FACE THE MUSIC
Not the most engaging music game, but there's enough creative concepts and fun moments to keep it afloat.
syndication, 1980-1981
Ron Ely
*1/14/1980 premiere - Bill vs. Diana vs. Matthew vs. Marilyn - dark video [USA, BSchwartz2.1.10, B-]
*3/11/1980 - Adam vs. Julie vs. Al vs. Sarabeth (going for a car!) [FAM, BSchwartz2.1.11, B+]
*3/17/1980 - Matt vs. Kathy vs. Cam vs. Sarabeth [FAM w/comm, BSchwartz2.2.1, B]
*3/18/1980 - Cindy vs. Insimo vs. Irma vs. Sarabeth (going for her tenth win!) [FAM, MTiller3.1, B]
*3/19/1980 - Diane vs. Richard vs. Jeri vs. Edwin (the previous champion retired undefeated, so a mock game was played to give him the title) [FAM w/comm, TMcSwain0820-4.4, A]
*1980 - Marcia vs. Ret vs. Tamara vs. Roger [USA w/comm, PBurgos2.3, A]
*1980 - Jeff vs. Dorothy vs. Michael (he was also on Lange's NTT) vs. Gaylee - check out THIS second round! [FAM w/comm, BSchwartz2.2.2, B+]
*1980 - Terry vs. David vs. Marlo vs. Buddy - Bob Barker is the mystery face! [FAM, MPannoni0320-3.4, B]
*1980 - Kathi vs. Steve vs. Peggy vs. Dennis - this mystery face is likely to ring a bell across the stage... [FAM, MPanoni0320-3.5, B]
*late 1980 - Jim vs. Dale vs. Mark vs. Bill (his tenth day, going for a travel trailer!) - this mystery face is a pretty big 'deal' to most of us! - slightly fuzzy video [FAM, TMcSwain0420-2.4, B+]
*late 1980 - Harry vs. Jo Ann vs. Joe vs. Sam - a tiebreaker has to be played in the championship game! - somewhat muffled audio [FAM, TMcSwain0420-3.1, A-]
*1981 - Debbie vs. Gus vs. PatriciaJo vs. Dave - video is quite jerky, along with brief skips during the final prize plugs due to DVD hangup - low audio in the first half [FAM w/comm, TMcSwain0420-3.2, B]
*1981 - Gary vs. Karyn vs. Larry vs. Tommy - muffled audio [FAM w/comm, BSchwartz2.2.3, B-]
FAMILY FEUD - There's so much feudin' I have, that it just couldn't all fit here.
FAMILY GAME NIGHT
Neat assortment of classic board game remixes.
The Hub, 2010-2013
Todd Newton
Opening game "Guess Who"
*10/10/2010 premiere - Ella's family vs. Kaleb's family - Scrabble Flash/Bop It Boptagon/Cranium (Data Head)/Guesstures Freefall/Operation Relay [OB w/few comm, A+]
*11/5/2010 - Avery's family vs. Daylon's family - Sorry Sliders/Scrabble Flash/Cranium (Creative Cat)/Bop It Boptagon/Connect 4 Basketball - contains the first jackpot win! [11/7/2010 RPT, A+]
*12/24/2010 - Chloe's family vs. Milia's family - Sorry Sliders (the pieces are decorated!)/Boggle/Bop It Boptagon/Cranium (Star Preformer)/Connect 4 Basketball - Holiday special, where the contestants are wearing Santa hats and the set is decorated! [OC, A]
*2011 - Angel's family vs. Conor's family - Boggle/Bop It Boptagon/Yahtzee Bowling/Cranium (Creative Cat)/Operation Relay - early taped ep. with different time limits [OB, BSchwartz3.3.7, B+]
Opening game "Cranium Brain Break"
*9/16/2011 - Mable's family vs. JoJo's family - Operation Slam Dunk/Simon Flash/Spelling Bee/Twister Lights Out [9/18/2011 RPT, A++]
FUN HOUSE
syndication, 1988-1990
J.D. Ross
*3/1/1989 - Pat and Adam vs. David and Barbie - tribute to the New England region! [OC, BSchwarz3.4.2b, A-]
50 GRAND SLAM
Good effort, but there were too many problems with the format for it to last.
NBC, 1976
Tom Kennedy
*10/4/1976 premiere - Sister Martha-Ann vs. David in American Women - video pixelated in bottom half at times, and also rather glitchy some points [OC, JDay2.3, B-]
GAMBIT
CBS, 1972-1976
Wink Martindale
*1974 - Livingston vs. Ferraro - Contains a very lucky Gambit board game! - bright and slightly snowy video, with occasional tracking problems [SM, DBarkow8.1, B]
NBC, 1980-1981 ("Las Vegas Gambit")
‘Gambit board’ bonus round
*10/27/1980 premiere - Preston vs. Donath [OC, JLeeman6.1.3, B+]
*12/18/1980 - Rotermeyers at the Gambit Board - opening missing; begins after first card in bonus - audio low and slightly warpy [OC, TMcSwain5.3, A-]
*1981 - Shiras at the Gambit Board - opening missing - occasional brief blackouts during intro and a couple other points, but should be gone by the end of the first segment [OB, RSeidelman1.1, B+]
*Next ep. - O'Neill vs. Hinton - no credits; cuts during fee plugs [OB, RSeidelman1.2, B+]
*Next ep. - O'Neill vs. Longley - contains a $4500 jackpot win! - closing segment missing, but no gameplay cut [OB, Seidelman1.3, B+]
*Next ep. - O’Neills at the Gambit Board - two copies: [OB, TMcSwain1.1, B (better audio)] and [OB, DBarkow7.2, B+ (but slightly blurrier)]
‘Gambit Galaxy’ bonus round (literally just the Big Numbers)
*11/27/1981 - finale of Single Weeks... and final ep of the series (only announced in a post-production message by Wink) - Leon and Nessa vs. Ray and Janice [OB, JLeeman6.3.5, A- at first then A]
THE GAME OF LIFE
The Hub, 2011-2012
Frank Nicotero
*9/3/2011 premiere (since this is a rerun, all references to that are removed) - Shane, Allie, and Wade vs. Surge, Brianna, and Surgo [9/18/2011 RPT, A++]
GO
The Chain Reaction bonus round with a few small twists to make it a fairly enjoyable watch all things considered.
NBC, 1983-1984
Kevin O'Connell
*10/3/1983 premiere w/Richard Kline and Elaine Joyce - Corey's team vs. Lissa's team [GAME, NJohnson3.1, B+]
*10/31/1983 - first episode using Head-to-Head Format w/Markie Post and Barry Gordon - Debbie's team vs. Larry's team [CBN w/comm, MPannoni4.5, A-]
*11/7/1983 - first day of Soap Opera Stars special w/Days of Our Lives vs. Another World [CBN, DBarkow6.1.1, B]
*11/8/1983 - day 2 of Soap Opera Stars w/same guests as above [CBN, DBarkow6.1.2, B]
*1/20/1984 finale w/Didi Conn and Charlie Seibert - Janet's team vs. Pat's team [GAME, NJohnson3.2, A-]
THE GONG SHOW
The show that proves whether or not you know talent when you see it.
NBC, 1976-1978
*VTR 1976 w/Jack Cassidy, JoAnne Worley, and Jamie Farr - first taped episode, hosted by John Barbour... which went over so poorly, he was axed and his episodes went unaired - first act is the Alphabet Kids [GAME, CDonegan1219-2.2, A]
Chuck Barris
*6/14/1976 premiere w/Anson Williams, Phyllis Diller, and Pat Harrington - first act is Dan Oh [GAME w/comm, CDonegan1219-2.1, A+]
*6/22/1976 w/Anson Williams, Phyllis Diller, and Jamie Farr - one act impersonates Phyllis! [SM, JLeeman0620-3.2, A-]
*12/24/1976 w/Arte Johnson, Virginia Graham, and Jamie Farr - first act is Larry and his Magic Axe - the set is decorated for the holidays, and Barris mentions the show's renewal! [GAME w/comm, JLeeman0620-5.1, A-]
*early 1977 w/Arte Johnson, Jaye P. Morgan, and Jamie Farr... who, halfway through, decide to tie up Chuckie and host the show themselves! [GAME, IWallis1.5, A-]
*3/18/1977 w/Arte Johnson, Jaye P. Morgan, and Steve Martin - first act is Michael Lincoln - everybody gets gonged, so there is no winner! [GAME w/comm, RRinkerman6.6.2, A]
*4/1/1977 w/Rip Taylor, Susan George, and Peter Lawford - first act is Melanie Odie [1980s syn w/most comm, JLeeman0620-2.3, B]
*4/26/1977 hour-long, all-star primetime special w/Jamie Farr, Arte Johnson, and Jaye P. Morgan - from the 25th anniversary marathon, hosted by the Unknown Comic! [GAME w/comm, GGarsten0820-2.2, A+]
*8/5/1977 w/Jaye P. Morgan, Charlie Brill, and Mitzi McCall - the staff celebrates its almost-300th show! - audio starts off slightly garbled, but gradually improves in quality [GSN, JLeeman0620-3.1, A- then A]
*1977 w/Jamie Farr, Jaye P. Morgan, and Chuck Woolery - first act is the Hot Dogs [USA, GGarsten0820-2.1, B]
*11/1977 w/Phyllis Diller, Jamie Farr, and Jaye P. Morgan - first act is Star Dust, but later is the ever-infamous "Have You Got a Nickel"! [GAME w/comm, CDonegan0620-1.3, A]
*2/22/1978 w/Gene Gene the Dancing Machine, Jaye P. Morgan, and Jamie Farr - first act is Arm O'Neill - blurry video with some frame blurring [OC, filtered version is B+ (fixed A/V sync and adjusted contrast/saturation); original is JLeeman0620-2.1, B-]
*5/25/1978 w/Fred Travalena, Michele Lee, and Wayland & Madame - one act is Paul Reubens dressed as an indian! [GAME w/comm, RRinkerman517-3.5, A-]
*6/21/1978 w/Gary Mule Deer, Michelle Lee, and Pat McCormick - first act is Arthur Latcher - includes some behind-the-scenes audio and even the band warming up before the show starts, and some unaired footage during one of the ad breaks! [SM w/slate, JLeeman0620-1.4, A-]
*7/21/1978 finale (really one of Chuckie's Fables, hosted by Fenwick Gotter) w/Carl Ballentine, Patty Andrews, and Jamie Farr - Chuck does his own act later, and he gets gonged! - two copies: [GAME w/comm, RRinkerman6.6.3, A] and [OC, JLeeman0620-2.2, A-]
weekly syndication, 1976-1980
Gary Owens
*VTR 8/1/1976 premiere w/Elke Sommer, Rex Reed, and Phyllis Diller - first act is Marybelle Scott [SM w/slate, Rrinkerman6.6.1, A-]
Chuck Barris
*late 1977 w/Candy Clark, Rex Reed, and Jaye P. Morgan - first act is Tony Fabre [3/1979 RPT w/comm, filtered version is A (fixed brightness and color); original is CDonegan417-4.4, A-]
*1978 w/Dick Shawn, Patty Andrews, and Jamie Farr - tribute to Elvis, where every act attempts to impersonate the king! [USA, CDonegan0620-2.1, A-]
*1979 w/Jamie Farr, Jaye P. Morgan, and David Sheiner - 5 acts get a perfect score! [USA, JLeeman0620-3.3, B]
*1979 w/Freeman King, Martha Reeves, and Pat McCormick - first act is the LA Knockers [USA, CDonegan0620-2.2, B+]
syndication, 1988-1989
Don Bleu
*9/1988 (from first week) w/Argus Hamilton, Molly Cheek, and Ramone Azteca - first act is Andy Stewart [OB, RRinkerman6.6.4, B+]
*9/23/1988 w/George Wallace, Pam Matteson, and Dweezil Zappa - first act is the Tapping Tomato (really) - missing opening; begins during Bleu's introduction [OC, MPannoni0320-5.4, A-]
*9/27/1988 w/the Fat Boys, Rebeca Arthur, and Kurt Rambis - first act is Herman Schmerdley [OC, MPannoni0320-5.1, A-]
*9/28/1988 w/same guests as above - first act is Two Hits & A Miss [OC, MPannoni0320-5.2, A-]
GREED
Great show that was knocked off along with the other so-called Millionaire knock-offs.
