The Chamber

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"The Chamber" was on the very short list of game shows where contestants endured intense torture and cruelty to win large cash prizes. Two contestants competed on this short-lived offering from Fox. Host Schwartz posed a question with multiple answers; the player that can give one more correct answer after their opponent offers a wrong guess, or gives the last correct remaining answer scores one point. Two correct answers sends the "lucky" sap ... er, winner off to the Chamber. There, the contestant is strapped in and hooked to heart rate and blood pressure monitors. A series of seven levels are played, each lasting one minute. The Chamber fluctuates constantly between Hot (surrounded by flames) and Cold (ice-cold water squirted at the contestant) modes; the Chamber also rotates, sometimes at varying speeds; other distractions (such as wind gusts and tacks showered on the contestant) are added as the game progresses. While all of this is going on, host Schwartz poses general-knowledge questions to the contestant. Each correct response is worth $1,000; if the contestant misses two successive questions, asks to call off the game, or his/her heart rate and/or blood pressure exceeds a pre-determined "Danger Level" for at least 20 seconds, the game ends immediately and the player forfeits half of their winnings to that point. However, if they have advanced through all seven levels and have correctly answered at least 25 questions, they get triple their winnings (gee, the things people will do for money). "The Chamber" and its bretheren, _"The Chair" (2002)_<qv> sparked immediate controversey, and only three episodes of "The Chamber" aired before Fox put a stop to the torture and cruelty of the series.