| Host (2001) | |
| Troy Stevens (played by Paul Reubens) | |
| Announcer (2001) | |
| Cookie Masterson (voiced by Tom Gottlieb) | |
| Broadcast | |
  ABC Primetime: 6/20/2001 – 7/18/2001 | |
| Packagers | |
| Ron Greenberg Productions (1996 pilot) Jellyvision Panamort Television Carsey-Werner-Mandabach Company, LLC. (2001 series) | |
You Don't Know Jack was a short-lived, primetime game show based on the best selling computer game of the same name.
Format[]
Three contestants competed for the first three rounds, with only two going on to the final "Jack Attack" round.
Round 1[]
In this round, Stevens asked a series of questions, usually worth $1,000, although some opening questions were asked for lower amounts. Most questions were multiple choice (just like the computer game), but some were simply open-ended questions with no choices. The player who buzzed in and got the question correct won the money. (Unlike the computer game, an incorrect answer to a question did not lose money except for the "DisOrDat" and the "Jack Attack" rounds as described below.)
After up to three questions were played, the round ended with a mini-round called "DisOrDat", which had a similar format to the computer game. Stevens gave the players a clue and the contestants had to choose one of the two possible answers or occasionally both. Correct answers were still worth $1,000. If any player gave an incorrect answer, the others could not steal; also, in the DisOrDat, a player giving a wrong answer had $1,000 taken away.
Round 2[]
This was the same as Round 1, except the questions were worth $2,000. This round always featured a "pop quiz". This question was often so difficult, no average contestant would be able to answer it correctly; other times it would twist into an much easier question, or the answer was so obvious, players didn't earn money. The round ended with a feature called "The $2,000,000 Question". The question's value would start at $2,000,000 and decrease rapidly over time, starting from the moment Stevens began to read. While he was doing so, a lengthy distraction would occur; during this time, the value continued to decrease, and would typically be under $200 when he finally finished reading the question. Whoever eventually answered the question correctly won the remaining money. If the contestant gives a wrong answer, the other contestants have a chance to steal, however the money would continue to decrease until somebody gets it right.
Round 3[]
This round featured questions worth $3,000 apiece. Always popping up in this round was a question under the category of "Things That Sound Dirty but Aren't", where the contestants were given a category and four items, and they had to pick the one that doesn't belong.
For the final question of the round, worth $5,000, the players on either end of the row put up an opaque partition between themselves and the center player. Then all three contestants were asked a math question involving several elements of pop culture and fact, performing the operations in the order they appeared in the question. They had 30 seconds to solve the problem using a dry-erase board and marker; during their thinking time, there would be a distraction. At the end of the round, the partitions were removed, and the correct answer was revealed by Stevens. The players then revealed their answers, usually in in order of score form lowest to highest. Any player answering correctly earned $5,000.
After the final question, the two higher scorers moved onto the "Jack Attack". In an event of a tie for 2nd Place, one more "Sudden Death"-style question was read to the tied players. The first to buzz in was the only one who could answer. If he/she was right, he/she advanced; if he/she was wrong, his/her opponent would advance. The eliminated player received that episode's consolation prize (which was revealed at the start of this round) and would usually would be seen on camera disappearing via a CGI effect (often exploding in a cloud of flames).
Final Round: Jack Attack[]
This round was played between the two remaining contestants. Stevens' head would pop up on the screen as both a comical sight and a possible distraction. The players were given a category and a series of clues. A series of answers then flew onto the screen. When an answer that fit both the category and the clue appeared on the screen, the players would buzz in and call out the answer. Correct answers were worth $5,000, but every incorrect answer given deducted $5,000 from the player's score. After six questions, the player with the higher score won the game and kept his/her money, while the other player received the consolation prize.
Photos[]
Inventor[]
Based on the computer games of the same name by Jellyvision Games (now Jackbox Games) and Berkeley Systems.
Music[]
Eban Schletter
Studios[]
WGN-TV, Chicago, Illinois (1996 pilot)
CBS Television City, Hollywood, California (2001 series)
Trivia[]
The main reason why the show was cancelled was because of low ratings and fans of YDKJ were not aware of its existence until it was too late.
On the aired premiere, Regis Philbin made an appearance during the cold open, calling "Troy" from the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? set and giving him tips on how to be a good game show host. A later episode referenced the title of the show as "Who Wants to Marry a Farm Animal?".
This was the first ABC Primetime game show that was hosted by a fictional character. Sixteen years later, the second was the summertime reboot of The Gong Show hosted by British star Tommy Maitland (played by Mike Myers) in 2017.
Catchphrases[]
You Don't Know Jack/Catchphrases
Links[]
You Don't Know Jack @ Game Show Garbage
Canceled too Soon: Ep. 58 - You Don't Know Jack (2001)