"Huh?" (from Game Shows) Trivia Quiz

Answer: Perennial

The premise of "Cash Cab" is that people enter a cab fully expecting a regular ride somewhere. In fact, the cab driver is the host of the show. He asks them questions and awards money for each correct answer. If they get three questions wrong, the cab pulls over wherever it is and the contestant has to get out.

The contestant gets one phone call for help and can also ask one person on the street for help. I guess if you have to depend on a total stranger for help with a question like this, you get the answer you deserve.

Answer: Blefescu

Blefescu is a fictional island in "Gulliver's Travels" by Jonathan Swift. Corfu is a real Greek island, Isle of Man is in the United Kingdom and Elba is an Italian island where Napoleon was once exiled.

In "Family Feud", two families square off against each other by trying to guess the most popular answers to different questions. After about the top four correct answers are on the board, it becomes difficult to choose another correct one. You are essentially trying to guess what about five people out of 100 would say--which is how you get someone stating that Rhode Island is a fictional place!

Answer: Hallowed

"The Weakest Link" originated in the United Kingdom, but has been licensed in such places as Thailand, Azerbaijan, Nigeria and Estonia, as well as France, Germany, Japan, the US and many others. The caustic Anne Robinson hosted the UK and US versions. Interesting tidbit: her catchphrase when dismissing a contestant, "You are the weakest link", was lampooned by the media when she lost her driver's license after her fourth speeding citation was "You are the fastest link."

"Our Father, who art in Heaven, Howard be thy name?" I don't think so, Einstein.

Answer: South

I suppose if you were moving north, you could say a compass heading of 180 would be backwards. More accurately, though, 180 refers to South, 90 refers to East, 270 refers to West and 360 or 0 refers to North.

"$ale of the Century" (spelled with a $ instead of an S) ran from 1969 to 1974, first with Jack Kelly, then ex-baseball player Joe Garagiola, hosting. For some reason, it was resurrected in 1983 and ran for six more seasons with Jim Perry as the host. "$ale of the Century's" gimmick was that, at various times during the show, whoever was in the lead was given the opportunity to use his or her winnings to buy a prize at a tiny fraction of its value. A compass would have been a good purchase for our "backwards" contestant.

Answer: Colorado

The consensus is that the name Colorado came from the Spanish word for "red". The name actually refers to the coloration of the Colorado River. West Virginia got its name because it was west of Virginia.

"Trivial Pursuit", which aired from 1993-95, was loosely based on the board game of the same name. Contestants endeavored to be the first to correctly answer a question in all six Trivial Pursuit categories. Wink Martindale, the hardest working man with the coolest name in the game show world, hosted. "Trivial Pursuit" was one of fifteen game shows Mr. Martindale hosted in his career.

Answer: New York City

I'm not saying a person could not make it in Phoenix. My cousin found very gainful employment there. But so far, there has not been a Liza Minelli movie called "Phoenix, Phoenix". There was a movie titled "New York, New York". This lyric appears in the theme song for that movie.

The premise of "Press Your Luck" was that contestants could earn "spins" by correctly answering questions. The spins occurred on an 18-square board. The squares would light up in seemingly random sequences. In point of fact, the show originally used only five sequences and one player, Michael Larson, was able to exploit that by recognizing the sequence and stopping on certain squares. When the contestant pressed a button, they would get whatever was behind the lighted square. Sometimes it was a prize. Sometimes it was a Whammy. Getting a Whammy took away their winnings to that point. There is no truth to the rumor that the Whammy character was a caricature of actor and karate expert Chuck Norris.

Answer: What is a rake?

"Jeopardy" first aired in 1964. It has had more than 8,400 episodes. The show has had two famous hosts: Art Fleming and Alex Trebek. "Jeopardy" is also noted for its special tournaments, including "Celebrity Jeopardy", "College Championships", "Teen Tournaments", an annual "Tournament of Champions", and "Senior Tournaments" (for people over the age of 50).

Answer: Age 50 makes you a senior. Question: What is something that is just wrong, Alex?

What Ken did not know was that a rake, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is a libertine or dissolute man; in short, an immoral pleasure seeker. Oh, by the way, this Ken was Ken Jennings, often described as the "winningest" contestant on the show.

Answer: Egg roll

"Bingo America" appears on The Game Show Network. It has been hosted by Patrick Duffy (of "Dallas" fame) and Richard Karn (of "Home Improvement" fame). There are two contestants in this game. A bingo ball comes out of a hopper and a question is asked.

A correct answer earns the player the amount of money on the ball as well as the letter. The first person to spell "Bingo" is the winner of that round. Luckily for some of the contestants, they do not have to know how to spell Bingo. The balls are placed in the correct order automatically.

It is a best of three match.

Answer: Pear

Loganberries are red, Granny Smith apples are green and sweet corn is not a fruit--it is a vegetable.

Richard Dawson was the first host of "Family Feud" when it debuted in 1976. Dawson may best be remembered for his role as Newkirk in "Hogan's Heroes". Next came comedian Ray Combs (1988-1994), followed by Dawson again (1994-1995), comedian Louie Anderson (1999-2002), and actor Richard Karn (2002-2006). John O'Hurley became the host in 2006. O'Hurley may best be known for his role as John Peterman on "Seinfeld". He has also done voice work in several cartoons.

Answer: Who are characters in Henrik Ibsen works?

Alex Trebek has also been used as answers by people who were stumped. To the answer "He was born in India in 1841" one contestant replied "Who is Alex Trebek?" And a contestant named Jared, when confronted with "The original one of these on Massachusetts' Little Brewster Island was built in 1716; automation didn't come until 1998" replied "Who is Kebert Xela? (Alex Trebek spelled backwards).