Whew! (1979–1980) User Reviews

Ridiculous Name

[myronlearn · 7/10 · 7 January 2022]

Buzzr TV recently resurrected this obscure game show from the late 70s. It's fast paced and not bad, but where did they come up with the absurd title, 'Whew'? 'Block or Charge' or 'Longshot' would have been far more appropriate names. Anyway, Tom Kennedy did his usual excellent job of hosting.

Good show

[bigdcaldavis2000 · 20 July 2001]

"Whew!" was a fast-paced game show that aired on CBS from 1979 until 1980. The game consisted of two contestants. One contestant was the "charger", while the other was the "blocker". It was the charger's responsibility to "charge" up the game board by answering at least one blooper per level within 60 seconds(there were six levels on the board). The first five levels had dollar amounts from $10 to $50, while the sixth level had a $250 spot, a $350 spot, and a $500 spot. The blocker's responsibility was to place strategic blocks on the board. They could place up to 6 blocks, with a maximum of 3 blocks per level on levels 1-5, but only 1 block on level 6. If a charger picks a blocked spot, they get a 5 second penalty, and that money would be credited to the blocker, however the blocker could only win the credited money if the charger lost the round. If the charger successfully completes all 6 levels, they win the round and the money they accumulated. If the charger is not doing good and running short on time, they could yell "Longshot!", which would freeze the clock and move them straight to the 6th level, and the blocker would place a block on one of the level 6 spots (it was possible to have 2 blocked spots on the 6th level if one of the blocker's 6 blocks was placed on the 6th level). In the Longshot, if the charger answers the blooper incorrectly or if they pick a blocked spot, the blocker wins the round automatically, but if the charger answers the blooper correctly, they win the round automatically. In the event of a 1-1 tie, a coin toss decides who blocks and who charges. The first contestant to win 2 rounds wins the championship and goes on to the "Gauntlet Of Villians" bonus round. In the bonus round, they had to answer all 10 bloopers before time runs out. If they do, they win $25,000, and retire (this show was during CBS' $25,000 winnings limit). The contestant had 60 seconds plus 1 second per $100 they won in the main game, so if they won $1,430 in the main game, they would have 74 seconds to "run the Gauntlet" (60 seconds plus 14 seconds). In the Gauntlet, Tom Kennedy read the blooper (unlike the main game where the blooper was seen on the trilons, the bloopers were only heard in the Gauntlet). The contestant had to answer the blooper correctly (and in time) to advance to the next villian. If they were incorrect or fail to answer, a buzzer would sound and the blooper would appear on the villian's "Telly Belly" (the TV monitor on the villian). If the contestant failed to win the $25,000, they would win $100 for every villian they beat. After the seven day run by Howard Wilson where he eventually beat the gauntlet for total winnings of over $35,000, CBS instituted a new rule which stated that contestants had to retire after running the gauntlet 5 times, whether or not they won the $25,000. After several months due to dismal ratings, celebrity partners were added, and shortly after that, "Whew!" was cancelled. Randy Amasia's own site has a much more detailed description of the show, along with his adventure on the show (Randy was a contestant on the show and defeated the Gauntlet on his first try for total winnings of $26,100).