All-Star Lucky Numbers (ABC; Special Ep. 1)

[dougmorrisontheair]

Greetings, all.

This will likely be a combination of the last show I host solo for the year -- and the first one I host in 2024.

Welcome to All-Star Lucky Numbers. As the title implies, we seek two netgame hosts to compete for charity.

Rules, as seen at DougMorris.net/lucky, are the same as in a regular episode -- but with these differences...

\ *All* dollar values increase tenfold (meaning the starting values for puzzles in Round 1 are $15,000; $20,000 in Round 2; follow-up question values are $5000, $7500, and $10K).

\ The runner-up is assured of no less than $30,000 for the participant's designated charity.

\ The winner is assured of no less than $50,000 for the participant's designated charity.

\ The winner also plays a special $1,000,000 all-cash edition of the main event.

\ Because Christmas and New Year's Days are on the horizon, there will likely be extended stoppages in play (so it's likely the game will end sometime after we ring in '24). As of this writing, I have a daytrip scheduled Dec. 23. Otherwise, all my holiday celebrations are scheduled locally.

\ This all-star special is not necessarily holiday-themed.  So don't anticipate puzzles or questions about Santa, Rudolph, etc.

...so with that, who's in? First two hosts to respond get to play.

[billmcdee]

Bill McDee front and center.

My charity will be the Deborah Heart & Lung Center.

[dougmorrisontheair]

Great. Just need one more star.

[Bryan]

Bryan Law for the American Cancer Society reporting for duty sir!

[dougmorrisontheair]

Thanks, Bryan.

Show will start ASAP. After the proper open, we'll just dive right into the first puzzle. We'll try to get in two puzzles before taking the aforementioned "extended commercial break".

[dougmorrisontheair]

Staff announcer: If it happened in Bermuda today, you'll see it on "Bermuda Tonight".

---

---

(HR87 theme plays)

Bill Kennedy: Tonight, the star of $ale of the Century, Bill McDee, is playing for The Deborah Heart & Lung Center.

And the star of The Mad Dash, Bryan Law, is playing for the American Cancer Society.

Bill Kennedy: They will win tens of thousands of dollars for their charities -- but only one of them will play the main event for a chance to win more than $1,000,000 for the designated organization. It's time to play...

Bill Kennedy: ...All-Star Lucky Numbers!


(audience cheers)

Bill Kennedy: Here's the star of Lucky Numbers, Doug Morris!


(audience cheers)

Thank you, Bill Kennedy, and helloooooo, everybody. Welcome to our first primetime Lucky Numbers special.

(audience cheers)

Bill, Bryan, good luck to you both. We're going to dive right into this game.

Now, before the show, we randomly determined that Bill will start this game. So, what do you say we start this party off right with the first puzzle on All-Star Lucky Numbers?


(audience cheers)

(chime sfx)

(ooos from audience)

And -- yes -- ooo is right. Your eyes do not deceive you. We're starting off big. Normally on the daytime show, puzzles in Round 1 start at $1500. But here at night, all the stakes increase tenfold.

(audience cheers)

So indeed, we're seeding this pot with $15,000.

Now we've got twelve lucky numbers up there. Behind the numbers is the identity of a person, place, thing, or other common expression.

While the numbers are in no particular order, the letters that are behind the numbers are always in their correct spots.

The sooner you can solve, the more money you can win -- because we take away $1000 for each letter revealed.

Bill, to reveal at least one letter, you'll need to roll the dice. So, give 'em a roll, please.

(audience cheers as...) (Bill rolls)

And we start with the roll of a 5.

Bill, this means you may have us remove the 5 and you'll see the letter behind that number -- or you may choose any numbers that equal the combination of a 5.

What would you like to do?

[billmcdee]

I'll reveal the last letters in each row, the 2 and 3 please Doug.

[dougmorrisontheair]

(ding)

And those letters reveal a T and an S.

Bill, by taking those letters, rolls of 2 and 3 are now considered unlucky. That means from now until this puzzle is solved, a roll of snake eyes or a roll of a 3 will mean you lose control of the dice, your opponent takes over and we automatically reveal the letter behind the highest remaining number on the board.

So, you have some options here. You may try to solve now for $13,000, roll again, or pass the dice to Bryan.

Keep in mind if you try to solve right now and you're wrong, it's instantly Bryan's turn and we reveal the letter behind 12.

[billmcdee]

Understood.

I would like to roll again Doug.

[dougmorrisontheair]

You're confident you won't roll a 2 or a 3. Let's see what happens.

(audience cheers as...) (Bill rolls)

It's a 7.

Definitely playable. How do you play it?

