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Pyramid (1997)


Producer: Sony
Host: Chuck Woolery
Celebrities: Leila Kenzle, Dan Cortese, Kathy Kinney, Bronson Pinchot, Alfonso Ribiero, Kathy Najimy
Taping Info: late 1997 at CBS Studio 33, Los Angeles
Made it to Air: This version, no. One previous pilot and two pilots later it finally made the air in 2002 for a two year syndication run. By the time it made it to air, there was little resemblance to this version and much more resemblance to the classic 70s and 80s version.

After a rather disjointed revival attempt in 1996, Sony tried again with Pyramid, bringing in a more traditional host (Chuck Woolery) and returning the game to the 30-second main game with two end games format. However, they were insistent on keeping the six-celebrity motif, which would again proved to be unwieldy.

Like the '96 pilot, the celebrities were on desks in the center and came center stage when their category was called. Same scoring as in classic Pyramid, and the winner got to go to "Final Pyramid" (not the Winner's Circle) to play for $10,000 if this was the first round, or $25,000 for the second.

If this pilot hadn't been released for the 1998-99 TV season, it probably would have made it. However, Hollywood Squares and Match Game were also released that year and with Family Feud waiting in the wings, it was a crowded marketplace and the time slots would have been brutal. Plus, as shown with the 2002 revival, getting two competent/known celebrities was a challenge. Imagine trying to get six week in, week out.

This pilot has been viewed 13249 times since October 6, 2008 and was last modified on Dec 12, 2009 14:46 ET
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