modified version of Knockout was played instead. The returning champion selected one of the 12 wedges for their marker, and the challenger's marker was placed directly across the table from it. The cube was then released, and the last contestant whose marker was left standing won the game. A victory by the champion awarded $20,000, while the challenger received the cash prize assigned to their own wedge for a win. This game was later carried over to Bonus Bonanza in Massachusetts as the permanent bonus game, with values from $7,500 to $200,000. Thunderball This game, similar to the children's game KerPlunk, used a large container and 15 balls that were roughly the size of basketballs. These were held in the upper portion of the container by 10 numbered, criss-crossing rods. Each contestant in turn drew one number at a time from a board, and the corresponding rod was pulled out, possibly dislodging some of the balls and causing them to fall to the bottom of the container. Contestants were eliminated after either dropping a total of five balls or dropping the last one to the bottom. The last remaining contestant chose one of the numbers he/she had drawn and received the cash amount paired with it, which could range from $10,000 to $100,000. Pot O' Gold The "Pot O' Gold" game debuted in 1995 and utilized a returning-champion format. The biggest winner from the current week's show stood at the beginning of an eight-step path, while the previous week's champion stood at its end. The first five steps were numbered 1 through 5, while each of the last three offered a different cash award: $10,000, $25,000, and "Big Money." On each turn, the champion secretly set a booby trap on one of the three steps immediately ahead of the opponent, who then had to move onto one of those steps. The champion then sprang the trap; if the opponent was caught, they had to return to their previous position. The champion won $20,000 for successfully trapping the opponent twice, while the opponent took the championship by safely reaching any of the last three steps. The $10,000 and $25,000 steps awarded their value, and "Big Money" gave the new champion an opportunity to select one of five coins marked with values from $40,000 to $200,000 in increments of $40,000. Champions were retired after a total of six wins; this happened once