History Series / Pitfall

* ConsolationPrize: $100 per section reached/skipped. When the prize package was halved, the cash was ousted and a small prize was awarded for reaching the fifth section.

The show ran for a single season from 1981-82 and was canned not due to ratings, but due to a pitfall of its own — Catalena Productions (which also did the 1980-81 ''Series/LetsMakeADeal'') went bankrupt. Later contestants never received their prizes, and Trebek's check from Catalena bounced. Despite the low point in his career ''Pitfall'' became (made worse because ''Series/{{Battlestars}}'' ended at the same time), Trebek made up for it in '83 with ''The New Battlestars'' (and by hosting the 1982 ''Series/{{Starcade}}'' pilots) and far better employment on [[Series/{{Jeopardy}} another game show]] in '84.

* FunnyAfro: Even in 1982, Trebek still had his afro and PornStache.

* ObviousRulePatch: Originally, the champion had to directly hand Alex the Pit Passes at the right moment. Contestants forgetting this rule led to them often walking into a Pitfall. Later on, Alex asked for them at the appropriate moments.

The show ran for a single season from 1981-82 and was canned not due to ratings, but due to a pitfall of its own — Catalena Productions (which also did the 1980-81 ''Series/LetsMakeADeal'') went bankrupt. Later contestants never received their prizes, and Trebek's check from Catalena bounced. Despite the low point in his career ''Pitfall'' became (made worse because ''Series/{{Battlestars}}'' ended at the same time), Trebek made up for it in '83 with ''The New Battlestars'' and far better employment on [[Series/{{Jeopardy}} another game show]] in '84.

There, the champion ran a gauntlet across a series of eight platforms in 100 seconds by answering trivia questions. However, three of the platforms were designated as "Pitfalls", which would lower the contestant into a pit until they answered another question correctly (the clock stopped when the contestant was raised back up). To dodge the Pitfalls, contestants were shown a light sequence where each platform flashed once (if it was safe) or twice (if it was a Pitfall); players then took as many Pit Passes as they earned to skip over what they believed were the offending platforms. In order to use a Pit Pass, the player had to hand it to Trebek ''immediately'' upon stepping to the corresponding section; he/she could then move past it, whether it was a Pitfall or not. The player won $100 for each bridge section reached, and a prize package for completing the crossing. Initially the package was worth $5,000; it was later lowered to $2,500, but the player won a smaller prize for reaching the fifth section.

* ConsolationPrize: $100 per zone crossed. When the prize package was halved, the cash was ousted and a small prize was awarded for crossing the first four zones.

* AudienceParticipation: The audience made their guesses on multiple-choice questions in front game, and the contestants had to predict their responses.
* BonusRound: The "Pitfall Round", as described above — cross a giant bridge of elevators in 100 seconds by answering questions. Originally worth $5,000 in prizes, later episodes halved it to $2,500 in prizes.

Infamous Canadian GameShow (also syndicated into the United States) from the early 1980s hosted by [[Creator/AlexTrebek Alex Trebek]]. The game began with a round where two contestants tried to earn Pit Passes by predicting how the audience responded to multiple choice questions. The goal was to reach five points, and a Pit Pass for the bonus round was earned on their first, third, and fifth points. The first to reach five points, or whoever had the lead when time ran out, became champion and advanced to the show's bonus game, the Pitfall Round.

There, the champion ran a gauntlet across a series of eight platforms in 100 seconds by answering trivia questions. However, three of the platforms were designated as "Pitfalls", which would lower the contestant into a pit (effectively incurring a 10-second penalty) until they answered another question correctly (the clock stopped when the contestant was raised back up). To dodge the Pitfalls, contestants were shown a light sequence where each platform flashed once (if it was safe) or twice (if it was a Pitfall); players then took as many Pit Passes as they earned to skip over what they believed were the offending platforms. Completing the bonus round won a $5,000 (later $2,500) prize package.

