SHOOT FOR THE STARS

	Geoff Edwards
	Bob Clayton
	Studio 8H, NBC, New York
	(NBC) 3-January-77 / 30-September-77

Although it was another BSP word-communication game, Shoot for the Stars was a different sort of game.  Two teams consisting of a celebrity and a contestant partner attempted to guess two-part phrases based on clues.  Each team began with $100, and one team would pick a box from one of the twenty-four next to the emcee.  Each clue would be worth a dollar amount between $100 and $500, a star, or a Double Your Score box.  A clue, such as "A Feline/Slumber" would be read, and the contestant would have to decipher the first part (in this case, "Cat") and the celebrity would have to decipher the second part ("Nap").  If the team answered the phrase correctly, they would win that amount of money.  There was no penalty for incorrect answers.

In the event that a team would uncover one of the four stars on the board, the clue was played differently.  Before the clue was revealed, the team would decide how much to wager of their current total, up to and including the entire amount.  If the team was incorrect on a star clue, they would lose their wager, but could presumably double their money if they "Shot the Works".  More on that later.

Control would alternate until one team reached at least $1500.  The winning contestant would win $1500 and play the bonus round.  A random number between 5 and 9 was selected onstage when the contestant stopped the rotating solari board on the front of the bonus game podium.  The number selected represented how many clues were necessary for the contestant to successfully communicate to his/her celebrity partner.  The contestant would attempt to communicate two-part phrases one part at a time, describing it in any way.  If the contestant successfully communicated the required number of words in under 60-seconds, he/she won a jackpot that began at $1000 and was increased by $500 each time it was not won.

The pilots for Stars were called Shoot the Works, based on the ability to "Shoot the Works" (a common expression meaning to wager everything) if a team found one of the four stars.  The pilot was almost exactly like the series, with the exception that 10 phrases could have been needed for an endgame win.

The music used would later be used on Jackpot, and can be found on the first edition of game show themes from Game Show Network.

EPISODE GUIDE

Are you a M*A*S*H fan? If so, you'd like to know that aside from the normal assortment of Bob Stewart's stable of celebrities, Father Mulcahy himself, William Christopher, played the game.

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