FOX, 1999-2000
Chuck Woolery
*11/11/1999 (ep. 2) - starts with Melissa, Curtis Warren, Jackie, Melissa, and Dan Avila at $25,000 [GAME w/comm, RRinkermanJan117-2.2, A]
*11/18/1999 - starts with Melissa, CURTIS WARREN, and DAN AVILA at $2.2M - yep, this is the infamous episode in which Dan goes for it all! Highly recommended! [GAME w/comm, RRinkerman6.3.1, A+]
*5/26/2000 College Week ep. - starts with Nakia's team at $25,000 - Chuck mentions hosting WOF after an infamous question about it comes up [GAME w/comm, RRinkerman6.3.2, A+]
HEADLINE CHASERS
syndication, 1985-1986
Wink Martindale
*9/9/1985 premiere - Bob and Cindy vs. Annie and Toby [OC, RRinkerman5.3.1, A]
*10/22/1985 - Terry and Karen vs. Therese and Jon - due to a station goof-up, a promo for itself is accidentally aired, along with its slate! - audio slightly off-sync [OC, RRinkerman5.3.2, A]
HE SAID, SHE SAID
Basically, an early version of Tattletales. Still fun enough, though.
syndication, 1969-1970
Joe Garagiola
*1969 - Convy (with Bert) vs. Holbrook-Rossen vs. Zamfino-Peaker vs. Clark (with Dick) [GAME, TMcSwain7.8, A-]
*VTR 4/20/1970 - Fabray-MacDougall vs. Ray vs. Davidson (with John before he was a GS host!) vs. Field-Craig - timecode on top of screen [SM w/slate, JLeeman3.1.4, A]
HIGH ROLLERS
A simple, fun game where strategy is key and the risks are high. The late '70s is easily the best run for Trebek's hosting and the nice, intimate tone.
NBC, 1974-1976, 1978-1980
Alex Trebek
*5/19/1978 - Daphne vs. Gene - first ever situation in which all 3 columns are full… and Gene wins it all! And his luck doesn’t stop there! [SM, TMcSwain1.3, B]
*3/2/1979 - Randy vs. Alan [OC, JLeeman6.4, B+]
*3/27/1979 - Candace vs. Pearl [OC, DBarkow9.4, A-]
*12/4/1979 - Sherri vs. Fred [OC, JDay1.1, B+]
*12/31/1979 - Jane vs. Donna - video is pretty dark and kind of grainy [OB, IMcLinn2.1, B+]
*2/28/1980 - Steven vs. Techla [OC, filtered version is A- (fixed color and brightness); original is GBrobeck1.1, B+]
*3/18/1980 - Marianne vs. Cheryl [OC, filtered version is A- (darkened the video with significantly improved saturation); original is IMcLinn2.2, B+]
*3/25/1980 - Tom vs. John - a HUGE win occurs in one game! [OC, JDay1.3, A]
*5/7/1980 - Rich vs. Ted - slightly fuzzy video; audio slightly warpy [OC, JDay1.2, B+]
*6/20/1980 finale - Richard vs. Lee - Alex is acting rather strangely... some people say he's drunk. - slight antenna distortion [OC, filtered version is A- (improved saturation); original is IMcLinn2.3, B+]
syndication, 1987-1988
Wink Martindale
*VTR 12/1986 pilot - Carol vs. John - at the end, a pitchfilm is shown with a pilot-exclusive minigame [SM, PBurgos2.6.1, A+]
*9/14/1987 premiere - Anna vs. Al - no big numbers due to the length of the game [OB, PBurgos1.7, B]
*9/16/1987 - Wendy vs. Al - this match is even longer than the premiere! [USA, PBurgos7.6, A-]
*9/17/1987 - Wendy vs. Al (still going!) - after this long game, a very SHORT game follows! - some slight spotty cable distortion toward the end [OB, PBurgos7.7, A-]
*9/25/1987 - Claudia vs. Rick [OB, PBurgos2.6.2, B+]
*11/2/1987 - Jerry at Big Numbers - somewhat dark and slightly wavy video [USA w/comm, JOswald2.1, B]
*11/5/1987 – Irene vs. Chris [USA, PBurgos7.8, B+]
*11/24/1987 - Julie vs. Nevin - very faint ghost pictures [USA, PBurgos1.4, A]
*12/7/1987 - Darrell vs. Brian - a champ retires undefeated! - ghost pictures throughout [USA, PBurgos1.2, A-]
*12/22/1987 - Nancy vs. Robert [SM w/slate and few comm, A]
*1/1988 - Cheryl at Big Numbers - video slightly shaky at times & slightly wavy [OB, PBurgos2.4.1, B-]
*1988 - Janine vs. Greg [OB, PBurgos7.9, B]
HISTORY IQ
Who would've thunk such a channel had a game show?
History Channel, 2000-2001
Marc Summers
*2001 - $250K tournament finals! - Robin vs. Leszek (from Jeopardy! and WBSM) vs. John [2002(?) RPT, TMcSwain6.3.2, A+]
HIT MAN
Game shows don't get much more creative than this one. It all comes together really well, but the way they showcase the subjects definitely shortened its possible lifespan.
NBC, 1983
Peter Tomarken
*1/3/1983 premiere - The Wizard of Oz and Jeans - Rod vs. Karen vs. Bobby vs. Laura [SM, GBrobeck2.1, A-]
*1/1983 - Bette Davis and clowns - Emily vs. Gil vs. Jackie vs. Kay - video slightly jumpy throughout [OB, DBarkow8.4, B]
*2/3/1983 - Abbott & Costello and the American Social Scene - Larry vs. Beverly vs. Craig vs. Emily [OB, JLeeman5.2.6, B+]
*2/4/1983 - American Bandstand and Custard's Last Stand - Ray vs. Marianne vs. Mel vs. Beverly - video slightly shaky most points and rather glitchy at times [OC, RRinkerman4.2.2, B-]
*2/7/1983 - Cleopatra and the History of Dogs - Barbara vs. Billie vs. Kris vs. Beverly [OC, RRinkerman4.2.1, A-]
*2/8/1983 - TV Commercials and Hearst - Patricia vs. Fred vs. Patty vs. Beverly - video blurry, occasionally glitchy, and occasionally jumpy; audio slightly off-sync [OB, DBarkow9.1, B-]
*2/9/1983 – P.T. Barnum and Where Words Come From – Kacey vs. Chuck vs. Jennifer vs. Patricia [OC, DDowns8.1, B+]
*2/10/1983 - Marlin Brando and Vice Presidents - Carol vs. Marlin vs. Diane vs. Kacey - jumpy video [OC, TMcSwain4.6, C]
*3/1983 - Casablanca and Henry VIII's wives - Barbara vs. Dan Angel (before he became famous) vs. Cathy vs. Leon - Unusual triple crown result! - most of opening missing [OC, TMcSwain1.4, A-]
*3/1983 - W.C. Fields and Stamps - Barbara vs. Curtis vs. Carol vs. Leon (same as above; his EIGHTH day!) - video somewhat blurry; buzzy audio [OC, TMcSwain5.9, B]
*3/29/1983 - Stardom and Winston Churchill - Sheila vs. Bart vs. Liz vs. Woodryan - slightly wavy video at times [OC, DBarkow8.4, B]
*3/30/1983 - Jean Harlow and Prophets - Johanna vs. Larry vs. Laura vs. Sheila - most of open and entire closing segment missing - video slightly wavy at times; buzzy audio at times [OC, TMcSwain5.8, B]
*4/1/1983 finale (so FORGET IT!) - Gene Kelly and Vice Presidents - Laureen vs. RANDY WEST vs. Julie vs. Sheila - video slightly wavy at times and occasionally shifts slightly "out of place"; buzzy audio, which occasionally gets notably bad [OC, PBurgos4.3, B-]
HOLLYWOOD SQUARES - Regardless of if you're going for the win or block, this is the secret square.
HOT POTATO
Good list game that would've been better off without celebrities.
NBC, 1984
Bill Cullen
civilian format
*1/23/1984 premiere - Moms-to-Be vs. Teachers [OC, SWylie2.1, B+]
*3/22/1984 - Accountants vs. Car Saleswomen [GSN w/comm, SWylie5f, A++]
*3/23/1984 - Accountants vs. Pro Surfers - contains a rare look at Bill Cullen without his glasses [GAME w/few comm, B]
*3/27/1984 - Accountants vs. Circus Performers [GAME w/few comm, B+]
*4/13/1984 - Coast Guard Rescue Team vs. Interior Designers [GAME, B+]
*4/20/1984 - Reporters vs. Auctioneers - last episode with civilian teams... oh well [GAME, GGarsten0820-2.3, A]
celebrity format
*1984 (unaired on NBC) w/Phyllis Diller, Emma Samms, Rene Enriquez, and Billy Huffsey - first taped episode with the celebrity format! - Tracy vs. Marji [GAME, GGarsten0820-3.1, A]
*5/8/1984 - from the Daytime vs. Nighttime tournament! - Leann Hunley, James Reynolds, Anne-Marie Martin vs. George Wyner, Marla Gibbs, Jenilee Harrison [USA, GGarsten2.3, B+]
*6/29/1984 finale w/Arte Johnson, Anson Williams, Jan Murray, and Lanie Kazan - Carrie vs. Rod [OC, SWylie2.2, B+]
HOT SEAT
Meh show with okay gameplay, could-be-better execution, and an admittedly cool lie detector.
ABC, 1976
Jim Peck
*7/1976 (possibly the premiere) - Jim and Debbie vs. Jeff and Susan - contains TWO consecutive voiceovers for Family Feud, which confusingly enough, mention different timeslots! - opening is pretty glitchy, and for the rest there's a slight glitch here and there [OC, JLeeman6.2.2, B+]
I'LL BET
A fun celebrity gossip game that shouldn't have been short-lived.
NBC, 1965
Jack Narz
*9/6/1965 - Bob Askinson and Denise Darcel vs. Nancy and Robert Culp - rather bright video [OC, CDonegan6.1.5, B]
INSTANT RECALL
Not too bad; maybe it would've had a much better chance if they just focused on one game instead of two, since it just feels much too rushed when the gameplay comes around.