The show ran for a single season from 1981-82 and was canned not due to ratings, but due to a pitfall of its own — Catalena Productions (which also did the 1980-81 ''LetsMakeADeal'') went bankrupt. Later contestants never received their prizes, and Trebek's check from Catalena bounced. Despite the low point in his career ''Pitfall'' became (made worse because ''{{Battlestars}}'' ended at the same time), Trebek made up for it in '83 with ''The New Battlestars'' and far better employment on [[Series/{{Jeopardy}} another game show]] in '84.

The show ran for a single season from 1981-82 and was canned not due to ratings, but due to a pitfall of its own — Catalena Productions (which also did the 1980-81 ''LetsMakeADeal'') went bankrupt. Later contestants never received their prizes, and Trebek's check from Catalena bounced. Despite the low point in his career ''Pitfall'' became (made worse because ''Battlestars'' ended at the same time), Trebek made up for it in '83 with ''The New Battlestars'' and far better employment on [[Series/{{Jeopardy}} another game show]] in '84.

Infamous Canadian GameShow (also syndicated into the United States) from the early 1980s hosted by [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Creator/AlexTrebek Alex Trebek]]. The game began with a round where two contestants tried to earn Pit Passes by predicting how the audience responded to multiple choice questions. The goal was to reach five points, and a Pit Pass for the bonus round was earned on their first, third, and fifth points. The first to reach five points, or whoever had the lead when time ran out, became champion and advanced to the show's bonus game, the Pitfall Round.

Infamous Canadian GameShow (also syndicated into the United States) from the early 1980s hosted by Alex Trebek. The game began with a round where two contestants tried to earn Pit Passes by predicting how the audience responded to multiple choice questions. The goal was to reach five points, and a Pit Pass for the bonus round was earned on their first, third, and fifth points. The first to reach five points, or whoever had the lead when time ran out, became champion and advanced to the show's bonus game, the Pitfall Round.

The show ran for a single season from 1981-82 and was canned not due to ratings, but due to a pitfall of its own — Catalena Productions (which also did the 1980-81 ''LetsMakeADeal'') went bankrupt. Later contestants never received their prizes, and Trebek's check from Catalena bounced. Despite the low point in his career ''Pitfall'' became (made worse because ''Battlestars'' ended at the same time), Trebek made up for it the following year in ''The New Battlestars'' and far better employment on [[Series/{{Jeopardy}} another game show]] in '84.

The show ran for a single season from 1981-82 and was canned not due to ratings, but due to a pitfall of its own — Catalena Productions (which also did the 1980-81 ''LetsMakeADeal'') went bankrupt. Later contestants never received their prizes, and Trebek's check from Catalena bounced. Despite the low point in his career ''Pitfall'' became, Trebek made up for it when he received better employment on [[Series/{{Jeopardy}} another game show]] just two years later.

!!GameShow Tropes in use:

* ObviousRulePatch: At first, the champion had to directly hand Alex the pitpasses at the right moment. Contestants forgetting this rule led to them often walking into a Pitfall. Later on, Alex asked for them at the appropriate moments.
* TimedMission: The front game is first-to-five or best-after-five-minutes, whichever comes first. The bonus round is 100 seconds.

** StudioAudience: Used in the main game.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome: The set had nine elevators, including the one that Trebek and the contestant rode to begin the bonus round. '''Nine freaking elevators.''' Is it any wonder Catalena went bankrupt?

The show ran for a single season from 1981-82 and was canned not due to ratings, but due to a pitfall of its own — Catalena Productions (which also did the 1980-81 ''LetsMakeADeal'') went bankrupt. Later contestants never received their prizes, and Trebek's check from Catalena bounced. Despite the low point in his career ''Pitfall'' became, Trebek made up for it when he received [[{{Understatement}} better employment]] on [[Series/{{Jeopardy}} another game show]] just two years later.

The show ran for a single season from 1981-82 and was canned not due to ratings, but due to a pitfall of its own — Catalena Productions (which also did the 1980-81 ''LetsMakeADeal'') went bankrupt. Later contestants never received their prizes, and Trebek's check from Catalena bounced. Despite the low point in his career ''Pitfall'' became, Trebek would make up for it when he received [[{{Understatement}} better employment]] on this popular game show two years later. What is [[Series/{{Jeopardy}} Jeopardy?]]

