Debt Game Show Taped July 1996 Aired December 1996 On Lifetime

[@jeffreystreger2026]

Wink was a very nice guy and treated all of us contestants like we were guests in his home. I am aware of his Facebook page and I'm part of his community there. I also am a subscriber to his You Tube channel.

[@MelissaHash]

Thanks for uploading your episode of Debt, Jeff! I grew up watching Debt on Lifetime afterschool & I love that it has its original commercials as well!

[@crocodiletroy]

since Debt aired for 2 seasons 1996-1998 i go for Season 1 how about you

[@jonathanashbeck3740]

I like the first season better because of the original format but unfortunately the producers of Jeopardy sued the creators of Debt because of its similarities

[@jeffreystreger2026]

I actually agree that season 1 was better than season 2, and not just because I was on the show in season 1. When I was there for my tape day, they told us they were developing a prime time version of the show for ABC where they would pay off a contestant’s mortgage. We know now that it was never destined to happen…but I do wonder how that would have played out.

[@UrsusTheodorusdoesGameShows]

@@jonathanashbeck3740 Damn Merv Griffin!

[@dougbradshaw7924]

I used to watch this show all the time - I always liked it.

[@jeffreystreger2026]

This week, on 12/09/2021, marks 25 years since this episode originally aired. I had such a great time as a contestant on this show, and I really enjoy the comments that are posted here about it.

[@aatb7]

Would you have enjoyed it if you lost? I miss this show so much.

[@jeffreystreger2026]

@@aatb7 100% Yes! I did not apply to be in the show to win money. I love game shows and this was actually the second game show I was on. I hope to get on another show someday, but who knows?

[@TLEberle]

Nice work! Thank you for sharing this with us.

[@jeffreystreger2026]

I appreciate the comment. Thank you. I had a blast being on this show and I was bummed when it got cancelled. Even almost 23 years later, I still enjoy revisiting it.

[@Headbanger142]

Ha ha, the smile you had on your face when you knew the answer to the bonus question was classic.

[@jeffreystreger2026]

Headbanger142: Yes, you can totally see the exact point at which I knew the answer. It was surprising how tight the camera was on my face when I watched it back on TV. I have to watch this every so often to jog my memory since it’s been almost 22 years since I appeared on this mostly forgotten show.

[@Dim4323]

Bring this show back

[@Lenoh]

I seem to remember the debt amounts being bigger on that show, like 5-figures. Still good to see this old gem on KZbin! Thanks, Jeff!

[@jeffreystreger2026]

As I remember it, and it was 23 years ago, there was no stated limit as to how much debt each contestant had. They did try to match players whose debt amounts were close to each other so that the average debt amount that they calculated as the starting point was fair to all three players. This was such a great experience for me and I still have fond memories of being on “Debt”. I was on during season one and the show only ran for two seasons in total.

[@jwavada]

I think I heard Wink mention in an interview that the contestants could have any amount, up to $10,000.

[@zachhoran]

@@jeffreystreger2026 The Debt amounts seen on the show were always IIRC between $6K- $10K, and the celebrity episodes always had the players start at $-7500.

[@BrentWolgamott]

Great job, Jeff! I think I watched this episode when I was in my twenties. LOL I remember the Melrose Place question. If I was on this show, I always thought I would have picked a movie. Movies are self-contained. Series are multi-episode, multi-season behemoths. That said, you did great!!

[@Jopo1226]

+Brent's Lucky (& Gay) Slot Channel Yes I agree. Music and TV shows are too broad and movies are very narrow. Also a good idea is watch the hell out of the movie beforehand and also pick a movie with a small cast that doesn't interact with alot of extras. Horror movies tend to have this trend. Tremors would be a good movie as there are like 15 people tops in that movie. You don't want a movie like the money pit where it has a main focus, but all those contruction workers has something to do with the question

[@marcpower4167]

@@Jopo1226 someone revealed that on a later episode, he picked "Blazing Saddles" watched it the night before the show and won $6,000.

[@jeffreystreger2026]

Here’s a behind the scenes tidbit for you. Each contestant had to list three pop culture categories on their contestant form that they would want for their final question if they won. I do not remember my other two choices. In 1996, “Melrose Place” was a big hit show and I watched it every week (I know…cheesy, but it was escapist fun each week).

[@urano4810]

I could watch 90's commercials all day. They just trigger such a nostalgic feeling

[@pigs18]

"I'm 35k in debt because of medical bills." "I'm 43k in debt because of medical bills." "I'm 57k in debt because I couldn't afford to go to the doctor because of my student loans and now it's developed into Stage 4 cancer." Sounds depressing.

[@peaceofpi]

Wow. I bet the other two players still have nightmares about how misplaced they were. Especially the first one. That was a sad slaughter.

