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''The Chamber'' 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 ...
that aired on
Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...
in January 2002. The show featured contestants answering questions while strapped into a
torture chamber A torture chamber is a room where torture is inflicted.
, in which they were exposed to either very hot or very cold temperatures alongside other environmental extremes, such as high winds or simulated earthquakes. After only three of its six taped episodes were aired, the series was cancelled due to low ratings and controversy over the show's content.


Gameplay


Pre-game faceoff

To begin, two contestants (always one male and one female) were given a category by host Rick Schwartz. The contestants went back and forth, providing a single answer that fit the category, until one person either gave an incorrect answer, duplicated an answer, or took too much time. At that moment, the opponent could score a point by giving one more right answer. The first to score two points in this way moved on to the main game.


Main game

Before entering the Chamber, the contestant was offered a $500 buyout to leave the game, which nobody took. To begin, the contestant was strapped into a chair, arms raised over the head. During the pre-game setup, a computer would choose whether the contestant would play against the "hot" or "cold" chamber.


Rules

Each player's goal was to answer as many questions, and to last in the chamber as long as possible. The player would be said to have won if they remained in the chamber, correctly answering questions through all seven rounds. Otherwise, the game could end in any of the following ways: * Answering two consecutive questions incorrectly. * The player's "stress quotient" exceeding a predetermined "Danger Zone" threshold for 20 seconds. Viewers only knew that it was an equation that used blood pressure, heart rate and body temperature as variables. However, unlike ABC's '' The Chair'', players were not penalized monetarily for exceeding their Danger Zone. * The show's medical staff could stop the game if they felt that the player would not be able to continue, or had been rendered unconscious from the stress. Neither of these happened, though one contestant, Jennifer Basa, nearly reached that point, and had to receive clearance from the show's medical staff in order to continue. * The player could voluntarily end the game by saying, "Stop the chamber!" As each round began, one minute was put on the clock and questions were asked to the player, each worth $1,000 if answered correctly. If the game ended for any of the aforementioned reasons above, the money was cut in half. If the player beat the level, the game would go into stop down mode for ten seconds, allowing Schwartz to check the contestant's status, after which the conditions inside would intensify. The maximum amount of questions was not stated, but with six questions per level and seven levels, the potential top prize would be $126,000.


Conditions

If the winner could also manage to answer 25 questions or more correctly, the total winnings would be tripled. Additionally, that environment would be retired, and something new created. It was reported that plans for future chambers centered around themes such as
water Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a ...
, electric (shock) or insects; Bill Carter of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' wrote that the latter may have involved "500 flies" released into the chamber. Only two variants of the chamber were depicted on the episodes which aired: a "hot" chamber and a "cold" chamber.


Show format

For the first two aired episodes, there were three games played per hour. For the final episode, a fourth game was added to fill out the time. A male voice (Tony Rodgers) asked the questions, and a female voice (
Karly Rothenberg Karly Rothenberg is an American film and television actress. Rothenberg is best known for her roles as warehouse worker Madge “Pudge” Madsen on ''The Office'' and Ms. Erin Shapiro in the Netflix mockumentary '' American Vandal''. She played ...
) would let contestants and viewers know when the Chamber was transitioning into higher levels and shutting down. However, on the last-aired episode, Schwartz asked the questions as well as conducting interviews during the down time.


