Game Show Memories – Rebound.

Rebound (ITV, 2015-2016)

This is another one of those short-lived daytime game shows, which did have an interesting idea that made this stand out more than most, but ultimately not enough to be a long-runner. The host was Sean Fletcher, better known from Good Morning Britain. Rebound was a game that was based around the bar, and thanks to the things that they can do with technology nowadays, this was played all over the studio floor.

Six contestants took part. The first round is Fast Cash. There are three questions asked with four choices, and then the bar on the floor starts to move as the money on offer falls from £1,000, so the quicker you correctly answer, the more you could win. Next is Head To Head. One of the highest-scorers in the previous round picks who their opponent will be.

There are two categories to choose from. They are then given clues, and they have to answer before the bar gets to the end. If they are correct, the bar starts moving back to their opponent, and gets faster with every answer. This was a little like the Bleep Test, which did involve a lot of running, and it was something that I was never any good it, being rather tiring.

The first to lose three categories is eliminated. This is then played twice more, to leave three contestants. Interestingly, the winning contestant takes their defeated opponent’s money, so everything that has been won always remains in the game. Then Fast Cash is played again, this time with five questions, to bring in even more money.

Next is Stop The Bar. The contestant in front has the longest bar, which is the equivalent of 30 seconds. The contestant in second has a three-second penalty, and the one in third has six. A question with three choices appears, and the bars start to move. They don’t stop until an answer is chosen. If it’s right, they stay where they are, but if it’s wrong, there’s a two-second penalty.

When the bar reaches the end, they are eliminated. The one remaining contestant makes the Beat The Bar final, and again, they take their opponents’ money, meaning that they will usually play for around £10,000, which isn’t too bad. In this, they have to give 15 correct answers before the bar beats them. There is a choice of six categories, and they have to give five correct answers for the bar to stop.

If they do, they can choose another category, and then do this again after ten correct answers. If they can do it in time, they win the money. There were some rather exciting finishes where it was close right to the end. Although there were two series of Rebound, like many other shows, it didn’t have much of a chance to grow as viewers again preferred to watch The Chase endlessly.