Dirty Rotten Cheater

At the start of each show, six contestants walk up to their podiums, open their monitor doors, and find out if they are the "Dirty Rotten Cheater". After each contestant's name is read, he faces the camera and other contestants and claims to not be the Cheater.

The game begins with a survey question, similar to those used on Family Feud (for example, "Which parts of their body do women think are too big?").[3] In the first four rounds, each player gives one answer; if the answer is on a list of the top ten responses given, the player receives an amount of money. Answers that appear lower on the list are worth more than those higher on the list. If the answer is not on the list, no money is given. The Cheater can see the entire top ten list of answers and may choose to either give a high-dollar answer to build their own bank or a lesser answer in hopes of throwing off suspicion.

The ranking of the answers consisted of ten positions, and their values are:

1. $250
2. $500
3. $750
4. $1,000
5. $1,250
6. $1,500
7. $1,750
8. $2,000
9. $2,250
10. $2,500

At the end of each of the first three rounds, bonuses are awarded to the players who scored the most money in the round. The first place bonus is $10,000, second place is $7,500, and third place is $5,000. If there is a tie, the appropriate bonuses are combined and split between the tying players (i.e., if two players tie for first place, each receive $8,750).

The players are then given an opportunity to accuse one another of being the Cheater. After a few contestants have opined, they all secretly vote for whom they think is the Cheater using cards with the players' names on them. The players reveal their votes, starting at the left and moving right. The first contestant who receives three votes for that round is eliminated, losing all of his/her winnings, and must then truthfully state whether or not he’s the Cheater.

Depending on the outcome of the vote, one of three possible scenarios occurs:

• If the eliminated contestant is the Cheater, he was eliminated from the game with no further participation, the remaining contestants keep all the money in their banks, and one of the remaining players is designated as the new Cheater in the same manner as in the beginning of the show.
• If the eliminated contestant is not the Cheater, all the money that the contestants had earned up to that point is halved and the eliminated contestant is later given a chance to win money at the end of the show.
• If no contestant receives three votes, all of the money the contestants earned up to that point is halved, and the Cheater is allowed to secretly eliminate an honest player. This is done using a button hidden inside the Cheater's podium (each podium has a button, but only the Cheater's button works). Everyone must reach inside their podium to keep the Cheater's identity a secret. One at a time, the host reads each contestant's name; when the name of the contestant is read that the Cheater wishes to eliminate, the Cheater presses his/her button. A red light flashes in the middle of the stage floor, and the selected contestant is eliminated; however, that contestant is likewise given an opportunity to win money at the end of the show.

In the summer 2004, Dirty Rotten Cheater began airing six nights a week on Canale 5 in Italy; the Italian version was named L'imbroglione.

In Japan, the program was broadcasting as The Cheater (ザ・チーター) on TBS between October 2005 and August 2006. It was broadcast as a special program in May 2005, then as a late-night program between October 2005 and March 2006.

A short-lived version of the program also aired on France 2 (July 2006) as "Qui est le bluffeur?" ("Who is the bluffer?") with Belgian host Jean-Michel Zecca.

The UK version was hosted by Brian Conley. Originally this was to transmit in spring 2007,[4] but eventually began on BBC One at 2.35pm on Monday 15 October. It was screened every weekday for three weeks, but was then replaced in the schedule by Diagnosis: Murder - the final five shows switched channels and were shown from Monday 12 November at 2.00pm on BBC Two. The UK version was taped at the Maidstone Studios in Kent, but edited at BBC Television Centre.

There are some format differences between the US and UK versions, the most obvious being that the UK version has one less contestant.

In Poland, ATM Grupa S.A. produced a Polish version of Dirty Rotten Cheater under name Gdzie jest Kłamczuch? (Where's the Liar?) (or simply Kłamczuch (Liar)). The show was transmitted on TV4 channel from September 4, 2008 to June 19, 2009. The program was hosted by Krzysztof Ibisz. The rules were similar to US version, and even used the US version's music in the first season. (The second season used an original but similar-sounding music package.)

In Vietnam, Đông Tây Promotion and HTV produced a Vietnamese version, "Tìm người bí ẩn" (Find the Hidden), aired weekly from August 8, 2006 to July 2007. The show was originally intended to be the Vietnamese version of The Weakest Link, but was switched due to copyright prices and because the mean format didn't suit Vietnamese culture. This version was hosted by singer and Merited Artist Tạ Minh Tâm (who also hosted the Vietnamese version of Family Feud, also produced by Đông Tây Promotion) and was sponsored by Trà Xanh Không Độ. Unlike other versions, all contestants, including the Cheaters, will receive prizes (if eliminated in the first four rounds they will receive 500,000 VNĐ (later 600,000 VNĐ) and a consolidation prize from Trà Xanh Không Độ, in the final round if one contestant loses the bank in the vault, he or she will leave with 1,000,000 VNĐ. The other contestant will receive the bank, but only a fixed prize of 3,500,000 VNĐ, no matter how much is in the bank.

Most of the European versions were distributed by Distraction Formats.

Country	Name	Host	Network	Date premiered
Bulgaria[5]	Долен мръсен лъжец Dolen mrasen lazhets	Doni	TV2	December 4, 2007 – 2008
France[6][7][8]	Qui est le bluffeur ?	Jean-Michel Zecca	France 2	July 3, 2006 – July 28, 2006
India	Bluff Master	Vinod Sherawat	Star One	2004–2005
Italy[9][10]	L'imbroglione	Enrico Papi	Canale 5	June 7, 2004 – September 4, 2004
Japan	The Cheater (ザ・チーター)	Atsushi Tamura	TBS	October 2005 – August 2006
Poland[11]	Gdzie jest Kłamczuch?	Krzysztof Ibisz	TV4	September 4, 2008 – June 19, 2009
United Kingdom[12][13]	Dirty Rotten Cheater	Brian Conley	BBC One BBC Two	October 15, 2007 – December 2007
Vietnam[14]	Tìm người bí ẩn	Tạ Minh Tâm	HTV7	August 8, 2006 – July 2007

Versions have also aired in Hungary and Spain.

• Dirty Rotten Cheater at IMDb