The contestant in the booth has two minutes to determine the correct answer by alternately asking their opponents the "Yes or No" questions they are shown.
After each group of 5 "Yes" responses, the clock is stopped, new questions are made available to the Box contestant and a more detailed clue is given.
The player in the Box is given a free guess, but if they can't correctly answer, the clock resumes and they must continue asking questions.
The amount of money in the pot is reduced by CA$500 approximately every six seconds until time runs out.
If the player gives the correct answer before time expires, they win whatever money is remaining.
If they give 3 incorrect answers or time runs out, they take home the minimum consolation prize of CA$500.
In the United States, Program Partners, a division of Sony Pictures Television, syndicated Inside the Box to local stations for the first half of the 2008–09 season, as an optional replacement or companion program for Merv Griffin's Crosswords, which was then on hiatus (although very few American stations actually took the series).
However, it was eventually decided not to go forth with additional first-run episodes of Crosswords, and both shows were officially cancelled in February 2009.