Editing Press Your Luck (section)

==History==
[[File:PYL Publicity Shot.jpg|200px|thumb|left|[[Peter Tomarken]], seen here on the set of the May 1983 pilot, was the original host of ''Press Your Luck''.|alt=A black-and-white picture of game show host Peter Tomarken.]]
''Press Your Luck'' is a revival of an earlier game show format created by producer [[Bill Carruthers]], known as ''[[Second Chance (game show)|Second Chance]]''. This show was hosted by [[Jim Peck]] and aired on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] in 1977. Like ''Press Your Luck'', it also featured contestants answering trivia questions to assume control of a board with cash and prizes. This game board also featured spaces labeled with a devil, who would take away all cash and prizes if the contestant landed on one.<ref name="baber">{{cite book|last=Baber|first=David|title=Television Game Show Hosts: Biographies of 32 Stars|year=2008|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hr9kAAAAMAAJ&q=%22press+your+luck%22+%22second+chance%22+%22game+show%22|pages=213, 253|publisher=McFarland & Company |isbn=978-0-7864-2926-4}}</ref> Carruthers and Jan McCormack began developing ''Press Your Luck'' in 1983.<ref>{{cite book|last=McNeil|first=Alex|title=Total Television: A Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present|year=1991|publisher=[[Penguin Books]]|isbn=978-0-14-015736-9|page=[https://archive.org/details/totaltelevisionc00mcne/page/672 672]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/totaltelevisionc00mcne/page/672}}</ref>

[[Peter Tomarken]], prior to working in television, was an editor for ''[[Women's Wear Daily]]'' magazine.<ref name="EOTGS"/> His first major television role came earlier in 1983 on the [[NBC]] game show ''[[Hit Man (game show)|Hit Man]]'', and he was chosen to host ''Press Your Luck'' after the former was canceled.<ref name="times">{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/192646834/ | title=TV game show host, wife killed | work=[[Los Angeles Times]] | date=March 14, 2006 | accessdate=February 7, 2023 | author=Andrew Blankstein | pages=B1, B9}}</ref> ''Press Your Luck'' began both tapings and airings in September 1983.<ref name="Television City">{{cite web|title=Shows–CBS Television City|url=http://www.cbstelevisioncity.com/shows#|access-date=July 25, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713152856/http://www.cbstelevisioncity.com/shows|archive-date=July 13, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> The show premiered on September 19, 1983, on [[CBS]] at 10:30{{nbsp}}a.m. [[Eastern Time Zone|ET]] (9:30 [[Central Time Zone|CT]]/[[Mountain Time Zone|MT]]/[[Pacific Time Zone|PT]]), replacing ''[[Child's Play (game show)|Child's Play]]''.<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/83-OCR/BC-1983-08-22-OCR-Page-0052.pdf | title=Telecastings | journal=[[Broadcasting & Cable]] | pages=52 | date=August 22, 1983}}</ref> Serving as announcer on the show was [[Rod Roddy]], with whom Tomarken had previously worked on ''Hit Man'', and who later became known for announcing on ''[[The Price Is Right]]''. [[John Harlan (announcer)|John Harlan]] and [[Charlie O'Donnell]] filled in on a few episodes when Roddy was unavailable.<ref name="EOTGS"/> In addition to creating the show, Carruthers served as both [[television director|director]] and the voice of the Whammy. The animations featuring this character were created by animator [[Savage Steve Holland]]; Carruthers personally selected Holland to design the character, and immediately liked Holland's first concept, which he sketched out on a napkin. Holland animated the character via computer software,<ref name="collider">{{cite web | url=http://collider.com/collider-exclusive-interview-savage-steve-holland%20/ | title=Collider Exclusive Interview – Savage Steve Holland | work=Collider | date=August 17, 2007 | accessdate=February 8, 2023 | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190226100037/https://collider.com/collider-exclusive-interview-savage-steve-holland%20/ | archivedate=February 26, 2019}}</ref> thus making ''Press Your Luck'' one of the first game shows to use computer-designed graphics.<ref name="times"/> Author David Baber noted that the Whammy animations were "popular with the viewers". Some of the animations featured the Whammy taunting the contestant and becoming injured or harmed in a manner which Baber compared to a [[Wile E. Coyote]] cartoon. Others featured satires of then-contemporary pop culture figures such as [[Boy George]] or [[Tina Turner]].<ref name="baber"/> [[Ed Flesh]] designed the show's set, and Lee Ringuette composed the show's music.<ref name="EOTGS"/>

