Caesars Challenge is an American game show that aired on NBC from June 14, 1993 to January 14, 1994 and emanated from the Circus Maximus Theatre inside Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ahmad Rashad hosted the series and, in keeping with the theme of the show's location, he was assisted by a man dressed as a Roman gladiator. Dan Doherty played the role for most of the show's run, with Chad Brown and Zach Ruby handling the earliest episodes before Doherty joined the show. The show was a co-production of Rosner Television and Stephen J. Cannell Productions, and was the only game show that was produced by the latter company. Gameplay Three contestants competed in three rounds, attempting to solve scrambled words up to nine letters in length that were displayed on an onstage slot machine. Rashad asked a series of multiple-choice trivia questions, for which any contestant could buzz in and answer. A correct response awarded money, allowed the contestant to place one letter in its correct position, and gave him/her five seconds to guess the word. If a contestant missed a question, either opponent could buzz in and try to steal; a second miss gave the money, letter, and guess to the last contestant by default. Solving the word awarded additional money for each letter that had not yet been placed. Each word and series of questions fit a specific category, which was initially revealed to the contestants before play began. Later, the category was shown only to the home audience, and Rashad did not disclose it to the contestants until after the word had been solved. Questions and unplaced letters were worth $100 each in the first round, $200 in the second, and $300 in the third. One position in each word was designated as a "Lucky Slot"; if a contestant placed a letter there and immediately solved the word, he/she won a bonus in addition to the money for the unplaced letters. The bonus (referred to as the "Instant Jackpot") started at $500 each day, increased by this amount for every word in which it went unclaimed, and reset to $500 after it was won. Two words were played in each of the first two rounds, while the third round continued until time was called. If a word was in progress at the end of the third round, the Lucky Slot was removed from play