Identity (game show)

Identity was a reality/game show, hosted by magician Penn Jillette of Penn & Teller and produced by Reveille where contestants could win a prize money of up to US$500,000 by matching 11 strangers one-by-one to phrases about their identities.

Identity
Created byTim Puntillo
Developed byReveille Productions
Presented byPenn Jillette
Narrated byJoe Cipriano
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes12
Production
Executive producer(s)Ben Silverman
H.T. Owens
Andrew Golder
Tim Puntillo
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time60 minutes
Production company(s)A Golder Productions
Valencia Productions Incorporated
Reveille Productions
Release
Original networkNBC
Original release
  • December 18, 2006 (2006-12-18) – April 27, 2007 (2007-04-27)
External links
Website

The TV program was aired originally on NBC from December 18, 2006 to April 27, 2007. There were plans for NBC to air a second season later in the year, but it was never announced.

Format

A contestant is introduced to 11 strangers, each standing on a numbered podium. After seeing the strangers, the contestant is presented with a list of 12 identities (facts including occupations, hobbies, ages, height/weight etc.), each of which applies to at least one of the 12 strangers. While an identity may match multiple strangers, there is only one way to assign the identities uniquely to each stranger. Based primarily on visual observation, the contestant chooses an identity and tries to match it with the correct stranger. In order to make a decision final, the contestant must "seal the identity" by pressing their palm down on a provided podium after saying which stranger they think matches that identity. Jillette, sometimes after finding out the stranger's first name, then asks the stranger "Is that your identity?" The stranger confirms or denies his or her identity. Confirmation is often made in a manner pertinent to the identity, either through a statement (e.g., a baseball umpire saying "Safe!"), or by demonstration (e.g., jumping rope). Jillette would often tease the stranger for going to a commercial break by saying either, "Isn't it a good time to take a break?" or "It's time to take a break." On one episode, Jillette would be too shy to say "Is that your identity?" and would cut to commercial.

For each correct match made, the contestant's potential winnings increases:

Correct matches Amount won
1$1,000
2$5,000
3$10,000
4$15,000
5$25,000
6$50,000
7$75,000
8$100,000
9$150,000
10$250,000
11$500,000

At any point during the game, the contestant may chose to quit the game with the winnings won up to the point. No money levels are guaranteed; if the contestant make a mistake without being saved by the "Mistaken Identity" help (see helps), the game is over and the contestant leaves empty handed.

Helps

After a contestant makes two correct matches or makes a mistake, whichever comes first, he or she is informed of the three "helps" available to him or her only once at any point throughout the course of the game. The first of the three helps is simply a rule of the game, while the other two may be used at anytime:

  • Mistaken Identity: The contestant is given a "free pass" after sealing an identity to an incorrect stranger. The help can only be used on the first 10 levels, after which the help is simply taken out of play. Upon using the help it can actually make a pair of decisions, with each implying the other via process of elimination.
  • Tri-dentity: The contestant chooses an identity and the number of strangers to choose from is narrowed down to three: the correct stranger and two incorrect strangers. The player must choose the correct stranger out of the three that matches the identity. Upon using the help, unless if a "Mistaken Identity" is already used, the contestant must solve the identity but they are not allowed to pick another identity. The help is usable for the first eight levels, after which it will be forfeited when only four strangers remain.
  • Ask The Experts: The contestant chooses an identity and a panel of three experts gives their individual informed opinions on which stranger matches it. In the first week of shows, the panel included a body language expert (Mark Edgar Stephens), a psychologist (Dr. Deborah Anderson), and an FBI behavioural expert (Christopher Whitcomb), although private investigator Bill Stanton has substituted for Whitcomb in some episodes. The experts have no inside information about the strangers. They rely solely on professional training and personal experience to make educated guesses. The contestant is not bound to solve that identity once the Experts have given their opinions—nor is the contestant required to abide by those decisions—and may solve another identity or choose to go home. The experts do not have to reach a consensus. Each member of the panel may provide a different guess for a particular identity. This help is available at any point in the game.

In addition to the three explained helps, there are several other points of assistance offered to the contestant:

  • During Identity's premiere week, Jillette would ask the contestant which stranger he or she wants to know more about. He will then ask that stranger their first name, and several pieces of information which are not directly related to any of the identities, such as whether they have any pets. When Identity debuted as a weekly series, this was formalized: at the beginning of the game, the contestant may ask for the first names, and a biographical fact, about three of the twelve strangers. After the third correct match, the contestant can ask about two of the remaining nine strangers, and after the sixth match, may ask about one of the remaining six.
  • After the fourth correct match, Jillette introduces the contestant's friends and/or family members (in much the same way as Howie Mandel does on Deal or No Deal). The friends and family typically have a suggestion prepared as to the identity of one of the strangers after they are introduced. However, the friends or family members may sometimes lead a person to match an identity to the wrong stranger or take the money when they would have won the grand prize.
  • The audience is not obligated to remain silent until an identity is sealed. The audience often voices their opinion on a selection. Occasionally when a contestant fails to recognize a celebrity of some sort and tries to select him or her for the wrong identity, the audience can dissuade the contestant with their reaction.
  • Jillette himself, particularly on early identities, has shown apparent intention on warning, or hinting at the contestants when they are making a blatantly erroneous selection, though he also sometimes is prevented from doing so by a contestant's quick sealing of an identity.

