The 1 earns prize money depending on how many Mob members they have eliminated from the game, but loses all winnings with an incorrect answer at any point.

The objective of the One is to be the last player standing, having eliminated all 100 members of the Mob from the game by correctly answering a series of general-knowledge questions.

[3][4] In the second season and on the GSN version, the payout structure was simplified to award the One for every tenth Mob contestant eliminated.

[11] On October 20, 2006, it was reported that NBC ordered ten additional episodes of 1 vs. 100, citing the show's encouraging ratings performance.

The Singing Bee was originally scheduled to air after the initial run of 1 vs. 100, but its premiere was moved up to July to compete with Fox's new game show Don't Forget the Lyrics!

[13] In July, NBC announced some fall scheduling updates that included 1 vs. 100's season two premiere being temporarily delayed.

[22] With the ratings success of those shows in reruns,[23] GSN announced a casting call in August 2010, implying that the network would be producing new episodes.

[24][25] On October 13, 2010, GSN announced plans to premiere an original revival series, hosted by Dancing with the Stars judge Carrie Ann Inaba.

"[29] Brian Lowry of Variety added: "Endemol and NBC have managed the seemingly impossible — combining on a quiz/trivia show nearly as mentally undemanding as their no-skill-required hit Deal or No Deal the questions are so simple that amassing thousands isn't much harder than guessing which case to open.

"[30] Ray Richmond argued that while the series' format is "not a terrible game", it was easier than it was promoted to be: "While the idea of having one contestant take on 100 people in a game of trivia skill sounds on paper like a hugely challenging undertaking, in truth it probably is 100 times less challenging than Who Wants to Be a Millionaire because 1) the questions tend to be far less brainy, and 2) the competition ain't all it is cracked up to be.

"[31] Ed Bark, a former television critic at The Dallas Morning News, gave the series a "C-minus" grade, calling it "another NBC big-money game show that really should be titled Dumb or Super-Dumb.

How else to gauge the candle power required to answer the show's opening question: 'The 2003 movie Seabiscuit featured what kind of animal?