How to Become a Fan of the Cash Cab TV Game Show
Recognize how each episode began., Recognize how the game was played., Be able to describe what happened in a Red Light Challenge question., Be able to describe what players won at the very end of the game., Understand what forms of "help" were...
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Recognize how each episode began.
Each episode began more or less the same way, but with slight tweaks in wording for different series.
At first, the camera showed the host standing on the outside of his minivan taxi on a New York City street, facing the Statue of Liberty.
He then gave an explanation of the show/game along the lines of: "There are thirteen thousand cabs in New York City ... but there's only one that pays you.
Climb into the Cash Cab, and I'll quiz you all the way to your destination.
As the meter clicks, the questions get harder, and the stakes get higher.
If you get stumped, you can Shout-Out for help on the phone, or off the street.
But be careful, because in the Cash Cab, it's three strikes and you're out! So what do you say? You in?" Then the camera cut away and the screen showed several static images of the host and the streets of New York City.
The logo appeared at the end of the theme song, and then faded.
You saw a team of players get into the taxi van (generally anywhere from 2-4 players).
The contestants started off unaware that they're in the "Cash Cab," so much like for any other taxi ride, you'd hear one of them telling the driver their destination.
The lights above the players head would begin to flash, as the host told them, "You guys are in the Cash Cab
- the TV game show that takes place right here in my taxi.
What do you say
- Do you want to play?" When they agreed, you'd see the taxi begin moving around the streets of the city with the host behind the wheel.
Once players got in and told the host where they'd like to go, but before the lights began flashing, they were briefed on the rules of the game.
However, this part wasn't shown on television. -
Step 2: Recognize how the game was played.
Generally, players were asked a series of questions throughout their journey.
If they got stumped, there were a variety of things they could get help, as discussed later.
If the team got the answer right, great! If the team got the answer incorrect, the team would get a strike.
Three strikes and the team would have to forfeit
- and would have to get out of the cab.
All of these questions required only one answer, and they covered all kinds of topics.
Rarely were they multiple-choice or true/false questions., When the cab had to stop at a red light, the host would announce a Red Light Challenge question (the host's elongated version of the word "Challenge" made this announcement memorable).
Generally, Red Light Challenge questions required multiple answers.
Teams would have to shout out any answers they could.
Wrong answers didn't make the team lose any money nor earn a strike., Each regular Cash Cab question was worth a certain dollar amount; the first four questions were $25, the next four were $50, the following four $100, and after that $200 (though it was rare contestants got to those).
Completely and correctly-answered Red Light Challenge questions would generally yield a $250 bonus ($500 in rare instances called Double Rides, such as were used in the Chicago and Las Vegas episodes) to the team's bank.
In the special Canadian episodes, there was a special bankable amount where teams could earn double the dollars for answering a question right "on the bridge"., During the New York City episodes, contestants could call for help in two ways.
In a Street Shout Out, the team could elect to ask someone off the sidewalks to answer the question the host asked.
In a Mobile Shout Out, one of the team's contestants could call someone who would know the answer (but they only had 15-30 seconds to do so).
Nobody had smartphones during the show's airing, so they called from a regular flip cell phone.
In the Canadian episodes, there was a "Swap Out" Shout Out, too, which would swap out the particular question with another question., If players arrived at their destination without accumulating three strikes, their banked money was safe
- so far.
But that's when things got tricky.
The host would tell the players how much money they won, and give them an option: they could walk away with that money, or they could stick around and risk it all on a double-or-nothing Video Bonus question.
Videos were shown on the back of the driver's side and passenger side built-in headrests and could involve difficult questions about anything.
Not everyone went for it, but if they did , they'd be shown a clip.
The host would narrate a question that referred to the video on the screen.
Players had only a few seconds to come up with an answer following the end of the clip.
If they answered correctly, great
- they doubled their money and walked out of the cab with their winnings.
If not, they would have to leave the cab empty handed (except for the free cab ride)., Generally, during a 30 minute episode of Cash Cab, you'd see three "teams" participate.
With the exception of those in the "Cash Cab:
After Dark" episode, two of the three rides were provided in daylight hours, and the last ride was shot during the evening or night., The host generally drove a minivan, though the car changed depending on the episode.
However, spin-offs in some other countries used more traditional sedan taxis, instead., The logo stayed more or less the same throughout the series, with only minor tweaks.
Early on, they displayed the logo on the side of a traditional taxi's back door, while other episodes dropped the taxi and just showed the logo on its own.
All the letters to the gameshow were in capital letters, and some versions of the show (notably the "After Dark" spin off) had logos that displayed the word "CASH" a little brighter than "CAB".
The top half of the logo was written in a brighter yellow, and most letters were split into two parts right down the middle of each word
- some at a slant and others along a diagonal line.
The S in Cash was made to look like a dollar sign, and the bottom portion of the yellow dollar sign overlapped the black border that covered the word "cab".
