Cash Cab Trivia
0Loading crowd target
0Loading crowd target
7correct to beat the crowd
85 free Cash Cab trivia questions with answers — entertainment quiz, new questions added Oct 2026.
Cash Cab turned an ordinary taxi ride into a game show: climb in, name your destination, and answer general knowledge questions for cash until you arrive or strike out. This quiz is about the show itself. It covers the rules (strikes, the Red Light Challenge, Shout-Outs and the double-or-nothing Video Bonus), the money values, the record-breaking rides, and how the production actually works, from the ten hidden cameras to the prop cash handed over at the end. There are questions about host Ben Bailey, his other shows and his Daytime Emmys, plus the versions most Americans never saw: the original British series on ITV, the Canadian edition with Adam Growe, and Montreal's Taxi Payant. It is a good round for a game-show themed trivia night or for anyone who watched Discovery on a loop. Every answer is checked against a reference page and the explanations add a detail from the show's history.
30 of 85 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01Which stand-up comedian and licensed New York City taxi driver hosted the American Cash Cab?
Ben Bailey
Ben Bailey holds a real New York City taxi licence, handy for a host who does the driving himself.
Q 02On which network did the American Cash Cab originally premiere in 2005?
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel was home from the 2005 premiere until the show changed networks for its ninth season in 2019.
Q 03In which country did the Cash Cab format originate?
United Kingdom
It began in the United Kingdom: the original ran on ITV from June 2005 to June 2006 before being franchised around the world.
Q 04How many wrong answers get contestants thrown out of the Cash Cab with nothing?
Three
On the third strike the host pulls over immediately, and a camera crew from the trailing van is already waiting on the sidewalk.
Q 05How long do contestants get to answer a Red Light Challenge?
30 seconds
30 seconds. Running out of time costs nothing and is not a strike, so the challenge can only add to the passenger's total.
Q 06How much is a completed Red Light Challenge worth on a regular ride?
$250
A Red Light Challenge pays $250 on a regular ride; on a Double Ride the same challenge pays $500.
Q 07What are the two lifelines available to Cash Cab contestants called?
Shout-Outs
Shout-Outs, one a phone call and the other a stop at the curb so passers-by can help, can each be used only once.
Q 08How long can a Mobile Shout-Out phone call last before the contestant must answer?
15 seconds
The Street Shout-Out, by contrast, has no official time limit once the cab is at the curb.
Q 09In the revived Cash Cab, the Mobile Shout-Out was replaced by a lifeline using which platform?
Facebook Live
The Social Media Shout-Out lets viewers watching the live stream help the passenger.
Q 10Cash Cab passengers who reach their destination without striking out can double their money by risking it all on what?
A Video Bonus question
A Video Bonus question doubles the money if they get it right; get it wrong and they leave with nothing but a cab ride.
Q 11Unlike some other versions, what happens to US contestants who decline the Video Bonus?
They are not shown the question
Passengers who take the money and leave never learn what they would have been asked.
Q 12From Season 3 onward, what were the three regular question values in the American Cash Cab?
$50, $100 and $200
From Season 3 the questions paid $50, $100 and $200, up from the first two seasons' scale; a rare Double Ride doubles them again.
Q 13In the first season, how much were the first five questions worth each?
$25
The next five paid $50 and anything after that $100, so early rides were worth far less than later ones.
Q 21How many cameras are fitted inside and on top of the New York Cash Cab?
Ten
Three of them sit in the advertising shell on the roof, filming the passing streets.
Q 22How does the host receive questions and logistics during a ride?
Through a radio earpiece
Through a radio earpiece: a support van full of producers and camera crew tails the cab and feeds him the questions and logistics.
Q 23What model of vehicle is the New York Cash Cab?
Toyota Sienna
A Toyota Sienna minivan dressed as a yellow cab with a rooftop advertising shell; the Canadian version also chose a Sienna.
Q 14What was different about the 2007 spin-off Cash Cab: After Dark?
Night pickups with doubled prize values
Night pickups with doubled prize values, and harder questions too; it debuted in August 2007 as a short-lived companion to the main show.
Q 15How many episodes did Cash Cab: After Dark run before it was ended?
Nine
It debuted on August 8, 2007 with double the usual cash values.
Q 16Which city hosted a special run of Cash Cab episodes filmed during the fifth season?
Las Vegas
Las Vegas. Filmed in May 2010, the episodes had celebrities like Penn & Teller playing for charity.
Q 17The previous winnings record, $4,100, was set by two New York City workers in what job?
Tour guides
Sean Devney and Steve Irolla reached their destination with two strikes and then nailed the Video Bonus.
Q 18Which reality show's boat crews competed in Cash Cab's 250th-episode charity special?
Deadliest Catch
Deadliest Catch: Time Bandit's Andy Hillstrand and Cornelia Marie's Josh Harris faced Sig Hansen's Northwestern crew, with winnings going to charity.
Q 19A special episode themed on which 2008 film was driven by the host of Cash Cab: Canada?
Frost/Nixon
Adam Growe took the wheel for the promotional episode aired December 23, 2008.
Q 20Which comedian hosted the short-lived spin-off Cash Cab: Chicago?
Beth Melewski
Beth Melewski hosted it. It used the same rules as the New York show and was cancelled after a single season in 2011.
Q 24What is true of the cash the host hands over at the end of a winning ride?
A prop; real winnings arrive by check
The bills are a prop; real winnings arrive by check later, because the money has to be taxed and documented.
Q 25Which device plays the Video Bonus clip in the American Cash Cab?
A DVD player in the front seat back
The lights and fanfare that greet passengers run from a switchboard wired to an iPod and the car stereo.
Q 26How are passengers who are selected in advance tricked into the Cash Cab?
Told the cab is taking them to the show they will appear on
The cab, of course, turns out to be the show itself; other riders are picked at random from the sidewalk.
Q 27In which year did TV Guide include Cash Cab in its list of the 60 greatest game shows ever?
2013
2013. TV Guide placed Cash Cab among classics such as Jeopardy! and The Price Is Right, rare company for a cable game show.
Q 28In which year did the American host confirm Cash Cab's return for a new season?
2017
2017. Season 7 premiered on December 4, 2017 with a Celebrity Edition featuring Scott Bakula and Gilbert Gottfried.
Q 29Which annual event did Cash Cab's Season 8 premiere tie into in July 2018?
Shark Week
Shark Week. The special coincided with the 30th anniversary of Discovery's famous programming block, which began in 1988.
Q 30To which network did Cash Cab move for its ninth season in October 2019?
Bravo
Bravo. The move was announced in September 2019 after 14 years tied to its original home.