Catch 21 Review

Name	Catch 21
Original Run	July 2008 to present
Host	Alfonso Ribieiro
Length	Half hour
Currently On	GSN (check your local listings)
IMDB	Main entry

Description: Catch 21, like Card Sharks (1978-89 and 2001-02) alternates between trivia and card game play. Unlike the older show, however, Catch 21 asks its contestants trivia questions and features a much more interesting card game. Each correct answer allows the player to keep or pass the revealed playing card in an attempt to reach a total of 21 points, blackjack-style. When in control of the cards, a player can also freeze his or her total to avoid being busted by an opponent. If all but one contestant is frozen, that player continues to receive cards until reaching 21 or over.

Trivia Rounds: Play begins with three players. Each question has three multiple choices, with the options sometimes being read before the question and sometimes not at all if a contestant buzzes in early. Correct answers are worth 100 points, while winning a round with 21 or the highest score under 21 is worth 500 points. The two players with the highest scores after two rounds advance to the head-to-head round, which follows the same rules.

Bonus Round: The winner of the heads-up round earns $1,000 and a chance at $25,000 in a non-trivia round. The contestant simultaneously tries to complete three hands of 21, with one power chip, the option to pass on a card, for each early round won. Getting 21 once wins $1,000, twice wins $5,000, and thrice wins $25,000, but busting on any of the hands forfeits all bonus money.

Conclusion: Catch 21 adds a fairly strong strategic element missing from most trivia game shows. Although the prizes are small -- the odds of winning the maximum are very slim -- the trivia contains a mix of easy and medium-difficulty questions, and the game play is reasonably complicated (around the order of proper Final Jeopardy betting technique). The show asks questions about recent poll results from magazines and web sites occasionally, but if you're a Card Sharks or Family Feud fan, the break from real trivia won't bother you at all.