Bzzz!
Bzzz! is an American relationship game show that first aired in limited syndication, produced by Ralph Edwards-Stu Billett Productions in cooperation with Tribune Entertainment, which handled distribution.
| Bzzz! | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Neal Brennan Cynthia Kitts Anthony Marsh |
| Directed by | Bob Loudin |
| Presented by | Annie Wood |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Ralph Edwards Stu Billett John Rhinehart |
| Producer(s) | Lynn Speigel Annie Wood (co-producer) |
| Running time | approx. 22-24 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Ralph Edwards-Stu Billett Productions 435 Production Company |
| Distributor | Tribune Entertainment |
| Release | |
| Original network | Syndication |
| Original release | January 22, 1996 – September 5, 1997 |
The series premiered on January 22, 1996 for a limited trial run, primarily on Tribune's own group of stations; it later expanded to full national syndication for one season, airing from September 9, 1996 to September 5, 1997, with reruns continuing on some stations until 2001. The show was hosted by Annie Wood, who also served as co-producer.
Reruns of the series were first aired on WGN America from 2000 to 2001 (including the original "trial run" season), while Buzzr aired the series Saturday nights from February 15, 2020 to July 19, 2020.
Premise
The show itself was a fast-paced variant of The Dating Game in which a bachelor and bachelorette competed against each other to win a date with a member of the opposite sex, as well as money.
Round 1
The bachelorette went first. Each of the four prospective dates were introduced one at a time, with the bachelorette knowing their names but not what they looked like as they stood behind a screen that only showed their silhouette. The bachelorette would ask each of the four men a question, and based on the answers they gave selected one to eliminate from the round.
Play then moved to a table where the bachelorette sat down. In front of her were a bell and a buzzer. One at a time, she called out a bachelor who came out and sat down for an interview with her. She had a total of two minutes to interview the men. If she did not like what she heard, the bachelorette would hit a button on the buzzer, which immediately darkened the stage and displayed the “Bzzz!” logo, and Wood would escort the rejected man off the stage. The bachelorette was then asked to explain her actions, with the rejected man wearing headphones so he could not hear what she said. If the man responded in a manner that she approved of, she would ring the bell and the two would become partners.
The round continued until the bachelorette rang the bell, buzzed all three men, or the clock ran out. In the latter two instances, the bachelorette would be forced to partner with the man she rejected in the introductions. If she made her decision before the clock ran out, any men she did not get to see was brought out and commented on his rejection.
In the second half of the show, another round was played with a man trying to choose a prospective date from four women.
Round 2 (Simpatico)
In Simpatico, the partners tried to earn money and win a prize package for themselves. To do this, they had to match each other’s answers.
Each partner stood on an area of the stage with a giant wall between them so they could not see each other. Wood would hand them each a sign with the answer choices for that particular round on either side. One at a time, she would then ask five questions and the partners would answer by holding the sign so it displayed their choice. Each time they matched, it was worth $100 and if they matched on all five questions, their cash total doubled to $1,000.
The couple in the first half of the show set a mark with their total that the couple from the second half had to beat, using a different set of question and answer choices. The couple with the most money at the end of the second Simpatico round won the game and the respective prizes, while both teams got to keep their money.
Early on in the show’s run, Simpatico would not be played until both couples had been paired, and seven questions paying off at $50 per match were asked. The same $1,000 bonus for a perfect score was in place.
Tiebreakers
In the event of a tie, two tiebreakers were used during the show's run.
Season 1: One couple was asked a percentage question, and asked to offer an answer. The remaining couple had to guess if the correct answer was higher or lower than the answer the first couple gave. Whichever couple was more accurate, won the game.
Season 2: Both couples were asked the question, and both couples offered an answer. Whichever couple was closest without going over won the game. In the event both couples were over, the winner would be the couple that went over the least.
Final Bzzz!
Introduced halfway through the initial trial run, The Final Bzzz! was played like the interview segments from earlier. This time, the roles were reversed and the winning bachelor/bachelorette had to answer questions from the man or woman he/she selected. If the prospective date approved of his/her responses, they rang the bell and the couple won an all-expenses paid date. If instead the prospective date did not approve, he/she hit the buzzer and the round ended, but he/she would receive a prize as a consolation.