[billmcdee]

Let me do the 6 and 1 combination please Doug.

[dougmorrisontheair]

We can do that.

(ding)

And -- done -- with P and E.

Bill, danger zone is widening. The 6 joins the 3 and 2 among the unlucky rolls.

You may guess for $11,000, roll again, or pass the dice to Bryan.

[billmcdee]

I'd like to buy a vowel.....


But since I can't, and I feel fairly confident still, I'd like to roll 'em again Doug!

[dougmorrisontheair]

(scattered laughter from crowd)

As my mother would say, "Right church, wrong pew."

(more laughter from crowd)

Please roll 'em again.

(audience cheers as...) (Bill rolls)

And you get an 8

Bill, the only way you can play this roll *is* by taking the 8. So we'll go ahead and do that.

(ding)

And wouldn't ya know? A vowel! (more laughter) An O to be specific.

Bill, now the bad news -- another unlucky roll. Combinations of 8, 6, 3, and 2 cannot be made.

Want to guess for $10,000, roll again, or pass the dice?

[billmcdee]

I do not as yet know it, but I will gamble and roll again Doug.

[dougmorrisontheair]

(audience cheers as...) (Bill rolls)

(audience groans)

(buzz)

Ohhh -- first unlucky roll in the game. Sorry about that.

Bryan, you're in the game now. Now before you make any move, we reveal the letter behind the highest remaining number -- which, in this case, is 12.

(ding)

We get another T.

Bryan, the unlucky rolls remain 8, 6, 3, and 2.

You may guess for $9000, roll the dice, or pass the dice back to Bill.

[Bryan]

Roll

[dougmorrisontheair]

(audience cheers as...) (Bryan rolls)

And your first roll in the game is a 4.

It works -- but the only way it works is by taking the 4.

(ding)

And we get an R.

With that, Bryan, 4 joins the unlucky rolls of 2, 3, 6, and 8.

Want to guess for $8000, roll again, or pass the dice?

[Bryan]

I will solve!

SOFT PRETZELS

[billmcdee]

(melting)

[dougmorrisontheair]

(ASB win cue plays; audience applause)

That's it.

Bryan, you just banked $8000 for ACS. (chimes; audience cheers) And that sound means you have a chance to win more money.

This is the first of three follow-up questions in our game -- and it's worth $5000. Bryan, you'll have first chance to answer. If you miss, Bill will have a chance to capitalize.

So, Bryan, for $5000 more...

A pretzel would most likely float in the maze of which video game: Ms. Pac-Man, Super Pac-Man, or Pac-Man Plus?

[Bryan]

Ms. PAC MAN

[dougmorrisontheair]

Ms. Pac-Man is right.

(audience cheers)

Brian leads by 13 large.

Bill, you'll have a chance to get on the board -- right after this.

(commercial cue plays; audience applauds)

[dougmorrisontheair]

(HR87 theme plays)


A source for many of the puzzles and questions we use on our show is the 22-volume World Book Encyclopedia -- which includes the index volume and research guide.

And now a special word from Bill Kennedy.

Bill Kennedy: Thanks, Doug. Bryan's currently leading by $13,000. Should the winning contestant bank less than $50,000 for his charity, we'll augment that total to $50,000.

If our runner-up banks less than $30,000 for his charity, we'll augment that total to $30,000.

Bill Kennedy: We'll be back with more of All-Star Lucky Numbers -- after this message.

[dougmorrisontheair]

(ASB cue plays; audience applauds)

Welcome back to our All-Star Lucky Numbers primetime special. Let's get back to the action.

Bryan's leading 13,000 to nil. But, Bill, you'll be first up on this next puzzle.

(chime sfx)

And we've got another 12-letter solution -- six letters in each word this time.

Bill, the dice are yours.

(audience cheers as...) (Bill rolls)

And -- you start this puzzle the way you started the last one -- the roll of a 5.

How do you play it?

[billmcdee]

I'll do the 5 by itself.

And it's just as well I didn't get that last puzzle, my doctor wanted me to cut back on my salt intake anyway

[dougmorrisontheair]

(scattered laughter from crowd)

(ding)

While Bill's doctor's relieved, Bill, you get an E for that effort.

Better news -- all rolls are playable. But a wrong guess forfeits control to Bryan.

So you may guess for $14,000 or roll again.

[billmcdee]

Since I left my x-Ray vision at home, let's roll 'em Doug.

[dougmorrisontheair]

(scattered laughter from crowd)

(audience cheers as...) (Bill rolls)

Wow -- boxcars!

How do you want to play the 12?

[Bryan]

Could've been snake eyes!

(laughter)