Fun & Fortune

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Fun & Fortune is a game show that was part of the Missouri Lottery. The show was broadcast from the 1990s until late 2002. (The Missouri Lottery began in 1986, and still operates). Its studios are located in Kansas City, Missouri.

To be eligible to appear on Fun & Fortune, potential contestants purchased a certain scratch-game ticket. The hosts were and ; (better-known Geoff Edwards hosted the pilot, according to an interview on Blog Talk Radio). Fun & Fortune was created by , son of game show legend Bob Stewart.^[1]

Overview[]

Fun & Fortune consisted of a computerized game board upon which 2 preliminary games were played. Each game was played by 3 Missouri Lottery players. The winner of each game joined the returning champion in the Championship Game with the winner of that game moving on to the Bonus Game known as The Missouri Multiplier.

The two preliminary games for each episode came from a library of games. Some of the game titles were, Top That!. Finder's Keepers, Crazy Eights, 9-Ball, and Nest Egg. Players could win thousands of dollars in these games with the winner of each game moving on to The Championship Game.

The strategy of the games centered around when to play and when to pass. Each player was allowed a given number of strikes (always three). If a player ran out of strikes, they were out of the game, but left with the total showing on their podium, and no player left with less than $500.

In The Championship Game the two winners and the returning champ faced a board with 13 boxes. Behind nine of these boxes were Xs. Behind the other four were 0s. The Money Line started with $1. Each time a zero was uncovered it was added to the Money Line so the first zero found made the line worth $10, the second $100, the third $1,000 and the fourth $10,000. The player who found the fourth zero won the game and the money. Each player started the game with 3 strikes. If a player selected a box that did not have a zero, they lost a strike. If they lost all 3 strikes they were out of the game. If a player found a zero, they were awarded the commensurate amount of money and had the option to play again or pass to the next player in turn.

The winner of the game got to take the $10,000 to the bonus game, The Missouri Multiplier, where they could risk part of the 10 grand for a chance to turn it into as much as $250,000 (originally $100,000). If two players struck out, and the last player did not complete the total of $10,000, the bonus round was not played and the show ended.

In The Missouri Multiplier, the numbers 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 1/2, 1/2 were randomly hidden behind the letters in the word MISSOURI. At the end of the game the player's $10,000 would be multiplied by one of these numbers. The player started by selecting two of the letters. Next, what was behind the letters the player did not select was revealed. Thus two possibilities remained. For example, the 6 and one of the 1/2s might still be hidden. The player now knew he or she could end up with as much as $60,000 or as little as $5,000. The player next had to select one of the two remaining letters to see which one of these amounts would be theirs. However, before deciding the player was offered a new car and other incentives not to play. The car and incentives changed depending upon the 2 numbers left on the board. In our example the player might be offered a prize package worth $40,000 not to play. If the player turned down the car and other prizes they made their final selection.

By the way, if, when the player first selected their two letters and after revealing what was not selected it was determined that both 1/2s were the two numbers still on the board, the player automatically won the grand prize of $250,000.

Regardless of the outcome of this game the player returned to face two players on the next episode's Championship game.

Location[]

The show was taped in St. Louis. Diane Thompson appeared on the show.

Sounds[]

The "boop" used to select an option carried over from the "time's up" from Hollywood Showdown. The "strike" sound was done by a marimba glissando downward. The "correct" sound was a B-flat electronic pitch, and a correct choice to mark a win resulted in a repeated series of said electronic pitches.

The Missouri Multiplier used a different sound to reveal the numbers 2-7 or the fraction 1/2 behind the letters in the word "MISSOURI."

Stations[]

• Joplin/Pittsburgh - KOAM (Channel 7/CBS)
• Kansas City - KMBC (Channel 9/ABC)
• St. Louis - KTVI (Channel 2/Fox)

References[]