GSN Live

Format

GSN Live featured interactive games that aired during short breaks where commercials would normally appear. Games were introduced at the beginning of an hour and played by a caller near the end of the hour, with only one player per game. Entries could be made on the internet or over the phone, both having an equal chance of selection. Every individual who logged on or called to enter, whether chosen to play on air or not, was entered into a "Weekly Prize Bonanza" drawing for which a single prize was awarded once a week.

Prizes in the first three weeks included a vacation package, diamond watches, and a cruise. (Currently, the prize is awarded monthly.) All contestants who played on-air were awarded 2,500 "Oodles" (5,000 on "Winner Wednesday" shows), an online currency offered to GSN website users. At the beginning of March, the show introduced "Steal These Wheels."

All contestants chosen to play live on the air were entered into a drawing for a new Chrysler PT Cruiser, which was awarded on the first day of April. During the final segment of the show, the hosts presented three keys with labels showing the first names and towns of that day's players, then placed them into a glass tumbler referred to as a "hopper." The hosts had a running gag that the car was parked in host Fred Roggin's parking spot, making the spot unavailable for his own car.

On April 1, 2008, a name was pulled from the hopper, and the PT Cruiser was awarded to a male contestant living in Woodstock, Illinois. Host Heidi Bohay then surprised viewers by announcing that "Steal These Wheels" would continue for a second month, with a Jeep Patriot being the prize. During the final week of March, regular host Fred Roggin took a one-week vacation. In his absence, game show legend and celebrity emcee Wink Martindale took his place.

Regularly throughout the week, Martindale made jokes centering on Roggin's absence, such as finding a wallet full of cash tucked inside the host chair and revealing to the audience that Fred was not on vacation, but was, in fact, on the run from the police. While Fred was in Beijing, China for NBC's Olympic coverage, several hosts filled in, including Martindale, Alfonso Ribeiro, Ty Treadway and Bob Goen. The hosts increasingly took a light-hearted approach to the show's material, gently poking fun at the classic game shows on the GSN schedule and their sometimes anachronistic elements, the network itself, and each other.