GSN, 2010
Wink Martindale
*3/4/2010 premiere - first game involves a love seminar [OB, A++]
IT'S ANYBODY'S GUESS
syndication, 1977
Monty Hall
*9/23/1977 - Denise vs. Joe - muffled and buzzy audio [SM w/slate, RRinkermanDec2011/8.3, B]
IT'S YOUR BET
This time, the other celebrity gossip game got the chance it needed.
syndication, 1969-1973
Hal March
*1969 - Michael Callen and Patricia Hearty vs. Jan and Toni Murray [SM, NJohnson1.2, A+]
*VTR 10/21/1969 - Tom Kennedy subs... which would eventually become permanent - Lyle and Sharon Waggoner vs. Imogene and King Donovan Coca [SM w/slate, NJohnson1.1, A+]
iWITNESS
I only really recorded this one because my friend wanted copies. That being said, the show isn't badly made by any stretch, it's just that not much really grabbed my interest.
syndicated test run, 2017 (which my station didn't even finish)
John Henson
*7/11/2017 (second ep.) - Tony vs. Courtney vs. Luis [OB, A++]
*7/13/2017 - Jenelle vs. Ryan vs. Percy [OB, A++]
JACKPOT!
A rather neat riddle show with plenty of ways to win.
NBC, 1974-1975
Geoff Edwards
*1/3/1975 - Anne at $1985 and 11 players left - a later Super Jackpot is worth $38,750! This is the best version of them all, as proved here! [SM, TMcSwain6.2.1, A-]
USA, 1985-1988
Mike Darrow
*1986 - Barry at $4100 and 15 players left - you can tell things will get exciting, can't you? [OB, JOswaldtape1.4, A-]
*Next ep. - Barry starts a game [OB, JOswaldtape1.1, B+]
*1987 - Kerry Ann at $325 and 13 players left - $10K Riddler is crowned! [OB, JOswaldtape1.2, B+]
*1987 - Larissa starts a game - two "big" wins occur in this ep.! [OB, JOswaldtape1.3, B+]
syndication, 1989-1990
Geoff Edwards
*9/18/1989 premiere - Lynne starts a game [OB, GGarsten3.1, B+]
*9/19/1989 - Lynne at $615 and 7 players left [OB, GGarsten3.2, B+]
*9/22/1989 (fifth ep.) - Lee at $570 and 7 players left [OB, TMcSwain6.3.4, B+]
*late 1989 - Cory at $890 and 15 players - now in better quality! [OB, CCohan0720-2.3, B]
JEOPARDY!
‘What is, one of the most recognizable and perfect game shows ever?'
NBC, 1964-1975
Art Fleming
*9/7/1966 - first 5 minutes of an ep. w/Libby vs. Joy vs. Irene - cuts after second question - video is VERY bright, blurry, and rather glitchy at times (especially at the beginning and the end) [SC w/slate, CDonegan4.1.7, B-]
*2/21/1972 - 2000th ep., with a special appearance by Mel Brooks! Also, only a special version of Double Jeopardy is played with 6 daily doubles! - Burns vs. Jane vs. Elliot - muffled audio [GAME w/comm, BSchwartz3.3.1, B+]
*4/24/1974 - Norma vs. Larry vs. Anne - now in better, far less compressed quality [SM w/slate, filtered version is B+ (corrected color and inconsistent brightness); original is CDonegan1219-1.5, B]
*6/27/1974 - Karen vs. Kent vs. Kim - no video for 15 seconds [SM, DBarkow5.1.1, A-]
*1/3/1975 finale (with a somewhat haunting ending) - Robin vs. Robin vs. Linda [SM, DDowns3.1, A-]
weekly syndication, 1974-1975
*11/23/1974 - Barbara vs. Ron vs. Beth - B&W video - missing a small part of opening; cuts off at Fleming's closing remarks [OB, B+]
NBC, 1978-1979
*10/2/1978 premiere - Emily vs. Richard vs. Jim [SC (Armed Forces service), JLeeman5.1.2, A+]
*10/3/1978 - Richard vs. Harriet vs. Todd [SC (Armed forces service), JLeeman5.2.1, A+]
*11/13/1978 - Karen (she also appeared in the '83 pilot) vs. Brian vs. Vi - blurry video, but great quality otherwise [OB w/few comm, A-]
*1/16/1979 - Clarence vs. Nina vs. Bill - somewhat distorted audio [OC, B+]
*1979 - Tournament of Champions finals! - Stuart vs. Todd vs. Philip - contains a truly exciting Double Jeopardy! Counts as half an episode due to virtually all non-gameplay footage being cut [OB, A-]
*3/2/1979 finale - Charlie vs. Susan vs. Doug [GAME, DDowns3.2, A-]
syndication, 1984-present
Alex Trebek
*VTR 9/18/1983 first pilot (the unsold one) - Karen vs. Jack Campion vs. Cynthia - contains a lot of cosmetic elements from the Fleming versions and also a very strange (yet somewhat cool) futuristic set! [SM, filtered version is A- (improved color); original is GBrobeck3.1, B+]
*1984 second pilot (the sold one) - Jack Campion vs. Cynthia vs. Michael - this one much more resembles what we got - now in master quality! [Netflix, A+]
*9/10/1984 PREMIERE - Greg vs. Lois vs. Frank [GAME, PBurgos1.5, A-]
*9/11/1984 - Greg vs. Lynn vs. Paul - very strange and shocking final Jeopardy result! - video blurry and slightly glitchy at times [OC, PBurgos1.6, B-]
*9/14/1984 - Larry vs. Lorrie vs. Howard Wilson (from Whew!) [OC, DDownsBonus3.1, A-]
*10/5/1984 - Elise (her fifth day!) vs. Richard vs. Stan [OC, CCohan0420-6.2, A]
*11/26/1984 - Richard vs. Leland vs. Sara - blurry video and rough frame rate [OB, filtered version is B (improved color and brightness, though results aren't quite perfect); original is DFendley.1, B-]
*11/27/1984 - Richard (his fifth game) vs. Elaine vs. Mark - blurry video and rough frame rate [OB, filtered version is B (see above ep.); original is DFendley.2, B-]
*11/28/1984 - Mark vs. Alice vs. Don [OC, filtered version is B+ (improved color); original is BSchwartz2.3.5a, B]
*11/29/1984 - Mark vs. Tom vs. Nancy [OC, filtered version is B+; original is BSchwartz2.3.5b, B]
*12/4/1984 - Dan vs. Mary vs. Richard ( back due to an error) [OC, filtered version is B+; original is BSchwartz2.2.4, B]
*12/10/1984 - Ric vs. Brian vs. Linda [OC, filtered version is B+; original is BSchwartz2.2.5, B]
*12/11/1984 - Ric vs. Dale vs. Hal (with a very strange getup!) - thin black lines flicker on screen most of the time [OC, filtered version is B+; original is BSchwartz2.2.6, B-]
*3/4/1985 - Bruce vs. Yvonne vs. Bob [GAME w/few comm, DDownsBonus6.4, A]
*4/10/1985 - Mike vs. Monte vs. Mini [GAME, DFendley.3, A-]
*9/9/1985 season premiere - Alan vs. Susan vs. Steve - contains the debut of the new set, the new buzzing-in rule, and the champion being on the RIGHT-MOST podium (the latter, of course, ended up being super short-lived) [OC, RRinkermanDec2011/7.1, A-]
*10/3/1985 - Chuck vs. Claudia vs. Renee - slightly squiggly video at some points [1986 RPT, DBarkow5.1.2, B+]
*10/4/1985 - Chuck (his fifth game) vs. Susan vs. Linda [GAME w/few comm, DBarkow5.1.3, A-]
*10/25/1985 - MARK LEINWAND vs. Faye vs. AL LUSHER [GAME, RRinkerman7.2.1, B+]
*4/22/1986 - Kurt vs. Randy Amesia vs. Susan - video squiggles at most points; garbled and muffled audio [SM w/slate, BSchwartz2.2.7, B-]
*4/23/1986 - Randy Amesia vs. Pam vs. Lois - audio even more distorted than above [SM, BSchwartz2.2.8, B]
*5/26/1986 - Marvin Shinkman vs. Robert vs. Francis [OB, RRinkerman1.1, A-]
*11/4/1986 tournament ep. - Paul vs. Marvin Shinkman vs. Jared [GAME, RRinkerman1.2, A]
*3/2/1987 - Virginia vs. Paula vs. Pat - Alex plugs the Seniors tournament! [GAME, DBarkow5.1.4, A-]
*11/20/1987 Tournament finals - Dave vs. Eugene vs. Bob [OC, RRinkerman6.11.3, B+]
*12/10/1987 - David vs. Tom vs. Kathy - includes PA lottery drawings! - slightly garbled audio [OC, BSchwartz3.4.5, A]
*1/25/1988 - Stephanie vs. Leanne vs. Sue [OC, DDowns4.1.1, A-]
*4/6/1988 - Bob vs. Peter (later achieved fame on NPR) vs. Joe - rather dark video [OC, RRinkerman6.11.4, A-]
*7/5/1988 - Kevin vs. John vs. Andrea - a new one-day record is set! [OB, PBurgos2.8.4a, A-]
*5/23/1989 - Lisa vs. Rich vs. Janet - pretty bright video [SM, DDownsBonus3.2, A-]
*5/24/1989 - Rich vs. Otis vs. Judi [SM, DDownsBonus3.3, A-]
*5/25/1989 - Rich vs. Tom vs. Lynn [SM, DDownsBonus3.4, A-]
*5/26/1989 - Rich vs. Doug vs. Thompson - some messed color in areas [SM, DDownsBonus3.5, B]
*5/29/1989 - Rich (his fifth game) vs. Robert vs. Susan [SM, DDowns4.1.2, B]
*1/9/1990 - Joe vs. Frank Spangenberg vs. Al [Crackle, CCohan1.3, A+]
*2/16/1990 - teen tournament finals - Jamie vs. Andrew vs. Richard [OC, PBurgos6.5, A]
*9/3/1990 season premiere - Michael vs. Peter vs. Debra - video slightly fuzzy [OB, PBurgos2.8.4b, B+]
*7/19/1991 - Senior's tournament finals, also final day with the late-’80s set - Mary vs. Lou vs. Bob [OC, DDowns4.1.5, B]
*5/18/1992 - Don vs. Jerome Vered vs. Katie [SM, JFisher2.2, B+]
*5/22/1992 - Jerome Vered (he goes for game #5!) vs. Daniel (who also was on TTD’90) vs. Julie [SM, JFisher2.3, B+]
*10/26/1992 - Celebrity Jeopardy w/Carol Burnett vs. Donna Mills vs. Regis Philbin [GAME, DDowns4.1.3, B]
*7/12/1993 - Senior's tournament semi-finals! - Sandi vs. Lee vs. Noel - uneven color in upper half; low audio [GAME, RRinkerman5.8.5, B]
*11/9/1993 - Celebrity Jeopardy w/Ed Asner vs. Teri Garr vs. Pat Sajak(!) [OB, RRinkerman0120-4.1, A-]
*12/3/1993 - 10th anniversary tournament finals, pt. 2! - Frank vs. Tom vs. Leslie - low audio [OB, RRinkerman7.2.2, A-]
*5/23/1994 - Pat vs. Gregg vs. Larry [OB, DDowns4.1.6, B+]
*12/8/1995 - Gwen vs. Michael vs. Richard (he appeared on the ‘78 premiere!) - bright video [GAME, DDowns4.1.7, B+]
