beat the geeks

Beat the Geeks is a comedy game show which aired on Comedy Central in the United States from 2001 to 2002 (reruns of the program are also played on The Comedy Network in Canada). On the show, contestants face off in trivia matches against "geeks" who are well-versed in music, movies, and television, as well as a fourth geek whose area of expertise varies from things such as Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings. The object is to outsmart the geek at their own subject, a task made much easier, considering that the geeks are given questions of considerably greater difficulty.

Rules

First Round

The rules of the first round are different in Season 1 and Season 2.

Season 1

The three contestants compete against each other to answer 8 questions, 2 from each category. Each correct answer is worth 10 points, and the player with the least amount of points at the end is eliminated. In the event of a tie, a tiebreaker question is used.

Season 2

The three contestants compete against other and the Geeks to answer 4 questions, 1 from each category. Each correct answer is worth 10 points. If a contestant submits a correct answer, they go face-to-face with a Geek to answer another question. During this face-off, if the contestant gets the question wrong or the Geek gets it right, the contestant loses 5 points. However, if the contestant gets the question right or the Geek gets it wrong, they are awarded another 10 points. The player with the least amount of points at the end is eliminated. In the event of a tie, a tiebreaker question is used.

Second Round

The remaining two contestants choose which geek to challgenge for their medal. If this round starts off as a tie, the contestants are asked a zero-point question to determine who goes first. Otherwise, the player with the most points goes first. The Geeks' Medals are worth 20 points, except for the Guest Geek, whose medal is worth 40 points. A total of two questions are asked; if a Geek answers wrong, the player is awarded the medal and 20 points, and if a contestant answers wrong, the other player may buzz in and "steal" the question for 10 points. If neither question is incorrectly answered, the Geek-off occurs. In the Geek-off, a question is first posed to the contestant, who attempts to answer it with as many valid responses as they can. After this, a similar but harder question is posed to the Geek. If the Geek fails to surpass the contestant in the number of correct answers, the contestant wins the medal.

Third Round

The first part of the third round is identical to the second, except that the medals are now worth 40 points, except for the Guest Geek's which is worth 60 points. At the end of the third round is the Geek-qualizer. In the Geek-qualizer, the player gives a name or title and the contestants decide whether it is related to Movies, Music, or TV. There are a total of 15 questions worth 10 points each, and control is switched over to one contestant only when the other gives an incorrect answer or does not answer in time. If there is a tie after the Geek-qualzier, a tiebreaker question is asked and the contestant who gives the correct answer moves on to the final round. Otherwise, it is the player with the most points who makes it to the final round.

Final Round

In the final round, the contestant chooses one of the four Geeks to challenge. Once they are face-to-face, the contest goes first and chooses whether or not he wants a 1 point (easiest), 2 point (harder), or 3 point (hardest) question. After the contestant gives his answer, the Geek chooses which kind of question they want, but cannot choose a point value lower than what the contestant just chose. The first person to reach 7 points wins, and if the contestant wins they are awarded $5000 worth of prizes in whatever category they chose for the Final Round.