MetaFilter posts tagged with gameshow

Humiliations in the Hidden Temple

gilrain — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 08:53:07 -0800

The best of the worst of the oh-so-watchable cringe-fest that was Legends of the Hidden Temple.

What it's like to be on "Jeopardy"

Egg Shen — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 15:17:42 -0800

What it's like to be on Jeopardy

The Tribe Has Spoken: Survivor is Reality TV's Finest Achievement

The Gooch — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 12:21:12 -0800

Is Survivor the only great reality TV show? The AV Club argues yes.

Richard Dawson 1932-2012

evilcolonel — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 08:07:27 -0800

Colin Lionel Emm, known to the world as Richard Dawson, has died. The British-born actor rose to fame in the U.S. as Newkirk in Hogan's Heroes, the unlikely hit sitcom about a German P.O.W. camp. This led to game show appearances, including a long run as a regular panelist on Match Game. When Goodson-Todman created a new show based on Match Game's bonus round, the Audience Match, Dawson was tapped to host Family Feud. He was at his best when things went sideways, but he always seemed to be on the contestants' side. His penchant for kissing the female contestants brought him some notoriety; he defended the practice in his emotional 1985 farewell. He returned for one season in the mid-90s, but the kissing didn't -- he had remarried, and promised his young child he wouldn't kiss anyone except Mommy. Dawson took the role of game show host to the extreme in the Arnold Schwarzenegger flick The Running Man. Watch the Archive of American Television's full interview here.

things that we're sad to see go

eugenen — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 14:34:07 -0800

At the Gameological Society, John Teti eulogizes Dick Clark the game show host by waxing rhapsodic about Pyramid, including his all-time favorite run in the Winner's Circle.

Split or steal?

unSane — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 19:11:07 -0800

Possibly the best filmed example of game theory in action ever.

2, 12, 1, 9, 4: Big Money. No Whammies.

zarq — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 11:25:26 -0800

On May 19, 1984, an unemployed ice cream truck driver named Michael Larson went on Press Your Luck and over the course of two episodes, took home more money than had ever been won in the history of television: $110,237 -- to the shock of the show’s producers and host, the late Peter Tomarken. How did he do it? The show’s game board had only 5 patterns of 18 squares, and Mr. Larson had memorized them all. After the show, CBS tried to disqualify him but couldn’t, because Larson hadn’t done anything illegal. But they did refuse to allow those episodes to be aired in syndication. So, they didn’t re-air until 2003, when the Game Show Network produced a Tomarken-hosted documentary about Mr. Larson’s incredible win: Big Bucks: The Press Your Luck Scandal. It took Mr. Larson 47 spins to win $110,237, which included a sailboat, trips to the Bahamas and Hawaii, and over $100,000 in cash. At this time index, the documentary breaks down exactly how Michael beat the game’s “Big Board.” Tomarken then gives Larson’s previous fellow contestants the opportunity to mimic Michael's accomplishment. Once it has been pointed out, the pattern becomes immediately obvious when it shows up in other episodes from the same era. The episodes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 A 10-minute compilation video of his spins: * Michael Larson’s Spins of Terror Back in 2010, This American Life highlighted Mr. Larson’s story. Starts at approximately 38:17 in Act Four of the episode: Don’t Hate the Player. Transcript Larson, Previously on MeFi. The Bill Murray movie does not seem to have materialized. There were a total of about 80 whammies on the original Press Your Luck. Here are 15 minutes worth, complete with shouting contestants.

Can't Beat A Bit Of Bully

fearfulsymmetry — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 09:31:03 -0800

Bullseye Contestants (I don't think they've got to the murderer yet) Great. Smashing. Super. BFH (Bus fare home). Keep out of the black and into the red, nothing in this game for two in a bed. Listen to Tony. Come and have a look at what you could have won. Previous

