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There have been several cases of game-show contestants using "questionable methods" to ensure victory. The most infamous took place in the '50s on a show called "Twenty-One." To heighten drama, show producers slipped answers to contestants, creating a huge uproar once word of it leaked. The movie "Quiz Show" dramatized the scandal's impact on the then-new medium of television. Another (and if you ask us, much more entertaining) case involved the show "Press Your Luck." Known primarily for its Whammy mascot and boisterous contestants, the show featured players vying
for "big bucks" by buzzing in at the right time and trying desperately to avoid the "Whammy." The game seemed to involve more luck than skill. Or so everyone thought until Michael Larson came along. Scrutinizing taped episodes of the show at home, Larson realized the board's seemingly random patterns of Whammies and rewards weren't random at all. He studied the patterns and discovered that if he timed his buzzing right, he could avoid the Whammy every time and go on winning indefinitely. Once he got on the show, that's exactly what he did, scoring $110,000. Even though his methods weren't exactly in the spirit of competition, Larson was allowed to keep his winnings because
technically, he hadn't cheated. He'd just exposed a weakness of the dreaded Whammy. A third incident took place on the U.K. version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?." The scheme involved a co-conspirator in the audience coughing at key moments to help the contestant pick the right answer. Quickly caught, these guys didn't get to keep the cash.
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