Scholastic Scrimmage - WPSU-TV 3 Version

WPSU-TV 3 Version

The game is played in three rounds of approximately 6 minutes each. Each round begins with host David Price asking a toss-up question. Players buzz in to answer the toss-up question; the first player to buzz in with a correct answer earns 10 points and a chance at a related bonus question (a "follow-up") for their team. An incorrect answer incurs no penalty, but the opposing team gets to try to buzz in and score 5 points on a rebounded toss-up.

Regardless of whether the team scores 5 or 10 on the toss-up, they get to confer and try to answer a follow-up question for another 10 points (in season 1, sometimes a two-parter at 5 points per part, but from season 2 onward, always a single 10-point question). The designated captain must buzz in before conferring time expires to indicate readiness to answer.

A distinctive "chime" sound signals the end of each of the first two rounds. At that time, David Price chats with each team (from season 3 on, always the team that just played a Fast Track, see below), and at the downward buzzer that ends the final round, the team in the lead wins, and advances in a season-long tournament (seasons 1 through 3; see the section on the Tournament below for season 4 changes). The winning school receives one scholarship which they may give to any student to attend any Penn State campus. In season 3, each member of the championship team received a ring engraved with the show's logo, much like an NFL Super Bowl ring; this also occurred at the end of seasons 4 and 5, and all players received a yearbook of all the participating teams.

The final episode is an hour in length. In the first season, there were three extended-length rounds. In seasons 2 and 3, there were four rounds in the game (and two Fast Track rounds to each team starting in the third season, the second pair being back-to-back after the third round; see below). The chime signals completion of the first three rounds, and, as always, the downward buzzer ends the game. Seasons 4 and 5 saw the teams play 5 rounds, with a Fast Track after each of the first four rounds (see below).