After debuting a little over two years ago, 1 vs. 100 managed to amass a fervent fanbase over its short two-season run. So much so that fans still clamor for any massively multiplayer game show to arrive on Live to take its place. Microsoft has moved on from the game and basically refuses to talk about it anymore. But to celebrate one of 2009’s most memorable creations, we wanted to take a quick look at the reasons it was so unique.

It Broke New Ground

There have been adaptations of game shows before — and more than a few of them had multiplayer components — but 1 vs. 100 took things to a new level. It was, in many ways, an MMO for the masses. And it was definitely a media hybrid that defied a clear-cut description.

“It was not quite a TV show, not quite a videogame, and not quite a radio show,” offers Chris Cashman, who hosted 1 vs. 100. “It was something different.”

The traditional broadcast world didn’t know what to make of it either. Videogames and TV networks have always had a unique relationship, and though they compete for viewers and players, it was never in a head-to-head fashion — until 1 vs. 100. With its fixed time slot, the game squared off directly against scheduled television programming and sent a message to the networks: The videogame world is tired of standing in your shadow — and we’re coming for your audience.

It was bold. It was ballsy. And while it was just a first step, it did achieve some level of success, attracting 114,000 people simultaneously at one point — setting a Guinness World Record for the most simultaneous contestants in a game show.

You Never Knew What Would Happen

Because 1 vs. 100 was such an unusual venture, the crew was often able to write the rules as they went. “I kept saying, let’s try something,” says Cashman. “Before the guys in the tweed jackets and the lawyers are paying too much attention, let’s see what I can do.”

For players, there was that same sense of adventure. You never knew if you’d be playing the next round as part of the crowd, as a member of the 100-person Mob, or — if you were really lucky — as “The One.”

OXM reader Richard (“Ezilylost13”) Hansen was one of the select few who occupied that role. One night during the live show, after correctly guessing the answer to a tough question that most players missed, he found himself leading the crowd — then saw a message pop up indicating he was going to be the next player to be “The One.”

“My jaw was on the floor,” he recalls. “Things like that just don’t happen to people like me. I was so nervous and excited. I started looking for anyone on my friends list who was online, so I could tell them: ‘Come onto 1 vs. 100! I’m The One! I’m The One!’”

And because 1 vs. 100 was a live show, some unexpected moments kept everyone on their toes. One player proposed to his girlfriend during an episode. Tech glitches were something Cashman had to address during his segments, as when OXM visited the set for an episode and the show had to be canceled less than an hour in. And you never knew what a guest was going to say. (For instance, no one realized Jimmy Fallon was a legitimate fan of the game before he did a live in-game interview.)