MovieChat Forums > Ca$h Cab (2005) Discussion > I Was On Cash Cab (MAJOR SPOILERS)

I Was On Cash Cab (MAJOR SPOILERS)


OK. Fire away. I'll give answers to the most frequently asked questions, and try to answer any questions asked.

1.)It's not exactly a set-up or random. Show producers troll trivia nights at local bars and approach the winners, with an offer to be on some "show", being filmed the next day. They don't tell you it's for Cash Cab.
2.)They do pick up some people randomly off the street. Those are usually the dumbasses that strike out right away.
3.)Once you're in the cab, and the lights, bells and whistles go off, the cab pulls over and you fill out some paperwork: releases/confidentiality agreement. You are bound not to disclose what transpired until after you get paid. Then you're free to run your mouth.
4.)All questions are for real. There is no prepping. If you give a wrong answer, and you feel strongly enough about it though, you can challenge their answer. I did, and my wrong answer was overturned. One of the few ever.
5.)That money at the end: real, but you don't get to keep it. Once the the camera stops filming you walking away, the money is taken back. You are then mailed a check, in up to 6 months. The following year, you are sent an I-9, so you have to declare the winnings to the IRS, and pay taxes.

That pretty much sums it up. Any questions?

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[deleted]

The episodes are highly edited. All the footage shot is not aired. As for repeating the question, I'm sure there's no problem with that.

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[deleted]

How long was your ride, if shorter than say 40-minutes (ie. not enough footage to edit for quality show)---will they keep driving or what?

I watched the show (filmed)--on CNBC one time.....think he says an average ride is about 60-minutes long due to traffic.

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From start to finish, definitely over an hour. Traffic is the least of it; you have to read and sign a bunch of paperwork, and that's time consuming. Then, during the ride, there's a production van that follows the cab with some sort of producer inside. They're the ones who feed the questions to Ben and tell him if your answer is right or wrong. I actually questioned an answer I gave they said was wrong, and we pulled over, parked, and waited while my answer was researched. It took over 20 minutes, and by the time they were done, my "wrong" answer was accepted as correct!

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Yes, I've seen him repeat several different times....also, depending on traffic, the "episode" can take up to an hour+ to film, thus heavily edited.

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I honestly can't answer this question. As far as I can recall, none of my answers required someones name.

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To your first point, we also met show producers during a bar trivia night in Manhattan but everyone knew he was with Cash Cab. Four of my friends ended up going on the show about a month later and winning. Everything else they told me agrees with what you wrote.

They also said the route the cab takes is totally determined by the producers, he doesn't take you where you want to go.

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True that, as for the route. It was predetermined prior to getting in the cab; a "driver" is going to take you to location X, a few minutes later, the contact person receives a call, saying that the "driver" is delayed. You will have to take a "cab" to get to location X. After handing you a $20.00 bill, you stand by the curb to flag down a cab. Guess who shows up.....

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I wondered if it always operated this way. I mean, way back in the beginning, was it more random chance, people from the street?

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It has never been random, as far as I could tell. They figured out early on, that it's more interesting for the audience, to have a few smart people compete, rather than dumm basses.

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The thing about the money makes sense. I love the show but every time the contestant(s) get out of the cab with the big wad of cash, I'm like 'put it away before you get mugged!" Lol Of course, there is a camera crew right there, but still. Someone could be watching. It makes sense for a couple reasons that they send the contestant(s) a check.

"Shakespeare was a genius. He was the president of Rome." Workaholics

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always forget about that IRS stipulation. How much of the winnings did you lose to taxes?

----
Jordan > Kobe

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I can't recall actually. I was sent an I-9, which is just a statement of moneys earned, and no taxes were taken out. When I filed my taxes, that amount was added to my overall earned income for the year. Since no tax was initially taken out, the end result was that my tax refund was probably less than it would had been, had I not won in the first place.

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