Identities and strangers

The 11 strangers stand on individually numbered podiums and are referred to mainly by their number, though their first names are often revealed in the progress of the show, either by Jillette or the contestant asking.

Usually at least one identity is made blatantly obvious from physical appearance alone (blatant examples include a "Sumo wrestler" in fighting garb, and a "George W. Bush impersonator"). Celebrity strangers may be easily recognizable by the contestant or the contestant's friends (once they are allowed to help). There were no intentionally misleading costumes (e.g., a physicist dressed as a sumo wrestler when both "physicist" and "sumo wrestler" were possible identities), although strangers often break stereotypes (e.g., a female prison guard, a goateed, long-haired nuclear physicist wearing a leather jacket, or a preschool teacher dressed in a bikini). There was even a missionary wearing a bikini in one episode.

Strangers have confirmed their identities in a variety of ways; musicians, for example, have been handed instruments and asked to play if they can (similarly, opera singer Jennifer Wallace revealed her identity by holding a very high note). Some "skill" identities have been confirmed by demonstration; for example, a (male) go-go dancer danced on stage. Sometimes strangers perform from their podiums, while others are brought to the front of the main stage. Other strangers confirm their identities with a remark which pertains to their identity. An NFL player hesitated and then signaled "It's good" with his hands signaling a field goal, while a mall Santa laughed "ho ho ho". Most follow their comment up with "Yes, I am [the identity]" (though the audience reaction often masks this), and some strangers say only that.

In cases where the stranger is prepared to demonstrate his or her identity, but the contestant selects the wrong stranger for that identity, the mistaken stranger will be asked to try to demonstrate that identity, only to refuse at the last moment and confirm that he is not that identity. Strangers that were prepared to demonstrate their identity but were not given the opportunity (in the event the game ends prematurely) may be asked to demonstrate this when the full answers are revealed to the player.

Season Summary

$500,000 winners

Three contestants had identified all 11 strangers correctly and won the top prize:

  • Robert Talon (aired December 19, 2006) - identified a National Football League player (Ray Crockett), a reality television starlet (Brittny Gastineau), an immigrant from Russia, a blackjack dealer (named Pamela), and a belly dancer (named Ava), which was his final correct answer. The remaining unguessed identity was that of violinist.
  • Christina Howard (aired March 16, 2007) - the last two strangers were a prison guard and an astronomer; Howard was the only top prize winner without making a mistake during the course of the entire game (i.e. not using "Mistaken Identity").
  • Christian Saulnier (aired April 27, 2007) - the last two strangers were a chimney sweep and pickpocket Apollo Robbins; Saulnier made a mistake once on guessing stranger #6 as an air guitar champion (the actual stranger was #1).

$250,000 winners

Among the contestants, one contestant won $250,000 but opt not to risk the winnings to identify the last two strangers:

  • Nicci Guzik (aired December 21, 2006) - Guzik would have guessed the identities for strangers #9 and #11, respectively as a crime scene investigator and a kidney donor; had she took the risk, she would've lost. This final scenario is a prime example of how better strategic thinking might have helped a contestant: Stranger #9 was wearing a knee-length dress, whereas #11 was wearing a shirt and separate skirt. Had she thought about dramatic ways for the strangers to reveal their identities, Guzik might have realized that a person wearing separates, but not a person in a dress, could lift her shirt to reveal the scar from her donation surgery, such that producers might have planned such a "reveal" and advised the kidney donor to wear separates; therefore, all else being equal, the person wearing separates would be more likely to be the kidney donor.

Strangers

The twelve people on the show whose identities are being guessed are known as strangers. The following are some famous strangers that have appeared:[1]

Interactive game

During the first season, in addition to the regular game, like two other NBC game shows, Deal or No Deal and 1 vs. 100, there was an at-home game open to residents of the continental United States called "The Identity Challenge", where an at-home player chosen at random won $10,000 (US$) by choosing which of five strangers represents a product, or a profession related to the advertised product.[4]

On the first two nights, three of the five were revealed to be incorrect throughout the game, and the answer was revealed before the final commercial break. On the next three, there was no such narrowing; all five strangers remained throughout the show.