Everything's made up, and the points don't matter

Rhaomi — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 17:00:00 -0800

Years after its final broadcast, the award-winning, pond-hopping, cult comedy hit Whose Line is it Anyway? is returning to television! Sort of! Tonight in just a few minutes, Drew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza (promo, sample segment) makes its debut on GSN, reuniting Carey with popular "Whosers" Ryan Stiles, Colin Mochrie, Greg Proops, Brad Sherwood, Wayne Brady, and many more. Though the show will air every weekday, you don't have to wait around for new episodes to get your improv fix -- in spite of the lack of DVD box sets, there's a veritable treasure trove of past content available free from multiple online sources, including the complete run of the American Whose Line on both YouTube and fansite WatchWLIIA along with every episode of the original UK run from Channel4's official YouTube channel and their streaming video site 4oD. Too much content? Look inside for selections of the show's most hilarious moments as sampled from the show's burgeoning TVTropes entry. See also: Fan guide - American episode guide (UK version) - List of game types Notable Guest Stars Richard Simmons - Stephen Colbert - Robin Williams - Whoopi Goldberg - David Hasselhoff - Lassie - Stephen Fry (2) - Eddie Izzard Other highlights: Improbable Mission - Drew's tape recorder - Ryan's accident - Censorship fail Greatest Hits: Horror (puntastic) and Greatest Hits: A... Tern? Compilations: Scenes from a Hat, Props, and more Greatest Hits!

The seal laugh returns - Big Fat Quiz of the Year

jng — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 01:13:31 -0800

The Big Fat Quiz of the Year, an annual British trivia show featuring a panel of comedians, humorists, and celebrities, returns with its 2010 edition. Expect puns, rants, inside jokes, teasing, and at least a few UK-specific news stories that'll leave you scratching your head if you don't follow the Sun. (NSFW due to language) This year's edition includes Jonathan Ross, Ruth Jones, Michael McIntyre, Alan Carr, Richard Ayoade, and Noel Fielding. As usual, it's hosted by the seal-laughing Jimmy Carr. For reference, here are links to past year's shows: 2009 - Jonathan Ross + Russell Brand / Rob Brydon + Claudia Winkleman / David Mitchell + Charlie Brooker parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 2008 - Michael McIntyre + Claudia Winkleman / Sean Lock + James Corden / Dara Ó Briain + Davina McCall 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (rest of the show not found on YouTube) 2007 - Russell Brand + Noel Fielding / Rob Brydon + David Mitchell / Jonathan Ross + Lily Allen 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 25th Anniversay - Alan Carr + Jack Dee / Carol Vorderman + Frank Skinner / Richard Ayoade + David Mitchell 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 2006 - Russell Brand + Noel Fielding / Rob Brydon + David Walliams / Jonathan Ross + Cat Deeley 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 2005 - Sharon Osbourne + Jonathan Ross / Denise van Outen + David Mitchell / Gordon Ramsay + Rob Brydon 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 2004 - Simon Pegg + Liza Tarbuck / David Walliams + Rob Brydon / June Sarpong + Jonathan Ross 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

We would drain out Lake Michigan and have butterscotch ripple dropped from airplanes on our heads.

gman — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 19:45:26 -0800

The Dating Game’s 10 best celebrity contestants. (MLYT) Here's a list of celebrities that were on the show.

I've Got a Good Feeling About This

reenum — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 08:29:26 -0800

Caitlin Burke solved a 27 letter puzzle having seen only one letter revealed on the November 5 episode of Wheel of Fortune. Many are saying it was a miracle or dumb luck, but could it have been the work of a master puzzle solver?

What's My Line? A Who's Who of US Entertainers from Past Decades

filthy light thief — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 10:01:56 -0800

