Semifinal game Cash Explosion Double Play (1989–2009) Four people competed in the Semifinal game. The contestants faced a 24-space game board with six columns of four rows. The columns were labeled D-O-U-B-L-E and the rows labeled P-L-A-Y. On a contestant's turn, the columns randomly flashed and the contestant pressed their button to stop the lights on a column, then picked one of the four rows in that column, winning whatever money was behind the space represented by that combination. The values on the board ranged from $250 to $3,200. Early in the show's run, the $250 amount was removed making the minimum $1,000. Also on the board were two spaces marked "DOUBLE". If chosen, the contestant received another turn and whatever they land on was doubled; if the second pick was also a double, the contestant received a third turn, quadrupling the money found. The third special square was a “BONUS” card, which not only contained a money amount, but also a bonus prize (originally a new car, later $25,000). Originally the contestant had to choose whether he or she wanted the bonus (dropping out of further play if they took it) or the money. Under this rule, the show gained national coverage in August 1990 when contestant Pamela Richards turned down a $17,600
Honda Accord because she was a member of a
labor union. She at the time worked at Toledo Precision Machining, a
Chrysler Corporation subsidiary plant of
Risingsun, for 23 years before appearing on the show. Ultimately enough, she immediately won $6,400 after her decision. However, by 1993 contestants were simply awarded both the car and the cash amount hidden behind it. From 2000 to 2004, a second bonus prize was added to the board featuring four years of prepaid tuition at any four-year college or university in Ohio, along with extra cash added to make the prize worth $20,000. This was later replaced with Ohio Lottery tickets attached to a dollar amount. In all cases, like the standard Bonus card, the prize value was not added to the score, but the additional dollar amount hidden behind the bonus card was. The contestant in the lead after each had three turns won the game, had their score doubled (excluding bonuses), and advanced to the Championship Game. All other contestants left the game with whatever they had won. In the event of a tie for the lead after three rounds, a tiebreaker round was played. Originally, the tying contestants each picked a playing card from a set of eight, with the highest value card winning. These were later replaced by cash amounts from $100 to $800, again with the highest amount winning. A second semifinal Game is played with four new contestants and a new board, exactly as before.
2009–2017 On October 3, 2009, the board was increased to 36 spaces and consisted of nine columns of four rows. The columns were labeled E-X-P-L-O-S-I-O-N and the rows labeled C-A-S-H. The cash amounts ranged from $1,500 to $5,000. The number of special spaces increased from three to nine, with two $10,000 cash bonus squares, one $25,000 bonus square and six double squares. Every time a contestant hit a double square, as before, he or she received an extra turn. However, after finding a double card the contestant randomly stopped on one of the letters in E-X-P-L-O-S-I-O-N above the game board, revealing a dollar amount between $2,000 and $5,000, which was then doubled and added to their score. Later, a bonus prize was hidden in one of the spaces which contain the same rule as the cash bonuses. The tiebreaker round had four amounts hidden behind the letters in the word "cash". As before, the highest score won and the contestant advanced to the Cash Challenge.
Championship Game/Cash Challenge 1989–1993 The two semifinal winners competed against the returning champion. To begin, a target number between 10 and 17 was selected from a randomizer. The contestants then spun a wheel containing numbers from one to nine and an additional space marked "double", attempting to come as close to the target number without going over. If two or three contestants tied, each contestant picked a playing card from a set of eight. The contestant with the highest card won. Originally, the contestants spun three individual wheels (with a ball attached inside each wheel), one for each contestant. Later, this was changed to contestants spinning one wheel. A first-time champion's winnings were augmented to $50,000, while a two-time champion earned another $50,000 for a total of $100,000. A three-time champion earned another $100,000 for a total of $200,000 and retired from the show.
1993–2017 From 1993 to 2009, the three contestants' names were each hidden three times behind a game board with nine squares total. The contestants took turns selecting squares, uncovering the names behind them. The person whose name was uncovered three times first won the game and the right to return the following week, with the same payout structure for returning champions used from 1989 to 1993. Beginning October 3, 2009, three cash bonuses totaling $25,000 (two $10,000 spaces and one $5,000 space) were added to the championship game board which now features a total of twelve spaces. If a contestant selects a bonus space they win that amount of money and control passes to the next contestant in line. Additionally, contestants no longer retire after winning their third game. First-time champions still win a total of $50,000, two-time winners $100,000, and three-time winners $200,000 (bonuses not included). However, a champion wins an additional $100,000 for every subsequent week they win thereafter. Champions can remain on the show until defeated, with no monetary limits or maximum number of appearances, mirroring
Jeopardy!'s "skies the limit" rule. By 2012, the final round was renamed the "Cash Challenge". Under this format, the highest amount awarded was $520,000, which was reached by Terri Waddell on the October 20, 2012 episode, when she was defeated during her record-breaking seventh appearance on the show. Because the first 2007 show did not have a returning champion (due to the final winner of
Make Me Famous, Make Me Rich choosing to keep her earnings and leave), the two semifinal winners simply played against themselves, with the winner becoming the new returning champion. As part of the 30th Anniversary season leading up to the XL format, bonus prizes such as vacations, laptops, and gasoline for a year are available under one square in each round.
Cash Explosion XL Starting June 3, 2017 and lasting throughout the summer, as part of the 30th Anniversary Celebration, the show modified its format and briefly renamed itself
Cash Explosion XL. Under this format, 24 contestants participate in each semifinal game, in teams of three. Each contestant takes one turn, and all three contestants win whatever total is displayed on their podium. If a double is found, that same contestant hits the button again. If, however, the square chosen reveals a cash bonus, only the contestant who selects the square wins the bonus money. One of the co-hosts (Sharon, Cherie, or David) will bring out a silver or golden bar with the amount written on it to represent the bonus money. The Cash Challenge is the same as in the regular version, but only one person from the winning team can play; the contestant is chosen via the new "Cash Challenge Qualifier."
Cash Challenge Qualifier Nine green squares spell out the word "CHALLENGE," and each hides a number from 1 to 9. Each contestant selects one square, and the contestant with the highest number plays in the Cash Challenge. That same contestant also gets their total doubled, as winners do in the regular version. ==Spotlight (2017–2022)==