The show was originally intended for syndication by Telepictures as "Hot Numbers", but it was retooled for ABC.
The show was produced by Merrill Heatter Productions, in association with Peter Marshall Enterprises. Like Heatter's productions The Hollywood Squares (Daytime) (1965) and Battlestars (1981) before it, All-Star Blitz was a celebrity panel show where contestants had to correctly determine whether the celebrities were giving a correct answer or bluffing. Like "Hollywood Squares", a secondary gameplay element involved the contestants trying to solve puzzles.
This was the first Merril Heatter project to air on a network other than NBC since The Hot Seat (1976) which also aired on ABC.
"All-Star Blitz" originally aired on ABC at 11:00 AM EST, replacing Trivia Trap (1984) and followed by the long-running Family Feud (1976). However, the series found itself facing strong competition from the first half of the powerhouse The New Price Is Right (1972) on CBS and Wheel of Fortune (1975) on NBC.
Each episode of "All-Star Blitz" was played to a time limit. If time was called during a puzzle, the contestant in control was given the option of whether or not to guess the puzzle. Choosing not to guess ended the game, and the solution to the puzzle was revealed. Guessing incorrectly gave the option to the opponent. Regardless of the decision and its outcome, play resumed on the next episode with either a new puzzle or the Blitz Bonanza as dictated by the rules.