"Candlepins for Cash", being Boston's regional version of Claster Television's "Bowling for Dollars" franchise, devolved from a competitive nature to more of a game show format. Bowlers were introduced one by one to win money and prizes by how well they did on the lanes. Also featured a special "red pin" which was worth extra cash if felled on a strike. WNAC taped the show in studio on lanes built specially for the show (there were two lanes in the studio alley). When WNAC chose not to renew the show in April 1980, production moved that fall to WXNE, Channel 25, which taped the show at an actual bowling alley, the Wal-Lex Lanes in Waltham, Massachusetts. Host Bob Gamere stayed on for a while after the station switch, but after he left, WXNE hired former Boston Red Sox star Rico Petrocelli as the new host.