Press Your Luck- The Return

I just recently found out via Internet that the 80s classic hit game show from CBS called "Press Your Luck" has once again returned on the Game Show Network! It made a comeback on GSN on September 1,2001 and went off the schedule a couple of times before they came back sometime this year. When I was a kid growing up in the '80s,Press Your Luck was one of my favorite game shows. In fact,it is one of my top 5 all-time favorite game shows. This show got everyone to give me my first ever official nickname: Whammy. Because I was doing voice imitations of the Whammy at the time in front of friends at Parker School. One of the counselors of the YMCA After-School Program,Susan Manning (RIP Sue),gave me that nickname and it stuck throughout my tenure at the YMCA After-School Program at Parker School. Well,I am glad the show is back on GSN and I hope they air ALL the episodes of Press Your Luck! Big Bucks and No Whammies! For those of you who do not know how to play,it's simple. Answer 4 questions: Correct buzz-in is worth 3 spins,multiple choice is 1 spin. Stop the board and whatever you get you win. If you land on a Whammy,you're broke and if you hit 4 Whammies,see ya! Most money at the end of the game wins!

But now, Press Your Luck has returned since 2019 on a new TV network in ABC plus a new host in the lovely Hollywood actress herself, Elizabeth Banks, who is taking up the mantle of host from the late, gret legendary Peter Tomarken and the Whammies also make their return being meaner and nastier than ever before considering the prizes and bucks have gotten bigger than the last time PYL was on TV! 

A bonus round has been added to the main game where the winner of the main game will try to acheive $1,000,000 in the Big Bucks Bonanza Bonus Round! 2 new spaces are added to the game, one in the main game and one in the bonus game:  

      Take The Lead + One Spin: This is when a player hits this space, he or she will take the lead by one dollar. 

Prize-A-Palooza: This space only shows up in the Big Bucks Bonanza round of the bonus game in which, if it is hit, the contestnat will any visible prize on the board when stopped. 

The Big 4-0: To commemorate the 40th anniversary of PYL, if this gets hit, the contestant wins 40 of something. This was only in the main game. 

Here are some noted contestants of the show's history: 

Michael Larson: The first contestant to hit the six-figure mark on the show as he walked away with $110,237 in cash & prizes. He did this by figuring out the light patterns on the gameboard, which forced the production staff to change the patterns for future episodes at the time. 

Myke Horton: This gentleman was a former football player, but after this appearance on the show, Horton went on to become American Gladiator Gemini. 

Jennie Jones: After her appearance on PYL, she went on to host one of the most popular talk shows in the 90s. 

 

Chris Kass- This young man because one of the top 5 money winners in the show's history in the 80s. 

Steve Bryant- This then-Houston Oilers player was a 2x champion on the show known for his unique way of saying the catchphrase of the show: "BIG BUCKS & NO WHAAAAMIIIEEEEES!"

The legendary Leslie Nielsen- This was probably one of his final TV appearances before his death in 2010. He was one of 3 celebrity contestants vying for the final spot in the 2006 Game Show Marathon tournament, facing off against actress Kathy Najimy and actor-comedian Tim Meadows the game was hosted by Ricki Lake. 

Press Your Luck was also an international sensation, for example: 

Glück am Drücker- This German version of Press Your Luck features a vulture named Raffi as their Whammy but later on the Whammy becomes Heinz the Shark. 

The Australian version of PYL, hosted by Ian Turpie. Money amounts are smaller here. I wonder if the IIconics, Rhea Ripley, Toni Storm and Harley Cameron ever watched this game when they were kids? 

  

                                               A promo from an 80s TV Guide magazine.

                                     The Press Your Luck gameboard- the 1983 Pilot Edition.

                                              The PYL 80s gameboard during Christmastime.

                                                  Merry Christmas from the Whammy Choir!

                                                               Today's PYL gameboard.

                              The Whammies from the CBS and ABC versions of the show.

Some of the Whammies of today are a recreation of the original 80s Whammies, for instance: 

                                               The tongue Whammy from the 80s.......

                                                                      Today's Tongue Whammy. 

                                                    The Taunting Whammy from the 80s.

                                                          Today's Taunting Whammy.

                                                   The Reaching Whammy from the 80s. 

The Reaching Whammy aka the Kurt Angle Whammy aka the Adam Cole Bay Bay Whammy of today.

                 The most iconic Whammy space in the game- The Leaning Whammy from the 80s.

                                                         Today's Leaning Whammy.

Here are some of the spaces that helps contestants in the main game: 

       Some of the famous spaces from the 80s CBS version with a few of my favorite prize spaces!

Do I want to Lose-1-Whammy or double my money? As long as I get Big Bucks and $5K, I can do both, LOL! 

Five of the six spaces NEVER lead to a Whammy unless you get Pick A Corner but no one chooses a Whammy in that situation...hence they moved the Whammy to the space below the left corner of the board.

                             Some of my favorite prize spaces from the 80s gameboard! 

         Add-A-One was hit by PYL contestant alumni Theo, giving him a 1st round record of $121K. 

Here are some of the Whammies from the 80s that never actually got the makeover for the ABC version: 

Technically, the Hammer Whammy did get a makeover BUT that Whammy was hiding his hammer, this one from the 80s, however, has no shame!

                                This Happy Standing Whammy never made it to the ABC version.

This Whammy technically never made it in the ABC version because the ABC version was a skipper, this one was a Jumper aka the Jumping Whammy.

The Superhero Whammy never made it to the ABC version, although if it did, I would have renamed it the Power Ranger Whammy, LOL! Go Go Whammy Ranger! LOL! 

This Running Hammer Whammy never made it to the ABC version but if it did, I would rename it the Hammer Brother Whammy, LOL! 

The Egyptian Whammy never made it to the ABC version, this Whammy was probably too dang busy crushing on Susanna Hoffs, LOL! 

                 This Whammy was NEVER used, must be the prototype for the Leaning Whammy.

         This was one of the newest Whammies introduced a couple of years ago: the CEO Whammy.

                  One of the new Whammy spaces introduced this year: the Dr. Evil Whammy. 

                    Another new Whammy space added this season: the Crybaby Whammy. 

                  Those Christmas Whammies can be total Scrooges and Grinches, LOL! 

Finally, here are the 2 hosts that made Press Your Luck the show that it is today: 

The late, great Peter Tomarken: A legendary game show host that started hosting NBC's Hit Man and once that show got axed....he hosted PYL which made him a legend in Game Show fandom! 

                                         Peter after a crazy game of Press Your Luck, LOL! 

The lovely Hollywood actress Elizabeth Banks takes over for the late,great Peter Tomarken as she tries to figure out the shenanigans of those crazy Whammies in the ABC version. 

             The first Press Your Luck t-shirt, a consolation prize for the Home Player Spin participants.

The Press Your Luck bumper sticker promo from the 80s. This will let everyone know that you are a fan of the show!

Well, until the show returns on July 18th, 2024 on ABC, check out my YouTube show "Eric Lima's Shenanigans Of 1977" where I play Press Your Luck every Thursday! Well, thanks for pressing your luck!