[@Shellinois]

How this show wasn't a bigger hit, I don't know. Great game, beautiful set, hip theme music, fun contestants, and of course... Wink. Should have had a longer run, perhaps on a network or in syndication where would have had a fighting chance. This really was a terrific show, and the concept of winning and going home with nothing, was fun. Totally a show of the era. Loved it.

[@jerseysowndjmartini6767]

It's run was cut short due to Merv Griffin Enterprises suing Disney over it being too similar to Jeopardy. Disney was forced to change the format for the second season causing a decline in viewership, causing cancelation.

[@JohnAckerman31]

I remember watching this show when I was very young. This was one of the best shows on tv

[@jeffreystreger2026]

John Ackerman Yes, it was a great show. I was pumped up to be a contestant on it. "Debt" deserved a better fate than it got back then. After two seasons, it just left the air due to lawsuits regarding the format. Hard for me to believe it's now been just over 21 years since I taped this.

[@robertsanders2059]

This one and Supermarket sweep , brought me here good old days I Miss this lifetime 😁

[@jeffreystreger2026]

Yes, I admit that I did get a fairly easy question wrong on Star Wars. That was embarrassing to say the least, but it all worked out in the end.

[@aatb7]

Return of the Jedi was the third film, I think. It was originally going to be called Revenge of the Jedi but they changed the name.

[@jeffreystreger2026]

@@aatb7 Yes, and I knew the answer too. I’m not sure why I got that wrong but if I had lost because of it I still would have had fun.

[@mulletboater]

--------------------SPOILER------------------------------------- Amazing performance on the show, and, a nostalgic treat. Bringing back when Lifetime actually had a fair number of game shows going oddly enough. There was Supermarket Sweep and....maybe something else. Not only do you sweep the show, you make another win by leaving the adverts in the upload. Knowing your average YT watcher likes old commercials as much as anything else.

[@Jopo1226]

+mullet Shop till you drop

[@zachhoran]

@@Jopo1226 Two other short lived 90s Lifetime game shows were Rodeo Drive and Born Lucky

[@sup9714]

This reminds me of jeopardy but instead of earning money you are paying of your debt

[@jerseysowndjmartini6767]

Merv Griffin Enterprises actually sued the company that made this show because of it's striking similarities to Jeopardy. Changes were made to Debt's format in the second season which caused a drastic decline in ratings.

[@sha11235]

I like Big Wink picking up the girl in debt.

[@jeffreystreger2026]

Corny and cheesy, even for 1996…but that was the point.

[@alextorres9832]

27:21 You win the money $12,872 congratulations Jeff 💰🤑 that was amazing game 👏👏👏👏

[@jeffreystreger2026]

Thank you. It was a great experience and I enjoyed it. Even if I had not won any money, I still would have enjoyed it. Hard to believe it was taped just over 25 years ago. It first aired in December of 1996.

[@anthonywalker1044]

Then it's time to play "Debt"!

[@justinhaynes89]

Omigod, Wade is not having a good day.

[@danielwestfall9578]

I believe this game show was Wink's idea and creation. Always did like it in it's short life. Wink's idea behind it was that people buy some things that were prizes on older game shows. But they go into debt to do it. So why not do a game show devoted to debt? He appears to do well on all the games he's hosted. And congrats Jeff on the win.

[@jerseysowndjmartini6767]

The show was actually the brain child of The Walt Disney Company. Martindale was asked to host, being told that the show would "do for him what MTV did for Tony Bennett".

[@petercolbeysgameshowmania7176]

It’s like a cheesy version of “Jeopardy!”

[@plushbatfan]

Congratulations!

[@keribun6473]

I loved it!!!

[@zachhoran]

That final question was known because the actress's first TV appearances were as game show contestants.

[@silverdrake3353]

this is like a combo win ben stein's money and jeopardy.

[@boisegameshowguy]

drake kurosaki the 3rd Kinda, in the General Debt round. The most unique round here is the Gambling Debt round imho. 🎰 Thing is, Win Ben Stein’s Money debuted in 1997, this in 1996. But both were executive produced by British-born game show producer Michael Davies.

[@jeffreystreger2026]

The show runner (head executive producer) on “Debt” went on to run “Win Ben Stein’s Money”, so there is a link between the two shows.

[@CalinAliSo]

he did it! he pull it off!

[@mitchellries256]

You know how I could get in debt? By spending so much money on those delicious garlic crunch pizzas from Domino's shown at 19:42. Yum!😋

[@jerseysowndjmartini6767]

I swear... every single commercial feels like the people who wrote them were on Zoloft.

[@jeffreystreger2026]

Yes. Life in the mid 1990’s. I also have to remind myself that this series originally aired on the Lifetime cable network, which had a somewhat “sleepy” presentation at the time. Now, Lifetime is much more “sensational” in the way it produces and presents its shows.

