Identity (game Show) - Show Summaries

Show Summaries

• On the first night, there were two contestants, private investigator Herb Irvine from Boston, Massachusetts, and Andrea Brown from Atlanta, Georgia. Irvine won US$75,000 after guessing seven of the twelve strangers correctly and choosing to quit the game; Brown won US$50,000 after guessing six strangers correctly and choosing to go home.
• On the second night, Robert Talon of Chula Vista, California, became the first winner of the show's top prize of $500,000 by guessing all 12 identities correctly. Talon, a loan officer, correctly identified, among others, a National Football League player (Ray Crockett), a reality television starlet (Brittny Gastineau), an immigrant from Russia, a blackjack dealer (named Pamela), and a belly dancer (named Ava), which was his final correct answer. The remaining unguessed identity was that of violinist. When the week ended, Talon was the only winner of the top prize.
• In contrast, fire fighter Matthew Gatewood, the first contestant of the third night, left without winning money after failing twice. He thought that No. 9 was a circus performer (she was actually a professional wrestler) and that No. 5 was a power lifter (he was really a U.S. Army Ranger) He was convinced that Erin Murphy (Tabitha from Bewitched) was an Army Ranger. He was followed by Nickie Malouf of Burbank, California, who won $50,000 after guessing six identities correctly.
• The fourth night of the run brought a $250,000 win for Nicci Guzik of Streamwood, Illinois. She stopped just short of the grand prize because she had an uneasy feeling about her guess at the final identity. She thought that No. 11 was a crime scene investigator, but she was actually a kidney donor; No. 9 was the CSI. This final scenario is a prime example of how better strategic thinking might have helped a contestant: No. 9 was wearing a knee-length dress, whereas No. 11 was wearing a shirt and separate skirt. Had she thought about dramatic ways for the strangers to reveal their identities, Guzik might have realized that a person wearing separates, but not a person in a dress, could lift her shirt to reveal the scar from her donation surgery, such that producers might have planned such a "reveal" and advised the kidney donor to wear separates; therefore, all else being equal, the person wearing separates would be more likely to be the kidney donor.
• The fifth night involved two games. In the first game, math educator Seth Cutler from Massapequa, New York, chose to walk away the prize money at $50,000. He used his Mistaken Identity early in the game thinking that Bruce Jenner was a ventriloquist. The second game ended with Tami Jones of West Hills, California, losing the game and receiving no prize money.
• When the series returned on March 16, 2007, Christina Howard of Sacramento, California, won the top prize of $500,000 by correctly identifying stranger No. 11 as a prison guard (the remaining stranger, #6, was an astronomer). She became the second player to win the top prize, and managed to do so without using her Mistaken Identity help during the game.
  • This episode was noteworthy for an incident that happened during the final identity. The female prison guard was obvious due to her stance and demeanor, and Christina was all set to seal the identity...which would have ended the game too soon. Penn Jillette managed to pad out the show by cutting to commercial, and then stalling her with questions about whether she was ready throughout an entire segment until cutting to commercial again... after which the identity was finally revealed.
  • This episode also introduced a revamped set, featuring larger, blue platforms for the strangers, as well as three TV screens near the contestant, which displayed each of the contestant's helps.
• On April 13, 2007, Christian Saulnier of Norwood, Massachusetts, won the top prize of $500,000 by correctly identifying stranger No. 3 as a chimney sweep (the remaining stranger, #6, was a pickpocket). He became the 3rd player to win the top prize. He used his Mistaken identity thinking that No. 6 was an air guitar champion when No. 1 is an air guitar champion.