On January 6, 1986, CBS moved ''Press Your Luck'' to a different timeslot in order to make room for a [[Bob Eubanks]]-hosted revival of ''[[Card Sharks]]''. ''Press Your Luck'' replaced ''[[Body Language (game show)|Body Language]]'' in the network's 4:00{{nbsp}}p.m. afternoon time slot. Tomarken stated that by the end of 1985, the contract for ''The Price Is Right''  was up for renewal, but CBS was unable to pay [[Mark Goodson]] Productions the kind of money they wanted to continue that show on their network. Goodson came up with the solution of taking over the 10:30{{nbsp}}a.m. timeslot.<ref>David Baber, ''Television Game Show Hosts: Biographies of 32 Stars'', McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 2008, pp. 255</ref> The last episode of the CBS version aired on September 26, 1986. The final tapings took place in August of that same year, when its cancellation was first announced.<ref>{{cite news|title=Afternoon Delete|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Broadcasting_Individual_Issues_Guide.htm|access-date=11 June 2013|newspaper=Broadcasting Journal|date=18 August 1986|page=36}}</ref> Following the cancellation, Tomarken went on to host other game shows including the [[television syndication|syndicated]] show ''[[Wipeout (1988 game show)|Wipeout]]'' in 1988-89, as well as a number of [[infomercial]]s. He and his wife both died in 2006 when a private plane he was piloting crashed in [[Santa Monica Bay]].<ref name="times"/>

===Michael Larson===
{{main|1=Press Your Luck scandal|l1=''Press Your Luck'' scandal}}
''Press Your Luck'' gained media attention in 1984 for the winnings of a contestant named Michael Larson. A self-described unemployed [[ice cream truck]] driver from [[Lebanon, Ohio]], he applied to be on the show that year. By recording episodes at home on a [[videocassette recorder]] and playing them back frame-by-frame, Larson discovered that the [[Pseudorandomness|presumed random patterns of the game board were not actually random]] and he was able to memorize the sequences.<ref name="big bucks">{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/103980798/ | title='Big Bucks' recalls scandal | work=[[The Cincinnati Enquirer]] | date=March 20, 2003 | accessdate=January 31, 2023 | author=John Kiesewetter | pages=F4}}</ref> On the single game in which he appeared, an initially tentative Larson spun a Whammy on his very first turn, but then went 45 consecutive spins without hitting another one.<ref name="big bucks"/> The majority of his spins landed on the highest-valued spaces, which offered $3,000, $4,000, or $5,000, all with an extra spin. The game ran for so long that CBS aired the episode in two parts, on June 8 and 11, 1984. In the end, Larson earned a total of $110,237 in cash and prizes.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/press-your-luck/ | title=Did Game Show Contestant Win by Memorizing Sequence of Lights on Prize Board? | publisher=[[Snopes]] | date=October 20, 2000 | accessdate=January 31, 2023 | author=Barbara Mikkelson, David Mikkelson}}</ref>

After an investigation, CBS executives concluded that Larson's memorization of the board patterns did not constitute cheating and allowed him to keep his winnings. The board was then reprogrammed with over 30 new patterns to prevent subsequent contestants from duplicating his feat. In 1994, ''[[TV Guide]]'' magazine interviewed Larson and revealed the background of this episode including his decision to pass his remaining spins after he lost concentration and missed his target squares.<ref>{{cite news|title=The day the game show got whammied |work=[[TV Guide]] |date=November 26, 1994|pages=26–29}}</ref> The story was featured in a two-hour documentary on [[Game Show Network]] titled ''Big Bucks: The Press Your Luck Scandal'' in March 2003, which Tomarken hosted.<ref name="big bucks"/> In July 2010, Michael's brother James, and his former wife at the time of winning, were interviewed for [[Public Radio International|PRI]]'s ''[[This American Life]]'' for the episode "Million Dollar Idea".<ref name="thisamericanlife1">{{cite web|url=http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/412/million-dollar-idea|title=Million Dollar Idea|date=July 16, 2010|publisher=This American Life|access-date=December 7, 2015}}</ref> His story was also featured on the first episode of Game Show Network's documentary series ''[[Cover Story (TV series)|Cover Story]]'' in 2018.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lyons |first1=Margaret |title=How Much Watching Time Do You Have This Weekend?|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/11/watching/what-to-watch-this-weekend-tv.html |access-date=2018-01-26 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=2018-01-11}}</ref>

[[Paul Walter Hauser]] played Larson in the 2024 film ''[[The Luckiest Man in America]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Richlin |first=Harrison |date=September 5, 2024 |title=The Cast of 'The Luckiest Man in America' Are Betting Big on This Biographical Game Show Thriller — and It Pays Off in Spades |url=https://www.indiewire.com/features/interviews/paul-walter-hauser-walton-goggins-on-the-luckiest-man-in-america-1235042999/ |access-date=December 18, 2024 |website=[[IndieWire]]}}</ref>