[@BrandonSugiura]

I wonder if CBS would consider this idea rather than "The Briefcase"

[@iamthamon1]

Brandon Sugiura I got some bad news for you man would you want me to tell you or you want that the KZbin description tell you

[@zachhoran]

The Different Kind of Christmas movie aired on 12/9/1996, and it was airing "tonight", so that is the airdate of this episode.

[@anniefinch6843]

So many games hosted by that gentleman.

[@jeffreystreger2026]

I think he has hosted 19 different game shows over his lengthy career. He still works in the business, mostly behind the scenes and on radio. Wink has a presence on social media too.

[@angelmarie2]

00:01 It's crazy Julie from Port Charles!!!

[@angelmarie2]

Adrianbush17 Thank you!! I was blanking on her name.

[@marcomacias3960]

he got both answer wrong on the Star Wars question first was Empire Strikes Back the other is Return of the Jedi

[@Benwah]

$3 for a Whopper Meal? Geez...

[@drewconway7135]

Benwah Those were the days....

[@KiddBloo86]

In those days, you could also spend $40 at Taco Bell and feed a family of 4 for 5 days.

[@matthewfein]

I was 20 years old when this aired.

[@Fuzy2K]

I was 7

[@dnasty312]

I was 6

[@ThePeterDislikeShow]

They should do a show with the US, EU, and Japan as the 3 contestants trying to get out of debt. US: I'm in debt because I like to fight big wars in places I have no business being. EU: I'm in debt because I like to give my citizens free crap. Japan: I'm in debt because I stubbornly refuse to open my borders.

[@urano4810]

That dude Wade gonna leave owning money the way he's started

[@dannydougin3925]

The opening was terrible ... enough to show why it did not stay on the air!

[@jeffreystreger2026]

I agree. The opening was not good and kind of misrepresented the “tongue in cheek” attitude of the show. It was a solid game show format, and I would say that even if I was not a contestant on it. It ran for two seasons and might have ran longer if not for the lawsuit from Sony over similarities to “Jeopardy”.

[@kitarofan87]

I always wondered since he never spoke at all on the show if the contestants were able to ever talk with the security guard.

[@jeffreystreger2026]

Well, from what I remember, we were not able to speak to him while we were taping as he was a cast member on the show. I think I talked briefly to him after the taping was completed but I really don’t remember for sure. So many fond memories of this experience, even all these years later.

[@georgef551]

There was an error in the last "Cookies You Don't Toss" category. Hydrox was the original cookie, Oreo is the wanna-be, but wound up pulling it off.

[@samaraisnt]

The sunshine cookie is still "knocking-off" Oreos because Oreos has superseded those bankrupt cookies by now...therefore, the question is incorrect. Likewise, if there were an earlier proto-cola before Coke, and a generic Coke, it would still be a knock off Coca-Cola because Coke is king and consumers want what's popular, not the first invention of its kind. Companies emulate what's popular, not what's original.

[@Jacksmusicshack]

That has to be a good feeling!!!

[@rudysalas8455]

That crowd was so over during that show

[@tanesha8942]

wink always loved that white powder

[@zacheryalderton826]

Great audience

[@collegealgebravideos9540]

I'm unhappy that they called Hydrox cookies an Oreo wannabe, because Hydrox came before Oreo. (It does make sense, though, since Oreos are far more popular and lucrative).

[@aatb7]

I would’ve known the answer. She was too skinny to know about stuff like that - she probably just eats salads.

[@therainmakerinsider]

Right show, wrong network.

[@14DaveHunter]

Show didn't last long, because the owners of JEOPARDY filed a copyright lawsuit against it. That was stupid and I quit watching JEOPARDY after that. DEBT was better.

[@nathanbyberg]

Am I the only one who thought that Wink’s pose before his entrance was cool, or does someone agree with me on that? Also, this show needs a comeback!

[@jeffreystreger2026]

Yes, it was very cool. It sorta played on his older, more homesy image. I also liked how he wore tuxedos on this show. He was taller in person than I thought he would be. As I’ve said before, I think “Debt” was a victim of its own success. When I was at the studio, they were talking about launching a bigger budget network version to possibly pay off mortgages but it never happened.

[@nathanbyberg]

Jeffrey Streger: I see! Also, I also liked the fact Wink wore tuxedos. That’s just how dapper he is in my opinion

[@zachhoran]

@@jeffreystreger2026 Looking to do it for ABC primetime. In early 1998, a few stations aired syndicated reruns of the Debt in the hopes that the ratings were good enough to justify doing new episodes for syndication, but that never happened.

[@MegaZeldafan1]

1996 version was similar to Jeopardy! and trilons

[@christybradfield7812]

How does the debt get paid? Do you give them the bills, or ?

