The Wall (American game show)

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The Wall
TheWallNBCLogo.jpg
GenreGame show
Created byAndrew Glassman
LeBron James
Developed byAndrew Glassman
LeBron James
Maverick Carter
Directed byAlan Carter
Michael Dempsey
Presented byChris Hardwick
Opening theme"Behind the Wall"
Ending theme"Wall of Will" and "Trophies"
ComposerMichael Lord
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons4
No. of episodes63
Production
Executive producers
  • Chris Hardwick
  • LeBron James
  • Andrew Glassman
  • Maverick Carter
Production locationsWarner Bros. Studios, Burbank, California (2016–2018)
Universal Studios, Universal City, California (2018–present)
Camera setupmulti-camera
Running time42–44 minutes
Production companies
  • Glassman Media
  • SpringHill Entertainment
  • CORE Media Group
DistributorUniversal Television
Banijay SAS
Release
Original networkNBC
Picture format1080i HDTV (16:9)
Audio formatStereo
Original releaseDecember 19, 2016 (2016-12-19) –
present
External links
Website

The Wall is an American television game show airing on NBC, which premiered on December 19, 2016. The show is hosted by Chris Hardwick, who also serves as executive producer on the show along with LeBron James, Maverick Carter, and Andrew Glassman.[1]

In 2018, Telemundo announced plans for a Spanish-language version of The Wall, which premiered in January 2020. Telemundo's version of the game show is hosted by Marco Antonio Regil.

Broadcast[]

Two special episodes aired on November 22, 2017 and December 27, 2017. A special Christmas themed episode aired on December 4, 2017.[2] The second half of the second season premiered on January 1, 2018. Season 3 premiered on March 15, 2020.[3] After going on a brief hiatus in July 2020, new episodes resumed broadcast on September 24, 2020. On September 30, 2020, the series was renewed for a fourth season of 20 episodes.[4] The fourth season premiered on January 4, 2021.[5] A special Tokyo 2020 Olympics episode aired to raise money for the Team USA fund on February 22, 2021. A special Red Nose Day episode aired on May 27, 2021.

Gameplay[]

The Wall is a four-story tall (40 ft) pegboard, similar to a pachinko game or bean machine; it also is similar to the board used for the Plinko pricing game on The Price Is Right. The bottom of the board is divided into 15 slots marked with various U.S. dollar amounts; eight of these range from $1 to $100 and remain constant throughout the game, while the others have higher values and increase from round to round. Balls can be put into play from seven numbered "drop zones" on the top edge of the board, directly above the seven centermost money slots.

A team of two contestants plays each game, attempting to bank as much money as possible by answering questions correctly and landing balls in high-value slots.[6][7] Green balls dropped on the board will add to the team's bank, while red balls dropped on the board will subtract from it. Throughout the game, the bank has a floor of $0.

Round 1: Free Fall[]

In Free Fall, the team is asked a series of five questions, each with two answer choices. As each question is asked, three balls are simultaneously released from drop zones 1, 4, and 7. The team must select one answer and lock it in before the first ball crosses the threshold of a money slot. If the team's answer is correct, the balls turn green and their values are added to the team's bank. If the team answers incorrectly or fails to lock in an answer, the balls turn red and their values are subtracted from the team's bank.

If the team's bank balance is zero at the end of this round, the game ends immediately and they leave without any winnings. Otherwise, their earnings become part of a guaranteed payout to be offered to them at the end of the game.

Starting with Season 4, the team may choose to double the total value of any one question by pressing a gold "Free Fall Plus" disk while the balls are falling.

The highest amount that a team can bank in this round is $375,000 in the first three seasons; this was later increased to $450,000 for the fourth season.

The values on the board range from $1 to $25,000, and are arranged as follows:

$1 $5,000 $100 $20,000 $10 $10,000 $1 $25,000 $1 $10,000 $10 $20,000 $100 $5,000 $1

Round 2[]

At the start of the second round, the contestants are separated from each other for the rest of the game. One enters an isolation chamber behind The Wall, while the other remains onstage. A set number of green balls are played simultaneously at the beginning of the round. Three multiple-choice questions are then played, each with three answer choices. The onstage player is shown only the answers to each question and must decide which drop zone to use, based on how confident he/she is that the isolated player can answer correctly. The question and answers are then presented to the isolated player. After he/she responds, the ball is dropped from the chosen zone. A correct answer turns the ball green and adds the value of the slot it lands in to the team bank, while a wrong answer turns the ball red and deducts the value. The isolated player is not told which of his/her answers are correct or given any information on the team bank until he/she is brought out of isolation near the end of the game.

The onstage player is offered an opportunity to "Double Up" on the second question and "Triple Up" on the third. These options allow the onstage player to play two or three balls from the selected drop zone instead of one, respectively. After the third question, if the banked total is at least $1 more than the number of green balls played at the start of the round, an equal number of red balls are played simultaneously from the same zones.

