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Front Game Rules | ||
| One studio contestant played against three players playing across the country, linked by sattelite. The studio contestant began with $10,000 in cash, and the object was to prevent the satellite players from taking it. Host Tomarken would ask the studio player a multiple-choice question. A right answer allowed the studio player to keep his/her money; a wrong answer forfeited $1000. With each question, the studio contestant would also have to challenger at least one satellite player to answer the same question. If correct, the sattelite player won $1000 form the studio player; if wrong, the sattelite player got a Strike. | 
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| The studio player also had two possible options to help him/her along the way. S/he could either "Swap Out" one of the sattelite players, replacing him/her with another one. Doing so, though, cost the studio player $1000. The studio player could also "Knock Out" a satellite contestant, eliminating him/her from play, at a cost of $3000. Otherwise, a satellite player was eliminated by accumulating two Strikes. The game continued until the studio player lost all of his/her money or all three satellite players were knocked out. In the case of the latter, the studio player kept the money remaining, as well as an "Interactive Jackpot" which begins at $5000 and decreases as online players steal money by answering questions. This money was then brought to the bonus round. | |
End Game Rules | ||
| In the bonus round, the studio player was shown ten possible categories, and selected one of them. Nine categories would multiply the player's winnings by 10 if the question therein was answered correctly, while one category would give the player 100 times his/her winnings with a right answer. The player ultimately could win up to $1,500,000. | 
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Paranoia was the only one of the year's big-money quiz shows to air live. This was made readily apparent when host Peter Tomarken forgot what network he was working for as he was giving an outro to a commercial. In a Freudian slip, he told viewers to "Take a look at some of (the satellite players), because they'll be coming here soon to play Paranoia live, here on Game Show- um..."
They shouldn't have called this show "Paranoia", they should've called it "Vertigo". There's just way too much going on, between the studio player, the satellite players, the internet players, and the phone players. And aside from the gimmick of all-against-one, the game once again suffers from Millionaire complex. You've got the four-choice questions, the two "lifelines", and the emphasis on computers. Peter Tomarken's hosting ability - aside from his one flub - is really all that saves this show.
Gameplay: 1 pt.
Host: 3 pts.
Presentation: 1 pt.
Execution: 1 pt.
Total Score: 6 pts.
