year? Find out -- after this.

(theme plays; audience applause)

[dougmorrisontheair]

("Second Guess" theme plays)

Doug: (in pre-recorded audio) Any contestant who wins three games in a row receives a $15,000 shopping spree at Levitz Furniture.

Update your home's look with the latest in fine furnishings. The furniture you'll need for your living room, dining room, bedroom, even the patio and more is yours from The $40,000 Chain Reaction and Levitz. You'll love it -- at Levitz.

Doug: For four straight wins, the champion receives a bonus of $40,000 in cash.

And for five straight wins, it's this zombie apocalypse vehicle!

(audience cheers)

This Hyundai Zombie Proof Survival Vehicle comes with a zombie plow with damage-inducing spikes -- as well as armored windows, a trunk full of weapons, spiked all terrain tires, CB radio, and much more. The zombie apocalypse vehicle and a gas card loaded with $120,000 make the total value of this prize package $202,940.

(audience cheers)

Today's contestants will each receive a copy of The $40,000 Chain Reaction home game.

Today's runner-up will also receive a $1000 gift card toward the purchase of any item listed in the world famous Spiegel catalog. Spiegel -- with over 50,000 quality items offering value, selection and savings. Spiegel, Chicago, 60609.

(audience cheers)

Fine prizes and a lot of cash are up for grabs. Speaking of cash, let's look at the scores going into Round 3.

Well, it's been the George Custer show for nearly all of the way. Champ leads Kourtney 4250 to 250. In Round 3, each link is worth $750 and completion of the chain is worth $750. The game is $5000.

We have $4500 available in this round, Kourtney, so if you get a chance, you'll want to hang on to the chain as long as you can.

With that, good luck to both players as we set up our Round 3 chain.










(ding)

This chain starts with WALT'S FILM? -- notice the question mark -- and it ends with ISLAND.

George, we left off with you. Friendly reminder -- the next correct solution not only clinches the win, it also means $15,000 in merch from Levitz Furniture.

So with that, please give or take a letter below WALT'S FILM? or above ISLAND.

[bighornbattle]

I will take a letter above Island please.

[dougmorrisontheair]

For the game, George...









(ding)

...it's the letter T.

[bighornbattle]

Temptation.

[dougmorrisontheair]

If it's TEMPTATION, you've won the game and $15,000 in merchandise from Levitz Furniture.






































(buzz)









That's not it. Kourtney, that buzzer's the sound of opportunity. How do you play it?

[pathfinder20]

I will take a letter about Island.

[dougmorrisontheair]

Kourtney, let's see if you start your comeback with...









(ding)

...T-R.

[pathfinder20]

Treasure

[dougmorrisontheair]

TREASURE is right.









(ding; audience applause)

Kourtney, you're up to $1000. Now, your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to sweep this chain just to send this game to a fourth round. Remember, if George solves just one link in this round, the champ will either reach or exceed the goal of $5000.

So, with that, play carefully. What's your next movie.


pathfinder20
bighornbattle

[pathfinder20]

Take a letter above Treasure.

[dougmorrisontheair]

Kourtney keeps it and takes...









(ding)

...the letter H.

[pathfinder20]

HOLY?

[dougmorrisontheair]

Not HOLY.

We're back to George.

[bighornbattle]

I will take a letter above Treasure.

[dougmorrisontheair]

George tries again for the win...









(ding)

...this time with H-U.

[bighornbattle]

Hunt.

[dougmorrisontheair]

If it's HUNT, you win the game.










































(dings; audience applause; win music plays)

That's it!

First of all, officially, the final score is $5000 to $1000. George has legit won it.

You notice Kourtney's podium reads $2500. This is in accord with some new rules. Should a runner-up finish with a grand total of less than $2500, including any bonus money, we augment that player's cash winnings to $2500. So that why we're throwing in some extra bucks on Kourtney's side of the ledger.

