Win Ben Stein's Money

Win Ben Stein's Money
Premiere	July 28, 1997
Finale	January 31, 2003
Host	Ben Stein
Network/Provider	Comedy Central
Style	30-minute comedy game show
Company	Valleycrest Productions
Seasons	6
Episodes	715
Origin	USA

Win Ben Stein's Money is a comedy game show that aired on Comedy Central. It was hosted by Ben Stein who would host the first half of the show and then become a contestant for the second half. The show featured a total of three co-hosts, Jimmy Kimmel, Nancy Pimental and Sal Iacono.

The first round pits three regular contestants answering general knowledge questions worth $50 to $250 in a series of offbeat categories. Contestants giving a correct answer can earn an additional $50 by correctly answering a follow-up. The money scored by the contestants is subtracted from the $5000 Ben Stein earns per show (a score screen shows the current tally as the show progresses).

The low scorer is eliminated and his/her money score (if any) is put back in Stein's coffers. Stein now becomes a contestant, but only to protect what money he has left. Any answers he may give will not figure in his score (which only shows a "$"). Answers are now worth $100 to $500, and there are no follow-ups.

The winning player competes against Ben in the Best Of Ten Test Of Knowledge. The contestant and Ben sit in soundproof booths (Ben's is lavish, the contestant's is barren) and the contestant had the option of going first or letting Ben go first. Ten questions are asked within 60 seconds. If the contestant answers more than Ben correctly, he/she wins all $5000. If Ben answers more, the contestant still keeps the money scored in the regular game. If the contestant and Ben tie, he/she gets a $1000 bonus in addition to regular game money.

A year earlier, Valleycrest produced Debt, a game show airing on the Lifetime channel.

Cast

Actor	Character	Duration
Main Cast		1	2	3	4	5	6
Ben Stein	Host	*	*	*	*	*	*
Jimmy Kimmel	Co-host	*	*	*	*
Nancy Pimental					*	*
Sal Iacono							*

Seasons

Season	Premiere	Finale				#
Comedy Central
Season One	July 28, 1997	1997				65
Season Two	April 15, 1998	1998				130
Season Three	1999	1999				130
Season Four	2000	2000				130
Season Five	April 16, 2001	September 28, 2001				130
Season Six	March 25, 2002	January 31, 2003				130

In-Depth

• At a Glance: Additional information about the series

DVD Releases

There are no DVD releases for this show.

External Sites

• Win Ben Stein's Money at the Internet Movie Database