===Rebroadcasts, syndication, and digital television networks===
In early 1987, 130 episodes of the show were packaged by [[Republic Pictures]] for off-network syndication to a handful of local stations. These episodes originally aired on CBS from February 25 to August 23, 1985,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/Archive-BC-IDX/87-OCR/BC-1987-01-05-OCR-Page-0185.pdf#search=%22press%20your%20luck%20personable%22 |title=American Radio History }}</ref> and were also the first to be shown on [[USA Network]] from September 14, 1987 to December 30, 1988. ''Press Your Luck'' remained on its schedule until October 13, 1995, when USA dropped its game show block altogether.<ref name="EOTGS">David Schwartz, Steve Ryan & Fred Wostbrock, ''The Encyclopedia of TV Game $hows'', Checkmark Books, 1999, pp. 176</ref>

[[Game Show Network]] aired the show from September 2001 to March 2009, airing episodes from February 1984 to November 1985. Game Show Network resumed airing the show in 2012, airing episodes from the September 1983 premiere to February 1984. From 2014 to 2016, Game Show Network aired episodes 561 to 696, which originally ran from November 1985 to May 1986; after this, Game Show Network aired episodes from 1984 to February 1985 until the show was removed from Game Show Network's schedule again in May 2017. From December 2017 to February 2018, Game Show Network aired episodes from 1984 as part of a Saturday night game show block.<ref>{{cite tweet |author=Game Show Network |author-link=Game Show Network |user=GameShowNetwork |number=944356994386886657 |date=December 22, 2017 |title=Sleigh bells are ringing and so is GSN! Watch Saturday Night classics tomorrow starting at 7P |language=en |access-date=August 30, 2021 }}</ref> On July 2, 2018, reruns of ''Press Your Luck'' started airing on [[GameTV]] in Canada.<ref>{{cite web |title=Press Your Luck Schedule on GameTV |url=https://www.igametv.com/shows/1610/ |access-date=20 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190313071220/https://www.igametv.com/shows/1610/ |archive-date=13 March 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Reruns of Press Your Luck are currently airing in the U.S. on Buzzr.

===''Whammy! The All-New Press Your Luck''===
{{Main|Whammy! The All-New Press Your Luck}}
On April 15, 2002, Game Show Network debuted a revival titled ''Whammy! The All-New Press Your Luck'' (sometimes abbreviated to just ''Whammy!''), with [[Todd Newton]] as host and [[Gary Kroeger]] as announcer, although Tomarken hosted a [[pilot episode]].<ref name="floss">{{cite web | url=http://mentalfloss.com/article/76656/11-whammy-free-facts-about-press-your-luck | title=11 Whammy-Free Facts About ''Press Your Luck'' | work= [[Mental Floss]] | last=Pirnia | first=Garin | date=September 26, 2016 | access-date=March 16, 2017}}</ref> This incarnation of the show featured similar gameplay to the original, and was described by Game Show Network executives as being a modern incarnation of the show. One feature unique to this revival was the addition of a "Double Whammy", which would not only remove all cash and prizes accumulated by the contestant, but also subject the contestant to a physical stunt such as having objects drop from the ceiling.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/445491844 | title=Game Show Network Launches "Whammy! -- the All New Press Your Luck"; New Version of Classic Game Show Brings Back "Big Bucks, No Whammys" for April 15 Premiere | publisher=Business Wire | date=March 22, 2002 | accessdate=February 1, 2023| id={{ProQuest|445491844}} }}</ref> ''Whammy!'' aired in first-run from April 2002 to December 2003.<ref name="floss"/>