George, as for you, we noted there was a chance you would break the $100,000 barrier if you won the game. You've succeeded. You now have, thanks to the bonus money from Round 2 and the $15,000 gift card from Levitz furniture, a grand total in cash and merchandise of...

...$102,500.

(audience cheers)

How do you feel going into just your third final chain, George?

[bighornbattle]

It feels awesome. I am surprised I won that much already. I don't know how we can display my winnings now I am in 6-figures.

[dougmorrisontheair]

Our producers will figure that out.

Control room, meantime, two favors, please. First, please reveal the chain in full.









(ding)

Thank you. Second favor: The Round 4 chain we had lined up for the main game -- please save it for a charity version of the bonus game. I suspect we'll have time to spare after the final chain.

So with that, let's recap this chain -- even though we didn't get to play much of it.

Walt's film could be considered a Disney movie. A famous Walt Disney movie is titled "Bambi". The title character in "Bambi" is a deer. Outdoors-men could go on a deer hunt. Other hunters seek buried treasure. And "Treasure Island" is the title of a book by Robert Louis Stevenson.

That's the chain. Kourtney, we hope you had fun -- even though you ran into a buzz-saw. Your final score of $1000 again gets bumped up to $2500 per consolation prize rules. So that plus fine gifts and all this applause are yours, Kourtney.

(audience cheers for Kourtney; board rotates as part of the theme plays)







George, Missing Link time for you. You know how this works. We'll spot you the top and bottom links of this three-link chain -- and the first letter of the link in the middle. Solve that middle missing link correctly and four pennies will join you in the final chain -- where they could become $40,000.

(audience cheers)

You've done it before. Let's hope you do it again. As before, each time you need a letter, it costs you a letter -- and reduces your potential winnings in the final chain.

Good luck as we set up your Missing Link game.







(ding)

This missing link game starts with HOWARD and it ends with FACTORY.

The link in the middle starts with T. To save all four pennies, what is that missing link, George?

[bighornbattle]

Taft.

[dougmorrisontheair]

I could see where you're going with that. Taft clothing factory. But that's not it.

Costs you a penny.







(ding)

T-H.

[bighornbattle]

The meat.

[dougmorrisontheair]

That's not it either. There goes another penny.







(ding)

T-H-E. Solve it here and you'll play for up to $20,000 in the final round. If not, you'll keep one penny -- and hopefully parlay it into $10,000.

[bighornbattle]

I don't know it.

[dougmorrisontheair]

Ohh -- (buzz) -- this was a toughie, I'll admit.

You were on the right track with THE something -- because it was a two-word link.







(ding)

What's worse is that the solution leads to the identities of two flops from the 1980s. 

"Howard the Duck" -- a movie that won four Razzie awards.

 And "The Duck Factory", a sitcom that only ran 13 weeks but starred a young Jim Carrey. Two of his co-stars you've likely heard of -- Teresa Ganzel and Don Messick, best known as the voice of Scooby Doo.

Well -- you saved one penny, George. But you can wrap up this day with $10,000. Let's see if that happens -- after this.

(theme plays; audience applause)

[dougmorrisontheair]

(Doug in pre-recorded audio as theme plays)

If you'd like to be a contestant on The $40,000 Chain Reaction, call toll free 1-800-555-40CR. That's 1-800-555-4027.

George Custer has won more than $100,000 in cash and merchandise after just three games -- with a chance to rack up another ten large.

Ready to give it a go, George?

[bighornbattle]

Yes I am.

[dougmorrisontheair]

Okay, to collect the $10,000, all you have to do is complete one more chain.

For this chain, we just spot you the top link.










(ding)

Today, we start with BYE. We also spot you the first letter of each of the remaining links. We also spot you seven letters to you as you need them.










(ding)

And this is how the money grows. Correctly solve all six of those remaining links and that penny will become $10,000.

(audience cheers)









(ding)

So here's the final chain back, George. Good luck. We're all with you now. The next link, below BYE, starts with an F.