PlayMania

Hosts
Shandi Finnessey Mel Peachey (4/2006 – 4/2007) Jessica York (10/2006 – 10/2007) Angelle Tymon (4/2007 – 10/2007) Jeff Thisted (5/2007 – 10/2007) Hannah Peckham (sub in 6/2006)
Broadcast
GSN: 4/6/2006 – 10/31/2007
Packager
Game Show Network (GSN)

PlayMania was a short-lived interactive phone-in game show shown on GSN late at night. This was originally a single show, later on in this show's run, it was split into two sections entitled 100 Winners and Quiznation.

Format[]

The original format was a game show in which home viewers were the contestants. American residents 18 or older could enter the contest by text messaging for a small fee, or using the network's website to enter free. From January to April 2007 a premium-rate phone number was available to use as an entry method, as well. Within a few moments, a contestant was notified whether or not his or her entry had been chosen (at random) to proceed to another random selection process. If an entry was selected in the second phase, the contestant would then be called on his or her home or mobile phone, depending on which method of entry had been used. The contestant would then, if the game was still in progress, play on-air. After a game was completed, the queue was cleared, and any entrants who wished to play the next game were required to re-enter. A $.99 fee applied for each text message entry or premium rate phone call, along with standard text messaging rates added to the former. Entries on the network's website were free. Regardless of the method of entry, each entry had an equal chance of being selected. An entry did not necessarily guarantee an opportunity to appear on the show. Residents of certain states were ineligible to play using various entry methods.

The PlayMania Block shows continued to use the same entry process.

Games[]

PlayMania featured various mini-games that were played throughout the program. The rewards for the games were usually cash prizes ranging from $100 to $500 in cash, sometimes reaching amounts as high as $2,000. Any games that were not completed before the end of a day's broadcast were normally carried over to the start of the next show.

During its ten-month run, the below twenty-one permanent games were played on the original PlayMania. Many carried over to be rotated on quiznation.

Game	How it was played
Alphabuck$	Similar to Wheel of Fortune or Hangman, this game allowed players to attempt to guess a letter that was in the puzzle of a given category. If the player's letters were in the puzzle, he/she earned a small cash prize per letter, and an opportunity to guess the full puzzle. Correctly guessing the full puzzle earned the contestant an additional, larger cash prize.
Anagrams	A word, name or phrase with the letters mixed up would be given related to a specified category. The contestant had to identify what the unscrambled phrase is.
Category Game	Three items or names, all in interlocking circles (a Venn diagram in which each circle intersects the other two, but all three never overlap), were listed. The contestant had to identify what all of the items have in common in the most specific manner.
Conundrums	There were two variations on this game: Rebus: The first variation was rebus-style. A sequence of letters and numbers would be side-by-side. Correctly saying the sounds in order would make it sound like a common phrase (e.g., "G R 8 S C AH T" would be "Great Scot"). The contestant had to guess the common phrase. Abbreviated Phrase: The second variation was an abbreviated phrase. A common phrase or movie title containing numbers and letters would be abbreviated to simply the numbers and first letters of important words (e.g., "12 D of C" would be "Twelve Days of Christmas"). The contestant had to identify the phrase.
Crosswords	Similar to a crossword puzzle, Crosswords featured four horizontal words with one letter in each word replaced with a question mark. Vertically, the letters behind the question marks made an actual word. The contestant had to identify (and spell) the hidden word. The portion needed to be filled in could work with several choices; however, the host had an envelope containing the chosen word.
Find the Missing Letters	A five-letter word was given with two consecutive letters replaced by a question mark. The contestant had to identify (and spell) the displayed word. The portion revealed could fit into multiple words; however, the host had an envelope containing the chosen word. Sometimes, a four-letter word was used instead of a five-letter word.
Lingo	Identical to the show of the same name, the object was to identify a five-letter word. The first letter was given, and as contestants continued to play, hints such as other letters in the word were given. The contestant had to identify (and spell) the word.
Microcosm	A picture of an everyday object was shown with a part largely zoomed in and magnified. The contestant had to identify what the item was.
Missing Link	A missing word preceded (or succeeded) three other words to form three separate common words or phrases. The player had to determine the missing word.
Movie Quotes/Television Quotes/Ad Slogans	Three quotes, each from a famous American film, television program, or advertising campaign, are listed, each with a cash prize beside it. The contestant had to pick a quote and guess where it comes from.
Name the Catch Phrase	A rebus based on a popular, everyday phrase was given. (e.g., MEREPEAT would be "repeat after me", because the word "repeat" comes after the word "me.") The caller had to identify what the "decoded" phrase was.
Name the Celebrity	A pixilated photograph of a celebrity was shown. The contestant had to identify who the celebrity was.
Series Game	Three different series (which could be specially ordered numbers, letters, etc.) were shown, each with a cash value attached to it. The caller would choose one of the orders, and had to identify the next value.
Shrink 'N Scramble	Three different-sized words were listed, each with a cash prize attached to it. The object was to take one of the words and make a smaller word based on the length requirement given and the letters contained in that word. Each word could appear to have multiple answers; however, the host had an envelope containing the chosen word for each larger word. This game was later replaced by Word Slam.
Things You'd Find…	The PlayMania crew would pick three items one would commonly find in a designated location. The contestant had to identify one of the items that would be found.
Top 5	Similar to Family Feud, a category was given (e.g., "Top 5 Elton John Hits"). The top five answers to the survey or fact-proven data were hidden, and it was the contestant's job to reveal one of them. Once all of the answers were revealed, the game ended. A variation on a Top 5 was the PlayMania 5. The difference was that the PlayMania crew picked the five things on the list.
Twisted Title	A title of a movie was described using synonyms for the words in the title (e.g., Deceased Verse Writers Club would be Dead Poets Society). The contestant had to identify the original title.
What's Missing?	A common symbol or image was shown, with an obvious part either missing or replaced with a question mark. The contestant had to identify what should be in the image.
Word Cuts	A word that had been cut in half was displayed. The contestant had to identify (and spell) the displayed word. The portion revealed could appear to be multiple words; however, the host had an envelope containing the chosen word.
Word $lam	Nine letters were listed in random order. Three three-letter words had been pre-chosen, each with a cash prize attached to it. The object was to take the nine letters and make a smaller word based on the length requirement given. Each word could appear to have multiple answers; however, the host had an envelope containing the chosen words. The game was also played with three different-sized word requirements, at three, five, and seven letters. This game had roots in the game Shrink 'N Scramble.