Due to Catalena going bankrupt in 1981, production of the show ended; as a result, many contestants and staff were never paid.
Using a keypad, each audience member chose one of the responses, after which Trebek asked each contestant to choose the answer they thought had received the highest percentage of votes.
[1] The champion attempted to cross a bridge composed of eight numbered sections in under 100 seconds by answering general knowledge trivia questions.
If the champion stepped onto a pitfall without either having the proper pass or giving it to Trebek in time, an elevator lowered the contestant down to the stage floor (taking approximately 10 seconds) as the clock continued to run.
[6] Trebek continued to refer to the show as "one of the great tragedies of his life" and has noted that it was the only time that he had not been paid his agreed salary for hosting duties.
[3] According to the 2020 Game TV documentary series The Search for Canada's Game Shows, Pitfall was originally pitched by Catalena as a possible fall 1979 entry, with John Barton (who would ultimately serve as announcer for the eventual series two years later) as emcee and a different format that involved celebrities giving answers to Hollywood Squares-style questions; Nipsey Russell and Marty Allen were among those who participated in the pilot.
Many years later, staff members recalled that the celebrity format was scrapped after one of the guest stars (Jack Carter) grabbed the cage area atop one of the elevators despite being warned not to, had his fingers crushed in the process and subsequently threatened a lawsuit.