Amnesia (stylized as Amne$ia) is an American television game show that aired on Fridays at 8:00 PM ET on NBC, after debuting on February 22, 2008, at 9:00 PM ET after 1 vs. 100. Contestants win money by answering questions about their own lives. The program was produced by Mark Burnett, producer of other shows like Survivor, The Apprentice, and Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?, and was hosted by comedian Dennis Miller. Contestants were able to win up to $250,000.
The game was played in five rounds:
Instead of standard welcome intros, Amnesia began with a speed round. The contestant had 60 seconds to answer seven questions, winning $1,000 for each correct answer, for a maximum of $7,000. There was no penalty for wrong answers, and the money won in this round was the contestant's to keep.
In the next three rounds, the contestant was sent to a soundproof booth and a loved one was asked about various events they have shared with the player. The contestant then returned and was asked questions. Occasionally, in lieu of a question, the contestant had to complete a stunt to be credited with a correct answer (such as trying to place the names of five obscure body parts on a dummy within 30 seconds); a frequent stunt was a blindfolded taste test of a familiar family recipe, with three imitation dishes. A total of seven questions were played throughout those rounds, and the maximum possible total was $75,000.
Risk was a factor in this round, so the player was given the option to stop or proceed before each question in this round.
If they chose to proceed, a question was chosen by picking one of their supporters, each holding an envelope that contained a question about their relationship. The contestant did not need to have the full value of a question in their bank in order to attempt it (e.g., a player with $5,000 was still allowed to play the $100,000 question).
A right answer to a question in that round added money to the player's bank, but a wrong answer subtracted that amount. Before each question, the player had the option to stop and take the money already won, but if at any time the bank fell to $0, the game ended, and the player left with whatever they earned in round 1.
If the player correctly answered all 10 questions in the main game, they won a maximum total of $250,000.
The ratings for Amnesia were as follows while competing for another game show My Dad Is Better than Your Dad.