Identity (game show)
Match the strangers to their hidden identities.
Identity is an American game show created by Tim Puntillo and produced by Reveille Productions for NBC. Hosted by magician Penn Jillette, the series aired for one season from December 2006 to April 2007. The format was later licensed to several other countries.
Quick Facts
- Camera
- Multi-camera
- Runtime
- 60 minutes
- Creator
- Tim Puntillo
- Developer
- Reveille Productions
- Executive producers
- Ben Silverman
- H.T. Owens
- Andrew Golder
- Tim Puntillo
- Presenter
- Penn Jillette
- Narrator
- Joe Cipriano
- Country
- United States
Facts from the source article.
Format
Each episode presents a contestant with twelve strangers standing on numbered podiums. The contestant receives a list of twelve identities—facts about each stranger such as occupation, hobby, height, weight, or age—and must deduce which stranger corresponds to each fact. Strangers may give only their first name and often wear misleading outfits. Contestants may ask questions about a stranger's background and can receive opinions from attending friends or family. When a contestant decides on a match, they seal the identity at their own podium; the host then asks the stranger if the fact is correct. A correct match increases the prize money according to a table. The contestant may quit at any time with accumulated winnings. One incorrect match is allowed (the Mistaken Identity help), but a second mistake ends the game with no winnings. Two lifelines, called helps, are available: Tri-dentity narrows a chosen identity to three strangers, and the contestant must match it to one of them or quit; this help is active only until four strangers remain. Ask The Experts lets the contestant consult a panel of three experts who make educated guesses based on professional training, with no inside knowledge; the contestant is not bound by their opinions. Additional assistance is offered at various points.
Interactive game
During its December 2006 run, the show featured an at-home game called "The Identity Challenge" for continental U.S. residents. Randomly selected participants could earn $10,000 by picking which of five strangers matched a product or a profession tied to an advertised item. For the first two episodes, three of the five strangers were shown to be wrong during the game, with the correct answer given before the final commercial break. In the next three episodes, no such elimination happened; all five strangers stayed until the end. The answer was disclosed during a related commercial in the first 20 minutes to boost ad viewership. This interactive element was removed before the sixth episode on March 16, 2007.
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