===2019 revival===
[[File:Elizabeth Banks by Gage Skidmore.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Elizabeth Banks]] has hosted ''Press Your Luck'' since 2019.|alt=A picture of actress Elizabeth Banks.]]
On February 21, 2019, a casting announcement was released by [[Fremantle (company)|Fremantle]] for a new version of ''Press Your Luck'', advertising opportunities for potential contestants to apply.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Davis |first1=Alex |title=Press Your Luck Revival Now Casting |url=http://buzzerblog.com/2019/02/21/press-your-luck-revival-now-casting/ |website=BuzzerBlog |date=21 February 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Silver |first1=Marc |title= ABC's 'Press Your Luck' reboot could use a fresh new spin |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/express/2019/06/17/abcs-press-your-luck-reboot-could-use-fresh-spin/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=17 June 2019}}</ref> [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] confirmed in early 2019 that the network was partnering with Fremantle to reboot the series, with pre-production on new hour-long episodes of ''Press Your Luck'' and ''[[Card Sharks]]'' already underway and taping slated to begin sometime in the first portion of the year. John Quinn (a producer on ''[[Celebrity Name Game]]'') is the executive producer.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Adalian |first1=Josef |title=No Whammy! ABC Is Bringing Back Press Your Luck and Card Sharks |url=https://www.vulture.com/2019/03/press-your-luck-card-sharks-reboots-abc.html |website=vulture.com |date=13 March 2019 |access-date=13 March 2019}}</ref> Actress [[Elizabeth Banks]] was selected to host.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Nakamura |first1=Reid |title=Elizabeth Banks to Host ABC's 'Press Your Luck' Reboot |url=https://www.thewrap.com/elizabeth-banks-to-host-abcs-press-your-luck-reboot/ |website=TheWrap |access-date=2 May 2019 |language=en |date=2 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Dove |first1=Steve |title=Elizabeth Banks Hosts the Return of 'Press Your Luck' Premiering Wednesday June 12 8/7c on ABC |url=https://abc.go.com/shows/abc-new-shows/news/summer/press-your-luck-coming-to-abc |website=ABC |access-date=2 May 2019 |language=en |date=2 May 2019 |archive-date=30 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190530043003/https://abc.go.com/shows/abc-new-shows/news/summer/press-your-luck-coming-to-abc |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Neil Ross]] was the announcer and the voice of the Whammy for the first four seasons of the ABC version, with Chris Ahearn assuming both roles beginning in season five, while the Whammy animations featuring Ross continue to be used.<ref>{{Cite episode |series=Press Your Luck|network=ABC|date=|season=1|number=3|time=42:05}}</ref><ref>{{cite episode|series=Press Your Luck ''(2019)''|network=ABC|date=October 10, 2023|season=5|number=1|title=WHAT!?!?}}</ref>

The series premiered on June 12, 2019<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2019/05/02/elizabeth-banks-to-host-the-return-of-press-your-luck-premiering-wednesday-june-12-on-abc-854112/20190502abc01/|title=Elizabeth Banks to Host the Return of ''Press Your Luck'', Premiering Wednesday, June 12, on ABC|publisher=[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]|via=[[The Futon Critic]]|date=May 2, 2019|access-date=July 26, 2020}}</ref> following an early premiere the day before.<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2019/05/30/abc-is-eager-to-face-the-whammy-and-press-your-luck-with-a-special-early-premiere-following-one-of-the-biggest-nights-of-the-bachelorette-on-tuesday-june-11-8312/20190530abc01/|title=ABC Is Eager to Face the Whammy and ''Press Your Luck'' with a Special Early Premiere Following One of the Biggest Nights of ''The Bachelorette'' on Tuesday, June 11|publisher=[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]|via=[[The Futon Critic]]|date=May 30, 2019|access-date=July 26, 2020}}</ref> The first season featured eight weekly hour-long episodes.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{Cite episode |series=Press Your Luck|network=[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] |date=June 12, 2019 |season=1 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=season1>{{cite web|title=Season 1|url=https://abc.com/shows/press-your-luck/episode-guide|work=ABC|access-date=November 4, 2019|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191104174014/https://abc.com/shows/press-your-luck/episode-guide|archive-date=November 4, 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> ABC confirmed in mid-2023 that, despite the [[2023 Writers Guild of America strike]], the show's fifth season would premiere in late 2023 as intended.<ref name="tvline"/><ref>{{cite web | url=https://tvline.com/news/abc-fall-schedule-2023-lineup-writers-strike-reality-shows-1234987142/ | title=ABC Fall Schedule Shocker: Entire Scripted Slate MIA as Writers' Strike Imperils New TV Season | publisher=TV Line | date=May 16, 2023 | accessdate=September 5, 2023 | author=Michael Ausiello}}</ref>  A sixth season was announced in May 2024, which premiered on July 18.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2024/05/abc-summer-premiere-dates-the-bachelorette-who-wants-to-be-a-millionaire-renewed-1235903812/|title=ABC Sets Summer Premiere Dates Including ''The Bachelorette''; Renews ''Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?'', ''Claim To Fame'' & ''Press Your Luck''|last=Petski|first=Denise|work=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|date=May 3, 2024|access-date=May 5, 2024}}</ref> On April 30, 2025, it was announced that new episodes from the sixth season would premiere on July 10, 2025.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://abc.com/news/44029ecc-8c7c-4389-8461-c3dd9547994c/category/1138628 | title=ABC Announces 2025 Summer Premiere Dates &#124; ABC Updates | website=[[American Broadcasting Company]] }}</ref>