Happy 45th Anniversary To The Game Of Strategy, Luck, Knowledge & Daring....BULLSEYE!!!!!

 45 years ago, when I was only 3 years old, my father had the TV on and changed to Channel 25 and I saw one of the most unique gameboards I have ever seen on a game show. The board had 3 windows covered by swirls in an upside down triangular formation with 2 at the top and 1 at the bottom covering a big neon star with the 3 primary colors of a bullseye: blue, red and yellow. This gameboard had piqued my interest even thought I was way too young to understand at that time but I thought it was cool! The game show was called Bullseye! It was hosted by the man who was known for hosting the Dating Game: Jim Lange. 

The game started with 2 players, one usually a returning champion. Both players have a button in front of them to stop the gameboard , which contains 8 categories (4 in each of the top 2 windows) and the bottom window contained numbers 1-5 and a Bullseye, that is the contract window of how questions you need to answer. The contestan has to choose the category that was spun up in the 2 top windows. The goal was to get $1000 or more (later it was doubled to $2000 or more), if the contestant does that, they will win the game and head on over to the bonus round aka Bonus Island to get a chance to win more money and a fabulous prize package (possibly a trip as well). If the contestant wins five games in a row, that contestant will win a brand-new car. 

If the contestant succesfully completes the required contract, the contestant can bank the money (the contestant can keep the money if he/she loses) but control will go over to his/her opponent but if they choose to keep the money in the pot, they can spin for a new category and contract. If a Bullseye pops up in the contract window, depending of how much money is in the pot or how much money the contestant has in his/her bank, they can answer as many questions as they can until they reach the goal of $1000/$2000. If the champion contestant goes through a cateogry with a Bullseye in the contract window without missing a question and wins the game, the challenger will get a rematch right after the bonus round is played. 

While the 2-player game covers all the 4 elements of the show, the bonus round aka the Bonus Island only covers 2 of the elements of the show: Daring & luck. At the Bonus Island, which has the same button but it is operating as a plunger, the contestant has a goal: Get 3 Bullseyes on the gameboard. How is this accomplished? Behind the 3 swirls on the gameboard are various demoninations of money ($100-$150-$200 for the early season, $100-$200-$300 for the later season and $400 was added during the Celebrity Bullseye season), each swirl has a Bullseye behind it as well BUT behind ONLY ONE of the swirl-covered windows lurking about and ready to stirke at any time, is the dreaded lightning thunderbolt! The contestant hits the plunger to stop the swirls on the gameboard to reveal what they got, if they spun safely, they can have option to stop or go. If a Bullseye pops up on a safe spin, they can have the option of freezing the window the Bullseye is in if they feel that window could have the lightning in it or they can leave it unlocked and let it spin, in the 2nd season, however, if a Bullseye pops up, the window automatically freezes. If the contestant gets 3 Bullseyes, one in each window, they win the bonus game and the reward is the money in the pot being doubled and a prize package. However, if the contestant hits lightning, the contestant loses. However.....if the contestant goes through 10 spins (7 in the 2nd season) without hitting the lightning or gets 3 Bullseyes in ONE spin, the contestant will not only win the prize package, the contestan will also get $5000! 

There was a pilot version of the show in which the main game was played like the syndicated series version but the bonus round was played like Jokers vs Devils round in the early years of the Joker's Wild with Bullseyes and Lightning Thunderbolts plus it was the first game show to attempt to give away $1,000,000. The goal to do that is to hit 3 Bullseyes in as many spins as 3,4,5 and a Bullseye by stopping the Number Jumbler on the Bonus Island. But if the contestant strikes lightning, that contestant loses the money. Here is the breakdown of how much the contestant can win in the pilot version of Bullseye: 

3 Spins- $8000

4 Spins- $16,000 

5 Spins- $32,000

Bullseye (10 Spins)- $1,000,000

Celebrity Bullseye started in late-1981 after the succesful celebrity sitcom tournament but the drawback to that was the main game was 2 out of 3 game wins the match and that prevented the Bonus Island from being played for a few episodes. A $400 space was added to the bonus game while a $400 and $500 values were added to the main game. The show ended in June 25, 1982. Bullseye started in syndication (For me, it was Channel 25 WXNE-TV here in Massachusetts, way before the FOX days) then it went to cable on CBN and the USA Network in the mid-80s. Up until the year 2000, I haven't seen an episode of Bullseye since my younger days as a kid being at my grandparents' apartment watching it on the USA Network while I didn't have cable at my home until the late-80s. Well, I used to be scared of the lightning when I was a little kid but not anymore!! Well, I hope everything you are going for, hits the BULLSEYE!!! 

 Jay Stewart/ Charlie O'Donnell: "This is the televsion game in which daring determines the fate of the player!" 

"This is the game of strategy, luck and knowledge....."

                                                    "This is.........."*lightning thundercracks*

                                                                       "BULLSEYE!!!"

                                      "And now, here is your host....JIM LANGE!!!"

"And here are the categories you will be playing with in the top 2 windows. In the upper left hand we have..." 

                                 "And in the upper right hand window, we have....." 

 "The number below contains the number of questions you are contracted to answer, from 1 to as many as you wish with a Bullseye" 

 

     "Alright, let's spin the information and you will hit the button to stop them and determine your fate!" 

 

                                           "Which category would you like to choose?" 

            "You won! It is time to play the bonus game, let's make some more money, here we go!"

      

                                                 "Now behind those swirls.........."

"Are Bullseyes.........." 

"Various amounts of money......"

                                               "And behind only ONE of them.........."

                                                       "Some lightning is spinning."

                                         "You stop them by hitting the button......." 

         "Whatever money you accumulate in the pot is yours to keep whenever you want to quit...."

"If you get 3 Bullseyes, one in each window, we will double the money in the pot and you'll get the prizes....."

  

                                   "However, if you get struck by lightning.....then you lose."

  

             Here, Brian Stokes Mitchell, was the final celebrity contestant to be struck by lightning! Judy Whitewater was the final civilian contestant to be struck by lightning as well before the celebrity edition started. 

                                        Here are some Bonus Island sideshots:

                             

                 And here are some "Nothing but money until that rotten lightning" pics: 

                   Here are some Bouns Island winners that knocked up 3 Bullseyes: 

    

                  And here is the show's history maker, Stephen Nadeth, he was the first contestant to hit 3 Bullseyes in 1 spin and as a result, he won the prize package plus $5000 in cash! 

And here are a couple of celebrities who were also struck by lightning...football great Jim Brown and actress Lynda Goodfriend: 

        Here, Chuck Morris did something very rare...he went 10 spins WITHOUT being struck by lightning, which got him the prizes and $5000: 

Sometimes a player would quit or be victorious, which begs the question, where would the lightning be located? Well................

                                       It could be in the upper right hand window..............

                                                       Or the upper left hand window.......

Or that little sucker could be in the bottom window! One thing's for sure: NO ONE knows where it is!!! 

                                 Here are some pics from the pilot version of Bullseye: 

                                       There are 2 lightning bolts on the board and THEY'RE FAT!!!!

                   There is a skinny lightning bolt on the board and it's in the bottom window,

                                             Or will it strike in the upper right? I don't know.

        

One final thing, you can play the Bonus Island from BOTH the syndicated and pilot versions via flash game. All you gotta do is go here and download it: https://flashpointarchive.org/ 

You will find that and many more like Joker's Wild and Tic Tac Dough's bonus games as well!!! 

Happy 45th Anniversary, Bullseye!!! And I hope everyone that reads this blog......hope everything you're going for hits the BULLSEYE!!!!!