In the first two seasons, two initial green balls were played from different zones chosen by the onstage player, and a team could bank up to $1,999,998. Beginning with the third season, seven initial green balls are played in a "SuperDrop," one from every zone, and a team could bank up to $3,249,993; the maximum slot value was reduced to $150,000 for the fourth season (thus reducing the maximum bank to $1,949,993).

The values on the board range from $1 to $250,000 (later $150,000), and are arranged as follows:

$1 $5,000 $100 $10,000 $10 $25,000 $1 $50,000 $1 $100,000
$75,000		 $10 $125,000
$100,000		 $100 $250,000
$150,000		 $1

Round 3[]

Gameplay proceeds as in Round 2, but each of the three questions now has four answer choices. In addition, four green and four red balls are played at the start and end of the round respectively, and are dropped one at a time, rather than simultaneously. The "Double Up" and "Triple Up" options are available as before. The maximum amount that a team can bank in this round is $9,999,996.

The values on the board range from $1 to $1,000,000, and are arranged as follows:

$1 $50,000 $100 $100,000 $10 $200,000 $1 $300,000 $1 $400,000 $10 $500,000 $100 $1,000,000 $1

Final Decision[]

After the third question in Round 3, the isolated player is sent a contract by the host, and he/she must sign it or tear it up. Signing the contract gives up the team bank in favor of a guaranteed payout, equal to the Free Fall winnings plus an additional $20,000 for every question answered correctly in Rounds 2 and 3. If the isolated player tears up the contract, the team receives their final bank total instead. After the four red balls have dropped in Round 3 and the final bank is calculated (or after the last question if there is less than $5 banked), the isolated player returns to the stage to reveal his/her decision. Only at this point does he/she learn the number of correct answers given, the payout total, and the team's final bank.

The maximum possible guaranteed payout in the first two seasons is $495,000, obtained by scoring $375,000 in Free Fall and answering all questions correctly in Rounds 2 and 3. The maximum possible bank total in the first two seasons is $12,374,994, obtained by answering every question correctly, using every Double Up and Triple Up option, having every green ball drop into the highest-valued slot, and having the six mandatory red balls each drop into a $1 slot. In the third season, the maximum possible total is $13,624,989 due to the number of mandatory green/red balls increasing to 11 each. For the fourth season, the maximum payout and bank totals are $570,000 and $12,399,989, respectively, achieved through use of the double-value option in Free Fall, and the reduced maximum slot value in Round 2.

Critical reception[]

The Wall has received mixed reviews by critics. Jan Chaney of Vulture dubbed The Wall as being "the most stereotypically American game show on television right now" and "absurd yet undeniably diverting."[8] Chaney criticized the show for making "attempts to sell us something new, even though its concept is really based on old ideas [...] mixed up just enough [to] seem fresh".[8]

Bethonie Butler of the Chicago Tribune agreed that "The Wall looks a lot like the famed Plinko game from CBS", but qualified that "originality is relative when it comes to game shows", remarking on the similarity between popular trivia game shows such as Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?[9]

European production[]

In Europe the production is made in a studio in Poland where the 4 stories high wall is located. The crew of the show are mostly a local Polish crew and the producers, the host and participants flown in time to the filming of the show.[10]

International versions[]

