Here are our champions, they're three of a kind!
And here are our challengers, they're also three of a kind!
And they're here to play...
And here to toss the Hot Potato our host..
Bill Cullen!
Broadcast History
Airdates: January 23, 1984-June 29, 1984, NBC
Host: Bill Cullen
Announcer: Charlie O'Donnell
Origination: NBC Studio 2, Burbank
Packager: Jack Barry/Dan Enright Productions
Main Game
On Hot Potato, 2 teams with 3 contestants, each with a shared occupation/hobby competed. Later in the run, the teams were 2 celebrities, 1 civilian per team.
In the main game, a question was posed with a number of
answers to it (Ex: The countries which people live the longest). The
player in control (indicated by the light in front of them) could
either answer 
themselves, or pass (challenge) the other team. If they
answer correctly, play passes to their teammate.
An incorrect answer
knocks them out of the round and control to the other team. If
they
challenge, and the person they challenge gives a correct answer, the
person who challenged is out of the round, and the challenged team
gains control. If the person is incorrect, they are knocked out of
the round. A team can win by either giving the seventh correct answer
in the question, or if all their opponents are 
knocked out of the
game. Any team who answered 7 correct answers in a row won the "7 straight
Jackpot" which started at $1,000 and increased by $500 until won. Winning 2 out of three rounds wins $1,000 and goes to the bonus
round.
Bonus Game
In the bonus round, the winning team plays 5 questions
which usually involve numbers, but not always. There are 
two choices to each question
(Ex: Which has more members? The US Senate, or the House). A correct
answer is worth $500. A team can stop at any time and take the money. They also
can pass one time if
they don't feel they can answer it. If the team answers incorrectly at any time, they lose all the money.
5 correct answers, wins a jackpot which starts at $5000, and
increases by $5000 each
subsequent trip until won.
Facts
-Hot Potato unfortunately was in the 12 noon timeslot on NBC, which most cities aired newscasts and preempted Hot Potato.
-Many people remember Hot Potato by the steaming sign in the intro.
-Hot Potato was Bill Cullen's second to last show hosted (The Joker's Wild was his last).
-13 weeks into the run, the
format became "Celebrity Hot Potato" with teams with two celebrities
and one contestant.
