Identity (game show)

In each episode, a contestant is introduced to 12 different strangers each standing on number podiums, before being given a list of 12 "identities"  – each is a fact pertaining to each stranger, regarding elements such as occupations, hobbies, height or weight, age, and so forth, some of which can allude to multiple strangers. The contestants task is to try to deduce which stranger corresponds to each fact, sometimes through visual observations, and at certain points, through asking questions about the stranger's background. The strangers may provide their first name, either at the beginning or during the course of the episode, and are often dressed in misleading outfits to disguise their identity. During the course of the game show, contestants can sometimes be aided with opinions from close friends and family members attending their participation.

If a contestant decides to link a fact to a stranger, they must "seal the identity" with their own podium, to which the host Jillette will then ask that stranger if this is their identity. A correct match will increase the prize money the contestant earns, as listed in the table below:

At any point during the game, the contestant may chose to quit the game with the winnings won up to that point. However, while the contestant can make one mistake with an identity, a second mistake will lose them the game and leave them with no prize. At times, the contestant can rely on two lifelines (denoted as "helps") to aid them:

• Tri-dentity: A chosen fact is narrowed down to three strangers, to which the contestant must correctly match the identity to one of these three and cannot pick another identity until then. This help is only active until there is just four strangers remaining.
• Ask The Experts: Contestants may ask a panel of three experts to give them informed opinions on which stranger can be matched to a chosen identity. These experts have no inside knowledge of the strangers and can only rely on their professional training and experience to make educated guesses. The contestant is not bound to relying on their opinions and can chose another identity to work on if unsure.

During the program's broadcast in December 2006, Identity was accompanied by an interactive game, in a similar arrangement to other NBC game shows such as Deal or No Deal and 1 vs. 100. Designed as an at-home game open to residents of the continental United States called "The Identity Challenge", players who participated were chosen at random and could win won $10,000 by choosing which of five strangers represents a product, or a profession related to the advertised product.[1]

On the first two nights, three of the five were revealed to be incorrect throughout the game, and the answer was revealed before the final commercial break. On the next three, there was no such narrowing; all five strangers remained throughout the show. To encourage viewers to watch television commercials during the show, the correct answer to the "Identity Challenge" question was revealed during a related commercial within the first 20 minutes of the show.[1] The interactive feature was later dropped before the program's sixth episode on March 16, 2007.

• Official website
• Identity at IMDb