Spin-Off (1)

Host

Jim Lange

Announcer

Johnny Jacobs

Broadcast

CBS Daytime: 6/16/1975 – 9/5/1975

Packager

Nicholson/Muir Productions

"(Once again,) Some lucky couple can win more than $10,000 on SPIN-OFF! From Television City in Hollywood, here's the host of Spin-Off, JIM LANGE!"

Spin-Off was a very short-lived Poker/Yahtzee-like game show where couples stopped spinning numbers to win thousands of dollars in cash & prizes and quite possibly in the hopes of winning $10,000.

Gameplay

Two couples competed to make the best Poker/Yahtzee-typed hand of spinning numbers behind them.

Main Game

Host Lange asked a question (either open-ended or multiple choice) to both couples. The first player to buzz-in (either member of the couple could signal in) with a correct answer won the right to spin five spinners behind them. Each one spun numbers from 1 to 6. The couple in control started the spinners by pressing a large button (aka The Master Plunger) in front of them, and then stopped the spinners by pressing the five red buttons in front of them that correspond to each spinner. Once the spinners stopped, the couple in control had a choice to make, they could either freeze/call with their current hand or reject some or all five numbers and play again. When playing again, the couple had to answer another question to spin again. Each couple would have up to three chances to make the best hand possible, and as soon as one couple used up all their chances or froze before that, the opposing couple had one final chance to increase their hand and beat the first couple. The couple with the best hand won the round and money according what their hand was.

Payoffs

Here are the payoffs for each hand:

Hand	Award
One Pair	$50
Two Pair	$75
Three of a Kind	$100
Straight	$125
Full House	$150
Four of a Kind	$175
Five of a Kind	$200

Originally, five of a kind also awarded a bonus prize.

---

The first couple to win $200 (originally $250) or more won the game and the right to play the $10,000 Super Spin-Off.

Screenshots

The rather vivid contestant area from the aired series. So far the game is tied as you can see. Note that the couple on the right is going for at least $50 with their pair.

The control panel the contestants use to stop the numbers. As you can see, the contestants are seeing the same spinning numbers the viewers see behind them.

A couple in the middle of a spin.

Three of a kind is hit…

…earning them $100.

Three 5's beat three 4's, so the couple on the left wins (or in this case, remain champions).

The contestant area (presumably from the pilot). Here are the two couples with their hands.

This couple got a full house for $150 payoff.

This lucky couple got five-of-a-kind, winning them $200 and a bonus prize.

Super Spin-Off (Bonus Round)

Super Spin-Off was basically the same as the main game except without questions. The winning couple had up to three chances on individual spinners to make the best hand possible. Here are the payoffs for each hand:

Hand	Award
One Pair	$250
Two Pair	$500
Three of a Kind	$1,000
Full House	$1,500
Four of a Kind	$2,000
Five of a Kind	$5,000
1-2-3-4-5 2-3-4-5-6 5-4-3-2-1 6-5-4-3-2	$10,000

The $10,000 prize could only be won with a straight whose numbers appeared in either ascending or descending order when read from left to right. Any other straight awarded nothing.

Screenshots

The brown Super Spin-Off board (presumably from the series).

Spinning five consecutive numbers in any of these orders can win a couple $10,000.

Rolling five consecutive numbers is extremely tricky.

But have no fear, if you get an undesirable number, you can spin it again and try for a different one.

Win! That second chance did come in handy.

This is the green Super Spin-Off board (presumably from the pilot).

This couple managed to get four-of-a-kind.

Pictures

Scheduling

Spin-Off first premiered in 1975 replacing the CBS version of The Joker's Wild (1972 version); in fact, host Jack Barry announced the premiere of the replacement show on the final show. Spin-Off itself was replaced by another Lange hosted show, Give-N-Take.

Episode Status

For many years since its original run ended, the series was presumed to be destroyed as per network practices of the era (although CBS was far less prone to wiping than ABC and NBC).

In 2000, the entire run of Spin-Off (plus the first two seasons of the original CBS Daytime run series of The Joker's Wild starring Jack Barry) was discovered in a tape storage room at WCBS-TV in New York.

Studio

CBS Television City, Hollywood, California

Rating

Links

DPJohnson's take on Spin-Off
Spin-Off @ Game Shows '75

YouTube Videos

Promo
Clips of the game
A full episode from September 1, 1975 (audio only)