Legend:   Currently airing     No longer airing     Upcoming version  

Country Title Presenter Channel Airdates Top slot value Possible top prize
 Arab World The Wall الجـدار Mohammad Sal MBC 1[11] February 14, 2018 – May 2, 2018 SR300,000 SR3,712,494
 Argentina The Wall: Construye tu vida Marley Telefe[12][13] October 1, 2017 – December 31, 2017 AR$200,000 AR$2,274,995
 Australia The Wall Axle Whitehead Seven Network[14] October 30, 2017 – November 19, 2017 A$1,000,000 A$12,374,994
 Belgium
( Flanders) 		The Wall: De muur die geeft en neemt Niels Destadsbader VTM[15] September 4, 2017 – November 7, 2017 €100,000
 Brazil The Wall
(part of Caldeirão do Huck) 		Luciano Huck Rede Globo[16] March 10, 2018 – present R$150,000
 Canada
( Quebec) 		Face au Mur Maripier Morin TVA[17] January 18, 2018 – March 2, 2018 C$200,000 C$2,599,994
 Chile The Wall Rafael Araneda Chilevisión[18] June 20, 2018 – August 29, 2018 CL$20,000,000 CL$247,499,940
 Colombia The Wall Andrea Serna Caracol Televisión[19] January 30, 2018 – February 26, 2018 COP$200,000,000 COP$2,274,999,500
 Denmark The Wall - Danmark Felix Smith Kanal 5[20] September 5, 2019 – present Kr 100,000 Kr 1,137,495
 Finland The Wall Suomi Heikki Paasonen Nelonen[21] September 22, 2018 – December 8, 2018 (Season 1)
February 16, 2019 – May 4, 2019 (Season 2)
October 5, 2019 – December 7, 2019 (Season 3) 		€50,000 €629,994
 France The Wall : Face au mur Christophe Dechavanne TF1[22][23] February 27, 2017 – August 18, 2018 €150,000 €1,824,995
 Germany The Wall Frank Buschmann RTL[24] July 1, 2017 – August 11, 2017 (Season 1)
August 3, 2018 – August 24, 2018 (Season 2) 		€250,000 €3,069,994 (Season 1)
 Greece
 Cyprus 		The Wall Grigoris Arnaoutoglou ANT1[25] May 10, 2018 – July 27, 2018 €50,000 €629,994
 Hungary A Fal Balázs Sebestyén RTL Klub[26][27] November 19, 2017 – June 8, 2018 Ft.8,000,000 Ft.100,899,940
 India (Tamil Nadu) The Wall Priyanka Deshpande and Ma Ka Pa Anand Star Vijay[28][29] October 12, 2019 – March 7, 2020 ₹2,000,000 ₹24,749,994
 Israel The Wall Zvika Hadar Reshet 13[30] February 7, 2018 – October 2, 2018 500,000₪ 6,187,494₪
 Italy The Wall Gerry Scotti Canale 5[31] November 20, 2017 – January 6, 2019 €100,000 €1,474,994
 Japan The Wall 壁から生きる TBS[citation needed] ¥10,000,000 N/A
 Netherlands Winston Gerschtanowitz SBS 6[32] April 22, 2018 – May 27, 2018 (Season 1)
January 13, 2019 – February 14, 2019 (Season 2) 		€500,000 €6,187,494 (Season 1)
 Philippines The Wall Philippines Billy Crawford TV5 (via Viva Television)[33] March 13, 2021 – September 11, 2021 ₱1,000,000 ₱12,374,994
 Poland The Wall. Wygraj marzenia Paweł Orleański TVP1[34] (Seasons 1-4)
TVP2 (Season 4)
 September 22, 2017 – December 29, 2017 (Season 1)
January 5, 2018 – June 9, 2018 (Season 2)
September 14, 2018 – January 4, 2019 (Season 3) 		100,000 zł 1,237,494 zł
Maciej Kurzajewski March 8, 2019 – October 6, 2019 (Season 4) 1,237,494 zł
 Romania The Wall – Marele Zid Valentin Butnaru Antena 1[35] September 13, 2017 – present 150,000 Lei 1,894,994 Lei (Season 1)
 Russia Стена Andrey Malakhov Russia 1[36] October 22, 2017 – December 9, 2017 5,000,000 Ruble 61,874,400 Ruble
 Slovenia Stena POP TV[citation needed] €150,000
 Spain The Wall: Cambia tu vida Carlos Sobera Telecinco[37] June 23, 2017 – September 8, 2017 €100,000 €1,374,995
 Thailand The Wall กำแพงพลิกชีวิต Vuthithorn "Woody" Milintachinda ONE HD[38][39] January 6, 2018 – July 21, 2018 (Season 1) ฿500,000 ฿5,599,995 (first 16 episodes)

฿6,099,994 (the rest of the series)

Pakachon Wo-Onsri October 20, 2018 – April 3, 2019 (Season 2)
November 23, 2019 – December 21, 2019 (rest of Season 2)
 United Kingdom The Wall Danny Dyer BBC One[40] October 12, 2019 – November 16, 2019 (Season 1)
October 3, 2020 – July 17, 2021 (Season 2)
February 23, 2021 – June 5, 2021 (Season 3) 		£50,000 £687,495
 United States
(in Spanish) 		The Wall Marco Antonio Regil Telemundo January 1, 2020 – January 17, 2020 $200,000 $2,874,994
 Uruguay The Wall: Cumplí tu Sueño Rafael Cotelo Canal 10[41] March 13, 2018 – present U$300,000 U$3,489,995
 Vietnam Tường lửa Võ Vũ Trường Giang VTV3[42] July 18, 2019 – October 3, 2019 (Season 1)
August 20, 2020 – December 31, 2020 (Season 2) 		500,000,000₫ 6,187,494,000₫

See also[]

  • Peggle – a similar game published by PopCap Games
  • Tipping Point – a similar game show airing in the United Kingdom, whereby counters worth £50 are dropped into a "win zone" to win money
  • The Price Is Right – the Plinko game is similar to this game show

References[]