Cab was written in white, a little smaller than "cash".
Other variants included changing the color scheme from yellow-on-yellow to white-on-yellow, with a yellow-on-white scheme below (to blend in with the taxi).In the After Dark spin-off, the logo remained the same.
After Dark was written in scripted calligraphy to the right of the Cash Cab portion of the logo, over a lit crosswalk.In the Las Vegas episode spin-off, the logo was moved to the very top of the taxi's exterior roof.
Inside of the logo, "Las Vegas" was written after "Cab," and there were movie-roll film-like stylings around three of the border sides of the black box.
You could see the bright lights of the Las Vegas skyline behind. "Las Vegas" was written in pinkish purple without splitting the letters in half.Not very many viewers remember the logo for the Chicago show.
The "CASH CAB" portion was written much like the regular logo, in white text below the cab over near the right.
Then the word CHICAGO was written in a simple font.
There was no real major differences in this logo.In some versions of the logo, the word Chicago was expanded over the entire width of the Cash Cabs' bottom line, in white. , The original Cash Cab host was Ben Bailey.
Besides Cash Cab, he also held minor roles in several TV movies between 2002 and 2016, including "30 Rock" and MADtv..
Beth Melewski hosted the Chicago spin-off of the show, while much later Ben Bailey returned to host the Las Vegas spin-offs of the show., Discovery Channel hosted this show generally in the 8pm ET (7pm CT) primetime hour every weekday (excluding summers).
It ran between December 5th, 2005 and January 9th, 2013 for a total of 372 episodes.During the first 24 episodes of season 1, they sometimes aired back-to-back new episodes to fill up that block of the primetime hour., Cash Cab spawned a wealth of spin-off TV gameshows, including Cash Cab:
After Dark, Cash Cab:
Chicago, and Cash Cab:
Las Vegas.
Cash Cab:
After Dark was very similar to regular Cash Cab but only involved the nighttime hours in the "City that Never Sleeps".
It was hosted by Ben Bailey in 2007 for a total of 9 episodes.
Cash Cab:
Chicago aired in 2011 for 36 episodes.Cash Cab:
Las Vegas aired in
2011.Many countries aired their own version of Cash Cab including Canada (British Columbia), where a regular car with the stylized working were used. -
Step 3: Be able to describe what happened in a Red Light Challenge question.
-
Step 4: Be able to describe what players won at the very end of the game.
-
Step 5: Understand what forms of "help" were available to contestants.
-
Step 6: Describe the end game.
-
Step 7: Recognize that multiple contestants would play during one episode.
-
Step 8: Know what vehicle the show used.
-
Step 9: Describe the show's logo.
-
Step 10: Look for information about the hosts for this show.
-
Step 11: Research its airing schedule.
-
Step 12: Describe the spin-off shows.
Detailed Guide
Each episode began more or less the same way, but with slight tweaks in wording for different series.
At first, the camera showed the host standing on the outside of his minivan taxi on a New York City street, facing the Statue of Liberty.
He then gave an explanation of the show/game along the lines of: "There are thirteen thousand cabs in New York City ... but there's only one that pays you.
Climb into the Cash Cab, and I'll quiz you all the way to your destination.
As the meter clicks, the questions get harder, and the stakes get higher.
If you get stumped, you can Shout-Out for help on the phone, or off the street.
But be careful, because in the Cash Cab, it's three strikes and you're out! So what do you say? You in?" Then the camera cut away and the screen showed several static images of the host and the streets of New York City.
The logo appeared at the end of the theme song, and then faded.
You saw a team of players get into the taxi van (generally anywhere from 2-4 players).
The contestants started off unaware that they're in the "Cash Cab," so much like for any other taxi ride, you'd hear one of them telling the driver their destination.
The lights above the players head would begin to flash, as the host told them, "You guys are in the Cash Cab
- the TV game show that takes place right here in my taxi.
What do you say
- Do you want to play?" When they agreed, you'd see the taxi begin moving around the streets of the city with the host behind the wheel.
Once players got in and told the host where they'd like to go, but before the lights began flashing, they were briefed on the rules of the game.
However, this part wasn't shown on television.
Generally, players were asked a series of questions throughout their journey.
If they got stumped, there were a variety of things they could get help, as discussed later.
If the team got the answer right, great! If the team got the answer incorrect, the team would get a strike.
Three strikes and the team would have to forfeit
- and would have to get out of the cab.
All of these questions required only one answer, and they covered all kinds of topics.
Rarely were they multiple-choice or true/false questions., When the cab had to stop at a red light, the host would announce a Red Light Challenge question (the host's elongated version of the word "Challenge" made this announcement memorable).
Generally, Red Light Challenge questions required multiple answers.
Teams would have to shout out any answers they could.
