Dirty Rotten Cheater

Six new contestants compete in each episode, one of whom is secretly designated as a "Dirty Rotten Cheater." One by one, each contestant uncovers the monitor at his/her podium to find out whether he/she is the Cheater, then claims not to be.

All questions are similar to those used on Family Feud (for example, "Which parts of their body do women think are too big?").^[3] The 10 most popular answers award money, with each answer worth $250 times its position in the list; the less popular answers, therefore, award more money and are more desirable. At any given time, the Cheater can see the entire list of answers on his/her monitor and may use this information as desired.

One question is played in the first round, and two each in the second and third rounds. Each contestant gives one answer per question.

After all questions have been played, bonuses are awarded to the contestants who achieved the highest scores in that round: $10,000 for first place, $7,500 for second, and $5,000 for third. In the event of a tie, the relevant bonuses are combined and divided among the tied contestants (e.g. $8,750 to each of two players who tie for first).

The contestants are then given an opportunity to accuse one another of being the Cheater, after which they all secretly vote for the one they believe is the Cheater. The result is determined as follows:

• The first contestant to receive three votes (if any) is eliminated from the game and must truthfully declare whether or not he/she is the Cheater. If he/she is, the other contestants' totals remain unchanged and one of them is secretly designated as the new Cheater. If not, all totals are cut in half.
• If no contestant receives three votes, all totals are cut in half and the Cheater is allowed to secretly eliminate one opponent. All contestants place a hand on a button concealed within their podiums, to protect the Cheater's identity, and the host reads one name a time. The Cheater presses his/her button upon hearing the name of the desired opponent, activating a red light on the stage floor to mark the elimination.

Eliminated contestants forfeit all winnings; however, any honest ones are given a chance to win money at the end of the show.

Three questions are played in this round, but no bonuses are paid out. After the contestants have voiced their accusations, the studio audience votes on the Cheater's identity. If one contestant receives at least 50% of the vote, he/she is eliminated; if not, the Cheater performs a secret elimination as in the first three rounds. The scores are not affected if the audience eliminates an honest contestant or fails to reach a consensus.

Two questions are played, with each contestant receiving three turns per question, after which they are each given 15 seconds to convince the audience of their honesty. During the final commercial break, the audience members and any eliminated honest players cast their votes on the Cheater's identity.

After the break, the two contestants stand at center stage next to glass vaults containing their respective winnings. The host reveals the name of the final Cheater, and any honest contestants who voted correctly win $500 each. The result of the audience vote is revealed once the Cheater reaches into his/her vault. If the majority voted correctly, the floor of the Cheater's vault opens and the money drops out of sight; he/she wins nothing, and the honest contestant wins his/her own total. However, if the majority voted incorrectly, the floor does not open; the Cheater wins his/her total and the honest player receives nothing.

The maximum potential prize total is $63,500, attainable by giving the most valuable answer to every question in Rounds 1 through 4, earning the $10,000 bonus in Rounds 1 through 3, giving the three most valuable answers to both questions in Round 5, and losing no money in the voting.