Main game

Two contestants, typically a returning champion and a challenger, sat in separate isolation booths. They attempted to identify a subject based on one-sentence clues that were given to them, one at a time, on an electronic gameboard. Before the first clue was given, the correct response was shown to the home audience and the host stated the general category (person, place, etc.). A maximum of 10 clues were played per subject, typically starting with obscure pieces of trivia and progressing toward more widely-known facts.

Either contestant could buzz in at any time to guess the subject, and doing so closed off the opponent's booth so that he/she could not see or hear anything. A correct guess won $50 for the contestant, while a miss closed his/her own booth and gave the opponent a chance to see the next clue (referred to as a "penalty clue") and offer a guess unopposed. If the opponent also missed, both booths were opened and play resumed with the next clue after the penalty.

When a contestant correctly identified a subject on a buzz-in, he/she was shown the next clue in sequence and could dare the opponent to answer. When a contestant gave the answer on a penalty clue, it was used for the dare since the opponent had not yet seen it. If the contestant chose to dare, the opponent's booth was opened and he/she had five seconds to study the clue before guessing. A correct answer awarded $50 to the opponent; a miss awarded $100 to the daring contestant, closed the opponent's booth again, and gave the contestant a chance to offer a double dare based on the next clue. A correct answer on a double dare awarded $100 to the opponent, and a miss awarded $200 to the double-daring contestant.

Play on a particular subject ended after any of the following occurred:

• A contestant identified the subject, but chose not to dare
• A contestant successfully dared the opponent, but chose not to double dare
• An opponent correctly identified the subject on a dare
• A double dare was played
• Neither contestant identified the subject after all 10 clues were played

In either of the first two cases, the clue for the dare or double dare was read to the opponent to see if he/she would have been able to guess the subject.

The first contestant to accrue $500 or more won the game and moved on to the bonus round. Both contestants kept their accrued money, and the runner-up of each game also received parting gifts.

Beat the Spoilers

The winner of the main game competed in a bonus round against the Spoilers, a panel of three Ph.Ds placed in separate isolation booths so that they could not see or hear each other. The booths were turned off to begin the round.

The gameboard displayed a subject and eight numbered clues (10 in the pilot) in random order of difficulty, and was placed so that the Spoilers could not see it. The contestant selected one clue at a time and, after seeing and hearing it, had to decide whether to pass it or give it to the Spoilers. He/she could pass up to four times (five in the pilot), and these clues were immediately discarded from play. If the contestant decided to give a clue to the Spoilers, their booths were turned on long enough for Trebek to read it to them; he also announced the general category to them before reading the first given clue. The booths were then turned on, one at a time, so that each Spoiler could guess the subject without being heard by the others. Each incorrect answer awarded $100 to the contestant, while a correct answer awarded the money to that Spoiler, who then sat out the rest of the round with his/her booth open so as to hear the others' guesses.

The round continued as long as at least one Spoiler failed to guess correctly. If all three Spoilers managed to identify the subject, the contestant lost the round but kept any money accumulated to that point from incorrect guesses. If any of the Spoilers were unable to identify the subject after the fourth (fifth in the pilot) given clue, the contestant's winnings for the round were increased to $5,000.

Limits on champions' winnings

Champions stayed on the show until either defeated or surpassing CBS's maximum winnings limit which, for this show, was $20,000 at that time.

Alan Lusher was the only contestant to retire as champion. He crossed the $20,000 threshold with a victory in the main game, then won a further $300 in the bonus round for a final winnings total of $20,500.^[3][4]

Miscellaneous

Jay Wolpert was acknowledged as the series' creator in the closing credits. Wolpert later created his own production company. This series also marked the debut of Jonathan Goodson as a producer.

Markie Post was an employee of Goodson-Todman at the time and was an associate producer on Double Dare.

Virtually all of the show's music and sounds were recycled for other Goodson-Todman shows. The show's theme music, composed by Edd Kalehoff for Score Productions, was reused one year later for Card Sharks. The sound effect for the opening of the clue board and the isolation booths was later used for The Price Is Right's Penny Ante and Vend-O-Price pricing games, as well as the bonus round level "wind-up" sound on the Jack Barry-produced game show The Joker's Wild. A truncated version of the "losing horns" from Price was also used for bonus round losses.

The show's taping alternated between Studios 31, 33 and 41 at CBS Television City in Hollywood, California, during its run.^[5]