*11/11/1996 - Celebrity Jeopardy w/Beverly Sills vs. John Mahoney vs. Laura Innes - first day with the Sushi Bar set [OB, DDowns4.1.4, A-]
*4/1/1997 - Paul vs. Lori vs. Christian - April Fools episode, hosted by *Pat Sajak* and contains some very apt categories! - muffled audio and video that's clearly a few gens distorted [OB, B-]
*5/5/1997 - first day of the International Tournament, taped in Sweden; the host of their version appears in the first few minutes! - Boris (Israel) vs. Dana (Denmark) vs. Tobias (Germany) [OB, RRinkerman117-7.1, B+]
*6/12/1998 - Steve vs. Robert vs. Marion [OB, RRinkerman6.9.2, A-]
*2/16/1999 - Third Semifinals of Tournament of Champions! - Dave Abbott vs. Dan Girard vs. Pat Healy [SM, RRinkerman0120-5.6, A+]
*10/20/1999 - Keith vs. Eddie Timanus vs. Becky [OB, TMcSwain0820-2.2, B+]
*10/26/1999 - Eddie Timanus (the show's first blind contestant, on his fifth day!) vs. Jane vs. Ted - includes newly-added comments from Alex (though one of these ends up cutting out a prize plug), and an update on Eddie's life! [2009 RPT w/few comm, RRinkerman117-4.1, A]
*10/30/2000 - David vs. Regina vs. Brad Rutter (his first appearance!) [6/2002 RPT w/comm, MPannoni0320-2.1, A]
*10/31/2000 - Brad Rutter vs. Annette vs. Mike [Crackle, CCohan2.4, A+]
*11/3/2000 - Brad Rutter (his fifth game!) vs. Jim vs. Laurence [SM w/slate, RRinkerman0120-4.2, B+]
*11/26/2001 - Kristin vs. Geoffrey vs. Harold - first episode with doubled values! [SM w/slate, GGarsten0820-3.3, A-]
*5/14/2002 - final day of the Million Dollar Masters, taped in New York City! - Bob Verini vs. Eric Newhouse vs. Brad Rutter [2003 RPT w/comm, RRinkerman117-7.2, A]
*4/16/2003 - Brian (his fifth day!) vs. Russell vs. Vicki [OC, TMcSwain0820-4.3, A-]
*11/22/2002 - College Championship finals, and final episode with dashed scoreboards - Mark vs. Kyle vs. Jani - features a Pyramid promo for the Dick Clark challenge! [OC, B]
*6/2/2004 - Jerry vs. KEN JENNINGS (his FIRST game!) vs. Julia [GSN w/comm, A+]
*7/13/2004 - Ken Jennings ($972K; day 30) vs. Irene vs. Max - Ken enters seven-digit territory! [OC, RRinkerman117-4.2, A]
*10/15/2004 - Ken Jennings ($1.94M; day 58) vs. Josh vs. Jose [GSN w/comm, A++]
*11/3/2004 - Ken Jennings ($2.15M, day 65) vs. Denise vs. Rob - the all-time game show winnings record is broken! [OC, RRinkerman117-4.3, A]
*11/8/2006 - Celebrity Jeopardy (filmed in Radio City Music Hall!) w/Regis Philbin vs. Nancy Grace vs. Carson Kressley - Kate Reinders from Wicked appears for a Daily Double! [OC, RRinkerman0120-4.3, A]
*3/16/2007 - Scott vs. Jamie vs. Andress - contains the only three-way tie in the history of the series! [OC, TMcSwain0820-2.3, A]
*3/19/2007 - Scott vs. Jamie vs. Andress (again!) [OC, TMcSwain0820-2.4, A]
*1/2/2009 - Michael vs. Ben vs. Rebecca [OB, A++]
*9/14/2009 season premiere, and permanent debut of the new set! - Stefan vs. Erique vs. Elizabeth [OB, A++]
*10/12/2009 - Terry vs. Jeff Kirby (found to be ineligible after being on the show 10 years earlier) vs. Emma [OC, RRinkerman4.5.4, A++]
*3/31/2010 - Stacy vs. Pat vs. Matt [OB, A++]
*4/1/2010 - April Fools show, with several post-production celebrity cameos! Also, one contestant mentions Pitfall! - Matt vs. Ken vs. Jessica [OB, A++]
*12/24/2010 - Tom (his ninth day!) vs. Marissa vs. Chris [OB, A+]
*2/14/2011 - first day of IBM superchallenge! - Ken Jennings vs. Watson (IBM supercomputer) vs. Brad Rutter - contains Single Jeopardy and some backstories on Watson - missing first two minutes or so; begins at Watson's introduction [OB, A+]
*2/15/2011 - second day of IBM superchallenge! - Ken Jennings vs. Watson vs. Brad Rutter - contains Double and Final Jeopardy of game 1! [OB, A+]
*9/23/2011 - Justin vs. Amit vs. Jessica - Trebek has limited mobility here due to a certain incident that happened over the summer. [OB, A++]
*11/15/2011 tournament finals - Roger vs. Tom vs. Buddy [OB, A++]
*4/4/2019 - Alex vs. Anna vs. James Holzhauer (his first appearance!) [OC, A+]
*4/8/2019 - James Holzhauer (day 3) vs. Maryanne vs. Matthew [OC, A+]
*4/17/2019 - James Holzhauer (day 10) vs. Hannah vs. Lorelle - James finishes with a record-shattering $131K! - missing first minute [OC, A+]
ABC primetime, 1990 ("Super Jeopardy!")
*6/16/1990 premiere - Bob vs. Bruce vs. Steve vs. Ouida [OB, GGarsten0820-4.3, A-]
*6/30/1990 - Elise vs. Richard vs. Gary vs. Eric - blurry video [OB, TMcSwain4.7, B+]
*7/7/1990 semifinals ep. - Bob vs. Eugene vs. Eric - blurry video [OB, TMcSwain4.8, B+]
*7/14/1990 - Mark vs. Paul vs. Kathy vs. Keith - bright and blurry video [OB, DBarkow5.1.5, B]
*7/21/1990 - Rich vs. Bruce vs. Liz vs. Burns (from the Fleming era!) - bottom of the screen is clearly cut, and the audio isn't in the best shape [OB, GGarsten0820-4.4, A-]
*7/28/1990 - Tom vs. Leah vs. Lionel vs. Roger - same issues as above [OB, DBarkow5.2.1, B]
*8/4/1990 semifinals ep. - Keith vs. Bruce vs. Roger [OC, DBarkow5.2.2, B+]
*9/8/2000 - $250,000 finals! - Dave vs. Bruce vs. Bob [OB, RRinkerman817-5.4, A-]
THE JOKER’S WILD
A true Barry-Enright gem. The slot machine makes things especially fun and exciting! CBS is the best for the intimate tone; Finn's is flawed but still good enough by itself.
CBS, 1972-1975
*VTR 12/8/1968 first pilot, hosted by Allen Ludden with a much different scoring system and celebrities asking the questions - celebrities: Don Drysdale, Rosemary Clooney, Rich Little, Irene Ryan, Pat Paulson - Carol vs. Craig [SM (KIN), CDonegan6.1.3, A-]
*VTR 1/5/1969 second pilot, much like the first pilot sans the celebs - Dinah vs. Charles [SM w/slate, CDonegan6.1.4, A+]
Jack Barry
Prize Board bonus format
*9/4/1972 PREMIERE - Susan vs. Ed [GAME, JOswald3.1, A-]
*9/5/1972 - Ed vs. Mary [GAME, JLeeman6.5.3, A-]
*9/6/1972 - Mary vs. Tex - a different version of this bonus format debuts here, and it starts off with a bang! [GAME, JLeeman6.5.4, B+]
*9/12/1972 - Winfield at Bonus Round - this ep shows why 3 jokers shouldn't be an automatic, question-free win [GAME, CCohan0420-3.2, A-]
*9/18/1972 - Ernest at Bonus Round - last ep. with prize board format, and first ep. with jokers and devils bonus format! [GAME, TMcSwainD1.3, B+]
Jokers and Devils bonus format
*9/19/1972 - Ernest vs. Kira - this ep. starts off in a very exciting manner! Plus, Maggie Brown is a contestant later on! [GAME, TMcSwainD1.4, B+]
*9/26/1972 - Cindy at Bonus Round [GAME, MTiller7.1, A-]
*9/27/1972 - John vs. Kathy - a later contestant, Sophie Garry, is... interesting, to say the least [GAME, MTiller7.2, A-]
*9/28/1972 - Kathy vs. Sophie (Still wacky!) - includes the first Joker’s Jackpot win! [GAME, DBarkow5.2, A-]
*10/16/1972 - Joel vs. Linda - Jack rather humorously mispronounces "omomatopoeia" [GAME, TMcSwain717-1.4, A-]
*12/4/1972 - Isa (going for the jackpot!) vs. Bill - a game is won because the bonus jokers were left on the slides by mistake, which is never acknowledged! [GAME, CDonegan1219-4.2, A-]
*12/15/1972 - Barbara vs. Father Richard - Quite the fascinating game; it goes on for the whole show, and Father Richard gains an interesting relationship with the horse racing category [GAME, CCohan0420-4.1, A-]
*1/5/1973 - Kathy (going for the jackpot!) vs. Wayne - features the return of the contestant who got screwed by the error on 12/4 [GAME w/comm, CCohan0420-4.2, A]
*2/12/1973 - Lynn (going for the jackpot!) vs. Steve - VERY exciting game! [GAME, CCohan0420-4.3, A]
*3/27/1973 - Ken vs. Patti - Jack plugs the upcoming Kids' Week! [GAME, JOswaldtape1.11, A-]
*3/28/1973 - Ken vs. Katherine - the “Bing Crosby/Horse Racing” incident is shown here! [GAME, JOswald2.13, B+]
*3/29/1973 - Ken at Bonus Round - Ken goes for his SECOND Joker’s Jackpot! - video slightly wavy at times, which is also occasionally B&W [GAME, JOswald2.14, B-]
*4/16/1973 - Irene vs. Michael - First of three Kids' Week episodes! [GAME, JOswaldtape1.10, A-]
Face the Devil bonus format
*VTR 7/19/1974 - Andrea vs. the Devil [SM w/slate, A+]
*6/13/1975 finale - Fred vs. the Devil - contains a VERY nice goodbye from Jack, and check out the fading-out studio! [SM, filtered copy is B+ with adjusted brightness; original is DBarkow5.3, B]
syndication, 1977-1986
*9/5/1977 premiere - Ann vs. Glenn - now in MUCH better quality! [GAME, CCohan0420-4.4, A-]
*9/6/1977 - Glenn vs. Moirre [GAME, CDonegan0420-4.6, A-]
*9/7/1977 - Glenn vs. Pat - contains a *very* tight game with a car at stake! [GAME, IWallis3.2, A-]
*11/1977 - Tournament of Champions finals, for $50,000! - Frank vs. Tom - MUCH better quality! [GAME, CCohan0420-4.5, B+]
*VTR 11/1977 - Ann vs. Gil - contains a VERY different opening - wavy video at times [GAME, JOswaldtape1.14, B]
*VTR 12/1977 - Donna vs. Pasquale - the bonus level gets broken the second time it’s played! [GAME, RRinkermanOct2010/7.1, B]
