The Golden Ticket (U.S. Syndicated Game Show)

The Golden Ticket is a U.S. syndicated game show produced by DuMont Productions in association with Sony Picture Television. Loosely based on Hollywood Showdown and Jackpot!, The Golden Ticket gets it's name from Willie Wonka & The Chocolate Factory. Michael Tiller is the host of the series, with Todd Newton (who hosted Hollywood Showdown) serving as Co-Executive Producer and Consultant.

Format
Seven contestants competed against each other over the course of five episodes. At any given time, one contestant was in control of the game, while the other six stood in the gallery, each holding an envelope. Five of the envelopes held cards with dollar amounts ranging from $500 to $5,000, while the last had the "Golden Ticket."

The contestant in control selected one gallery member, who opened his/her envelope and revealed its contents. The two contestants then squared off in a question round. Tiller read a series of questions with three answer choices, and the contestants buzzed in to answer. If correct, he or she scored one point, otherwise, the opponent chose from the remaining two choices. The first person to answer three questions correctly took control of the game.

If the gallery member's card showed a dollar amount, it was added to the Jackpot, which began at $10,000 after being collected. If the gallery member had the "Golden Ticket," the winner of that question round played for the jackpot.

Jackpot Round
The object of the Jackpot round was to answer five questions correctly. Before each question, the contestant was presented with two category choices. The first four correct answers were worth $500 each, and the fifth won the Jackpot.

At any time, a contestant could quit and take what they had won up to that point. However, an incorrect answer lost whatever winnings they had earned. If a contestant did not win the Jackpot either by missing a question or choosing to stop, he or she played another game, with the Jackpot continuing to grow from its previous value. When a contestant won the Jackpot, he/she retired from the show, and a new contestant took his/her place among the remaining contestants. The Jackpot reset to $10,000 every time it was won.

Friday Payoff
All weeks were self-contained, meaning that a game in progress on Friday could not continue into the following Monday. When time ran out, all remaining players in the gallery opened their envelopes, and the player with the Golden Ticket competed in the final question round for that week. The winner of that round could either take $1,000 or return next week to play again for a brand-new $10,000 Jackpot.