[@jeffreystreger2026]

Good question. Believe it or not, they did not ask to see my bills. We did have to attest to having debt and provide general reasons why we had it…so they could write our intros for the start of the show. I received my winnings by check about a month before my episode aired and it was my responsibility to pay any associated taxes on it. I really wish this series had been able to continue past two seasons but it was not meant to be.

[@christybradfield7812]

@@jeffreystreger2026 Thanks for answering. I was in so much debt at the time this show was on and would have loved to have been able to try out for the show. Did you use the money to become debt free?

[@jeffreystreger2026]

Another good question. Yes, I did pay off all of my debt at the time. I was able to do so and have some money left over for other things since I won the bonus round and doubled my winnings.

[@christybradfield7812]

@@jeffreystreger2026 That is great, I hope you were able to stay debt-free after all your hard work!

[@alextorres9832]

I'm the former in the heat of the night actress who guest starred on melrose as bobby parisi's sleazy lawyer Alesha Barnett who had torrid affair with Peter burns before dying In a fiery car crash

[@kevinhoward9593]

I have more debt then all three of them combined lol. Lion King is a ripped off version of Kimba. 19:07 lol Pagers omg.

[@jeffreystreger2026]

Kevin Howard: If they were to revive this show now, the debt amounts would probably be higher for sure. There was talk at the time back in 1996 about a possible prime time network version where they would pay off the winner’s mortgage. Sadly though, Disney had to shut down the series after two seasons on Lifetime due to some legal issues and the idea for the bigger money version was dropped as well. I really enjoyed being a contestant on the show.

[@zachhoran]

@@jeffreystreger2026 They changed the format of the first round in the second season due to Sony not liking the fact that the first round in this season looked too much like Jeopardy!, Wink once said in an interview.

[@Plasmawarrior]

Lifetime had a HIT on their hands with this. Then they saw that more men were watching this than women. So they pulled it off the air... for... some reason. I swear they lost a ratings boom with this and yes, it would work better now of days.

[@KiddBloo86]

Perhaps the wives talked their husbands in to going on the show? 😂 Their wives fooled the network executives!

[@zachhoran]

They spent a pretty large amount of money for the right to air reruns of the then recent Ellen sitcom, and replaced Debt with that.

[@jeffreystreger2026]

It was cancelled mainly due to lawsuits filed against the producers by Sony over too many perceived similarities to “Jeopardy”. I don’t know anything other than that very high level but of information.

[@daniellewalton4100]

I wonder if wink would be proud if the work i do

[@WyattGoulet]

That's Hamm from Toy Story (1995)

[@iamthamon1]

No that was John Ratzenberger

[@milesmorris9333]

+iamthamon1 You are aware he was the voice of Hamm, right? Wyatt said it like that probably because he either didn't know the name or couldn't remember the name.

[@GamingDelight]

Wyatt Goulet That was just an ordinary piggy bank that just looks like Hamm.

[@drewconway7135]

I had to stop at five minutes in. I just couldn't take the stupidity. Not just Wade, but nobody else could venture a guess as to which wiretapping president with the initials "RN" Wink was talking about? I mean really?? 😒

[@jeffreystreger2026]

Drew Conway: I can't speak for my opponents, but I just blanked on that question. Sometimes, with the lights and cameras on you, you forget fairly easy facts. Sorry you stopped watching after five minutes. The game does get pretty exciting later on.

[@taimak123]

I always thought this guy was creepy

[@dnasty312]

Wink?

[@dementednun1175]

Wait .... he is called Wink hahaha

[@aatb7]

Winston is his real name. His wife says “Winston tastes good like a game show host should”

[@trevorpanno516]

Hydrox did Clare in.

[@samaraisnt]

WHY did that woman bet FIVE! She has no one to blame but herself... -_-'

[@samaraisnt]

and for marrying that lame debt-making husband of hers...full of bad decisions, man.

[@jeffreystreger2026]

As I remember, she was very nice but we all had a small tinge of embarrassment since you had to be in debt just to qualify to be a contestant on the show. Oh, and the contestant coordinators helped us write our intros in order to make them more interesting to the viewers...but they were true.

[@RjBenjamin353]

That black dude needs to go back and finish the 6th grade😂

[@daiquanallen954]

18:12 pergo commercial about a boy and his dog got dirty & muddy

[@gregoryferber3231]

Hydrox the kosher oreo.

[@brookemiller730]

BB

[@hunkytim]

This is pretty sick. A game show preying on peoples debts.

[@jeffreystreger2026]

Tim Mills: I can see how you might think that, but it was actually presented in a very "tongue and cheek", satirical way. I appreciated the good natured tone. I would have never auditioned for a mean spirited, humiliating type of show. I enjoyed being on this show and that would be true even if I had not won.

[@dementednun1175]

This is a terrible game show ha but cheep to make I guess lol.