  1. ^ Wagmeister, Elizabeth (28 October 2015). "Chris Hardwick to Host NBC Game Show 'The Wall' from Exec Producer LeBron James". Variety. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  2. ^ Pena, Jessica (November 17, 2017). "The Wall: Season Two Finale & Holiday Special Announced by NBC". TV Series Finale. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
  3. ^ Mitovich, Matt Webb. "NBC Sets Return Dates for The Wall (Finally!), "Reimagined" Little Big Shots". TVLine. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  4. ^ Iannucci, Rebecca (September 30, 2020). "The Wall Renewed for Season 4 at NBC". TVLine.
  5. ^ Kimball, Trevor (November 20, 2020). "Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, Mr. Mayor, The Wall: NBC Sets January Premiere Dates". TV Series Finale. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  6. ^ "The Wall". NBC.com.
  7. ^ Pedersen, Erik (14 November 2016). "'The Wall': NBC Sets Premiere Date For Game Show From EPs Chris Hardwick & LeBron James". Deadline. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b "The Wall Is the Most American Game Show on TV". Vulture. 2017-01-03. Retrieved 2017-01-12.
  9. ^ Butler, Bethonie. "NBC's 'The Wall' is basically a high-tech Plinko game, but viewers probably don't care". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2017-01-12.
  10. ^ Eriksen, Denise (28 October 2017). "The Wall: The strange thing about Seven's new game show". The New Daily. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  11. ^ MBC.net. MBC.net.
  12. ^ "Llega "The Wall: Construye tu vida, con la conducción de Marley". telefenoticias.com.ar. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  13. ^ "The Wall". Retrieved 31 May 2019 – via telefe.com.
  14. ^ Knox, David (7 August 2017). "Auditions: The Wall". TV Tonight. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  15. ^ "Privacy settings". myprivacy.medialaan.be. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  16. ^ "Luciano explica mais sobre o novo quadro do Caldeirão: The Wall - Rede Globo - Catálogo de Vídeos". Retrieved 31 May 2019 – via redeglobo.globo.com.
  17. ^ Vlessing, Etan (June 26, 2017). "NBC's 'The Wall' Game Show Headed to Canada". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
  18. ^ "Así es el nuevo programa de concursos que exhibirá pronto Chilevisión". FMDOS (in Spanish). 2018-05-17. Retrieved 2018-06-21.
  19. ^ "Es oficial: Andrea Serna se une a la familia del Canal Caracol con este concurso". Caracol Televisión. 6 December 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  20. ^ "The Wall - Danmark | discovery+". www.discoveryplus.com.
  21. ^ "The Wall Suomi". Nelonen.fi. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  22. ^ "The Wall - Face au Mur - TF1 - MYTF1". tf1. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  23. ^ "Retour de The Wall-Face au mur (C8) le 25 décembre prochain ! - jeux télévisés". www.jeuxteleactu.com. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  24. ^ "Endemol Shine Germany and RTL close new deal for The Wall". Endemol Shine Group. 5 April 2017. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
  25. ^ "ANT1 TV / THE WALL". www.antenna.gr. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  26. ^ "A Fal nyertesei gyerekeken segítenének a nyereményükkel". RTL.hu. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  27. ^ "A Fal". Retrieved 31 May 2019 – via port.hu.
  28. ^ "The Wall - Coming Soon." – via www.youtube.com.
  29. ^ "Star Vijay's The Wall is an adaptation of the American TV show of the same name". The Hindu. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  30. ^ "The Wall - (דה וול) עונה 1 פרקים מלאים". רשת 13. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  31. ^ "Andamento ascolti al 25 settembre 2017" (PDF). Publitalia. 3 October 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 October 2017. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  32. ^ "BankGiro Loterij The Wall - BankGiro Loterij". www.bankgiroloterij.nl. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  33. ^ "TV5, Umaapaw ang mga Bagong Programa". Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  34. ^ ""The Wall. Wygraj marzenia". Nowy teleturniej jesienią w TVP1 - Telemagazyn.pl" (in Polish). www.telemagazyn.pl. Retrieved 2017-08-04.
  35. ^ "The Wall Marele Zid - Antena 1". A1.RO. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  36. ^ "На канале "Россия" выходит игровое шоу с Андреем Малаховым". russia.tv. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  37. ^ "Telecinco producirá 'The wall', el concurso revelación de la temporada en EE. UU". Telemania. 31 March 2017. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  38. ^ "Asia's First THE WALL !! It feels great to be back". woodytalk. 2 December 2017. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  39. ^ "THE WALL กำแพงพลิกชีวิต". ช่อง one31. 10 December 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  40. ^ "BBC - Danny Dyer to host BBC One's brand new game show, The Wall - Media Centre". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  41. ^ Subrayado. "El estreno de "The Wall" en Canal 10 arrasó con el rating". www.subrayado.com.uy (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  42. ^ MoMo, Ví. "Gameshow Tường Lửa VTV3 cùng Ví MoMo | 20h30 thứ 5". Vi Momo.

External links[]

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