Cram! : the BSU Game Show Project : an honors thesis [(HONRS 499)]
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The BSU Game Show Project came into being after eight months of brainstorming and planning. The concept was developed during my studies at Harris Manchester College. Teams of two contestants answer questions from categories ("classes") based on the BSU curriculum. Right answers are worth one to four points (A, B, C, D), wrong answers get zero points (F). The team's cumulative score is the average of its score for each question ("gradepoint average"). A "midterm" round asks contestants to write their answers individually. The final round involves bidding between teams as to who can answer the most questions in a given category. The "Bonus Board" offers a chance for additional points or bonus prizes. The big catch: contestants only find out their scores after "midterms" and "finals," adding to the suspense and strategy. The winner is revealed dramatically at the end of the show. The seven episodes form an eight-team tournament among students from BSU campus organizations (multicultural groups, fraternities/sororities, residence halls, athletics, etc.) The emphasis is not on pure intelligence, but on well-rounded general knowledge, teamwork, and strategy.The planning, production, and promotion of the show required the assistance of a team of twenty to thirty students, faculty and departmental guidance, and business sponsorship. Initial sales and promotion was in September and October. Set building and contestant auditions occurred in October. November and December saw question writing and preliminary rehearsals. Production took place over two Saturdays in January, followed by post-production work until March. The website, www.bsucram.com, went live on March 1st; and the show began airing on March 17th. The final championship episode aired April 28th, with the BSU Storm Chase Team defeating the Residence Hall Association.