''Spin-Off'' is an American

game show A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or Let's Play, demonstrative and are typically directed b ...

created and produced by Nick Nicholson and E. Roger Muir for

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

in 1975 that was based on the dice game

Yahtzee Yahtzee is a dice game made by Milton Bradley (a company that has since been acquired and assimilated by Hasbro). It was first marketed under the name of Yahtzee by game entrepreneur Edwin S. Lowe in 1956. The game is a development of earlier ...

. The series was hosted by

Jim Lange James John Lange (; August 15, 1932 – February 25, 2014) was an American game show host and disc jockey. He was known to listeners in the San Francisco and Los Angeles radio markets with stints at several stations in both markets, racking u ...

and announced by

Johnny Jacobs John Byron Jacobs (June 22, 1916 – February 8, 1982) was an American television announcer, often for Chuck Barris productions—namely, ''The Newlywed Game'' and ''The Dating Game''. Early life He was born in Wisconsin. Early career Rad ...

. The show replaced ''

The Joker's Wild ''The Joker's Wild'' is an American television game show that aired at different times between 1972 and 2019. In the show, contestants answer questions based on categories determined randomly by a mechanism resembling a slot machine. The show's ...

'' on CBS' daytime schedule and debuted on June 16, 1975, but was cancelled after 12 weeks on September 5, 1975. ''Spin-Off'' originated in Studios 31, 33 and 41 at Television City Studios in

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...

. The theme song was remixed in another Nicholson-Muir game show '' Super Pay Cards''.

Gameplay

Two couples, one pair being the returning champions, competed. Behind each couple was a set of five "spinners" — rapidly changing eggcrate displays that flashed numbers from 1 to 6 at the rate of 17 digits per second. The couples competed for control of the spinners in order to build the best possible hand of five numbers, similar to the dice game

. The host asked a toss-up question open to all four players. A correct buzz-in answer by a couple awarded them control of their spinners, while a miss gave control to the opponents. The couple in control pressed one button to start their spinners, then stopped one at a time by pressing a separate button for that spinner. The couple could either keep the hand they had spun or try to win control on a new toss-up. If they succeeded, they could re-spin some or all of the previous digits in the hope of improving their hand. After one couple either took a total of three spins or chose to keep their hand, the opponents were given one more spin to form a better hand. The couple with the higher hand won money as shown below. If both couples formed hands of equal ranks, the one using higher numbers won, similar to

poker Poker is a family of comparing card games in which players wager over which hand is best according to that specific game's rules. It is played worldwide, however in some places the rules may vary. While the earliest known form of the game w ...

. For example, 5-5-5-4-3 (three 5's) would beat 3-3-3-2-1 (three 3's). Straights had to contain five consecutive numbers in any order. The first couple to amass at least $250 (later $200Nicholson-Muir Productions. ''Spin-Off''. Starring Jim Lange. Featuring Marty and Becky versus Alden and Donna in first match. 1975.) won the championship and advanced to the Super Spin-Off bonus round. Both couples kept their money. Champions remained on the show until they were defeated or reached $25,000 in total winnings.

Super Spin-Off

In the Super Spin-Off, the champions could win up to $10,000 more by building the best hand possible. They operated one spinner at a time, with a maximum of three spins per digit. Once they either used all three spins or chose to move on, the displayed digit was automatically added to their hand. In order to win the top prize, the couple had to spin a five-number straight with all the numbers reading in either ascending or descending order from left to right. No money was awarded for straights with the numbers in any other order during the Super Spin-Off.

References

External links

''Spin-Off'' on IMDb
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spin-Off (American game show) 1970s American game shows 1975 American television series debuts 1975 American television series endings CBS original programming Television series by Nicholson-Muir Productions