In later times , the panelists were sometimes buzzed when they were too close to the secret , or at a point that would get a laugh . Increasingly later in the run , the panelists were sometimes buzzed out when they were getting too close to the secret , were suspected to be about to get it , or simply at a point that would get a laugh ; this was precipitated in part by the fact that , like What 's My Line , the top payoff never increased with inflation , and the money eventually became somewhat secondary to the gameplay , with the cash awards not even mentioned at all by the end of the series .