Russian Roulette - Random Trivia Answers

• A1) Dolly Parton. The country Tennessee titan topped the Billboard Country Singles chart with the song in 1974.
• A2) E. "A" is a dot followed by a dash, and "T" is a dash.
• A3) The DeFeos. Jay Anson's book was published in September 1977, and the first movie version was a box-office smash two years later.
• A4) Ionosphere. The highest level of the atmosphere is named for the ionization of the air caused by the sun's radiation.
• A5) The Cotton Club. Fletcher Henderson and Duke Ellington both gained fame with their bands at the club in the 1920s.
• A6) June. Chicago dentist Bernard J. Cigrand first held the first observance in 1885 and later pushed for national recognition, which was unofficially granted by Woodrow Wilson in 1916 and officially as law in 1949.
• A7) Younger. Cole, John, Jim, and Bob Younger joined the James brothers and other confederates in crime.
• A8) Broccoli. On January 20, 1998, President George H.W. Bush admitted on The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, "I do not like broccoli. And I haven't liked it since I was a little kid and my mother made me eat it, and I'm President of the United States. And I'm not going to eat any more broccoli."
• A9) True. Apparently there weren't any signs in the Russian Roulette studio because the contestant counted nine letters and promptly disappeared.
• A10) Nathan Hale. British General William Howe ordered Hale hanged on September 22, 1776 for espionage.
• A11) Bonzo. In the 1951 movie Bedtime for Bonzo, the actor's character Professor Peter Boyd borrows a chimpanzee from his school's science department to prove to his potential future father-in-law that nurture can overcome nature (Boyd's father was a criminal).
• A12) German Measles. The viral disease usually is not very serious, passing in one to five days.

Russian Roulette - Random Trivia Questions

This week's quiz comes from two very early episodes of the game show, both of which aired on June 3, 2002 according to TiVo. The first dozen odd-numbered questions (running to the middle of the second episode) are given below. Would you have kept your feet under you?

Russian Roulette Questions

• Q1) "I Will Always Love You", Whitney Houston's hit song from the movie "The Bodyguard", was written by what performer?
  • Whitney Houston
  • Dolly Parton
  • Willie Nelson
• Q2) A single dot in Morse Code represents what letter of the English alphabet?
  • A
  • E
  • T
• Q3) The legend of the "Amityville Horror" house was based on the real-life murder of what family?
  • The DeFeos
  • The Montcliffs
  • The Luscombs
• Q4) What layer of the earth's atmosphere helps wireless communications by reflecting radio signals?
  • Stratosphere
  • Troposphere
  • Mesosphere
  • Ionosphere
• Q5) Once known as Club de Lux, what Harlem nightclub helped launch the careers of countless jazz greats?
  • The Kit-Cat Club
  • The Cotton Club
  • The Blue Note
  • The Tropicana
• Q6) Flag Day commemorates the adoption of the United States flag on the 14th day of what month?
  • February
  • March
  • June
  • September
• Q7) In 1866, Jesse James formed a criminal gang with 3 brothers from what family?
  • Hickok
  • Dalton
  • Hardin
  • Younger
• Q8) Rearrange the letters in "COOL CRIB" to get the name of a vegetable a lot of kids hate.
• Q9) True or False: There are a total of 8 letters in the 2nd word of the title of the game show you are on right now.
• Q10) The quote, "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country", was first spoken by what famous American?
  • Patrick Henry
  • A[lexander]. Hamilton
  • Nathan Hale
• Q11) Long before he was our President, Ronald Reagan played chump to what chimp in a 1951 movie?
  • Cheetah
  • Bonzo
  • Curious George
  • Bubbles
• Q12) The disease Rubella is more commonly known as what?
  • Small Pox
  • German Measles
  • Chicken Pox
  • Whooping Cough

Russian Roulette Review

This could have been the most violent trivia game ever, but no guns are actually involved. However, the thematic elimination of players by a random spinner does add an entertaining element of luck.

Name	Russian Roulette
Original Run	June 2002 to April 2003
Host	Mark L. Walberg
Length	Half hour
Currently On	Game Show Network (weekdays at 6 p.m.; check your local listings)
IMDB	Main entry

Description: Russian Roulette is a four-person trivia game in which correct answers guarantee your survival, and incorrect answers leave your fate up to a Russian roulette-like spinner. Elimination is the highlight of the show, as the floor instantly drops out from under the contestant, leaving just a moment to wave goodbye or scream (my kids' favorite moment in all of television trivia). Each round ends with the elimination of a player, either after a missed question or when time is up (in the latter case, the player with the highest score is exempt and gets to pull the trigger).

Early Rounds: Each question is presented without its multiple choices to the previous question's winner, who selects an opponent to answer the question. The choices (three in the first round and four later) are then revealed to the selected opponent, who has ten seconds to answer. A correct answer earns money, while an incorrect answer forces the contestant to face the spinner. Initially, the spinner presents a 1-in-6 chance of elimination, but this increases by one drop zone with each question (to a maximum of 5-in-6).

Heads-Up Round: When only two players remain, the format changes so that the player in control is given the option to answer the question (before seeing the choices) or to challenge the opponent. As four choices will be available, this generally means answering the question if you think you know the answer and passing it on if you don't, but it's still an effective twist.

Bonus Round: The show's winner can earn extra money in a 60-second bonus round. The contestant needs to correctly answer ten questions (originally five, which proved to be too easy) without any incorrect answers before time runs out and the sixth drop zone opens up to win an additional $10,000. Any $10,000 winner can then elect to gamble the ten grand on one last shot against the spinner for $100,000. However many safe zones are left (usually one or two), this is always a good bet from a pure probability point of view, but most contestants choose to walk, demonstrating the utility curve of money.

Conclusion: Overall, Russian Roulette is a fun game with easy-to-medium difficulty multiple-choice trivia questions, a well-crafted game flow, and an exciting bang (even the show's winner sometimes leaves abruptly).