Monopoly (game show) (Johnsonverse)

Monopoly is an American television game show based on the board game of the same name. The format was created by Merv Griffin and Phil Stacker and produced by the former's production company, Merv Griffin Enterprises.

It has aired on WBC since September 10, 1990, and former Jeopardy! contestant Mike Reilly was chosen to host the series, with Charlie O'Donnell as announcer until his 2010 death. Paul Boland, the former Match Game announcer from 1999 to 2003, was chosen as the new announcer in March 2011.

First round
Three contestants (one of whom is a returning champion) start with $15,000. This round involves answering three questions. Whoever answers a question correctly chooses a monopoly on the board to improve (railroads and utilities are not in play), paying $50 for each building developed (for example, $750 is the amount for three hotels). If no contestant gets the question right, then they don't select a monopoly.

Second round
This is when the dice-rolling begins. If a player lands on the other’s monopoly, they pay $25 (which is multiplied by the amount of buildings developed). If it’s unowned, they buy the monopoly for the combined value (for example, Boardwalk and Park Place are worth $750 together), though if they don't have enough, it must be auctioned. Railroads and utilities are now up for grabs. Rolling a double nets an extra roll, though three of them will land the player in Jail. Passing Go nets $2,000 (landing there nets $4,000), while Free Parking nets the player $10,000 (its starting amount) and all money paid to the pot, resetting to $10,000 after it’s landed on. Tax spaces and Jail do exactly as in the board game, and whoever is in Jail answers a trivia question to get out (if incorrect, $1,000 is paid to Free Parking before they’re released). Chance and Community Chest spaces will apply to all players, but they focus on cards that benefit certain players, some of which would force the person who has the card to give money to the person in last place. After enough time (about ten minutes), the round ends, and the show goes to commercial.

Final round
This is a continuation of Round 2, with an expanded board. The contestant in debt must mortgage all of their properties (and tear down their buildings if they’re developed). If they can’t pay their bills, they’re forced to declare bankruptcy and are out of the game, though if all three are in debt and declare bankruptcy, the game returns the next day with three new contestants. After the "feds" arrive and time is called, whoever has the most money wins.

Development
After years of negotiation with Parker Brothers, Merv Griffin acquired the rights to the Monopoly board game in 1987. A runthrough, hosted by Marc Summers, was produced. with wildly different rules. Two years later, a full pilot was produced, with host Peter Tomarken, and Patty Maloney playing Rich Uncle Pennybags, who represented the players' token. Among the contestants was Reilly, the stated "defending champion" of the pilot. However, Tomarken clashed with the producers over the use of Maloney, calling it "tasteless" and comparing it to slavery.

Broadcast history
The series was originally going to be syndicated throughout the country for the 1989-1990 television season. However, after the pilot was reviewed, only 22 stations signed on, with many stations objecting to the use of Maloney as Pennybags. Immediately, Phil Stacker, the CEO of Johnson Industries at the time, saw potential in the pilot and picked it up to air on the WBC (then known as JTV) daytime schedule, though he ordered many changes, as, having seen the pilot, felt that "the rules were too confusing". Maloney's spot on the board was replaced with lights on the board, and Tomarken was replaced with 26-year-old Mike Reilly, a waiter from Florida who had been a former Jeopardy! contestant and had played as the "returning champion" on the pilot.