*VTR 1/1978 - Mark vs. the Devil [GAME, RRinkerman5.5.1, A]
*5/1978 - Pam vs. Xavier - Jack has limited mobility due to a broken leg… and then a visual category is picked every round! [GAME w/some comm, CDonnegan3.1, A-]
*9/18/1978 season premiere - Ken vs. Louise - VERY low audio [GAME, JOswald3.8, A-]
*10/9/1978 - Hal vs. Cathy - Hal has a lucky suit, which proves itself as such later… [GSN, RRinkermanMay2010/2.1, A+]
*10/11/1978 - Hal (going for his tenth win and a new series record!) vs. Kathy - now in better quality! [GAME, CCohan0720-6.2, A-]
*10/12/1978 - Diane vs. the Devil - starts with a goodbye to Hal Shear [GAME, JOswaldtape1.16, A-]
*11/2/1978 - Frank vs. the Devil - somebody gets three jokers at the perfect time, but can he pull off a win? [GAME w/comm, PBurgos2.6.4, A-]
*9/18/1979 season premiere - Carol vs. Larry [GAME w/some comm., RRinkermanMay2010/2.2, A+]
*1979 - Eileen (going for her tenth win!) vs. Ray [GAME, JOswald2.10, A-]
*1979 - Eileen vs. Nate [GAME w/comm, JOswaldtape1.16, B]
*early 1980 - Bob (going for a car!) vs. Lynn - the game doesn't get much more exciting than this! [GAME w/comm, PBurgos2.6.3, A]
*11/1980 - $1,000,000 tournament finals! - C.D. vs. Rob [GAME, TMcSwain1.5, B+]
*11/1981 - Denise vs. Neil - ends after spinoff portion of audience game [OC, CDonegan417-3.4, A-]
*9/13/1982 season premiere - Julian vs. Suzanne [GAME, JOswald2.11, B]
*9/24/1982 - Ed vs. the Devil [GAME, RRinkermanDec2011/9.2, A-]
*10/13/1982 - Frank vs. Marilyn - video is somewhat dark [GAME, JOswald3.4, A-]
*1/17/1983 - Jim Peck guest-hosts! - Jan vs. Myra - contains a bonus win due to a math error! - video is slightly pixelated [GAME, Filtered copy is B (severely corrected color); original is RRinkermanGrabbag3.1, C+]
*3/1/1983 - Joe Dunn vs. Mike - missing opening; begins at contestant intros [GAME, DBarkow5.4, B+]
*3/4/1983 - Joe Dunn (his 15th game) vs. Terri - rather snowy but very watchable video, with random colors fluctuating throught (not too noticeable though); muffled audio [GAME, JOswaldtape1.18, B-]
*3/7/1983 - Natalia vs. Joesph - starts with a long goodbye to Joe Dunn, in which Jack talks about how his winnings limit is gonna work out - bright and sometimes pretty jumpy video [GAME, JOswaldtape1.19, B-]
*4/12/1983 - Jim Peck guest-hosts again! - Suzanne vs. Sherri - pretty annoying audio glitches at times [GAME, RRinkerman5.5.2, A-]
*5/12/1983 - Drew vs. Debi - one player gets 3 jokers, misses, then gets 3 jokers AGAIN! [GAME, RRinkerman7.2.3, A-]
*11/9/1983 - Frank vs. Noreen - thanks to CBS News, most of audience game is missing; cuts after second spin - rather blurry video [OC, JLeeman4.1, B]
*2/28/1984 - Victoria vs. Alice - this ep. was once passed off as Jack's last, and strangely enough, an older audio copy is used in the opening and closing! - video pretty pixelated, rather blurry, sometimes wavy, and has a tendency to break [OB, RRinkerman5.5.3, C+]
*3/10/1984 - Paulette vs. Robert - Charlie O'Donnell has to remind Jack of a bonus game! - contains the same bizarre audio issue as the 2/28 show [OB, A]
*3/20/1984 - Hugh vs. Leslie - the Natural Triple Jackpot is won on the *first spin*, an overexcited audience player catches Jack off guard with her pull, and another audience player calls him 'Bob'! - again with the bizarre audio replacement [OB, A]
*1984 - Mike vs. Al [GSN, MLight2.1, A++]
Bill Cullen
*9/10/1984 - Bill's first ep as host! - Tami vs. Bill - now in MUCH better quality, though it's slightly wavy [OC, filtered version is A- (fixed inconsistent brightness); original is CDonegan1219-3.3, B+]
*12/1984 - Charles vs. Ross [USA w/comm, CDonegan417-1.3, A-], or just the audience game on [OC, RRinkermanGrabbag3.5, A (but audio is noticeably garbled)]
*1985 - Howard vs. Mike - now in MUCH better quality, though there's still a noticeable red tint (which is consistent this time) and some 'waves' during the ads [6/1985 RPT w/comm, CDonegan1219-1.4, B+]
*9/9/1985 season premiere - Steve vs. Judy - video slightly jumpy [GAME, RRinkermanMay2010/2.3, B+]
*9/20/1985 - Janilyn vs. Bruce - TWO Natural Triple Jackpots won! - audio low and muffled [GAME, JOswald3.5, A-]
*9/30/1985 - Wendy vs. J.P. - video slightly jumpy [GAME, RRinkermanMay2010/2.4, A-]
*11/1985 - Yvette vs. Kelly - contains an unusually slow game, with missed questions galore [GAME w/comm, CDonegan417-2.1, A-]
*1986 - Melinda vs. Chris - a strategy mistake costs a champion the car - screen is a little low, and as a result, the bottom is cut [GAME, JCranmer2.1, B+]
*1986 - Ricque vs. Dave - missing opening [USA w/comm, TMcSwain7.9, A]
*1986 - Jim Peck guest-hosts this and the next two ep.s! - Brett vs. Ben - jerky and jumpy video [GAME, JOswaldtape3.1, B-]
*Next ep. - Paloma vs. Ben (going for a car!) - jerky and jumpy video [GAME, JOswaldtape3.2, B]
*Next ep. - Ben vs. the Devil [GAME, JOswald1.12, B+]
*1986 - Bodie vs. the Devil [GAME, RRinkerman5.5.4, B+]
*1986 - Jan Kraepelin (who also appeared on TTD) vs. the Devil [GAME, JCranmer3.1, A-]
*5/23/1986 finale - Sheryl vs. the Devil - one player gets two CONSECUTIVE three-joker wins! [OB, filtered version is A- (adjusted brightness and smoothness); original is CDonnegan3.2, B+]
syndication, 1990-1991
Pat Finn
Dollar format
*9/14/1990 - Michael Cedar vs. Judy vs. Michael Newkirk [OB, TMcSwain2.1, B+]
*9/18/1990 - Michael vs. Judi vs. Rodger - opening missing; beings as Pat is explaining the rules - some noticeable but watchable tracking problems [USA w/comm, RRinkerman5.4.1, B+]
*9/21/1990 - Michael vs. Eric vs. Jim - fluctuating colors "flash" onscreen throughout [OC, RRinkerman4.1.1b, B]
*1990 - John vs. Susan vs. Raymond - rather bright video [USA w/few comm, DBarkow5.2.4, B]
*Next ep. - Raymond vs. Christine vs. Donna [USA w/comm, RRinkerman5.5.5, A-]
*11/1990 - Donna vs. Greg vs. Pat - CLOSE game! [USA w/comm, Bschwartz2.3.3, B+]
*11/1990 - Johnathan vs. Carlene vs. Thomas - rather blurry video [USA w/some comm, DBarkow5.3.1, B]
*12/1990 - Thomas vs. Najee vs. Barney - a new record is set, which gets much bigger in the end! - pretty bright video [USA, DBarkow5.2.3, B]
*Next ep. - Thomas vs. Marita vs. Darrell - missing 3 minutes or so of round 1 - VERY low and slightly echoey audio [OB, DBarkow5.3.2, A-]
*Next ep. - Darrell vs. Vicki vs. George - Pat and the champ have an intriguing conversation about the Bay area! [USA w/comm, BSchwartz2.3.12, A-]
Category format
*1/7/1991 - first episode with category format! - Jon vs. Peter vs Greg - pretty dark and squiggly video at most points [OB w/most comm, RRinkerman5.4.2, B-]
*1/28/1991 - Frank vs. Sharon vs. Rusty - first ep. with red maingame joker slides - some slight antennea distortion throught [USA w/comm, DBarkow5.3.3, A-]
*2/6/1991 - Laura vs. Dennis vs. Nancy [USA w/comm, DBarkow5.3.4, A-]
*2/8/1991 - David vs. Mary vs. Dennis [USA w/comm, DBarkow5.4.1, A-]
*2/11/1991 - Mary at Joker Machine (the jackpot is at $36,000!) [USA w/comm, DBarkow5.4.2, A-]
*2/13/1991 - Jerry vs. Karen vs. Tom - missing open; begins at rule explanation - rare audience game is played! [USA w/comm., RRinkermanMay2010/2.5, A]
*2/22/1991 - John vs. Winnie vs. Peter - VERY exciting game! [USA w/comm, RRinkermanMay2010/2.2, A]
*3/1991 - Matt at Joker Machine [USA w/comm, DBarkow5.4.3, A-]
Back to Dollar format for whatever reason
*3/7/1991 - Larry vs. Sue vs. Jim [USA w/comm, RRinkerman5.4.3, A-]
*3/8/1991 unannounced finale - Michael vs. Remi vs. Sue - random colors start fluctuating halfway through - missing opening; begins at contestant introductions [USA w/comm, RRinkerman5.4.4, A- at first then B+]
JUST MEN!
It's a somewhat interesting watch, but mostly out of Betty's hosting.
NBC, 1983
Betty White
*2/21/1983 - Brenda vs. Bernice - Peter Tomarken is one of the guests! - uneven color in some areas [OC, TMcSwain5.4, B]
*4/1/1983 finale - Mara vs. Diane - ‘The Simpsons’ accidentally erases 5 seconds of this episode, but nothing big. - ends with a promo for ‘Dream House‘ - somewhat snowy video [OC, TMcSwain2.4, B]
KNOCKOUT
NBC, 1977-1978
Arte Johnson
*1978 - Maxine vs. Jack vs. Anita - no opening nor credits [OB, JLeeman3.2.1, B+]
THE KRYPTON FACTOR
A show with fitness testing. And Atari videogames. Don't go together, do they? Still makes for an engaging watch though.
ABC primetime, 1981
Dick Clark
*8/7/1981 premiere - John vs. Susan vs. Richard vs. Guy - bright video [OC, RRinkerman4.4.5, A-]
*8/14/1981 - Jim vs. Molly vs. Claudia vs. Joel - video is wavy at times as well as being rather dark [OB, RRinkermanMay2010, B-]
*8/28/1981 - Rhonna vs. Garry vs. Andrew vs. Kivi - low audio; video breaks up during a part of the intro [SC w/slate, DDowns4.2.1, B]
LATE NIGHT LIARS
Pretty fun show, despite the somewhat simplistic game play. The set is pretty classy, and there's a good sense of humor.
