Pass Time


Pass Time is an American game show that aired on Speed from 2008 to 2013. On the show, two contestants compete against each other and "resident expert" Ken Herring, attempting to predict the pass times of a series of drag racers. Pass Time was hosted by Speed personality Brett Wagner and Paige Simpson served as the show's "car wrangler". Simpson rarely spoke on-camera during the show, although she was the only one to speak on-camera in a 2011 promotional ad for the show, giving directions to Wagner and Herring. The show last aired on August 16, 2013, the last day of Speed programming in the U.S. before the channel became Fox Sports 1. On March 2, 2015, the show aired on Fox Sports 1.

Gameplay

Before each run down the drag strip, or "pass", each racer and his or her car are displayed to the contestants, who are then permitted to each ask a single question about the car or driver, such as the size or power of the engine, the type and size of the tires, and the driver's previous experience.
After all questions have been asked, the contestants secretly enter their predictions of the car's elapsed time to the nearest 1/100 of a second. The car then makes its pass, following standard drag racing procedure. The contestant whose prediction was closest to the actual time wins increasing amounts of money as the game progresses; in addition to the scores being displayed on the contestants' podiums, host Wagner physically hands the winning contestant $100 bills.
Occasionally, a driver will commit a foul, or their car will break down in some way as to make a pass impossible or unsafe. These events are collectively known in-show as a "catastrophic failure". When this happens, the contestant who enters the slowest time wins the money.
Ties for individual passes are awarded to the contestant who locked in their time first. In the event of a possible tie in total winnings at the end of the show, contestants are asked to record a guess for the speed of the car in the final pass, with the show win being awarded to the closest guess.
If a contestant correctly guesses the time of a run exactly, the contestant wins a bonus $100 bill. The bonus does not count towards the score, and is the contestant's to keep, regardless of the outcome of the show.
At various points during the show's run, minor tweaks have been made to the gameplay, such as allowing contestants to wager double-or-nothing on specific passes.

Round 1

Round 1 consists of three passes, worth $100 each.

Round 2

Round 2 consists of three passes, worth $200 each. The second pass of round 2 is called the "Combo Round", in which two drivers make a pass simultaneously; the contestants must predict the combined time of the two cars, and must direct their one question to one driver only.
Midway through the show's run, Round 2 started to implement themes. Around the same time, contestants started to guess whether the Combo Round would be won by the car in the left or right lane; the contestant who wins the pass gets a bonus $100 to keep if his/her lane is correct.

Round 3

Round 3 consists of two passes, worth $300 each.
In a rule change added during the show's run, the first pass of the third round became the "Go Big" pass, where any contestant has the option to gamble on the pass, doubling the money gained from the pass to $600 if they win, but forfeiting $300 of their previous winnings if they lose.

Round 4

The final round consists of one pass, worth $500. At the end of this round, the player with the most money wins the game; the other contestants must then hand over their winnings, except for bonus money, to that player, for a total of $2,000. Even if one player has mathematically won the game prior to the final pass, all passes are played out, as a contestant who exactly predicts the time on this pass, but still loses the game, collects the bonus, which he/she keeps.

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