Shafted (Laioria)

Shafted was a Laiorian game show broadcast on LTV from 2003 until 2006. Presented by Milton Holmes and based on the of the same name, it challenged players to win up to KR 10.000.000 by deceiving their opponents and answering questions correctly, because, as Holmes put it, LTV "forgot to cap the prize limit".

The show was a surprise runaway success upon launch. Many people wanted to take part and viewing figures were high. Shafted was axed in 2005 but still continues to attract viewers on repeats.

Gameplay
The game begins with six players and is played in five rounds. In the first round, each player must secretly declare how much money they would like to receive, to a maximum of KR 25.000. Once the amounts are revealed, the person who has asked for the largest amount is immediately eliminated from the game and receives nothing. Each of the other five is credited with the amount they requested.

In each of the next three rounds, the host reads the first few words of a question and invites the players to wager a portion of their totals. Once the wagers are entered, the host reads the entire question and the player who made the largest wager has to answer it. A correct answer adds the wager to their total, while a miss deducts it. Once the host has asked as many questions as there are players still in the game, the leader chooses one opponent to eliminate with no winnings. The totals of all remaining players are then increased to match that of the leader.

At the beginning of the third round, each player is given an option to "Shift," or force an opponent to answer a question meant for them. Each player can use this option once during the third or fourth rounds.

However, an complete question can be on a very different matter from that suggested by its incomplete prompt. An example from the 2001 pilot of the British version:


 * Prompt: Which Dickens character...
 * Question: Which Dickens character's namesake made the Statue of Liberty disappear? (Answer: David Copperfield)

In the fifth and final round, the two remaining players stand at podiums facing each other in a form of the prisoner's dilemma, with the leader's total at stake. A brief snippet of a backstage interview with each player is shown to the audience, after which both of them must secretly decide to "share" or "shaft." Their choices are revealed to the home viewers, but not to the audience, host, or players, and they are then given a chance to discuss the situation and change their decisions if they wish. Their final choices determine the fate of the jackpot.


 * If both choose "share," each wins half the money.
 * If one chooses "share" and the other "shaft," the shafting player wins all the money.
 * If both choose "shaft," neither wins any money.

Highest winners
On a Series 1 episode on 9 November, 2003, construction worker Jukka Korhonen and public relations consultant Tyyne Koskanen shafted each other out of KR 673.000. This remains the highest-value shaft-out anywhere in the world.

On a Series 2 episode on 21 October, 2004, teacher Liisa Heikkinen shared her KR 475.000 with pub landlord Magnus Hämäläinen, and they both left with 480 500 Kr.

On a Series 3 celebrity special on 8 February, 2004, nurse Yrjo Valkoinen successfully shafted 569 000 Kr from policewoman Sara Naukkarinen.