Common Threads #14

What do these TV things have in common?

• The Bandit
• The Whammy
• The Devil
• a red ball

For extra credit, name the show associated with each item.

(+/-)answer

The Bandit, The Whammy, The Devil and a red ball are all things you try to avoid on gameshows!

• The Bandit on ''Strick It Rich''
• The Whammy on ''Press Your Luck''
• The Devil on ''Joker's Wild''
• a red ball on ''Lingo''

Of course, there are many other gameshow items you want to avoid. Bankrupt on ''Wheel of Fortune.'' The Zonk on ''Let's Make a Deal.'' The stopper on ''Scrabble.'' The list just goes on and on.

I'm really interested to see how Merv Griffin is going to make "Lets Play Crosswords" watchable. I'm assuming he'll use a mechanism like the stopper on ''Scrabble'' to inject some luck into the gameplay. But I have to admit something — I must not too interested since I didn't even try to search for info about the gameplay for the new "Crosswords" show.