The Big Showdown was a game show that aired on ABC from December 23, 1974, to July 4, 1975. Jim Peck hosted.

Front game format, round 1 (The Big Showdown)
Three contestants competed, one a returning champion.

The first question of the game was a one point toss-up for control. The player who answered it got to choose from six categories, with questions ranging from 1-6 points in value depending on the category.

A number was determined before the round to be the "payoff point," and the first player to hit it would win a cash bonus varying from $25 to $500 (set by a randomizer dial in host Peck's podium). The payoff point had to be hit EXACTLY- if a contestant was in danger of surpassing it with any correct answer, they would be locked out of the question.

Two sets of categories were played, and a 90 second speed round finished off the first segment. At the end of the round, the player with the lowest score was eliminated, and the two remaining contestants advanced to The Final Showdown.


The Final Showdown
In the Final Showdown, the two remaining contestants competed to hit a payoff point of 7. Three categories were played, and the point values were 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The same rules from the first round applied. The first player to reach 7 points won the game and an additional $250.


The bonus round
The champion of the day now had a chance to win $10,000 by rolling dice. The dice were standard six-sided dice, but the 6s were taken off and replaced with the words "Show" and "Down."

The player would then throw the dice. If "Showdown" came up on the first roll, the contestant would win $10,000. If not, the number shown would be the payoff point. The contestant then had 30 seconds to roll the dice as many times as s/he possibly could. Every time the payoff point was hit, it netted the contestant $250 and an extra five seconds of rolling time. If "Showdown" was rolled, the contestant earned $5,000 plus any money won by hitting the payoff point.

If after the initial 30 seconds the player had not rolled "Showdown," but had hit the payoff point, they would receive whatever bonus time they had earned to roll "Showdown." The payoff point bonus was not in play. If the player rolled "Showdown" during the bonus time, they earned $5,000.


Jim Peck's fall
During one show towards the end of the run, Peck was walking down a set of stairs to his podium, like he had many times before. This time was not like the others, however- he hit one step, slipped, and fell. He got up, dusted himself off, and laughed along with the audience, saying, "Sure! You people would applaud a lynching!"

This episode and the pilot are believed to be the only two episodes of the series that still exist.