(CRAM!) 24 hours ago, four brave souls were locked up in our Hollywood & Highland Cramatoriums. Deprived of sleep, our two teams were each given a huge pile of ridiculous information to study. Trapped in a Hollywood storefront all night, they had to resist the urge to sleep and cram as many facts as possible into their exhausted brains. (CRAM!) No sleep, no privacy, no mercy. Now we're going to find out what they've learned; there's 10 grand on the line.
It's time... to... CRAM!
— The opening, provided by host Graham Elwood
GSN Game Show which aired from January to September 2003 in which two teams were sequestered for 24 hours in a storefront at Hollywood and Highland (the "Cramatorium"). There, they were forced to "cram" factoids, jokes and trivia on which they would be quizzed throughout the show while performing various stunts. The game's three rounds included ranting while walking in an oversized hamster wheel, listing 12 items while competing in a sundry stunt round, and having the team members work an exercise bike or rowing machine while answering riddles. Points were awarded for right answers, and deducted for wrong answers or passed questions. The winning team received $1,000 and moved on to the $10,000 Quiz, while the losers got $500.
The show added a larger variety of stunts in Season 2 (which began June 15, 2003) and changed some rounds' time limits. Other Season 2 changes included a new assistant named "Dr. Damnearkilter" to taunt the contestants, and special celebrity editions every Monday.
This show provides examples of:
- April Fools' Day: On April Fools' Day 2003, the hosts of all GSN's original game shows (except Lingo) traded places and hosted each other's shows; Marc Summers (WinTuition) took that day's Cram. Miss Pickwick was played by Graham Disguised in Drag.
- Asleep in Class: Contestants had 24 hours to cram facts into their heads in the show's version of homeschool from hell. This was what they didn't want to be, but could if they weren't careful. Same with the Miss Pickwick bonus round in which they listened to facts recited in a sleepy voice in a relaxing environment designed to try to lull them into nodding off.
- Big Win Sirens: The stock sirens heard on earlier NBC game shows were played if the Bonus Round was won.
- Bonus Round: The $10,000 Quiz, where the winning team members were placed in onstage beds and blindfolded, with the lights dimmed, while "Miss Pickwick" read various bizarre facts in a relaxing tone. Upon the return from commercial, the contestants were then awakened (in a loud and alarming fashion, though if they hoped to win, they shouldn't actually have been sleeping) and given 60 seconds to run to and stand on a balance beam, peg, or pair of surfboards while answering questions on Miss Pickwick's facts. If either contestant lost their balance, Graham would stop reading the current question and start over once they were back in place. Correct answers moved the team up a five-step scale; wrong answers moved them down a step, and getting to the top of the scale won $10,000; losers got $100 per step achieved (based on their final score). Win or lose, the winning teams were placed in comfy chairs and given coffee.
- Breathless Non Sequitur: While reading her bedtime facts, Miss Pickwick would also slip in comments such as "You're very, very sleepy" or "You look so comfortable. Why not just drift off?" in the exactly same tone and cadance as her recitation of the facts.
- Catchphrase:
- Graham had a tendency to say "Aw man, you guys!" after EVERY. SINGLE. FAILED. BONUS. ROUND.
- "You snooze, you lose!"
- From Miss Pickwick: "You're getting so, so sleepy." and variants thereof.
- Game Show Host: Graham Elwood.
- Golden Snitch: Because of the pacing and point values, whichever team won the hamster wheel round almost always went on to the bonus round.
- Last-Name Basis: Berglind Icey was known simply as "Icey" on the show.
- Losing Horns: The Mocking Sing-Song was played immediately upon time expiring in a round.
- Lovely Assistant: Icey. Other assistants included the aforementioned "Miss Pickwick" (played by Andrea Hutchman) and "Dr. Damnearkilter" (played by Arturo Gil).
- Ms. Fanservice: Icey tended to dress rather provocatively for a Lovely Assistant.
- Reveille: The bonus round involved the winning team laying in bed and listening to facts read to them by a woman with a soothing voice named Miss Pickwick while calming music was playing. After 60 seconds, a drum was banged, Reveille was played and host Graham Elwood shouted at them to get up, warning that the clock was ticking.
- Sleep Mask: Contestants were made to wear these while listening to Miss Pickwick's facts - less than ideal for them, of course, as the whole goal was not to fall asleep in order to be able to hear the facts.
- Suddenly Shouting: After sixty seconds of listening to facts recited by Miss Pickwick in a soothing setting, the contestants were rudely shouted into getting up by Graham Elwood.Graham: Get up, get up! Clock's ticking, clock's ticking!
- Time Keeps On Ticking: In the bonus round, the clock started immediately when the alarm went off and Reveille started playing. Invariably, this would chew up about eight seconds as the contestants got out of bed and got their helmets/hats on to get on the beam/log/whatever.
- Undercrank: Used at the end of each episode to show the next episode's contestants gathering into the "Cramatorium"... which makes one wonder what they did for the Grand Finale.