Amnesia (game show) explained

Alt Name:	Amne$ia
Runtime:	60 minutes
Creator:	Mark Burnett
Presenter:	Dennis Miller
Country:	United States
Network:	NBC
Num Episodes:	8

Amnesia (stylized as Amne$ia) is an American television game show that aired on Fridays at 8:00 PM ET on NBC, after debuting on February 22, 2008 at 9:00 PM ET after 1 vs. 100. Contestants win money by answering questions about their own lives. The program was produced by Mark Burnett, producer of other shows like Survivor, The Apprentice, and Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, and was hosted by comedian Dennis Miller.^[1] Contestants were able to win up to $250,000.

Gameplay

The game was played in five rounds:

Round 1: You In 60 Seconds

Instead of standard welcome intros, Amnesia began with a speed round. The contestant had 60 seconds to answer seven questions, winning $1,000 for each correct answer, for a maximum of $7,000. There was no penalty for wrong answers, and the money won in this round was the contestant's to keep.

Rounds 2–4

Round	Questions	Value	Maximum total
2	3	$5,000	$15,000
3	2	$10,000	$20,000
4′	2	$20,000	$40,000
Maximum possible total			$75,000

In the next three rounds, the contestant was sent to a soundproof booth and a loved one was asked about various events they have shared with the player. The contestant then returned and was asked questions. Occasionally, in lieu of a question, the contestant had to complete a stunt to be credited with a correct answer (such as trying to place the names of five obscure body parts on a dummy within 30 seconds); a frequent stunt was a blindfolded taste test of a familiar family recipe, with three imitation dishes. A total of seven questions were played throughout those rounds, and the maximum possible total was $75,000.

Round 5: Total Amnesia

Question	Value
1	$25,000
2	$50,000
3	$100,000

Risk was a factor in this round, so the player was given the option to stop or proceed before each question in this round.

If they chose to proceed, a question was chosen by picking one of their supporters, each holding an envelope that contained a question about their relationship. The contestant did not need to have the full value of a question in their bank in order to attempt it (e.g., a player with $5,000 was allowed to attempt the $100,000 question).

A correct answer to a question in that round added money to the player's bank, but a wrong answer subtracted that amount. Before each question the player had the option to stop and take the money already won, but if at any time the bank fell to $0, the game ended and the player left with whatever they won in round 1.

If the player answered all 10 questions in the main game and all seven questions in the speed round, the player won a maximum total of $250,000.

U.S. Standard Ratings

The ratings for Amnesia were as follows while competing for another game show My Dad Is Better Than Your Dad.

	Air Date	Timeslot	Rating	Share	18-49	Viewers	Weekly Rank
1	February 22, 2008	9:00 P.M.	4.6	8	2.4/7	7.44	TBA
2	February 29, 2008	8:00 P.M.	3.4	6	1.3/4	5.10	TBA
3	March 7, 2008		3.4	6	1.4/5	4.73	75
4	March 14, 2008		3.2	6	1.4/5	4.81	76
5	March 21, 2008		3.5	7	1.3/5	5.15	64
6	March 28, 2008		3.5	7	1.3/5	5.02	69
7	April 4, 2008		3.0	6	1.3/4	4.51	73
8	April 11, 2008		2.8	5	1.0/4	4.06	79

International versions

Country	Name	Presenter	Channel	Date of transmission
(pilot)	Amnesia	Terry Wogan	Channel 4	Unknown
	Amnesia	?	Nine Network	2008
	Você se lembra?	Zé Américo	SBT	July 6, 2009 – February 22, 2010

Notes and References

News: Andreeva . Nelie . Two more games in play at NBC from Mark Burnett . reuters.com . . January 29, 2008 . February 2, 2008.