GSN, 2010
Larry Miller
*6/24/2010 - Kristen vs. Ron - a Mickey Rourke puppet is in place of Sir Sabastian Simian - the bonus round stake is increased to $25,000! [8/21/2010 RPT, A+]
*7/8/2010 - Gary vs. Vicki - a Rosie O'Donnell puppet is in place of Shelley Oceans - bonus round stake is increased to $20,000 [9/11/2010 RPT, A+]
*7/22/2010 - Sharon vs. Doug [9/4/2010 RPT, A+]
LET'S MAKE A DEAL
Classic and timeless format with both the risks and the fun of personal deals. The '70s runs are easily the best, but the others are still pretty good for what they are.
NBC, 1963-1968
Monty Hall
*4/1963 hour-long NBC pilot, which is much more calm than later shows, to say the least - first deal involves finding something in a purse for $5 [GAME w/comm, BEvans1.2.1, A+]
ABC, 1968-1976
*12/31/1968 - first deal involves a box for something else - Big Deal $1520 [KIN w/comm, JDay6.4, B+]
*1969 - first deal involves treasure chests and $100 - Monty plugs the nighttime version! - Big Deal $1749 - video is blurry and B&W [KIN w/comm, JMadigan2.4, B]
*VTR 10/30/1974 - first deal is money or the curtain - Big Deal $3960 [SC w/slate, A-]
weekly syndication, 1970-1977
Classic format
*VTR 12/1/1970 - first deal is prices for $10.000 - Big Deal $10258 - early episode with different set [GAME w/comm, RRinkerman4.10.1, A]
*11/13/1971 - first deal involves a Gift Certificate with a mystery amount of zeroes - contains the infamous Runaway Sleigh blooper! - Big Deal $7176 [GSN w/comm, EPerez1.7, A]
*1972 - first deal is the Money Machine [GSN w/comm, A++]
*1973 - first deal involves using $100 to buy various offers... which gets ruined thanks to some loud ducks! - Big Deal $8912 [GAME w/comm, RRinkerman4.9.1, A-]
*1974 - first deal involves some Snik-Snaks - Big Deal $10085 [GSN w/comm, RRinkerman4.9.4, A]
*1974 - first deal involves a box of Candy - Big Deal $10684 - a later deal has Milton Berle as a guest trader! [GAME w/comm, RRinkerman4.9.2, A]
Super Deal format
*1975 - first deal involves either taking 'feed money' or a box - Big Deal $9741 [GSN, A++]
*1976 - first deal involves some mystery money - Big Deal $9322 - Barbara Lesing fills in for Carol! [GAME w/comm, RRinkerman4.9.3, A-]
*1976 - first deal involves a gift certificate with a mystery amount of digits - a few brief cuts come up right before the Big Deal, which is an even $10,000. [GSN, A++]
*1976 - first deal is the Money Machine - Big Deal $9847. Highly recommended! [GSN, A++]
Las Vegas
*VTR 8/9/1976 - first deal is a blackjack game - Big Deal $11695 [GAME w/comm, RRinkerman6.11.1, A+]
*1976 - first deal involves gambling [11/10/1978 RPT w/comm, filtered copy is A with corrected colors and fixed sync; original is JLeeman1.1b, A-]
*5/28/1977 finale - first deal involves 3 wallets - contains an appearance of Monty's daughter, and no appearances of any zonks! - Big Deal $12000 [GSN w/comm, SWylie5d, A++]
Canadian syndication, 1980-1981
*1980 - first deal involves taking either a curtain or another item - Big Deal $5863 - video somewhat yellow-tinted, slightly snowy, and pixelated in bottom half at most points; muffled audio [1985 RPT, TMcSwain5.11, B-]
*1980 - first deal involves trading different items for each of 3 ladies - Big Deal $4235 - most of opening missing - video somewhat snowy, looks pretty dark, and pixelated in bottom half at many points; muffled audio [1985 RPT, TMcSwain5.10, B-]
*1981 - first deal involves money or the curtain - Big Deal $4187 - VERY muffled audio [1986 RPT w/comm, RRinkerman6.11.2, B]
*1981 - first 6 minutes of an ep with various amounts of mystery money [OB, JLeeman0220-3.6, A]
syndication, 1984-1986 ("The All-New LMAD")
*12/1984 (ep 34) - first deal involves up to $9000 for grocery prices - Features the rare cash wheel in Door #4 - Big Deal $8,039 [GSN w/comm, A+]
VTR 5/3/1985 (ep 134) - Geoff Edwards guest hosts! - First deal involves Monty's Money Machine - Big Deal $9,205 [GSN w/comm, RRinkerman4.3.1, A]
*11/14/1985 - First deal involves three items in a curtain - Big Deal $10,370 - Dean opens a box too early! [FAM w/comm, RRinkerman4.3.2, A-]
*1/27/1986 - first deal involves picking high numbers for a Cruise to Mexico - Big Deal $10,445 - the sound mix in this copy is incomplete; most of the prize displays lack the music, and you can even hear behind-the-scenes audio from time to time! [BUZZR, CCohan0720-2.4, A+]
*1/31/1986 - first deal is pricing various items for a car - Big Deal $10,206 [BUZZR, CCohan0430-3.4, A+]
*5/20/1986 - first deal involves some gum - Big Deal $12,836 - includes a special appearance from Jay Stewart and Carol Merrill! - two copies: [OB, RRinkerman4.7.5, B- (missing opening; blurry video, low audio] and [BUZZR, A+ (but inferior frame rate)]
NBC, 1990-1991
Bob Hilton
*7/9/1990 premiere - first deal involves three women, one leading the other two - contains a cold open with Bob near a taxi! [OB, BSchwartz4.6, B]
*1990 - first deal involves 3 gift certificates - Big Deal $12,165 - somebody puts in a The Challengers promo during the intro in a rather sloppy way! [OB w/few comm, RRinkerman4.10.3, A-]
Monty Hall (billed as "guest host")
*1990 - first deal involves a tissue box with money (which doesn't work) - Big Deal $12,288 - low audio; missing most of opening due to transfer problems [OB w/most comm, TMcSwain5.12, B+]
*12/1990 - First deal plays Follow-the-Leader - Big Deal $10,103 - blurry and bright video [OC, RRinkerman4.3.3, B]
NBC primetime, 2003
Billy Bush
*3/18/2003 finale - first deal involves $500 or a mystery envelope - Monty Hall returns to make a deal with someone who lost out on a car in 1976! - Big Deal $51,099 [OC, RRinkerman6.12.3, A+]
CBS, 2009-present
Wayne Brady
*10/5/2009 premiere - first deal involves a bag of chips with money inside - a couple special audience participation deals are done during the first half! - Big Deal $21,219 [OC, A]
*3/26/2010 - first deal uses a dice table to win money, and *Monty Hall* hosts a later deal! - Big Deal $23,460 [OC, A-]
*3/27/2010 - first deal involves picking keys in hopes of unlocking a car... hosted by *Monty Hall*! - Big Deal $22,305 [OC, A-]
*4/1/2010 - info TBA [OB, A++]
*11/2/2010 - first deal involves numbered cards - now with the flashier set [OB, A++]
*12/24/2010 - first deal involves two curtains and a box, each with a clue - everyone is wearing holiday-related costumes! - Big Deal $34,163 [OC, A+]
*4/1/2011 - first deal has three zonks in three curtains... wait, what?!? - Big Deal $31,739 [OC, A]
*9/28/2011 - first deal involves three prizes, one for each of three people. [OB, A++]
LIAR'S CLUB
Great, underrated game with a lot of oddities and guesswork. It's another one where the celebrities really add to the fun, too.
syndication, 1969
Rod Serling (yes, THAT Serling)
*1969 w/Norm Crosby, Betty Walker, Bill Bixby, & Betty White - Judy vs. Tom [SM, RRinkerman6.4.1, A]
*1969 w/Rolfe Peterson, Betty White, Dick Gautier, and Pia Lindstrom - Barbara vs. Bob - missing entire closing segment [SM, IWallis1.2, A-]
KTLA, 1974-1975
Bill Armstrong
*1974 pilot w/Peter Marshall, Fannie Flagg, Joey Bishop, and George Savalas - Jim vs. Terri vs. Diane vs. Maggie - video is still dark but to a significantly lesser extent than before, along with better audio quality [USA, IWallis3.3, B]
*1974 - first 14 minutes of an ep w/Peter Lawford, Betty White, Jim McKrell, and Larry Hovis - Lorraine vs. Bobbi vs. Bud vs. Pat
[USA w/comm, JLeeman0220-3.5, A-]
*1975 w/Larry Hovis, Betty White, Peter Marshall, and Pat McCormick - Dave vs. Kathy vs. Camille vs. Pam - now has the more familiar betting rules; rough frame rate [Color KIN, A-]
syndication, 1976-1979
*1976 w/Larry Hovis, Bob Crane, Harvey Korman, and Tom Bosley - Kathleen vs. Sheldon vs. Jackie vs. Jim - contains a winning score of $20! [USA, JLeeman0620-3.5, B]
*1976 w/Larry Hovis, Peter Marshall, Charlie Brill, and Mitzi McCall - Lisa vs. Margaret vs. Bettye vs. Linda [USA, RRinkerman6.4.2, B-]
*early 1977 w/Larry Hovis, Betty White, Burt Reynolds, and Norman Fell - Christine vs. Michael vs. Moirre vs. Don - Allen Ludden enters in place of Bill, in quite the prophetic cameo [USA, IWallis3.4, B]
*1977 - last 16 minutes of an ep (begins at the end of round 2) w/Larry Hovis, Joey Bishop, Barbara Feldon, and Gary Burghoff - Maureen vs. Rita vs. Yolanda vs. Maria [USA w/comm, RRinkerman0120-2.3, A-]
Allen Ludden
*1977 w/Larry Hovis, Peter Heskell, Betty White, and Buddy Hackett - Dorothy vs. Betty Lou vs. Ann [SM, A]
*early 1978 w/Larry Hovis, Dionna Warwick, Betty White, and Dick Goutier - Judy vs. Neil vs. Carol - random colors faintly fluctuate onscreen; not too distracting though [SM, JLeeman0620-4.5, B+]
*VTR 5/15/1978 w/Larry Hovis, David Letterman, Betty White, and Dick Goutier - Marilyn vs. Vida vs. Martha [SM w/slate, RRinkerman6.4.3, A-]
syndication, 1988-1989
Eric Boardman
*10/4/1988 w/Rebeca Arthur, Paul Kreppel, Teri Copley, and John Barbour - Bruce vs. Mary-Ann vs. Jim vs. Janice [OC, RRinkerman6.4.4, A-]
*late 1988 w/John Barbour, Deborah Tranelli, *Marc Summers*, and Beverly Garland - Alec vs. Betty vs. Charles vs. Denise [Prime, GGarsten0820-4.1, B+]
*1989 w/John Barbour, Teresa Ganzel, Jimmie Walker, and Shannon Tweed - Blane vs. Janice vs. Ernie vs. Kathie [GameTV w/comm, GGarsten0820-4.2, A+]
LINGO
A very creative game, where teams must guess five-letter words based off given letters. The 80s format is good enough, but GSN is where it really became enjoyable.
