SEARCHTHISNOW!

SearchThisNow!, is an exhilarating experience in which the mundane activity of finding things online brings out the search specialist in all of us; SearchThisNow! is a television game show that transforms searching the Internet from an ordinary mechanical exercise performed daily by millions, into an intense, competitive drama in which one individual will ultimately become the first Online Search Guru of the world; SearchThisNow! offers a broadcast partner an opportunity to build a national and potentially global franchise by engaging 18-34 year olds in their two key cross-consumed media-- television and the Internet; The concept is based upon a solid and unique business case, offering contextual sponsorship and advertising to the online media and technology sectors, in a way that previously has not been possible; SearchThisNow! revolves around contestants who compete against each other in a live studio environment; The competition opens with 12 contestants onstage, and one contestant is eliminated each week, based on the lowest cash winnings; Contestants will select questions from six categories (Music, Sports, Hollywood, Inventions, People, and Technology), generated on permanent, pre-determined and audience relevant categories; Using an Internet search engine of their choice, selected at the beginning of each new round of questions, and navigating within the proprietary SearchThisNow! graphical user interface, the contestants must find the correct answer faster than other contestants in order to win; Distinctively unlike other game shows, simply knowing the answer will not suffice; What is key to the SearchThisNow! concept, is a contestant's ability to match the correct answer with the most efficient and adroit means of finding a search result (or a website that explicitly contains the answer, or leads the searcher to a website, which unmistakably contains it); The SearchThisNow! technical backbone will contain an intelligent mechanism to accurately determine the accuracy and time of each contestant's response; Additionally, the SearchThisNow! panel of experts, ideally comprised of senior executives from the "leading" search engine providers, i;e;, the search engines who participate in the show, will confirm the winner by means of the accuracy of the answer, time spent searching and the precision of the search string or site selected and submitted; Contestants will have the opportunity to change search engines prior to commencing a new round, throughout the show; They will also have the opportunity to use the Instant Messaging platform of their choice (e;g;, AOL Instant Messenger, MSN Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, etc;), to reach out twice during their time onstage to a friend on their 'buddy' list for help; Unused 'Reachouts' may be banked by winners throughout individual or multiple shows, whereby the contestant returns for successive rounds; A strict timeline will apply to every 'Reachout' event with financial and 'Reachout' credit penalties applied to contestants who abuse the opportunity; Questions will be weighted and cash awarded according to difficulty within the both the individual shows and the collective footprint; The initial SearchThisNow! series is anticipated to run for 12 weeks; Cash prizes won, should be significant, but not the focal point of the show; Initial qualifying will be completed via the SearchThisNow! website; Eight weeks prior to the first show, a national announcement will be made inviting all would-be contestants to go to www;searchthisnow;com and test themselves against the SearchThisNow! computer; Each participant must download the SearchThisNow! proprietary application and then answer a comparable series of questions based on the identical categories to be used in the game show itself; Everyone must complete a detailed personal information form and consent to videotaped interviews, both before and during the show's filming; The 12 candidates selected for SearchThisNow! game show will possess a combination of the highest search scores and the most interesting character/personality traits; Interactive Elements 1; Studio Audience Wildcard SearchThisNow! has a unique capability to involve the studio audience and offer a direct opportunity to join the action onstage; At the beginning of every show, six (6) notebook computers (provided by SearchThisNow!' game show PC sponsor) will be randomly handed out to audience members, based on a draw of studio tickets; Audience members will be able to answer the questions simultaneously as the onstage contestants via a wireless network (provided by SearchThisNow!'s wireless network sponsor), identical to the manner of the onstage contestants; At the end of the next to last round, the six audience scores will be compared to the 12 onstage scores; If the score of any of the participating audience members exceeds that of the lowest onstage contestants, then the onstage contestant will be replaced by that participating audience member - right then and there; The last round will follow the "reshuffling of the deck" with the lowest scoring contestant being eliminated in advance of the next show; 2; At Home/Remote Play Along SearchThisNow! is deliberately architected to allow people to play the game, anywhere, anytime, whether during the televised game show, or elsewhere (for example in a bar or café with wireless access); Downloading the SearchThisNow! application will enable someone not only to attempt to qualify for the game show, but also permit them to play against the computer and/or other viewers during the broadcast while watching the contestants on television; It also facilitates them to play against the computer or others remotely, at any time, anywhere throughout the world; 3; Ancillary Opportunities In addition to the weekly episode of SearchThisNow! ancillary opportunities exist simultaneously and in the future with respect to-- · International qualification for the SearchThisNow! game show · Annual SearchThisNow! Championship Tournament · International SearchThisNow! game show · SearchThisNow! educational version - creating an environment where contests take place within elementary and secondary schools for educational and competitive purposes · Online gaming of SearchThisNow!, via Yahoo! Games, MSN or similar websites