NO WHAMMY, NO WHAMMY, BIG BUCKS, BIG BUCKS, AND NO STOP: Set your VCRs, fire up the TiVo.
On Wednesday, March 16, from 9-11p eastern, the Game Show Network presents BIG BUCKS: The Press Your Luck Scandal, a documentary tribute to Michael Larson, a true hero of our age.
For those who don't remember the show, Press Your Luck was a game show based on a wall of flashing TV screens which featured money in dollar amounts, prizes and the dreaded cartoon Whammy. On each "spin", contestants stopped the flashing sequence and “landed” on a spot on the screen. Land on a prize, win the prize; land on a Whammy, and a mischevious cartoon would erase your winnings. Some prizes also included a free additional spin -- valuable if you could use it wisely, but also one more chance to lose it all on a Whammy.
Larson, an unemployed ice cream truck driver from Ohio, figured out that there were only six sequences for how the Whammys and lights moved around the board. Armed with this knowledge, he headed to California to become a contestant. He was selected for the show, and found out he was right. Larson successfully completed 40 consecutive spins without a Whammy, winning an astonishing $102,000 (and largely in cash) before surrendering his remaining spins to his foes.
In the end, Larson won the game and left with $110,237, with over $100,000 of it in cash, more in one episode than anyone had achieved in a five-episode run (as most winners walked away with around $10,000). The producers realized that someone was amiss, but also determined that Larson had done nothing illegal. Larson was allowed to keep his money, but was not invited back the next day to defend his title.
The producers immediately introduced 16 more random sequences into the mix to foil future Larsons. The episodes only aired once. Larson died of cancer in 1999, having spent all his winnings within two years.
As part of the March 16, celebration, Larson's original co-contestants, Ed Longoff and Janie Dakan, will be facing off against Larson's brother in a rematch (of sorts). In the meantime, way more than you'd ever want to know about Press Your Luck is located at Game Show Central, including a play-by-play of Larson's triumph, including video footage.
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