Since 1989, AFV videos have been on the air. People from all over the country have sent in their home videos of something silly or unexpected happening in the hopes of winning money. This show has had multiple hosts and layouts over the years but the videos are what keep it new and exciting. This show for years has been making people laugh without the aid of a script or a laugh track. Sincere and spur of the moment videos have been what has prompted people to tune in each and every passing year to continue to see what crazy or funny thing regular every day people will do next.
Popularity
AFV is currently the second longest running entertainment television program airing on ABC. Because of its low budget and formatting, this show has been adopted by countries all over the world. People love to tune in simply because they can relate to the people on camera. Chances are the same thing or something very similar has happened to them or somebody that they know. It takes the entire problem out of the “you had to be there” moments as it allows people into the lives albeit briefly of complete strangers who are doing crazy or funny, unexpected things. Whether it is somebody tripping and falling, a child doing something they shouldn’t or somebody playing a prank on somebody else there is never any lack of videos and situations that are provided on this television show.
Voting
The producers will choose 3 of the top videos of the week. From there, the studio audience will then vote on which one video they think should get the big prize. However, this is not always how things were done. When the show first began, 5 videos were chosen, then 3 from 1990 to 1993 and then down to 2 after 1993 until 1998. These videos were chosen and then people from all over the country were joined via satellite to cast their votes in addition to the studio audience in Los Angeles. From 1998 until 1999, the Los Angeles audience was the only people allowed to vote. They did allow however, in one episode for Minnesota and Minneapolis to vote as well. Now, since 2001, viewers can cast their votes online along with the Los Angeles audience to decide who the big winner is.
Prizes
The people that win first prize get a $10,000 reward. Then, at the end of each of the seasons, selected winners are then brought back to participate in the $100,000 episode. There will be 3 of these episodes that air each season. In the first season of the show, only 1 of these episodes aired. The runner up will receive a prize of $3000 and the people in third place will receive $2000. In the earlier seasons contestants would win new electronic devices, sometimes a television set, sometimes a new camcorder. In the first episode, the producers picked the winner and they won $5000 while the runners up received a new camcorder.