1968–70
The first format involved two couples competing in a game of quick recall. The first contestant to buzz-in answered and received five points for a correct response. If the contestant was wrong, however, the other couple could try to answer for ten points. When a contestant gave a correct answer, he or she was locked out of the next question. Two minutes before the end of the game, which lasted from four to five minutes, the point values doubled, and at the end was the "Catch-Up Round" in which the team that was trailing could choose one last question from 10 to 50 points (if they answered correctly, the other couple got one last shot). The winning couple won a room of furniture. Couples who won seven rooms of furniture on the daytime version (four on the 1968 primetime version) won their choice of either a new house (worth over $40,000, plus $7,000 to purchase land) or $20,000 in cash. Beginning in 1969, three couples competed in the first round in which the first couple to buzz-in with a correct answer scored five points. A wrong answer, however, gave the other couples a chance to score ten points. Only during that first round would all contestants be allowed to buzz-in on all questions. The points were doubled during the last two minutes of the round. The two highest-scoring couples advanced to the next round, played exactly the same as the previous two-couple format. Five-time champions were offered an airplane in lieu of attempting to win two more games.1983–84
Main Game
Two teams of two (usually married couples), one of them a returning champion, competed to win a house worth approximately $100,000. The host read a true/false toss-up question open to all four players. A correct answer awarded that couple $50 and their choice of four categories, while a miss gave the money and control to their opponents. Each category had a multiple-choice question with three possible answers. After the couple in control gave their answer, the opponents had the option to challenge and select a different one. The couple with the right answer won $100, or $150 in the event of an unsuccessful challenge. Each team could challenge twice during the round. Once a category had been played, it was removed from the board and a new toss-up was asked. The round continued until all four categories had been used. The game was played in two rounds, with the leader after the first round winning a prize. The second round was played the same as round one, except that each team had a one-time opportunity to double the value of the question before the question was asked. The couple leading after two rounds won the game, received a room of furniture, and advanced to the bonus round. Couples kept whatever they earned, win or lose. If the game ended in a tie, one more true/false toss-up question was played to break the tie. During the show's 15-month NBC run, special weeks were set aside for siblings, single couples with children and engaged couples. There was also a week in November 1983 where the cast of ''Rule changes
Several rule changes went into effect in April 1984. The couple in control was required to hit their plunger to determine the question value displayed on a "money machine", a random light which stopped at $50, $100, or $150. The amount could also be accompanied with "Prize," which awarded a bonus prize to the team that answered correctly, or "Turnover," which gave control of the question to the opposing team. In the second round, a "Number Off" space was added to the machine, which allowed the team who answered correctly to remove one extra number from the combination lock if they reached the bonus round. Also, if the winning team led by $500–$950 after two rounds, they originally received a prize, but this was later changed to a $500 bonus. Winning by $1,000 or more was worth a new car. Unlike the first format, there was no double option available in round two.Bonus round
In the bonus round, the couple tried to open a set of "Golden Doors" by programming the correct three-digit combination into an electronic lock that secured them. The lock displayed three rows of four digits each, and the correct combination consisted of one digit from each row. The couple was given an opportunity to remove incorrect digits before making their guess. Originally, each day that a couple reached the bonus round, one incorrect digit was automatically removed from the lock, following the sequence of top-middle-bottom. A later rule change removed one digit for each time the couple returned, thus depriving them of having one eliminated on their first day. A couple could also have a digit removed if they had landed on "Number Off" on the Money Machine once the format for the front game was changed. After the initial removal of digits, the couple chose one of three categories and answered three questions in it, each with two possible answers. Each correct response eliminated one more digit – from the top row for the first question, the middle row for the second, the bottom row for the third. After the questions, the couple entered their guess at the combination. Once a digit was chosen, it could not be changed. After making their guess, the couple pressed a button referred to as a "time release bar," which caused a series of four lights built into the frame of the Golden Doors to activate from the bottom up. If the combination was correct, all the lights came on, the Golden Doors opened, and the couple won the house. If not, the topmost section remained dark, a buzzer sounded, and the host revealed the correct combination. Champions returned to face the Golden Doors each day until they either programmed the winning combination, won enough games to automatically win the house, or were defeated by another couple. Seven victories were initially required to win the house; this threshold was later lowered to five, then raised to six. In a match where a couple was in a position to win the house if they won the main game, a plunger alternately called a "Golden Circuit Breaker" and a "Hotline Switch" was brought out at the beginning of the second round. If the couple won, the plunger was pushed after the match and the Golden Doors automatically opened. Any couple that won the house — either by guessing the combination or by winning the requisite number of games — retired undefeated, and two new couples competed on the next show.Broadcast history
ABC
Replacing reruns of the cult crime drama '' The Fugitive'', ''Dream House'' began broadcasting on April 1, 1968, at 1:00 p.m.NBC
''Dream House'' premiered in the 11:30 a.m. Eastern (10:30 a.m. Central) time slot on April 4, 1983, replacing the 13-week game show ''Episode status
The studio master tapes of the 1968–70 version are not known to exist. They may have been erased by ABC as this was standard procedure for its daytime programs until 1978, although the controversies surrounding the show may also have played a role. In 2013, the studio master tapes of the 1983–84 version, which were in the possession of series creator Don Reid, were destroyed by a flood.References
External links
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dream House (Game Show) American Broadcasting Company original programming NBC original programming 1960s American game shows 1970s American game shows 1968 American television series debuts 1970 American television series endings 1980s American game shows 1983 American television series debuts 1984 American television series endings American television series revived after cancellation Lost television shows Television series by Lorimar Television