Changes in 1 vs. 100 Not Quite Fair

During 1 vs. 100's brief hiatus, which ended on Friday, it appears that the producers did some tweaking of the rules in a way that doesn't strike me as fair. They have eliminated all dollar amounts under $1000 and made the first three questions worth that much for each member of the Mob who answers incorrectly, with the next two worth $2000 each, and the value of each of the subsequent questions increasing by $1000 each round. I will admit that allowing the contestants to rack up more money quicker does amp up the excitement level of the show, and with Bob Saget as host, the show's producers couldn't rely on him to provide any excitement. However, now contestants must successfully answer all three $1000 questions before they have an option to take the cash and split, then they have to survive both $2000 questions before getting another shot to take the money. After that they get the option after each question.

What strikes me as unfair is that while players can't quit after each question in the early rounds, they can still lose all the cash they have accumulated by answering a question wrong at any time. I feel that if the contestants are risking their winnings with every question, they should have the option of cashing out after every question. Alternately, perhaps there could be some sort of safety net. Maybe if the contestant answers incorrectly before he has a chance to jump ship, he would be guaranteed to walk away with at least what he accumulated on the first question, but that saftey net would disappear once he has the chance to opt out after every question.