Interesting Format - Killer Questions

Here’s an interesting quiz format that my friend, Mastermind Finalist Les Morrell, has just informed me about. His local pub, the Cellar House in Eaton Norwich has kept up to 14 teams interested and involved in their weekly quiz with a format that ensures that up to 12 of these teams have a realistic chance of winning.

It works like this – and here I quote Les’ own words –

“The key to this was one optional "Killer" question of medium difficulty at the end of each round. The quiz master toured the venue at the end of each round to enquire as to whether each time wished to take on this extra question and stamped their answer sheet if the response was affirmative. If a team got the question correct their round score doubled and if incorrect halved. If declined the team retained their points as scored for that round. It added a great deal of interest and all of my friends who are not serious quizzers cant wait for the next event on 26th Sept.
To show what can happen we took the challenge every time but got one Winnie the Pooh Killer incorrect costing the team 13.5 points (9x2 vs 9x 0.5). We lost the quiz by 10 and finished 5th from a previous leading position on the strength or more accurately weakness of this one answer.
This system would not stop a Pat or a Kevin but in most cases it was a great leveller and there seemed no rancour whatsover from the more proficient quizzers in the bar.”

It’s a really interesting one this. Part of me can’t help saying – wow, 14 teams ? They are obviously giving the public what they want. Part of me wants to get all statistical, and find out how many teams gamble, and on how many rounds, and how successfully, since this seems to be an important tactical consideration. Well, anyway, it intrigued and interested me when Les told me about it, and he was very happy for me to share his email with you. Personally I have a couple of reservations – I’m such a grumpy devil I’d hate to be beaten by a team that had answered fewer questions correctly than my team had, but on the other hand I’d love to play once in a quiz with this format to check it out. I think it has value, but then that’s just my opinion, and as always . . .