syndication, 1987-1988
Michael Reagan
*9/28/1987 premiere - Pat and Mary vs. Wendy and Gregg - some minor reception distortion throughout [OB, RRinkerman6.1.1, B]
*10/1987 - Adele and Kate vs. Dan and Steve - blurry video [OB, CCohan0720-3.1, B+]
*10/1987 - Tanis and Randi vs. Adele and Kate - contains a rare $64,000 win! - video is slightly glitchy [OB, CCohan0720-3.2, B]
*11/1987 - Lynda and Sheri vs. Greg and Todd - now uses a revised top prize system [1988 RPT w/comm, RRinkerman817-1.1, A]
Ralph Andrews
*2/22/1988 - Ralph's first episode, due to Reagan's book tour! - Dale and Pam vs. Robin and Evelyn [SM, filtered version is B+ (improved color and brightness); original is RRinkerman7.5.2, B]
*1988 - Kevin and Rebecca vs. Geri and Jodi - contains a No-Lingo Round that must be seen to be believed! [SM, A]
GSN, 2002-2007
Chuck Woolery
*8/21/2002 - Christina and Grant vs. Tanya and Shay - from test run, filmed in the Netherlands set! [OC, RRinkerman6.8.1, A+]
*12/9/2002 season premiere, and debut of the new set! - Leah and Stephen vs. Jeanette and Jason [OC, RRinkerman6.8.2, A]
*4/1/2003 - from GSN's April Fools special, with Todd Newton announcing! - Mark Wahlburg and Marc Summers vs. Kennedy and Graham Elwood [OC, RRinkerman6.9.3, A+]
*10/7/2003 - Sneak Preview of season 3, with governor candidates! - Scott and Kelley vs. Ron and David - debut of new set, music, and Stacey Hayes as hostess! [OC, RRinkerman6.8.3, A]
*1/8/2004 - first-taped episode of season 3, with Paula Cobb as an additional co-host alongside Stacey - Neil and Katie vs. Greg and Tiffany [3/15/2011 RPT, CCohan0720-3.3, A++]
*1/1/2007 (taped for season 4) - from Hawaii Week, with dancers on the stage and fantastic decorating! - Bishop and Rob vs. Robert and Heather - the maximum 10 words is accumulated in Bonus Lingo, but their luck doesn't end there! - slightly buzzy audio [OC, CCohan0720-3.4, A]
*5/22/2006 - Championship Smackdown ep., with Rainee and Stacey (former champions) vs. Jon and Bill (online champions) [2009 RPT w/few comm, RRinkerman817-1.2, A-]
*5/2/2007 - Michael and Matt vs. Leri and Dave - contains an unbelievably one-sided game; the losing team finishes with *25* points and never marks a single number off their boards [4/30/2008 RPT w/comm, CCohan0720-3.5, A]
LOVE CONNECTION
I'm honestly not sure if this even qualifies as a game show, but GSN has shown it and Chuck Woolery does as great a job as you'd expect, so I'll list what I have of it anyway.
NBC, 1983-1993
Chuck Woolery
*1985 - first guest: Robert Fagot (ouch), with Teresa, Catherine, and Tamantha - missing most of opening [GSN, RRinkerman817-6.2, A]
*1991 - first guest: Yolanda, with Emmitt, James, and Derek - the first date's story quickly gets very uncomfortable, leaving Chuck exhausted and speechless! - low audio [GAME, RRinkerman817-6.3, A]
Not the most engaging music game, but there's enough creative concepts and fun moments to keep it afloat.
syndication, 1980-1981
Ron Ely
*1/14/1980 premiere - Bill vs. Diana vs. Matthew vs. Marilyn - dark video [USA, BSchwartz2.1.10, B-]
*3/11/1980 - Adam vs. Julie vs. Al vs. Sarabeth (going for a car!) [FAM, BSchwartz2.1.11, B+]
*3/17/1980 - Matt vs. Kathy vs. Cam vs. Sarabeth [FAM w/comm, BSchwartz2.2.1, B]
*3/18/1980 - Cindy vs. Insimo vs. Irma vs. Sarabeth (going for her tenth win!) [FAM, MTiller3.1, B]
*3/19/1980 - Diane vs. Richard vs. Jeri vs. Edwin (the previous champion retired undefeated, so a mock game was played to give him the title) [FAM w/comm, TMcSwain0820-4.4, A]
*1980 - Marcia vs. Ret vs. Tamara vs. Roger [USA w/comm, PBurgos2.3, A]
*1980 - Jeff vs. Dorothy vs. Michael (he was also on Lange's NTT) vs. Gaylee - check out THIS second round! [FAM w/comm, BSchwartz2.2.2, B+]
*1980 - Terry vs. David vs. Marlo vs. Buddy - Bob Barker is the mystery face! [FAM, MPannoni0320-3.4, B]
*1980 - Kathi vs. Steve vs. Peggy vs. Dennis - this mystery face is likely to ring a bell across the stage... [FAM, MPanoni0320-3.5, B]
*late 1980 - Jim vs. Dale vs. Mark vs. Bill (his tenth day, going for a travel trailer!) - this mystery face is a pretty big 'deal' to most of us! - slightly fuzzy video [FAM, TMcSwain0420-2.4, B+]
*late 1980 - Harry vs. Jo Ann vs. Joe vs. Sam - a tiebreaker has to be played in the championship game! - somewhat muffled audio [FAM, TMcSwain0420-3.1, A-]
*1981 - Debbie vs. Gus vs. PatriciaJo vs. Dave - video is quite jerky, along with brief skips during the final prize plugs due to DVD hangup - low audio in the first half [FAM w/comm, TMcSwain0420-3.2, B]
*1981 - Gary vs. Karyn vs. Larry vs. Tommy - muffled audio [FAM w/comm, BSchwartz2.2.3, B-]
FAMILY FEUD - There's so much feudin' I have, that it just couldn't all fit here.
FAMILY GAME NIGHT
Neat assortment of classic board game remixes.
The Hub, 2010-2013
Todd Newton
Opening game "Guess Who"
*10/10/2010 premiere - Ella's family vs. Kaleb's family - Scrabble Flash/Bop It Boptagon/Cranium (Data Head)/Guesstures Freefall/Operation Relay [OB w/few comm, A+]
*11/5/2010 - Avery's family vs. Daylon's family - Sorry Sliders/Scrabble Flash/Cranium (Creative Cat)/Bop It Boptagon/Connect 4 Basketball - contains the first jackpot win! [11/7/2010 RPT, A+]
*12/24/2010 - Chloe's family vs. Milia's family - Sorry Sliders (the pieces are decorated!)/Boggle/Bop It Boptagon/Cranium (Star Preformer)/Connect 4 Basketball - Holiday special, where the contestants are wearing Santa hats and the set is decorated! [OC, A]
*2011 - Angel's family vs. Conor's family - Boggle/Bop It Boptagon/Yahtzee Bowling/Cranium (Creative Cat)/Operation Relay - early taped ep. with different time limits [OB, BSchwartz3.3.7, B+]
Opening game "Cranium Brain Break"
*9/16/2011 - Mable's family vs. JoJo's family - Operation Slam Dunk/Simon Flash/Spelling Bee/Twister Lights Out [9/18/2011 RPT, A++]
FUN HOUSE
syndication, 1988-1990
J.D. Ross
*3/1/1989 - Pat and Adam vs. David and Barbie - tribute to the New England region! [OC, BSchwarz3.4.2b, A-]
50 GRAND SLAM
Good effort, but there were too many problems with the format for it to last.
NBC, 1976
Tom Kennedy
*10/4/1976 premiere - Sister Martha-Ann vs. David in American Women - video pixelated in bottom half at times, and also rather glitchy some points [OC, JDay2.3, B-]
GAMBIT
CBS, 1972-1976
Wink Martindale
*1974 - Livingston vs. Ferraro - Contains a very lucky Gambit board game! - bright and slightly snowy video, with occasional tracking problems [SM, DBarkow8.1, B]
NBC, 1980-1981 ("Las Vegas Gambit")
‘Gambit board’ bonus round
*10/27/1980 premiere - Preston vs. Donath [OC, JLeeman6.1.3, B+]
*12/18/1980 - Rotermeyers at the Gambit Board - opening missing; begins after first card in bonus - audio low and slightly warpy [OC, TMcSwain5.3, A-]
*1981 - Shiras at the Gambit Board - opening missing - occasional brief blackouts during intro and a couple other points, but should be gone by the end of the first segment [OB, RSeidelman1.1, B+]
*Next ep. - O'Neill vs. Hinton - no credits; cuts during fee plugs [OB, RSeidelman1.2, B+]
*Next ep. - O'Neill vs. Longley - contains a $4500 jackpot win! - closing segment missing, but no gameplay cut [OB, Seidelman1.3, B+]
*Next ep. - O’Neills at the Gambit Board - two copies: [OB, TMcSwain1.1, B (better audio)] and [OB, DBarkow7.2, B+ (but slightly blurrier)]
‘Gambit Galaxy’ bonus round (literally just the Big Numbers)
*11/27/1981 - finale of Single Weeks... and final ep of the series (only announced in a post-production message by Wink) - Leon and Nessa vs. Ray and Janice [OB, JLeeman6.3.5, A- at first then A]
THE GAME OF LIFE
The Hub, 2011-2012
Frank Nicotero
*9/3/2011 premiere (since this is a rerun, all references to that are removed) - Shane, Allie, and Wade vs. Surge, Brianna, and Surgo [9/18/2011 RPT, A++]
GO
The Chain Reaction bonus round with a few small twists to make it a fairly enjoyable watch all things considered.
NBC, 1983-1984
Kevin O'Connell
*10/3/1983 premiere w/Richard Kline and Elaine Joyce - Corey's team vs. Lissa's team [GAME, NJohnson3.1, B+]
*10/31/1983 - first episode using Head-to-Head Format w/Markie Post and Barry Gordon - Debbie's team vs. Larry's team [CBN w/comm, MPannoni4.5, A-]
*11/7/1983 - first day of Soap Opera Stars special w/Days of Our Lives vs. Another World [CBN, DBarkow6.1.1, B]
*11/8/1983 - day 2 of Soap Opera Stars w/same guests as above [CBN, DBarkow6.1.2, B]
*1/20/1984 finale w/Didi Conn and Charlie Seibert - Janet's team vs. Pat's team [GAME, NJohnson3.2, A-]
THE GONG SHOW
The show that proves whether or not you know talent when you see it.