Wrong answers didn't make the team lose any money nor earn a strike., Each regular Cash Cab question was worth a certain dollar amount; the first four questions were $25, the next four were $50, the following four $100, and after that $200 (though it was rare contestants got to those).
Completely and correctly-answered Red Light Challenge questions would generally yield a $250 bonus ($500 in rare instances called Double Rides, such as were used in the Chicago and Las Vegas episodes) to the team's bank.
In the special Canadian episodes, there was a special bankable amount where teams could earn double the dollars for answering a question right "on the bridge"., During the New York City episodes, contestants could call for help in two ways.
In a Street Shout Out, the team could elect to ask someone off the sidewalks to answer the question the host asked.
In a Mobile Shout Out, one of the team's contestants could call someone who would know the answer (but they only had 15-30 seconds to do so).
Nobody had smartphones during the show's airing, so they called from a regular flip cell phone.
In the Canadian episodes, there was a "Swap Out" Shout Out, too, which would swap out the particular question with another question., If players arrived at their destination without accumulating three strikes, their banked money was safe
- so far.
But that's when things got tricky.
The host would tell the players how much money they won, and give them an option: they could walk away with that money, or they could stick around and risk it all on a double-or-nothing Video Bonus question.
Videos were shown on the back of the driver's side and passenger side built-in headrests and could involve difficult questions about anything.
Not everyone went for it, but if they did , they'd be shown a clip.
The host would narrate a question that referred to the video on the screen.
Players had only a few seconds to come up with an answer following the end of the clip.
If they answered correctly, great
- they doubled their money and walked out of the cab with their winnings.
If not, they would have to leave the cab empty handed (except for the free cab ride)., Generally, during a 30 minute episode of Cash Cab, you'd see three "teams" participate.
With the exception of those in the "Cash Cab:
After Dark" episode, two of the three rides were provided in daylight hours, and the last ride was shot during the evening or night., The host generally drove a minivan, though the car changed depending on the episode.
However, spin-offs in some other countries used more traditional sedan taxis, instead., The logo stayed more or less the same throughout the series, with only minor tweaks.
Early on, they displayed the logo on the side of a traditional taxi's back door, while other episodes dropped the taxi and just showed the logo on its own.
All the letters to the gameshow were in capital letters, and some versions of the show (notably the "After Dark" spin off) had logos that displayed the word "CASH" a little brighter than "CAB".
The top half of the logo was written in a brighter yellow, and most letters were split into two parts right down the middle of each word
- some at a slant and others along a diagonal line.
The S in Cash was made to look like a dollar sign, and the bottom portion of the yellow dollar sign overlapped the black border that covered the word "cab".
Cab was written in white, a little smaller than "cash".
Other variants included changing the color scheme from yellow-on-yellow to white-on-yellow, with a yellow-on-white scheme below (to blend in with the taxi).In the After Dark spin-off, the logo remained the same.
After Dark was written in scripted calligraphy to the right of the Cash Cab portion of the logo, over a lit crosswalk.In the Las Vegas episode spin-off, the logo was moved to the very top of the taxi's exterior roof.
Inside of the logo, "Las Vegas" was written after "Cab," and there were movie-roll film-like stylings around three of the border sides of the black box.
You could see the bright lights of the Las Vegas skyline behind. "Las Vegas" was written in pinkish purple without splitting the letters in half.Not very many viewers remember the logo for the Chicago show.
The "CASH CAB" portion was written much like the regular logo, in white text below the cab over near the right.
Then the word CHICAGO was written in a simple font.
There was no real major differences in this logo.In some versions of the logo, the word Chicago was expanded over the entire width of the Cash Cabs' bottom line, in white. , The original Cash Cab host was Ben Bailey.
Besides Cash Cab, he also held minor roles in several TV movies between 2002 and 2016, including "30 Rock" and MADtv..
Beth Melewski hosted the Chicago spin-off of the show, while much later Ben Bailey returned to host the Las Vegas spin-offs of the show., Discovery Channel hosted this show generally in the 8pm ET (7pm CT) primetime hour every weekday (excluding summers).
It ran between December 5th, 2005 and January 9th, 2013 for a total of 372 episodes.During the first 24 episodes of season 1, they sometimes aired back-to-back new episodes to fill up that block of the primetime hour., Cash Cab spawned a wealth of spin-off TV gameshows, including Cash Cab:
After Dark, Cash Cab:
Chicago, and Cash Cab:
Las Vegas.
Cash Cab:
After Dark was very similar to regular Cash Cab but only involved the nighttime hours in the "City that Never Sleeps".
It was hosted by Ben Bailey in 2007 for a total of 9 episodes.
Cash Cab:
Chicago aired in 2011 for 36 episodes.Cash Cab:
Las Vegas aired in
2011.Many countries aired their own version of Cash Cab including Canada (British Columbia), where a regular car with the stylized working were used.
About the Author
Grace Harris
Creates helpful guides on practical skills to inspire and educate readers.
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