Wanna Bet?

Hosts
Mark McEwen & Gordon Elliott (1993) Anthony McPartlin & Declan Donnelly (2008)
Announcer (CBS version)
Mark Elliott
Broadcast
CBS Special (aired pilot): 4/21/1993 ABC Primetime: 7/21/2008 – 9/2/2008
Packagers
Four Point Entertainment/Gary H. Grossman Productions (1993) The Gurin Company (2008)

Wanna Bet? is a game show which has elements of both Let's Make a Deal and Fear Factor. The show had various timed stunts, and a group of people would bet on whether the stunt could be done within a stated time limit.

Rules (ABC Version)[]

An episode of the ABC version began with four celebrities being given $25,000 to wager on the success or failure of ordinary Americans completing outrageous stunts. Show hosts Ant & Dec introduced a stunt performer and the stunt they claim they will be able to complete, and the celebrities then guess whether the performer will successfully complete the stunt or if they will fail to complete the stunt. The celebrities also lock in the amount of money they'd like to wager on performer's ability to complete the stunt. The performer then attempts the stunt, and afterward the celebrities' wagers are revealed and the amount of money earned is totaled. The celebrity with the most money totaled at the end of an episode wins that amount for their favorite charity.

Variations[]

In most episodes, there were four stunts; however, in the fourth episode, there were five stunts.
In most episodes, the panel of celebrities told the hosts their predictions before each stunt and their wagers after each stunt; however, in the fourth episode, they told the hosts their wagers before each stunt and showed their predictions after each stunt.
In the first four episodes, after the final stunt, the panel of celebrities showed their wagers first and their predictions. In the last two episodes, they showed their predictions first and then their wagers.
The fourth episode did not show a stunt outside the studio.

Online Promotion[]

In most episodes, the announcer announced a promotion at abc.com; in the fifth episode, however, it was told by Ant and Dec.

Broadcast Information[]

The first half of the show's run was shown on Mondays from July 21 to August 4, and the second half was shown on Tuesday from August 12 to September 2. After the fourth episode, the show was put on hiatus for one week.
The first episode was shown as a rerun for August 19 for unexplained reasons.

Triva[]

Originally, the show was supposed to use the panel of contestants hoping to win money for many things but wanted ordinary people do extraordinary things to impress the panel of celebrities.