Hoedown is a game in which all four performers form a line across the stage and sing a hoedown about an audience-provided subject, with each performing four-line stanzas (unrelated to each other). The same basic music is always used, however, early UK playings had slightly different music. The stanzas typically follow the same AABB rhyme scheme with the fourth line as a punchline. The last line of the last stanza is repeated to end the song.
As a musical game that involves all four performers (regardless of their singing skills), a running gag is the performers' (most notably Ryan Stiles') legitimate hatred of the game, which they express by blatantly mocking the host, the hoedown itself, and occasionally the other performers. When played, "Hoedown" (or its predecessors in the UK) is usually the last game before the closing credits (often the "prize" game in the American version during the ABC run from seasons 1-8 where Drew Carey would take the place of another performer and join the game). Colin Mochrie admitted in various interviews later on that this wasn't his favorite out of all of the games due to it often becoming nonsensical.
Appearances[]
UK[]
- UK Season 3 episodes: 10, 15
- UK Season 4 episodes: 05, 06, 08, 09, 10, 12, 13
- UK Season 5 episodes: 01, 02, 04
- UK Season 6 episodes: 01, 03, 05, 06, 07, 09, 11
- UK Season 7 episodes: 01, 02, 03, 04, 10, 11, 12
- UK Season 8 episodes: 01, 02, 03, 09, 14
- UK Season 9 episodes: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 07, 08, 10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 18
- UK Season 10 episodes: 02, 06, 11
- Comic Relief 2011
US[]
- Season 1 episodes: 05, 06, 07, 10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 20
- Season 2 episodes: 01, 02, 03, 05, 06, 09, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 22, 25, 27, 31, 32, 34, 38, 39
- Season 3 episodes: 07, 08, 15, 16, 17, 20, 23, 27, 29, 31, 33, 36, 37, 38
- Season 4 episodes: 02, 03, 07, 09, 10, 12, 19, 25, 27, 30
- Season 5 episodes: 06, 13, 16, 22, 24, 26, 33
- Season 6 episodes: 04, 05, 09
- Season 7 episodes: 15, 18, 19, 22
- Season 8 episodes: 01, 02, 03, 04, 07, 11, 20
- Season 10 episodes: 07, 13, 19
- Season 11 episodes: 09
- Season 12 episodes: 03, 06, 17
- Season 13 episodes: 02, 03, 07, 11
- Season 14 episodes: 05, 07, 12
- Season 15 episodes: 04
- Season 16 episodes: 18
- Season 17 episodes: 01, 03, 06
- Season 18 episodes: 02
- Season 19 episodes: 07
- Season 20 episodes: 05