There, the champion ran a gauntlet across a series of eight platforms in 100 seconds by answering trivia questions. However, three of the platforms were designated as "Pitfalls", which would lower the contestant into a pit (effectively incurring a 10-second penalty) until they answered another question correctly (the clock stopped when the contestant was raised back up). To dodge the Pitfalls, contestants were shown a light sequence where each platform flashed once (if it was safe) or twice (if it was a Pitfall); players then took as many Pit Passes as they earned to skip over the offending platforms. Completing the bonus round won a $5,000 (later $2,500) prize package.

The show ran for a single season from 1981-82 and was canned not due to ratings, but due to a pitfall of its own — Catalena Productions (which also did the 1980-81 ''LetsMakeADeal'') went bankrupt. Later contestants never received their prizes, and Trebek's cheque from the production company bounced. Despite the low point in his career ''Pitfall'' became, Trebek would make up for it when he received [[{{Understatement}} better employment]] on this popular game show two years later. What is [[Series/{{Jeopardy}} Jeopardy?]]

* FunnyAfro: Even in 1982, Trebek still had his afro and his PornStache.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome: The set had [[strike:eight]] nine elevators, including the one that Trebek and the contestant rode to the top to begin the bonus round. '''Nine freaking elevators.''' Is it any wonder Catalena went bankrupt?

The show ran for a single season from 1981-82 and was canned not due to ratings, but due to a pitfall of its own — Catalena Productions (which also did the 1980-81 ''LetsMakeADeal'') went bankrupt. Later contestants never received their prizes, and Trebek's salary cheque bounced! Despite the low point in his career ''Pitfall'' became, Trebek would make up for it when he received [[Series/{{Jeopardy}} better employment]] two years later.

The show ran for a single season from 1981-82 and was canned not due to ratings, but due to a pitfall of its own — Catalena Productions (which also did the 1980-81 ''[=~Let's Make a Deal~=]'') went bankrupt. Later contestants never received their prizes, and Trebek's salary cheque bounced! Despite the low point in his career ''Pitfall'' became, Trebek would make up for it when he received [[Series/{{Jeopardy}} better employment]] two years later.

* AudienceParticipation: The audience made their guesses on multiple-choice questions in front game, and the contestants had to predict their responses.
* BonusRound: The "Pitfall Round", as described above — cross a giant bridge of elevators in 100 seconds by answering questions. Originally worth $5,000 in prizes, later episodes halved it to $2,500 in prizes.
* ConsolationPrize: $100 per zone crossed. When the prize package was halved, the cash was ousted and a small prize was awarded for crossing the first four zones.
* Personnel:
** TheAnnouncer: John Barton.
** GameShowHost: The one and only (and Canadian) Alex Trebek.
** StudioAudience: Used in the main game.

* CosmeticAward: Due to Catalena Productions filing for bankruptcy, later winners had their "prizes" end up becoming these.
* FunnyAfro: Even in 1982, Trebek still had his afro and his PornStache.
* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: About 10 episodes are known to circulate.
* OldShame: Trebek seems to think of the show as one of these, since this was the only time he was ever stiffed by a production company...and in his home country, at that. That said, if you bring up ''Pitfall'' in conversation with him (as a contestant did on the April 1, 2010 episode of ''Series/{{Jeopardy}}''), he will at least acknowledge it.
* TimedMission: The front game is first-to-five or best-after-five-minutes, whichever comes first. The bonus round is 100 seconds.
* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome: The set had [[strike:eight]] nine elevators, including the one that Trebek and the contestant rode to the top to begin the bonus round. '''Nine freaking elevators.''' Is it any wonder Catalena went bankrupt?

* OneSeasonWonder: Again, due to the bankruptcy of Catalena.

The show ran for a single season from 1981-82 and was canned not due to ratings, but due to a pitfall of its own — Catalena Productions (which also did the 1980-81 ''[=~Let's Make a Deal~=]'') went bankrupt. Later contestants never received their prizes, and Trebek's salary cheque bounced! Despite the low point in his career ''Pitfall'' became, Trebek would make up for it when he received [[{{Jeopardy}} better employment]] two years later.