To encourage viewers to watch television commercials during the show, the correct answer to the "Identity Challenge" question was revealed during a related commercial within the first 20 minutes of the show.[4]

When the series returned on March 16, 2007, the show did not have an interactive feature.

Ratings and episode air dates
Episode # Air date Rating Share 18–49 Total Viewers
1 December 18, 2006 7.6 12 4.5 12.1
2 December 19, 2006 5.4 9 3.0 8.4
3 December 20, 2006 5.5 9 3.0 8.5
4 December 21, 2006 6.1 11 3.1 9.2
5 December 22, 2006 5.0 9 2.4 7.4
6 March 16, 2007 5.8 10 2.9 8.7
7 March 23, 2007 3.7 8 1.8 5.5
8 March 30, 2007 4.8 8 1.6 6.4
9 April 6, 2007 4.1 8 1.7 5.8
10 April 13, 2007 4.4 8 1.9 6.3
11 April 20, 2007 3.3 6 1.4 4.7
12 April 27, 2007 3.5 7 1.5 5.0

International versions
CountryNameHostChannelPrizeYear aired
 Azerbaijan Kim kimdir? Azer Axsham (2008–2010)
Vusal Murtuzaliyev (2017–2018)		 Azad Azerbaijan TV 10,000₼ 2008–2010
2017–2018
 Chile Identity Vivi Kreutzberger Mega Cl$50.000.000 March 22, 2010
 China 猜的就是你 Zhang Shaogang Guangxi TV Gift pack of family's dream January 2, 2013
 Denmark Identity-hvem er hvem? Thomas Mygind Kanal 5 500,000kr February 14, 2008
 Finland Tuntemattomat Jaakko Saariluoma MTV3 €30,000 January 11, 2008 – June 12, 2009
 France Identity Jean-Luc Reichmann TF1 €150,000 February 14, 2009 – June 5, 2010
 Georgia ინტუიცია
Intuitsiya		 Nika Kavtaradze Imedi TV 20,000ლ May 13, 2010 – mid-2010s
 Greece Tαυτότητα
Taftótita		 Miltos Makrides Star Channel €150,000 2007
 Hong Kong 亮相 Eric Kot TVB HK$200,000 May 5, 2008
 Italy Soliti ignoti – Identità nascoste
Soliti ignoti – Il ritorno		 Fabrizio Frizzi (2007–2012)
Amadeus (2017–present)		 Rai 1 €250,000
€500,000 (2017–present)		 2007–2012
2017–present
 Israel מסדר זיהוי
Misdar Zihui		 Shlomo Baraba Channel 10 ₪500,000 June 13, 2007
 Mexico Identidad Andrés Bustamante Azteca 13 MX$250,000 July 18, 2007
 Russia Интуиция
Intuyitsiya		 Viktor Loginov TNT 1,000,000 руб.
500,000 руб.		 September 7, 2007 – April 27, 2013
 Singapore Identity Muhammad Syamim Mediacorp Channel 5 (2007–2009)
Events TV Plus (2017–present)		 S$100,000 August 27, 2007 – December 26, 2009
October 19, 2017 – present
 South Korea 공통점을 찾아라 Suh Kyung-Suk SBS 50,000,000₩ March 2008
 Spain Identity Antonio Garrido La 1 €100,000 July 16, 2007 – 2008
 Thailand ใครคือใคร Identity Thailand Kathsepsawad Palakawong na Ayuthaya Workpoint TV ฿100,000 February 7, 2013 – February 13, 2016
 Turkey Kimsin Sen? Mustafa Sandal Star TV 150.000 TL February 14, 2010 – 2010s
 Ukraine Інтуїція (1–4 season)
Суперінтуїція (5 season)
Intuitsya / Superintuitsya		 Andriy Domanskyi (1–2 season)
Alexander Pedan (3–4 season)
Serhiy Prytula (5 season)		 Novyi Kanal 50,000 ₴ 2010–2011
2015
 United Kingdom Identity Donny Osmond BBC Two £10,000 2007
  •  Australia – While Australia never made a local version of the program, Channel Ten played out all twelve episodes of the American series.

Notes
gollark: Apparently university here costs exactly £9250 a year because that's the governmental limit on tuition fees.
gollark: I have an entire £1.90 in my bank account.
gollark: Also safety stuff.
gollark: Probably... communication, vaguely speaking?
gollark: Oh, I think that's just the "chemical formulary" or something.

References
  1. Identity on IMDb
  2. Leibovitz, Annie (June 1, 2015). "Introducing Caitlyn Jenner". Vanity Fair. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  3. Pound, Mike (February 2, 2012). "George Bush look-alike finds new career at restaurant". The Joplin Globe. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
  4. "IDENTITY "Play-at-Home Game" Official Rules". NBC. Retrieved December 21, 2006.
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