Peer Pressure (game show)


Peer Pressure is an American television game show where youths performed stunts and answered questions about moral dilemmas. The show aired in syndication from 1997-1998 in first-run, and was hosted by Nick Spano and Valarie Rae Miller.

Gameplay

Three youths, ages 12–17, competed in this game, whose centerpiece was a life-sized board game spread out on the studio floor. One at a time, each contestant determined his/her moves via a "Magic 8 Ball", which reveals a type of activity and the number of spaces the contestant can move upon a correct answer or completion of said stunt. Landing on a "Move Ahead" space allowed the contestant to move ahead two more spaces. He/she had to move back two spaces upon landing on "Go Back". However, if the contestant ended up on those spaces when being assessed a penalty, he/she was not allowed to follow its instructions.

Activities

Four different activities were possible:Decision – The contestant and a "Peer Group" were read a moral dilemma-type question The contestant, without knowing how the Peer Group voted, supplied his/her answer and often gave some reasoning. If the response agreed with the consensus of the Peer Group, the contestant advanced.Odd Job – The player performed a stunt, and had to meet the goal in a time limit to move.Temptation – A prize is described. The contestant could take the prize and accept a two-step penalty, or pass it up and advance. If the contestant took the prize, it was theirs to keep regardless of the outcome of the game. Fast Track – Similar to "Odd Job", except the stunt is more difficult and always worth eight steps. Even if the contestant failed, they got a two-space consolation move.
After each contestant has taken a turn, the host asked a "Pop Quiz" question. Correct answers allowed that player to advance three spaces, while a wrong answer meant a three-step penalty.

Bonus Round: "The Pressure Cooker"

After an undefined time limit, the player making the least progress was eliminated from further play. The remaining contestants advanced to the "Pressure Cooker" round, which were yes/no dilemmas, asked in an alternating format; the player who had made the most progress on the board had the advantage of going first. The first contestant to guess three questions correctly won the game and bonus prizes.

Broadcast

The series aired original episodes for one season in 1997–98. However, the series aired repackaged reruns in the 1998–99 and 1999–2000 television seasons; the first season of reruns edited out references to the "Magic 8 Ball" and added Pop-Up Video-style commentaries. The second season of reruns repackaged the series as Pressure 2 by means of on-screen graphics and editing out references to "Peer" when the title was spoken. Despite this, the original title could still be seen on the set.