Seven Keys (game show)

The board consisted of a 70-space path and three spinning dials marked "Steps," "Bonus," and "Penalty," each of which could display a value from 1 to 10 and was controlled by a separate button. Each dial was only illuminated when the button to stop it was pressed, revealing the number on which it had stopped. A solo contestant attempted to travel the entire length of the path within 15 turns. On each turn, they stopped the "Steps" dial and advanced the number of spaces shown.

Spaces along the path could be one of the following types, and were illuminated only when the contestant landed on them.

• Bonus: The contestant stopped the "Bonus" dial and advanced the number of spaces shown.
• Penalty: The contestant stopped the "Penalty" dial and backed up the number of spaces shown.
• Safe: The contestant immediately took their next turn.
• Question: The contestant answered a question. A correct response allowed them to play from that space on their next turn, while a miss forced them to back up to the last Safe space they had passed. If the contestant landed on a previously answered question, it was counted as a free move.

Each turn ended when the contestant either answered a question correctly, landed on a Safe space while moving in either direction, or advanced to a space for a question they had already answered.

All question spaces on the board were of the same type or category, which changed from one game to the next. Examples of categories included filling in the middle initial of a famous person's name; stating whether a given animal lived on land, in air, or in the sea; and naming the missing celebrity in a pair.

The final space on the path was marked "Keys." If the contestant spun a number on the "Steps" or "Bonus" dial that was greater than or equal to the number of steps needed to reach it, they won the game and earned the right to choose one key from a group of seven. Each key corresponded to a different prize, one of which was a large package personalized to match the contestant's interests, and the prizes (or pictures of them) were behind glass doors secured with padlocks. The contestant had to make a choice to play again in the hope of earning more keys; or to stop, choose the appropriate number of keys, and win whatever prizes they unlocked.

Contestants left the show after deciding to stop, earning all seven keys and winning every available prize, or failing to complete the path within 15 turns. In this last case, they forfeited all their keys and received only a consolation prize.

Once per episode, home viewers were given a chance to play for seven different prizes, six small ones and a "prize wonderland" that consisted of a prize package, a fur stole, and a cash bonus. Each prize corresponded to one of seven keys as in the main game. Viewers sent in postcards with their name, address, and the number of the key they wanted to use (1 through 7). Any postcard without all three of these elements was discarded, and another one was drawn to replace it. The host tried the viewer's chosen key on the prize wonderland first, and the viewer won it if he was able to open its lock. If not, he tried the key on the other prizes until he found the one it unlocked, and the viewer won that prize.

Two different formats were used during the broadcast run of the series. In one format, the cash bonus was $1,000, and the host kept drawing one card at a time and awarding prizes until a viewer won the prize wonderland. In the other, the bonus was $500 and the host only drew one card; if the viewer did not win the prize wonderland, he demonstrated the correct key by using it to open that lock.