Double Dare (1976 Game Show) - Game Play

Game Play

Two contestants, each in separate isolation booths, attempted to correctly identify a person, place or thing based on one-sentence clues that were given to them, one at a time, on an electronic gameboard. The correct response was shown to the home audience before the first clue was given. The clues would typically begin with obscure trivia and gradually become more direct references to the subject. A maximum of ten clues were given on one subject. If nobody gave the correct answer after ten clues, the host would reveal the subject and a new subject was played.

Contestants could hit a lockout buzzer to guess the subject at any time. When a player buzzed-in, his or her opponent's booth was sealed off (doors closed over the front of the booth and the sound was turned off inside) in order to prevent him or her from hearing the guess. If correct, the contestant earned $50. If incorrect, that contestant’s booth was closed, and the opponent’s booth was reopened in order for him or her to see and hear a penalty clue and receive a free guess.

The contestant who ultimately guessed the correct answer was then shown the next clue in the sequence and given the opportunity to dare his/her opponent to guess the subject based on that clue (if the correct answer was given on a penalty clue, that clue became the "dare clue"). If the contestant declined to dare, the opponent’s booth was reopened and a new subject was played. If the contestant took the dare, the opponent's booth was re-opened and he or she had five seconds to study the clue before Trebek asked for a guess. A correct guess by the dared opponent earned $50 and a new subject was played. If incorrect, the player who made the dare won an additional $100 and his/her opponent's booth was closed once more.

If the dare was successful, the contestant was given a chance to "double dare" the opponent with the next clue for an additional $200, for a total of $350. If the contestant accepted the double dare and his/her opponent correctly guessed the subject, the opponent won $100.

The first player to win $500 or more won the game. Losing players kept any money earned and also received parting gifts. Like most CBS game shows at the time, champions could stay on Double Dare until they were defeated or reached the network-imposed winnings limit of $25,000.