* OldShame: Trebek seems to think of the show as one of these, since this was the only time he was ever stiffed by a production company...and in his home country, at that. That said, if you bring up ''Pitfall'' in conversation with him (as a contestant did on the April 1, 2010 episode of ''{{Jeopardy}}''), he will at least acknowledge it.

* TooGoodToLast: It's beloved by those who have seen it.
* WhatAnIdiot: Several.
** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enJ25wJu_YU Rosemary]], who completely bombed the Pitfall Round in the worst way possible, not even making it to the second zone after being trapped in the first pit for most of her time. However, she may not be a total klutz since Trebek ''did'' mention that she had won close to $17,000 in cash and prizes before this, so she must have had some successful runs beforehand.
** A lot of the show's contestants proved to be rather dimwitted, including one who thought a baseball game had four quarters.
** The show had a rule regarding Pit Passes — if you had a Pass for a particular zone, you still had to hand it to Alex in order to skip over that part of the bridge. Plenty of contestants fell into a Pitfall despite having a pass for that zone because they forgot to give it to Trebek, a point that he liked to rub into the players' faces afterward.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome: The set had eight elevators. '''Eight freaking elevators.''' Is it any wonder Catalena went bankrupt?

The show ran for a single season from 1981-82 and was canned not due to ratings, but due to a pitfall of its own — Catalena Productions (which also did the 1980-81 ''[=~Let's Make a Deal~=]'') went bankrupt. Later contestants never received their prizes, and Trebek's salary cheque bounced! Despite the low point in his career Pitfall became, Trebek would make up for it when he received [[{{Jeopardy}} better employment]].

* FunnyAfro: Even in the early 1980s, Trebek still had his afro and his PornStache.

* OldShame: Trebek seems to think of the show as one of these, since this was the only time he was ever stiffed by a production company...and it was in his home country, at that. Though if you bring up Pitfall (like say, on ''{{Jeopardy}}'', as someone did on April 1, 2010, no kidding), he will at least acknowledge it.
* OneSeasonWonder: Due to the bankruptcy of Catalena, this show never lasted beyond a first season.

Infamous Canadian GameShow (also syndicated into the United States) from the early 1980s hosted by Alex Trebek. The game began with a round where two contestants tried to earn Pit Passes by predicting how the audience responded to multiple choice questions. The goal was to reach five points, and a Pit Pass for the bonus round was earned on their first, third, and fifth points. The first to reach five points, or whoever had the lead when time ran out, became champion and advanced to the Pitfall Round.

In the bonus game, the champion ran a gauntlet across a series of eight platforms in 100 seconds by answering trivia questions. However, three of the platforms were designated as "Pitfalls", which would lower the contestant into a pit (effectively incurring a 10-second penalty) until they answered another question correctly (the clock stopped when the contestant was raised back up). To dodge the Pitfalls, contestants were shown a light sequence where each platform flashed once (if it was safe) or twice (if it was a Pitfall); players then took as many Pit Passes as they earned to skip over the offending platforms. Completing the bonus round won a $5,000 (later $2,500) prize package.

The show ran for a single season from 1981-82 and was canned not due to ratings, but due to a pitfall of its own — Catalena Productions (which also did the 1980-81 ''[=~Let's Make a Deal~=]'') went bankrupt. Later contestants never received their prizes, and neither did Trebek — his salary check '''bounced'''!

While Trebek would prefer to forget ''Pitfall'' as a low point in his career (pun intended), he has acknowledged at least once that it was one of the few times that his homeland ever mistreated him — after a contestant on the April 1, 2010 episode of ''[=~Jeopardy!~=]'' brought up ''Pitfall'' as the "coolest thing ever" that he watched on TV as a kid.

* OldShame: Trebek seems to think of the show as one of these, since this was the only time he was ever stiffed by a production company...and it was in his home country, at that.
* OneSeasonWonder

** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enJ25wJu_YU Rosemary]], who completely bombed the Pitfall Round in the worst way possible, not even making it to the second zone after being trapped in the first pit for most of her time. However, she may not be a total klutz since Trebek ''did'' mention that she had won close to $17,000 in cash and prizes before this, so she must have had some successful runs at least.