Each contestant first answers ten rounds of 50 questions each. The first season consists of seven episodes. The average runtime is an hour. CNN journalist Richard Quest hosted the premiering season while Good Morning America weekend co-anchor and Nightline anchor Dan Harris hosted the show's second season. The American broadcast went on to spawn three international versions.

Journalist Dan Harris hosts a unique game show -- created by Mike Darnell and Mark Burnett -- in which the smartest people from across the country try to answer difficult general knowledge questions without ever getting three wrong in a row. The contestants cannot rely on "saves," anyone's assistance or multiple choice answers: three incorrect answers in a row determine the end of the line. Each competitor must rely on intellect, strategy and stamina to win the game. Executive producers are Mark Burnett and Phil Parsons.