The Game of Life (game show) facts for kids

The Game of Life was a fun American TV show. It aired on a channel called The Hub, which is now Discovery Family. The show was hosted by Frank Nicotero. It was based on the popular Milton Bradley board game, also called The Game of Life. The series ran from September 24, 2011, to April 15, 2012.

How to Play The Game of Life

In this exciting game show, two families, each with three members, competed. They wanted to win an awesome grand prize!

Driving Through Life's Adventures

In the first round, each family got to 'drive' a special Game of Life car. They picked one of two exciting adventures. The car moved through a cool green screen animation. It looked like they were really driving on a road!

At different points, the car would reach a "fork in the road." The family had to answer a 50/50 question. The driver turned the car's wheel towards the answer they thought was right.

• If they answered correctly, they earned "Life points."
• If they answered wrong, the car stopped for 5 seconds.

The first correct answer gave them 100 Life points. Each correct answer after that added another 100 points. The adventure continued for about two minutes, until the car "ran out of gas."

Doubling Your Life Points

Round 2 was played just like Round 1. Usually, the second family got to go first this time. The big difference was that all the Life points were doubled! So, instead of 100, 200, 300 points, they earned 200, 400, 600 points, and so on.

Sometimes, answering the second or third question correctly gave the car "extra gas." This meant the family could answer even more questions. The family with the most Life points after this round got to spin a bonus prize wheel!

The Bonus Prize Spin

The family with the highest score after Round 2 got to spin a giant version of the Game of Life Spinner. They had to guess if the spinner would land on an odd or even number.

• If they guessed right, they won a special bonus prize!
• If they guessed wrong, they still got a smaller prize.

If there was a tie, one family chose odd numbers, and the other chose even. The host, Frank Nicotero, spun the spinner. The family whose numbers won got the bonus prize. In the second season, each number on the spinner had its own prize!

The 60-Second Stunt Challenge

In Round 3, both families competed at the same time. They had 60 seconds to complete a fun stunt. Each time they successfully finished a task in the stunt, they earned more Life points. They could get 250 or 500 points for each success.

The families wore special 'The Game of Life' T-shirts. One family wore red, and the other wore blue. The family with the most points at the end of this round won the game! They moved on to the Grand Prize Round. The losing family received a smaller prize. If the scores were tied, they played the Bonus Spin again to decide the winner.

Winning the Grand Prize Vacation

The Grand Prize Round had two parts. First, during a commercial break, each winning family member was asked a "would you rather" question. These questions were based on the adventures they played earlier. The other two family members had to guess what answer their teammate gave.

• Each correct guess earned them an extra number to pick on the Game of Life Spinner.

Finally, the family faced the Game of Life Spinner one last time. They chose between odd or even numbers, plus any extra numbers they earned. If the spinner landed on any of their chosen numbers, they won the grand prize! This was usually an amazing family vacation. The very first show's grand prize was a cool 3-D family screening room! If they didn't win the grand prize, they still got a consolation prize.