Bail Me Out!

A Pitch for the TV Game Show, Bail Me Out!

Game Creator: Zyangquelyn Witherspoon, CEO-Zya’s Ink
Concept Originated: April 15, 2008
United States Copyright © July 6, 2011
Revised United States Copyright © January 13, 2017
WGAE Registration #1230390
WGAW Registration #1874462
Creator’s Vault-CV5954
Bail Me Out! Is in the game show genre.

My idea came in wake of the Feds bank bailouts. My investments disappeared, that’s when I realized that livelihoods may change forever. Industries were being bailed out. Main Street America was asking,” Hey, where’s MY bailout”? Thus, the concept of Bail Me Out! was born.

TITLE: Bail Me Out!

LOGLINE:
Using food, shelter and clothing as game pieces, contestants play a game of trivia-based tic-tac-toe, while trying to acquire the necessities of life and to increase their bank account balances.

United States Copyright ©July 6, 2011
Revised United States Copyright © January 13, 2017
WGAW Registration #1874462
WGAE Registration #12090
Creator’s Vault-CV5954
Zyangquelyn Witherspoon

SYNOPSIS:
This game is based on the reality that an individual will struggle and sacrifice to acquire the necessities of life. This is a game of competition, knowledge, logic, defeat and victory. Players use their innate strengths to recoup their losses and to improve their circumstances.
The setting could be in a studio, or anyplace conducive to setting it up. Characters are a host, a Banker and two contestants. The Banker opens bank accounts with $500 for each contestant and the game begins. The players choose a game piece that represents the first necessity they’d like to play for. Instead of using X’s and O’s, the players use virtual symbols of food, shelter and clothing. The tic-tac-toe grid is computer-based and has virtual images of hidden prizes, with monetary values, in random squares (like Jeopardy). I envision a large wall-sized tic-tac-toe grid. The players having individual ones on their podiums. At the bottom of their grids are virtual game pieces which they slide into place, on their grids, as they take turns blocking each other. Their moves are projected onto the wall grid to be seen by an audience. Players select a different necessity to win after each round of play. As they win, the necessities and prizes are placed under their names beside the grid. They must never play for the same necessity as their opponent, during a round. Players answer questions/riddles of monetary value (Using technology similar to, “Who wants to be a Millionaire”?, “Are you smarter than a Fifth Grader”?) ex. Multiple-choice, true/false, fill in the blanks. When a player answers a question/riddle correctly, the money is deposited to the player’s bank account.
Pawn Shop-In one square on the big board there’s a Pawn Shop symbol, a player lands on it and receives a coin from the Banker, to purchase the opponent’s incorrectly answered question/riddle (he/she doesn’t get the square). If this player answers the question /riddle correctly, the value of it is deposited to his/her bank account. The player then takes his regular turn answering the next question. If the question/riddle is answered incorrectly, the player forfeits the coin, returns it to the Banker, gets no money and the opponent takes a turn.
Strategizing to land on a prize square, increases their balances even more, as the prizes have monetary value. Players can win the prizes they land on along their horizontal, vertical or diagonal paths (if they win the round). When a player loses a round, he loses all prizes he landed on and the money awarded for his correctly answered questions/riddles.

United States Copyright ©July 6, 2011
Revised United States Copyright © January 13, 2017
WGAW Registration #1874462
WGAE Registration #12090
Creator’s Vault-CV5954
Zyangquelyn Witherspoon
(Cont’d)
If the player’s account is dwindling near the minimum of $500, he/she must ask the banker to, BAIL ME OUT! The Banker asks, “For how much”? The amount should be for $500 or more. (You can never use your initial, minimum deposit, to stay in the game. It keeps your account open.) Player decides how much to borrow, because Bailout Money is deducted from his/her winnings at game’s end. Will he/she win enough to repay the bank?
As the game ends, the Banker totals the players’ winnings and deducts Bailout Money from their accounts. The first player to win the most necessities and has the highest bank balance, with all or most of the Bailout money repaid, wins the game. Each player leaves the game with their winnings after announcing to the Banker, “I’m bailing out”. The Banker closes their accounts and issues a receipt for their withdrawals.
BONUS PLAY:
If a player captures all the necessities and repays all Bailout Money, he/she gets a bonus play worth $20,000 to be added to their winnings. In the bonus round the player is asked four questions/riddles worth $5000 apiece, the degrees of difficulty increase with each question/riddle. The player may take his/her winnings and stop the game after any correctly answered question. If he/she chooses to continue playing and incorrectly answers one of the four questions, the player loses all the bonus money. This ends the game.
(Bonus round variation: More interactivity and a pop of technology can be added. Player could play a bonus round of trivia-tic-tac-toe against the computer or an audience member, to win a sum of money.)

CONTACT INFORMATION:
Ms Zyangquelyn (Zya) Witherspoon
14567 London Lane
Bowie, Maryland 20715
E-mail: zyasink@hotmail.com (H)301/262-2504