"The Game of LIFE"/"Scrabble Showdown"- HAPPY 2012!

LIFE: In the intro (this was the next-to-last taped episode), Frank's riding in the show's car! But about to ride it themselves towards possibly a Mexican zipline getaway are:

Team #1: Madison (who has three cats, two fish, a bird named Byrd & a dog), Dina (mom/veterinarian) & Adam (a brother/uncle who's learning Russian)
Team #2: Zach (who makes bird calls), Phyllis (a traveling mom) & Greg (husband/uncle/computer geek)

First Careers This Year: Cat Breeder & Snake Wrangler

Team Madison: Cat Breeder

1. A Sphynx's missing what- its tail or fur?
Guess: Fur

2. For the first several months of their lives, all kittens' eyes are what color- blue or black?
Guess: Blue (300)

3. What's a proper term for a group of cats- clowder or cluster?
Guess: Cluster (because of mom)

Final Question: A cat w/ black & orange fur's called what- a Halloween cat or a tortoiseshell?
Guess: Tortoiseshell (700)

Last Career of the Round: Beekeeper

Team Zach: Snake Wrangler

1. Snakes belong to what group- amphibians or reptiles?
Guess: Reptiles

2. Which is true of all snakes- they don't chew their food or they don't have a spine?
Guess: They don't have a spine

3. What don't snakes have- eyelids or nostrils?
Guess: Eyelids (400)

FQ: What's the largest snake in the world- Anaconda or African Spitting Cobra?
Guess: Anaconda (800)

First Round 2 Explorations: The Rainforest & Antarctica

Team Zach: The Rainforest

1. What's the most poisonous creature found in the rainforest- snake or frog?
Guess: Frog (1K)

2. What do the trees in a rainforest release into the atmosphere- oxygen or carbon dioxide?
Guess: Oxygen (1,400)

Extra Gas Question: Most animals found in the rainforest live where- on the forest floor or on top of the trees?
Guess: On top of the trees (2K)

4. Which popular flowering potted plant's native to Central American rainforests- Tulip or Poinsettia?
Guess: Tulip (that's found in Holland)

FQ: The shrubs & plants growing beneath the main canopy of a rainforest are called what- the bottom feeders or the understory?
Guess: Understory (3K)

Last Available Adventure This Week: The Undersea World

Team Madison: The Undersea World

1. When traveling in groups, what undersea creatures breathe in unison- squid or orcas?
Guess: Orcas (900)

2. What does the clownfish have the ability to do- switch from male to female or cause other fish to laugh?
Guess: Switch from male to female (1,300)

EGQ: Underwater, dolphins receive sound through what- their jaws or fins?
Guess: Jaws (1,900; must sweep this round in order to win a bonus prize)

4. Which of these undersea creatures doesn't have a brain- starfish or octopus?
Guess: Starfish (2,700)

For a BP: Which one of these's called a "smack"- a group of piranha or a group of jellyfish?
Guess: Jellyfish (3,700)

BP PICK: Even- 2 (one-hour boat ride on the Catalina Express within Catalina Island; the CE's celebrating their 30th Anniversary)

Final Round: While it's "snowing" in the studio, the first two players from both teams have to help build snowmen by finding three different-sized "snowballs" before tossing them to their final partners, who will place the balls in the right order; each successful snowman's valued at 500 points.

WINNERS- RT (6,200-5K)

GRAND PRIZE ROUND:

Dina: If you were a pet, would you be a cat or dog?
Guess: Dog- WOOF

Adam: Would you rather swim w/ sharks or giant sea turtles?
Guess: Turtles- YOU BET

Madison: You have one hour to spend in the snow; would you build a snowman or go sledding?
Guess: Sledding- RIGHT AGAIN

PICK: Even
Bonus Numbers: 5 (Madison), 3 (Dina) & 1 (Adam)
GP NUMBER: 6- SWEEP! (Pueblo Bonito Emerald Bay Nuevo Mazatlan)

SS: On the second-taped episode, the teams are:

Melissa & Helen (L.A.)
Zoe & Bill (Lake Forest, IL)

Flash Prize: DXG camcorder
Line: HCPAE

BT: CHEAP, PACE & PEACH = 14
RT: CAP, CAPE, CHAP & PACE = WIN W/ :10 LEFT

(Note: During the early tapings, for each correct Flash word, the table will turn from blue to green for a few seconds instead of the blocks turning green.)

Dream Trips:

RT: Maui (they're planning on bringing their mom & brother & they've never been there)
BT: Tahiti (in order to swim w/ dolphins w/ their dad)

Scream Prize: Casio keyboard

(Notes: For at least this playing, each team chooses from three virtual Scrabble tile bags & both teams stand together trying to solve the words.)

BT: #3
First Giver: Helen

1. RIPOFF
2. JET LAG
3. FOGHORN
4. LIPSTICK
5. PEP TALK (:33)

RT: #2
FG: Zoe

1. DUGOUT
2. ROWBOAT
3. BOXCAR
4. LAYOVER
5. EGGNOG (one second left)

Babble Prize: Pulse Nitro Scooter

(Notes: The grab bags are in play for this game also & the words progressively get longer as they went along at this time.)

BT: #1 (in honor of mom's left-handed sister)
FG: Melissa

1. MAP
2. BELT
3. GRAVE
4. SCREAM
5. TRAINER (:40; Melissa wanted to try TRAILER first)

RT: #2
FG: Bill

1. OUT
2. ROLE
3. FLAME
4. BETTER
5. HALLWAY (:09 left)

RT LIGHTNING BONUS TILES: G + F + M + D + W + H = 19

(Notes: In the early tapings, different colored borders are used on the readerboard for each round. Flash uses blue, Scream uses red, Babble uses green & the usual black's used for Lightning; the Lightning title ends w/ an exclamation mark for some reason. Finally, the blue scoreboard's incorrectly placed w/ the RT.)

1. TEWET- A bird-like update
RT: TWEET (35)

2. GAYRVTI (up/down from the second T)- Always brings you down to earth
BT: GRAVITY (14)

3. RWEHE (up/down from the first E)- The question is what, when, why &...?
BT: WHERE (25)

4. AKRMET (across from the second E in WHERE)- Stock, super or farmer's
BT: MARKET (37)

5. TUTLER (down from the T in MARKET)- A slow starter
RT: TURTLE (41)

6. ADBGE (across from the B)- Star of the sheriff's department
RT: BADGE (50)

7. UPIMER (right from the U)- Makes calls at home (base)
RT: UMPIRE (70)

8. YGTRUO (right from the Y)- Cultured dining
RT: DINING (80)

9. CAERAM (up/down from the A in MARKET)- It needs to stay focused
STUMPER (A: CAMERA)

10. PARIOTT (up from the T in YOGURT)- Tom Brady's a true this
BT: PATRIOT (64)

11. VGOLE (left from the E in CAMERA)- It's handy
RT: GLOVE (98)

12. ATNENAN (across from the E in TURTLE)-
BT: ANTENNA (85)

13. NABD (across from the A in GRAVITY)- Marching music
RT: BAND (112)- TOTAL CLEAN SWEEP #2!!!