Contestants unknowingly climb into a cab and try to win money by answering questions correctly on the way to their desired location.Contestants unknowingly climb into a cab and try to win money by answering questions correctly on the way to their desired location.Contestants unknowingly climb into a cab and try to win money by answering questions correctly on the way to their desired location.
- Awards
- 6 wins & 9 nominations
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAlthough contestants are shown leaving the cab with cash in hand, they are actually sent a check in the mail.
- GoofsOn the map that tracks the cab's progress, "42ND" Street is sometimes shown as "42TH" Street.
- Quotes
Ben Bailey: There are over 13,000 cabs in New York City, but there is only one that pays you. Climb into the Cash Cab, and I'll quiz you all the way to your destination. As the meter clicks, the questions get harder, and the stakes get higher. If you get stumped, you can Shout-Out for help on the phone, or off the street. But, be careful, my friend, because in this rig, it's three strikes and you're out! So, what do you say? You in?
- ConnectionsFeatured in The 36th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards (2009)
I'm pretty quick to notice and be irritated by, say, Howie Mandel's saying "change your life" about 40 times per show; Bob Saget may be one of the most annoying presences on the planet; and the delays in conveying the information on their game shows, the mindless conversation and delays between questions and answers, etc., cry out for pressing the "mute" button.
However, having just discovered this program for the first time recently, I find the whole show enjoyable. It has spontaneity, something others in the genre lack. And even though the driver/host does delay slightly in revealing whether answers are correct ( but only sometimes) it's not at all excessive in my opinion.
Overall, the varied contestant base is interesting as well - from only slightly more intelligent than the proverbial "post" to sharp. With three "games/trips" per episode, things move along, and if you get a particularly unappealing passenger/contestant, their on-screen time is mercifully brief.
There is also amusement galore. I enjoyed th man and woman who won a decent amount, several hundred, and then missed the video question to double the loot. They weren't a couple, because she called her boyfriend, using this prerogative of the game, since the two of them couldn't identify the "element" from which diamonds are derived. Among all three, they came up with "coal," rather than carbon. Hell, I'm no chemistry or science buff, but almost everybody I know could have gotten that one. And most folks I know are well-aware "coal" is not a chemical element.
Finally, there's one detail I'm surprised none of the others added.
{(One did wonder about how driver obtained the questions, and whether his attention to driving might be diverted.) But I've traveled to NYC a lot and ridden in many taxis. This guy is far superior - even if he has to juggle the driving along with his other activities - to any those with whom I've ridden. He's also one of the few not from the Middle East or India/Bangladesh/Pakistan, Russia or another former SSR country.}
A refreshing, interesting, humorous, and (thankfully!!) quick-moving presentation, with a thoroughly pleasant and engaging host.
Details
- Runtime22 minutes
- Color