What's My Line? was a weekly televised game show that first ran in the US from 1950 to 1967, and featured a celebrity panel whose task it was to discern the profession or identity of the person who sat before them. The panel first guessed at the profession of two "regular folks," with a third "famous mystery guest," when the the panel were blindfolded and the guests often tried to disguise their voices. Let's start with a Halloween episode, split in 3 parts on YouTube, ending with the mystery guest (Andy Griffith). The lengthy list of Mystery Guests include the Harlem Globetrotters, Walt Disney, a young Ronald Reagan and Salvador Dalí (previously). Some people we might consider to be well-know today needed no masked panel, such as Jacques Cousteau and Colonel Sanders, but most big names of the day were mysteries who replied by knocks, whistles, or let the host speak for them. The very last mystery guest of the first run was the host himself, John Daly. When the show had it's second run from 1968 to 1975, the format was the same but the characters had changed, as seen in these clips with a young George Carlin, Rodney Dangerfield, and Aretha Franklin. There are a LOT of clips on YouTube, but a few users have uploaded the bulk of the clips. crepehanger47 and NorbertR33 have loads of mystery guest clips, as does joanfontainefan, though with audio limited to the right or left channel, but they they're still fun to watch. dentelTV1 has a few complete shows split into parts, and bluelobster has a mix of first and second-era clips.

I'd Be Lying If I Told You This Is The Best of the Muppets

oneswellfoop — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 00:59:42 -0800

Those wacky Muppets are like everywhere these days, right? (pre-vio-sly). But a part of the muppetty empire called Henson Alternative is working on 'more adult' concepts with unfamiliar felt, and hasn't seen too much success yet. Maybe that'll change with the puppet-celebrity game show that debuted last night: "Late Night Liars". Or maybe not. Here's a clip. Yes, that's Larry Miller as the token human host. Yes, the announcer's a weasel and the cutest character. Yes, that mummy character is doing a Paul Lynde/Charles Nelson Reilly schtick. And yes, the game is basically a retread of "The Liars Club" without the props (and yes, that is Rod Serling in that 1969 clip uncomfortably playing game show host with the ubiquitous Betty White on the panel). And, yes, it would've been so much better with Miss Piggy. Maybe we should just wait for Henson Alternative's next project: "Mann-ster" (a hapless mall cop who turns into a crime-fighting hamster at night). SPOILER: In the uncompleted round of play in the clip, the mummy and the poodle were lying, the monkey and the old lady were telling the truth, if anyone cares. In a later round, both human contestants couldn't believe "My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance" was a real show on Fox, and the bonus round involved alternating statements about Kirstie Alley and the planet Jupiter.

Japanese pro team football teams versus 100 schoolboys.

therubettes — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 08:30:22 -0800

We previously debated How many five year olds could you take in a fight? - mefi discussion. Now in a related event professional J. League football team Cerezo Osaka take on a team of 100 Japanese primary school children.
Part 1 (including pre-match analysis in Japanese - kick off at 5 min 50) Part 2 Part 3.

There was a winner - but who?! Direct links to the goals 1 2 3 4 5

Who Wants to Be?

yaxu — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 09:23:18 -0800

Who wants to be? is a democratic game show where the audience pools together prize money, then decides the rules of the game to ultimately decide what to spend the money on. Next week the show travels to the Copenhagen climate forum, and audience members can join remotely.

"So you go home at night, like me, smarter than you were when you woke up in the morning."

Rhaomi — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 22:20:51 -0800

Andy Richter destroys Wolf Blitzer in Celebrity Jeopardy (twice, if you count the rehearsal show). Of course, Richter is no stranger to the game.

"It's not the final answer, and you just lost a lot of money."

Damn That Television — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 11:13:31 -0800

As George Carlin once said, "it is an infinitely more interesting news story for a team to repeatedly fail at the highest level than it is for them to finally win." After ten years and over 1,500 episodes, last night's Who Wants To Be A Millionaire (the US version) featured its very first Top Prize Loser. Ken Basin, of Los Angeles, incorrectly guessed that LBJ prefered Yoo-Hoo over Fresca, and walked away with $25,000 instead of $1,000,000. He's not the first person to screw up a game show, though. And to tie it back to Carlin's original quote, there's no Top Prize Loser worse than the Buffalo Bills, who lost the Super Bowl four (1 2 3 4) consecutive years.

