| Hosts | |
| Nick Spano & Valarie Rae Miller | |
| Broadcast | |
   Syndication (Weekly): 9/6/1997 – 9/1998 (with repeats until 9/2000) | |
| Packagers | |
| Wheeler-Sussman Productions | |
| Distributors | |
| Kelly News & Entertainment Hearst-Argyle Television Productions | |
OPENING SPIEL:
"This is (insert first contestant and info). This is (insert second contestant and info). And this is (insert third contestant and info). These three players are gonna take a wild trip around our life-sized game board as they try to survive PEER PRESSURE! And now, here's the host of Peer Pressure, Nick Spano!"
Peer Pressure (later known as Pressure 2) was a short-lived game show where youths performed stunts and answered questions about moral dilemmas.
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 revealed a type of activity (a stunt or a moral-based question) and the number of spaces the contestant could 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". Landing on "Right Decisions, Right Now" offers the contestant a moral dilemma and make the right choice to move 2 spaces. 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" (a jury composed of about 10-12 teenagers in the studio audience) were read a moral dilemma-type question (e.g., "She's a really pretty, petite young blonde, but often wears plain white T-shirts and blue jeans to school because that's what she likes to wear. Does she turn you off because she dresses like a tomboy?") 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 (such as sorting clothing by type into the appropriate laundry basket), and had to meet the goal in a time limit to move.
- Temptation – A prize was 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. (In at least one instance, a third-place contestant declined the Temptation prize only to find out that it was the last activity of the game and he would have finished in third place either way; the contestant was given the prize anyway.)
- Fast Track – Similar to Odd Job, except the stunt was more difficult and always worth eight steps (e.g., preparing three banana split sundaes on a moving conveyor belt within a time limit). Even if the contestant failed, they got a two-space consolation move.
Magic 8 Ball
Oval from Logo
Oval from Season 3 Logo
After each contestant had taken a turn, the host asked a "Pop Quiz" question. Correct answers allowed that player to advance three spaces, while a wrong answer (or failing to answer) meant a three-step penalty.
Final Round: "The Pressure Cooker"[]
After an undefined time limit, the player making the least progress was eliminated from further play and forced to serve food to The Peer Group. The remaining contestants advanced to the "Pressure Cooker" round, which were yes/no dilemmas (played just like "Decision"), 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.
"Seasons 2 and 3"[]
While Peer Pressure aired for three years, only one season's worth of episodes had actually been taped. The second and third cycles made several edits:
- Season 2 used new graphics to replace the Magic 8 Ball (due to the licensing rights expiring), added Pop-Up Video-style commentary, and changed the copyright date to 1998.
- Season 3 renamed the show Pressure 2 to go along with a new game show for teens called Pressure 1. For this cycle, the graphics were changed again (including the logo, though the old one could still clearly be seen on the set), changed the copyright date to 1999, and muted "Peer" every time the show's old name was spoken.
Trade Ads[]
Rating[]
Music[]
Jon Ernst
Studio[]
The Production Group Studios, Hollywood, CA
Trivia[]
- Two years after the show stopped taping, Nick went on to star as the dimwitted but athletic Donnie Stevens on the Disney Channel show Even Stevens.
- The theme song would later be re-used on Pressure 1 and still later (in remixed form) in Outrageous! with actress and former MTV VJ Idalis DeLeón.
- Right Decisions, Right Now a tobacco free company sponsored this show, and their logo appears on the space of the same name.
Links[]
Rules for Peer Pressure
Peer Pressure @ Game Show Garbage
YouTube Videos[]
The full September 6, 1997 premiere (Peter/Nicole/Alicia), from the original cycle: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
A full episode from December 27, 1997 (Jessica/Janina/Craig), from the original cycle
A promo from the original cycle
Another full episode (Rebecca/Jason/Kim), from the Pressure 2 cycle
Another full episode (LaToya/Chris/Erica), also from the Pressure 2 cycle