Hip Hop Squares
| Hip Hop Squares | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Game show |
| Created by | Merrill Heatter and Bob Quigley |
| Based on | Hollywood Squares |
| Presented by |
Peter Rosenberg (2012) DeRay Davis (2017) |
| Narrated by |
DJ Ms. Nix (2012) Ice Cube (2017) |
| Theme music composer | Kush Klein (2012) |
| Opening theme | "Hip Hop Squares Theme" |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 20[1] |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
|
| Production location(s) |
Steiner Studios, Brooklyn, New York (2012) Hollywood Center Studios, Los Angeles, California (2017) |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 21 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
MTV Networks (2012) Canter/Krank Industries (2012) Jesse Collins Entertainment Entertain the Brutes Cube Vision The Firm (2017-18) CBS Television Distribution |
| Release | |
| Original network |
MTV2 (2012) VH1 (2017-present) |
| Picture format |
480i (SDTV) 720p (HDTV) |
| Original release |
May 22 - December 18, 2012 March 13, 2017 - present |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows |
Hollywood Squares Storybook Squares Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Hip Hop Squares is an American television game show originally hosted by New York City radio personality Peter Rosenberg, which debuted on MTV2 on May 22, 2012.[2] The show is a licensed format of CBS Television Distribution's Hollywood Squares (King World Productions, CBS Television Distribution's predecessor company, acquired the franchise in 1991 from Orion Pictures) featuring mostly rappers.[3] The MTV2 version of the show was taped in Brooklyn, New York. The VH1 version is taped in Hollywood, California.
Because of the show's status as part of the Hollywood Squares franchise, the show marked the sixth decade that a version of the franchise has aired on television, joining Let's Make a Deal, Jeopardy!, and The Newlywed Game as a game show that has aired in six different decades. (Only The Price Is Right and To Tell the Truth have been on longer; both have aired in seven decades.)
On July 28, 2016, VH1 announced a new version of Hip Hop Squares, which premiered on March 13, 2017 executive produced by rapper and actor Ice Cube and hosted by DeRay Davis additionally, Davis was a semi-regular panelist on the original MTV2 version before becoming the host of the VH1 version.[4] A third season (and second for VH1) began on April 18, 2018.[5]
Setting and format
MTV2 Version
A win in the first two rounds is worth $500, and $1,000 in round three. The Secret Square (renamed the "G-Spot") takes place in round two, with a $1,000 cash bonus awarded for correctly answering the question (but does not count towards the player's score). If time runs out in the middle of a round, each square on the board is worth $100 and the contestant with the higher score wins.
Bonus Round
The winning contestant then picks one of the three rows, with each celebrity in that row providing an answer to a multiple-choice question. The contestant must pick the celebrity with the correct answer to win a $2,500 bonus.[3]
VH1 Version
Two celebrities associated with the hip hop music genre play the game and win money for members of the studio audience sometimes with the same gender or with family members. Also in order to make their decision, the celebrity who's in control has to press one of two buttons in front of him/her (green to agree/red to disagree).
A win is worth $1,000 ($500 in some episodes) in the first round and worth $2,000 ($1,000 in some episodes) in the second. In addition, each captured square is worth a random cash amount revealed when a star is chosen. The celebrity contestant with the higher score after the second round wins the game and plays the bonus round with the designated audience team member.
Bonus Round
In Season 1, the bonus round is called "three-in-a-row" where the winning celebrity and audience member try to obtain a tic-tac-toe, which then doubles the total winnings from the main game. Squares on the game board randomly flash, which is then stopped using a button pressed by the team. The team's symbol is then placed in the square, and the process repeats. If the team can obtain a tic-tac-toe in five spins, the team's winnings from the main game are doubled. Also unlike the bonus round from All-Star Blitz, a spin of the board cannot land on a square that has been occupied by a symbol.
In Season 2, the Bonus Round is called "Pick That Dough". In the round, the audience member chooses 3 celebrities to form a tic-tac-toe on the board. Each celebrity is holding a record sleeve which contains a disc. 8 of the discs contain a cash prize ranging from $1 to $5,000 which is added to the money already won. The final disc's prize is either a tropical vacation, a new car or in one episode sponsored by Burger King an additional cash prize of $25,000. Whatever prizes are revealed by the 3 celebrities are awarded to the audience member. If the grand prize disc is not chosen by the player, the identity of the disc's holder is revealed at the end of the show.
Broadcast history
Casting for contestants on Hip Hop Squares began in March 2012. The show began taping on April 4, 2012 and recorded 20 episodes at Steiner Studios throughout the month.[6] Hip Hop Squares premiered on MTV2 on May 22, 2012. The first season consisted of 8 episodes on consecutive Tuesday evenings, concluding on July 10, 2012. The series premiere was the highest viewed premiere for MTV2 by viewers aged 12–34 ever, with 329,000 viewers total. Season one averaged nearly 260,000 over its eight episodes.[7][8] The second season, with an additional 12 episodes, began on October 23, 2012.[9] Episodes aired on Tuesday nights, with two episodes airing during the first two weeks and final week, concluding on December 18, 2012.[1]
On July 28, 2016, VH1, a network in the Viacom Media Networks family along with MTV2, announced a new version of Hip Hop Squares will premiere on March 13, 2017, executive produced by rapper and actor Ice Cube and hosted by DeRay Davis.[4]
References
- 1 2 "Hip Hop Squares Episode Guide". TV Guide. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
- ↑ Ryzik, Melena (19 April 2012). "Tick-Tack-Toe for the Vigorously Unsquare". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
- 1 2 Rob Markman (30 March 2012). ""Hip Hop Squares": New Game Show Coming To MTV2!". MTV. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
- 1 2 Michael Malone (28 July 2016). "VH1 Bringing Back 'Hip Hop Squares'". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- ↑ "Hip Hop Squares, Season 2". Retrieved April 13, 2018.
- ↑ "MTV2 newest game show HIP HOP SQUARES is casting". MTV. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
- ↑ "Hip Hop Squares Delivers Highest Rating". TV By the Numbers. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
- ↑ "MTV2 Ratings". Son of the Bronx. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
- ↑ "MTV2 Set to Debut All New Episodes of "Hip Hop Squares" on Tuesday, October 23 at 11:00 ET/PT". TV By The Numbers. Retrieved 10 March 2013.