The World Series of Pop Culture was a VH1 game showtournament program sponsored by Alltel Wireless, based on Entertainment Weekly's Pop Culture Quiz. Sixteen teams, comprising three people each, compete to determine which team, collectively, knows the most about elements of popular culture. One of the teams each season was made up of three qualifiers selected on the basis of a test over the internet; the three internet qualifiers had no other connection to each other. Tapings for the first season took place in New York City from April 29–30, 2006 at the Ziegfeld Theatre. A wide range of topics are covered such as movies, music, TV and other miscellaneous pop culture. The top prize was $250,000. The show began on July 10, 2006, and the finale aired on Thursday, August 3, 2006. The hosts were Pat Kiernan and Lisa Guerrero. The second season of the show premiered on July 9, 2007. Auditions for the second season were held in January and February, and the tapings took place on March 22 and 23 at the Grand Ballroom of the Manhattan Center. There were two online qualification tests that season which took place on February 14 and February 20. Kiernan returned as host, with season 1 competitors "Cheetara" replacing Guerrero as backstage interviewers. The World Series of Pop Culture was not renewed for a third season in 2008.
Gameplay
Each show begins with a declaration of the rules: During each round, the category will be revealed. Categories could be as broad as "Family TV" or as specific as "The Karate Kid." Once the category is revealed, the teams have to send a teammate to the microphone to play for that entire category. Unless only one player is left remaining, a player may not compete in two consecutive categories. The chosen players each get one category per round, and each category contains six questions. If a player cannot provide the right answer, his or her opponent gets the opportunity to steal. At the end of each category, the player who gets the fewest questions correct is eliminated from the game. Once a player attains enough points that the opponent cannot beat, the category ends at that point. In the event of a tie, a tiebreaker question determines who remains in the competition and who gets knocked out. The tiebreaker question contains an even number of multiple answers. Both players give one answer in succession, starting with the player who answered first in the tied category, until one player gives an incorrect answer. When an incorrect answer is given, and if the score is still tied, the opposing player must give one more correct answer to win. If the opposing player already has more correct answers by virtue of going first, that player immediately wins the category. If the tiebreaker ends unresolved, either with both players answering incorrectly or if all correct answers have been given, a new tiebreaker round begins, but the first player to answer is switched. The first team to eliminate all three of their opponents wins and moves on to the next round. In the first-season World Series of Pop Culture final, airing first on August 3, 2006 each category involved ten questions rather than the typical six. The second-season final featured six-question categories.