1966 GE College Bowl: Agnes Scott vs. Princeton

ocherdraco — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 20:47:01 -0800

In 1966, NBC broadcast a GE College Bowl match between a team from Princeton University (all male, of course—Princeton wouldn't go co-ed until three years later) and a team from Agnes Scott College, a small women's college in Decatur, Georgia. In one of the most exciting upsets in the history of the program, after trailing early, Agnes Scott came from behind to win, pushed over the edge by Karen Gearreald's final answer, with only one second left on the clock. "That young lady, by the way, was the only person in the theater who could not see the clock," the program's host, Robert Earle, later wrote. "She is blind." So where are they now? The Atlanta Journal-Constitution followed up with the winning Agnes Scott team and their coach in 2008. Karen Gearreald, Agnes Scott's first blind student, got her Ph.D. at Harvard, a law degree at Duke, and after years as a Navy lawyer, works on projects for the visually impaired, and has the distinction of being the personal hero of Georgia State football coach Bill Curry. Malinda Snow, captain of the Agnes Scott team, is a professor of English at Georgia State University, and is a Sacred Harp shape note singer (she wrote the article on Sacred Harp in the New Georgia Enclyclopedia). Katherine Bell died in the 1980s, after a career as a botanist that included research on a little-known arctic mountain plant, Kobresia bellardi. She taught botany and ecology at the University of Nevada. Betty Butler Ravenholt is an internationally known expert on family planning (one of her papers). And the Princeton boys, who were "knocked off by a bunch of girls from Agnes Scott"? Team captain Steve Chernicoff, who's written several books on Macintosh computers, eventually went on to be one of the biggest winners on Jeopardy! in the mid-1990s. Then-freshman Steve Kahler eventually decided to major in biology, and is now a professor of Pediatrics at the University of Arkansas College of Medical Sciences. James Kostman (who couldn't quite beat Katherine Bell to the buzzer on the question about Parmenides) became a professor of philosophy, with a special interest in Plato. And of Frank Ward, I've found nothing, except that he did, indeed, finish his thesis on the influence of the American Revolution on the legal profession in New Jersey.

Crass Commercialism for Cash Prizes!

not_on_display — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 14:25:46 -0800

Title This is a cable-access game show "where art critics and celebrities compete to title Mark Kostabi's paintings for cash rewards." Kostabi hosts, and is sometimes featured playing piano with a jazz combo (e.g. here, with Ornette Coleman). Here's the episode with Mason Reese and Michel Gondry as guest panelists.

Pink foam walls reveal national character.

Alison — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 07:47:42 -0800

Tunnels no Minasan no Okage Desu is a Japanese game show where contestants strike poses to fit through cutouts in pink foam walls. International reproductions of this game show reveal much about national character; reproductions exist in Italy, Russia, France, Denmark, Hong Kong, Korea, and Australia. Though this game show has popped up before, it's popularity has grown to a worldwide scale. Next up is the United States.

He won't be back in two and two.

miss lynnster — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 11:36:09 -0800

Eric Lieber, producer of the groundbreaking Dick Cavett and Mike Douglas talk shows as well as the creator of (my own beloved guilty pleasure) Love Connection, has passed away of leukemia at age 71. From this site: Lieber, called a boy genius by several who worked with him as a young graphic artist in the late 1950s and early '60s, also produced talk shows for Mike Douglas, Sammy Davis Jr. and Dick Cavett. He also supervised three Jerry Lewis Labor Day telethons... ...Eventually, after shifting (from working on the highly controversial game show Dotto) to talk shows and several network specials, Lieber created his signature show in 1983. After some token interest was forged by NBC for a pending afternoon slot, Lieber opted for syndication for Love Connection, a variation on The Dating Game. The game had a double twist. A single male or female who had already been on a date with one of three hopefuls would come on to discuss the outing. The byplay, which often took on loud overtones, provided the entertainment. The other twist had a contestant allowing the studio audience to select his or her date from three singles shown in brief videotape vignettes.

"Yes"

frobozz — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 19:36:06 -0800

Salvador Dali on "What's My Line?" - slyt Nine minutes, but worth it.

This was Jeopardy!

kyleg — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 16:39:55 -0800

Inside Jeopardy: An interview with former writer/researcher Carlo Panno [Part 2] [Part 3]

To be fair, the hosts can be stupid too.

flatluigi — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 20:44:53 -0800

Let's pause for a moment to view the best part of any gameshow -- the stupid contestants. One of my favorites so far.