You're On Your Own

The pilot episode was recorded between December, 1955 and April 22, 1956 in New York City. Jack Barry was the emcee with Bern Bennett as the announcer.[2]

Three contestants compete, one at a time, to win cash for what they know and how fast they can find the answer. The stage contained all kinds of reference materials including encyclopedias, dictionaries, phonograph records with record player, a telephone with phone books, etc. Players can use any of the reference material to find the necessary information. The emcee assigns either a question or task to a player along with an amount of time, between 60 and 120 seconds depending upon difficulty, to complete their assignment. The player must find the correct answer or complete their task as fast as possible and before time ran out. Three assignments were given to each player. If the player was successful on the first assignment, they earned $100 minus $10 for each time segment used to complete the assignment. Time segments represent 10% of the total number of seconds given for the assignment (Example: 60 seconds = 10 six-second time segments). The two remaining assignments were each worth 10 times the amount earned for the previous assignment minus one multiple for each time segment used (Each player can earn a possible $10,000 in a game). However, if the player was unsuccessful at any time, they lost the game and any money earned up to that point.

The player who earned the most money on the broadcast was given a choice:

• To walk away and keep their winnings.
• To go for double-or-nothing and completing one last assignment called the "daily double".

If the player decided to try for the "daily double", they must complete their assignment and return on the next show with proof that the assignment was completed. If the player was successful, they walked away with double their winnings from the previous program. However, if the player was unsuccessful, they lost all money earned on the previous program.

You're On Your Own followed a similar format to the pilot described above with a possible top prize of $25,000 to be won by a contestant.[1][3]

Toward the end of the series run, You're On Your Own had changed its format into one where three contestants competed against each other to answer toss-up questions. If a player buzzed in with a correct answer, they earned one point. However, giving an incorrect answer resulted in the player having to perform a humiliating stunt. The player with the most points won a special prize.[1][4]