You Deserve It

You Deserve It is an American game show created by Dick de Rijk for American Broadcasting Company (ABC). The show is hosted by Chris Harrison and Brooke Burns. In the show, contestants earn money toward a beneficiary.

Format
The contestant plays for a beneficiary, who is put on surveillance throughout the show and told of the winnings at the end.

They play five rounds which involve identifying a "Who", "What" or "Where" subject based on a series of clues. The player is given the subject's category and one free clue. An additional 9 clues are hidden on the board; clues are revealed in a predetermined order and get progressively easier. The bank for each round is divided into nine increasing values, hidden behind the numbers 1 through 9. To purchase a clue, the player chooses a numbered card. The amount is revealed and subtracted from the bank, then the clue is revealed. A player can guess the subject at any time, but they only get one guess. A correct guess adds the remaining money in the bank to the contestant's total winnings; if the guess is incorrect, no money is banked for that round and the player then continue with the next, more valuable round.

Gameplay Changes
The series' pilot aired on December 26, 2011, with a different stage set and new bank amounts for round 4 and round 5, which were $75,000 and $100,000. A new rule had also been introduced, making a wrong answer much more costly. Every incorrect guess (or lack of an answer after all 10 clues) not only disabled the level with the highest amount at that time, but also forced the player to repeat the failed level in the next round. Unlike all the previous episodes, in which the contestant chose a number for a random value in the main screen, in episode 6 there was a smaller screen to the right of main screen, with the numbers revolving inside.

Prize breakdown
(Episode 1-5, with a possible grand total of $435,000)

(Episode 6, with a possible grand total of $260,000)

Critical reception
Brian Lowry of Variety thought that the show's rules were a "hodgepodge" and criticized Burns' co-hosting, but praised ABC for creating another "uplifting" series. Kevin McDonough of South Coast Today was less positive, saying that "The show doesn't so much celebrate generosity as reduce it to something unspeakably tacky." Tom Conroy of Media Life thought that the show's format was "novel but not involving".

Links

 * ABC Sets Date for 'You Deserve It' Game Show
 * Official Website (via Internet Archive)