"The Game of LIFE"/"Scrabble Showdown" 12/11

LIFE: Frank meets these families tonight before trying to send one of them to the Tanque Verde Ranch:

Team #1: Natalie (roller coaster fanatic), Enrique (aspiring sports broadcaster) & Christine (a mom who takes annual family trips to Las Vegas)
Team #2: Sebastian (who wants to be the best archaeologist ever), Walter (a brother who wants to invent the flying car) & Marianna (a mom who enjoys knitting clothes)

Round 1:

First Careers of the Week: Professional Wrestler & Weatherman

Team Natalie: Weatherman

1. If you were standing five miles away from a lightning strike, what would happen first- you would see the lightning flash or you would hear a thunderclap?
Guess: Lightning flash

2. What other state, besides Alaska, has never had a record high above 100 degrees- Minnesota or Hawaii?
Guess: Minnesota

Final Question: An anemometer's an instrument for measuring what- wind speed or humidity?
Guess: Wind speed (400)

Third Career: Bug Collector

Team Sebastian: Bug Collector (boo!)

1. It's impossible for a common housefly to do what- bite you or fly upside down?
Guess: Bite

2. How does a cricket hear- w/ its legs or wings?
Guess: Legs (300)

3. The bite of a tsetse fly can cause what- sleeping sickness or stomach sickness?
Guess: Sleeping sickness (600)

FQ: What's a praying mantis actually doing when it looks like it's praying- waiting for food or sleeping?
Guess: Waiting for food (1K)

R2 Career Theme: Live in _______
First Two Places: An igloo & Hawaii

Team Sebastian: Hawaii

1. By law, no building on the Hawaiian island of Kauai can be what- made of bamboo or taller than a palm tree?
Guess: Taller than a palm tree (1,200)

2. "Ukulele" is an Hawaiian word that means what- "jumping flea" or "pretty noise"?
Guess: "Pretty noise"

Extra Gas Question: What's the state nickname of Hawaii- The Luau State or The Aloha State?
Guess: The Aloha State (1,800)

4. What language has more letters in its alphabet- English or Hawaiian?
Guess: English (2,600)

FQ: Olympic champion Duke Kahanamoku's credited w/ popularizing what activity- surfing or ocean kayaking?
Guess: Surfing (3,600)- CLINCHES BONUS PRIZE

Final Possible Destination in the Round: San Francisco

Team Natalie: S.F.

1. What happened that caused the population of S.F. to grow dramatically- gold was discovered nearby or land was given away for free?
Guess: Gold was discovered nearby (600)

2. Lombard Street in S.F. claims to be what- the world's crookedest street or the world's longest street?
Guess: The world's crookedest street (1K)

EGQ: Why is the Golden Gate Bridge painted orange- it's the state color of California or to be more visible to passing ships?
Guess: To be more visible to passing ships (1,600)

4. S.F.'s the only American city that still has working what- cable cars or drawbridges?
Guess: Cable cars (2,400)

FQ: If a ballplayer hits a ball over the right field fence of S.F.'s at&t Park, where is it more likely to land- in a parking lot or in S.F. Bay?
Guess: S.F. Bay (3,400)

BP ROUND PICK: Odd- 10 (Medieval Times)

They miss out on a $1K Beverly Hills shopping spree.

Final Round: This is the third time the photo challenge's being done, but w/ holiday items being asked for.

WINNERS- BT (5,600-5,400)

GRAND PRIZE ROUND:

1. Which do you think is creepier- a cockroach or a centipede w/ 1K legs?
Marianna: Cockroach- YES

2. Would you rather spend time swimming w/ dolphins or exploring live volcanoes?
Sebastian: Swimming- NO

FQ: Which holiday do you like more- Halloween or Fourth of July?
Walter: Halloween- YES

PICK: Even
Bonus Numbers: 9 (Sebastian) & 3 (Walter)
GP NUMBER: 8- WIN!

Next week should be their Christmas show.

SS: Where in the world might these teams be going?

Melissa & Jake- Washington, D.C.
Aubrey & Sabrina- Europe

Babble Prize: Roller derby inline skates

M & J:

1. DOG
2. GLUE
3. BLINK
4. RACKET
5. WEATHER- NEW RECORD! (:24)

A & S:

1. RUB
2. BURN
3. SLIDE
4. TICKET
5. WHISTLE- YET ANOTHER RECORD! (four seconds left- :20)

Speedword: As of right now, this is the only episode where we'll see this new game played. There are five letters on an eight-circle board; three of them appear on the top line & the other two are on the middle line. The teams will use the bottom line to form up to four three-letter words by sliding the appropriate letters down to that bottom line.
Prize: CASIO keyboard

RT Letters In Play: MECAR
BT Letters In Play: IPNET

M & J: CAR, EAR, RAM & ARE (:47)
A & S: PIE, TIE, TIN & PIN- WIN W/ :26 LEFT!

Flash Prize: Sony laptop
Line: RELYA

M & J: RELAY, LAY, REAL & RAY = 15
A & S: RELY, REAL, RELAY & LAY = WIN BY A POINT W/ :12 REMAINING!

LIGHTNING BONUS TILE BOARD:

(J)(G)(W)(Y)
(X)(D)(C)(B)
(F)(Z)(P)(V)
(H)(K)(M)(Q)

BT: Y + X + D + B + M + Q = 30

1. HCPSI- Computer, poker & potato
RT: CHIPS (24)

2. CALSTE (down from the C)- A nice place to draw a bridge
RT: CASTLE (32)

3. KJEOS (up from the S in CHIPS)- They're good for laughs
BT: JOKES (46)

4. LMBSA (right from the L)- They feel a little sheepish
BT: LAMBS (55)

5. DIOL (across from the O)- America picks one every year
RT: "IDOL" (42)

6. UNRISSE (across from the S in CASTLE)- It'll dawn on you
BT: SUNRISE (62)

7. ACHIN (up from the N)- Where to find a missing link
RT: CHAIN (52)

8. EOCJKY (across from the C in CHAIN)- He horses around for a living (& this was a bonus puzzle solved by Byron Pope for $100K on "Wheel of Fortune" in late April '03)
BT: JOCKEY (84)

9. ELOWB (across from the E in JOKES)- It'll give you the bends
RT: ELBOW (62)

10. TTTOTO (up from the O in ELBOW)- Skin-deep
BT: TATTOO (96)

11. SNDAAL (down from the first S in SUNRISE; fourth tripler to date)- Don't put a sock in it
BT: SANDAL- FIRST-EVER TOTAL CLEAN SWEEP!!!! (117)

They're also having a Christmas show next week!