Production

The series was developed by
Mike Darnell Michael H. Darnell (born 1962) is an American television executive and former child actor. He is currently the president of unscripted and alternative television at Warner Bros. He spent nearly 19 years at the FOX network as president of alternat ...
, then head of alternative programming at Fox, in conjunction with
Dick Clark Productions Dick Clark Productions (DCP, stylized in lowercase as dick clark productions or dcp) is an American multinational television production company founded by radio and TV host Dick Clark. The studio primarily produces award shows and other music en ...
. Darnell claimed he was inspired by ''
Fear Factor ''Fear Factor'' is an American stunt/ dare game show that first aired on NBC from 2001 to 2006 and was initially hosted by comedian and UFC commentator Joe Rogan. The show was adapted by Endemol USA from the original Dutch series titled ''Now or ...
'', which had debuted on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
in 2001, and wanted ''The Chamber'' to emphasize the "visceral" effects the game had on the contestants, telling Bill Carter of ''The New York Times'', "I want to hear if they are in pain or suffering". Preston Beckman, a fellow Fox executive, believed Darnell conceived and produced the show with the intent of leading viewers to wonder if "Fox might actually kill someone on television". The producers of the
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
game show '' The Chair'', which also premiered in early 2002 and had previously been pitched to Darnell at Fox, sued over alleged similarities between the two programs, including contestants answering trivia questions in a high-stress environment with their vital signs monitored throughout. Fox countersued, claiming that the ABC program had sent producers to "spy on the set" of ''The Chamber''. In a 2007 book, Carter reports that Darnell did in fact conceive the show as a response to ''The Chair'', and that ''The Chamber'' was rushed into production in November 2001 after ABC beat out Fox for the rights to the other show. ''The Chamber'' began taping at
Hollywood Center Studios Sunset Las Palmas Studios, formerly General Service Studios and Hollywood Center Studios, is an American independent entertainment production lot located at 1040 North Las Palmas Avenue in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, providing stage facil ...
in late December 2001. Sportscaster
Matt Vasgersian Matt Vasgersian ( '; born 1967) is an American sportscaster and television host. Vasgersian is a play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Angels, as well as a studio host for MLB Network and FOX Sports. In the past, he has served as an an ...
was initially chosen to host, but objected to the show's content and quit, walking off set "in disgust" during a rehearsal. He was replaced by Rick Schwartz, a
sports radio Sports radio (or sports talk radio) is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sporting events. A widespread programming genre that has a narrow audience appeal, sports radio is characterized by an often- boisterous on-ai ...
host in Los Angeles. During production, an incident occurred when the chamber malfunctioned and briefly left a contestant trapped inside the hot chamber, with crew members unable to either release them from the set or turn off the heating effects for "some moments," though they were freed without injury.
Gail Berman Gail Berman (born August 17, 1956) is an American producer and television executive. She is co-owner and founding partner of The Jackal Group, a production entity formed in partnership with Fox Networks Group. The Jackal Group develops and produc ...
, then the president of Fox, was on set at the time and greatly disturbed by the event. Being produced in parallel with ''The Chair'', ABC and Fox competed to get their respective shows on the air first, with ''The Chamber'' ultimately premiering on Sunday, January 13, 2002, two days before ''The Chair''.


Reception

''The Chamber'' received negative reviews, with Carter reporting that the show caused "a critical outcry over subjecting people to what appeared to be torture for the entertainment of television viewers". ''
The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries. Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...
''s
Kevin Cowherd Kevin Cowherd is an American author, humorist and former award-winning sports and features columnist for ''The Baltimore Sun''. He is the author, along with Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr., of ''The New York Times'' best-seller ''Hothead'' and five ...
called the show "a sordid, putrid mess". In ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'', Phil Gallo described it as "a prototype for the joy-free gameshow". The series premiered to around ten million viewers in the United States, performing best among younger audiences, but viewership had declined to 5.6 million by the third episode, when it had been moved to Friday nights. It was cancelled as Fox executives concluded that its declining viewership made it hard to justify continuing a show "that was generating so much hostile reaction". One contestant, Scott Brown, passed through all seven levels of the cold chamber and answered twenty questions correctly; he won $20,000, more than any other contestant on the show. After his game however, he was hospitalized for
hypothermia Hypothermia is defined as a body core temperature below in humans. Symptoms depend on the temperature. In mild hypothermia, there is shivering and mental confusion. In moderate hypothermia, shivering stops and confusion increases. In severe h ...
, and sued Fox and the producers of the show. The lawsuit was settled out of court, and Brown was awarded an additional $100,000 for compensation.


References


External links

*
Official site (via Internet Archive)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chamber 2000s American game shows 2002 controversies in the United States 2002 American television series debuts 2002 American television series endings Fox Broadcasting Company original programming Television controversies in the United States Television series by Dick Clark Productions Works about torture