NBC, 1976-1978
*VTR 1976 w/Jack Cassidy, JoAnne Worley, and Jamie Farr - first taped episode, hosted by John Barbour... which went over so poorly, he was axed and his episodes went unaired - first act is the Alphabet Kids [GAME, CDonegan1219-2.2, A]
Chuck Barris
*6/14/1976 premiere w/Anson Williams, Phyllis Diller, and Pat Harrington - first act is Dan Oh [GAME w/comm, CDonegan1219-2.1, A+]
*6/22/1976 w/Anson Williams, Phyllis Diller, and Jamie Farr - one act impersonates Phyllis! [SM, JLeeman0620-3.2, A-]
*12/24/1976 w/Arte Johnson, Virginia Graham, and Jamie Farr - first act is Larry and his Magic Axe - the set is decorated for the holidays, and Barris mentions the show's renewal! [GAME w/comm, JLeeman0620-5.1, A-]
*early 1977 w/Arte Johnson, Jaye P. Morgan, and Jamie Farr... who, halfway through, decide to tie up Chuckie and host the show themselves! [GAME, IWallis1.5, A-]
*3/18/1977 w/Arte Johnson, Jaye P. Morgan, and Steve Martin - first act is Michael Lincoln - everybody gets gonged, so there is no winner! [GAME w/comm, RRinkerman6.6.2, A]
*4/1/1977 w/Rip Taylor, Susan George, and Peter Lawford - first act is Melanie Odie [1980s syn w/most comm, JLeeman0620-2.3, B]
*4/26/1977 hour-long, all-star primetime special w/Jamie Farr, Arte Johnson, and Jaye P. Morgan - from the 25th anniversary marathon, hosted by the Unknown Comic! [GAME w/comm, GGarsten0820-2.2, A+]
*8/5/1977 w/Jaye P. Morgan, Charlie Brill, and Mitzi McCall - the staff celebrates its almost-300th show! - audio starts off slightly garbled, but gradually improves in quality [GSN, JLeeman0620-3.1, A- then A]
*1977 w/Jamie Farr, Jaye P. Morgan, and Chuck Woolery - first act is the Hot Dogs [USA, GGarsten0820-2.1, B]
*11/1977 w/Phyllis Diller, Jamie Farr, and Jaye P. Morgan - first act is Star Dust, but later is the ever-infamous "Have You Got a Nickel"! [GAME w/comm, CDonegan0620-1.3, A]
*2/22/1978 w/Gene Gene the Dancing Machine, Jaye P. Morgan, and Jamie Farr - first act is Arm O'Neill - blurry video with some frame blurring [OC, filtered version is B+ (fixed A/V sync and adjusted contrast/saturation); original is JLeeman0620-2.1, B-]
*5/25/1978 w/Fred Travalena, Michele Lee, and Wayland & Madame - one act is Paul Reubens dressed as an indian! [GAME w/comm, RRinkerman517-3.5, A-]
*6/21/1978 w/Gary Mule Deer, Michelle Lee, and Pat McCormick - first act is Arthur Latcher - includes some behind-the-scenes audio and even the band warming up before the show starts, and some unaired footage during one of the ad breaks! [SM w/slate, JLeeman0620-1.4, A-]
*7/21/1978 finale (really one of Chuckie's Fables, hosted by Fenwick Gotter) w/Carl Ballentine, Patty Andrews, and Jamie Farr - Chuck does his own act later, and he gets gonged! - two copies: [GAME w/comm, RRinkerman6.6.3, A] and [OC, JLeeman0620-2.2, A-]
weekly syndication, 1976-1980
Gary Owens
*VTR 8/1/1976 premiere w/Elke Sommer, Rex Reed, and Phyllis Diller - first act is Marybelle Scott [SM w/slate, Rrinkerman6.6.1, A-]
Chuck Barris
*late 1977 w/Candy Clark, Rex Reed, and Jaye P. Morgan - first act is Tony Fabre [3/1979 RPT w/comm, filtered version is A (fixed brightness and color); original is CDonegan417-4.4, A-]
*1978 w/Dick Shawn, Patty Andrews, and Jamie Farr - tribute to Elvis, where every act attempts to impersonate the king! [USA, CDonegan0620-2.1, A-]
*1979 w/Jamie Farr, Jaye P. Morgan, and David Sheiner - 5 acts get a perfect score! [USA, JLeeman0620-3.3, B]
*1979 w/Freeman King, Martha Reeves, and Pat McCormick - first act is the LA Knockers [USA, CDonegan0620-2.2, B+]
syndication, 1988-1989
Don Bleu
*9/1988 (from first week) w/Argus Hamilton, Molly Cheek, and Ramone Azteca - first act is Andy Stewart [OB, RRinkerman6.6.4, B+]
*9/23/1988 w/George Wallace, Pam Matteson, and Dweezil Zappa - first act is the Tapping Tomato (really) - missing opening; begins during Bleu's introduction [OC, MPannoni0320-5.4, A-]
*9/27/1988 w/the Fat Boys, Rebeca Arthur, and Kurt Rambis - first act is Herman Schmerdley [OC, MPannoni0320-5.1, A-]
*9/28/1988 w/same guests as above - first act is Two Hits & A Miss [OC, MPannoni0320-5.2, A-]
GREED
Great show that was knocked off along with the other so-called Millionaire knock-offs.
FOX, 1999-2000
Chuck Woolery
*11/11/1999 (ep. 2) - starts with Melissa, Curtis Warren, Jackie, Melissa, and Dan Avila at $25,000 [GAME w/comm, RRinkermanJan117-2.2, A]
*11/18/1999 - starts with Melissa, CURTIS WARREN, and DAN AVILA at $2.2M - yep, this is the infamous episode in which Dan goes for it all! Highly recommended! [GAME w/comm, RRinkerman6.3.1, A+]
*5/26/2000 College Week ep. - starts with Nakia's team at $25,000 - Chuck mentions hosting WOF after an infamous question about it comes up [GAME w/comm, RRinkerman6.3.2, A+]
HEADLINE CHASERS
syndication, 1985-1986
Wink Martindale
*9/9/1985 premiere - Bob and Cindy vs. Annie and Toby [OC, RRinkerman5.3.1, A]
*10/22/1985 - Terry and Karen vs. Therese and Jon - due to a station goof-up, a promo for itself is accidentally aired, along with its slate! - audio slightly off-sync [OC, RRinkerman5.3.2, A]
HE SAID, SHE SAID
Basically, an early version of Tattletales. Still fun enough, though.
syndication, 1969-1970
Joe Garagiola
*1969 - Convy (with Bert) vs. Holbrook-Rossen vs. Zamfino-Peaker vs. Clark (with Dick) [GAME, TMcSwain7.8, A-]
*VTR 4/20/1970 - Fabray-MacDougall vs. Ray vs. Davidson (with John before he was a GS host!) vs. Field-Craig - timecode on top of screen [SM w/slate, JLeeman3.1.4, A]
HIGH ROLLERS
A simple, fun game where strategy is key and the risks are high. The late '70s is easily the best run for Trebek's hosting and the nice, intimate tone.
NBC, 1974-1976, 1978-1980
Alex Trebek
*5/19/1978 - Daphne vs. Gene - first ever situation in which all 3 columns are full… and Gene wins it all! And his luck doesn’t stop there! [SM, TMcSwain1.3, B]
*3/2/1979 - Randy vs. Alan [OC, JLeeman6.4, B+]
*3/27/1979 - Candace vs. Pearl [OC, DBarkow9.4, A-]
*12/4/1979 - Sherri vs. Fred [OC, JDay1.1, B+]
*12/31/1979 - Jane vs. Donna - video is pretty dark and kind of grainy [OB, IMcLinn2.1, B+]
*2/28/1980 - Steven vs. Techla [OC, filtered version is A- (fixed color and brightness); original is GBrobeck1.1, B+]
*3/18/1980 - Marianne vs. Cheryl [OC, filtered version is A- (darkened the video with significantly improved saturation); original is IMcLinn2.2, B+]
*3/25/1980 - Tom vs. John - a HUGE win occurs in one game! [OC, JDay1.3, A]
*5/7/1980 - Rich vs. Ted - slightly fuzzy video; audio slightly warpy [OC, JDay1.2, B+]
*6/20/1980 finale - Richard vs. Lee - Alex is acting rather strangely... some people say he's drunk. - slight antenna distortion [OC, filtered version is A- (improved saturation); original is IMcLinn2.3, B+]
syndication, 1987-1988
Wink Martindale
*VTR 12/1986 pilot - Carol vs. John - at the end, a pitchfilm is shown with a pilot-exclusive minigame [SM, PBurgos2.6.1, A+]
*9/14/1987 premiere - Anna vs. Al - no big numbers due to the length of the game [OB, PBurgos1.7, B]
*9/16/1987 - Wendy vs. Al - this match is even longer than the premiere! [USA, PBurgos7.6, A-]
*9/17/1987 - Wendy vs. Al (still going!) - after this long game, a very SHORT game follows! - some slight spotty cable distortion toward the end [OB, PBurgos7.7, A-]
*9/25/1987 - Claudia vs. Rick [OB, PBurgos2.6.2, B+]
*11/2/1987 - Jerry at Big Numbers - somewhat dark and slightly wavy video [USA w/comm, JOswald2.1, B]
*11/5/1987 – Irene vs. Chris [USA, PBurgos7.8, B+]
*11/24/1987 - Julie vs. Nevin - very faint ghost pictures [USA, PBurgos1.4, A]
*12/7/1987 - Darrell vs. Brian - a champ retires undefeated! - ghost pictures throughout [USA, PBurgos1.2, A-]
*12/22/1987 - Nancy vs. Robert [SM w/slate and few comm, A]
*1/1988 - Cheryl at Big Numbers - video slightly shaky at times & slightly wavy [OB, PBurgos2.4.1, B-]
*1988 - Janine vs. Greg [OB, PBurgos7.9, B]
HISTORY IQ
Who would've thunk such a channel had a game show?
History Channel, 2000-2001
Marc Summers
*2001 - $250K tournament finals! - Robin vs. Leszek (from Jeopardy! and WBSM) vs. John [2002(?) RPT, TMcSwain6.3.2, A+]
HIT MAN
Game shows don't get much more creative than this one. It all comes together really well, but the way they showcase the subjects definitely shortened its possible lifespan.
NBC, 1983
Peter Tomarken
*1/3/1983 premiere - The Wizard of Oz and Jeans - Rod vs. Karen vs. Bobby vs. Laura [SM, GBrobeck2.1, A-]
*1/1983 - Bette Davis and clowns - Emily vs. Gil vs. Jackie vs. Kay - video slightly jumpy throughout [OB, DBarkow8.4, B]
*2/3/1983 - Abbott & Costello and the American Social Scene - Larry vs. Beverly vs. Craig vs. Emily [OB, JLeeman5.2.6, B+]
*2/4/1983 - American Bandstand and Custard's Last Stand - Ray vs. Marianne vs. Mel vs. Beverly - video slightly shaky most points and rather glitchy at times [OC, RRinkerman4.2.2, B-]
*2/7/1983 - Cleopatra and the History of Dogs - Barbara vs. Billie vs. Kris vs. Beverly [OC, RRinkerman4.2.1, A-]
*2/8/1983 - TV Commercials and Hearst - Patricia vs. Fred vs. Patty vs. Beverly - video blurry, occasionally glitchy, and occasionally jumpy; audio slightly off-sync [OB, DBarkow9.1, B-]
*2/9/1983 – P.T. Barnum and Where Words Come From – Kacey vs. Chuck vs. Jennifer vs. Patricia [OC, DDowns8.1, B+]
*2/10/1983 - Marlin Brando and Vice Presidents - Carol vs. Marlin vs. Diane vs. Kacey - jumpy video [OC, TMcSwain4.6, C]
*3/1983 - Casablanca and Henry VIII's wives - Barbara vs. Dan Angel (before he became famous) vs. Cathy vs. Leon - Unusual triple crown result! - most of opening missing [OC, TMcSwain1.4, A-]
*3/1983 - W.C. Fields and Stamps - Barbara vs. Curtis vs. Carol vs. Leon (same as above; his EIGHTH day!) - video somewhat blurry; buzzy audio [OC, TMcSwain5.9, B]
*3/29/1983 - Stardom and Winston Churchill - Sheila vs. Bart vs. Liz vs. Woodryan - slightly wavy video at times [OC, DBarkow8.4, B]
*3/30/1983 - Jean Harlow and Prophets - Johanna vs. Larry vs. Laura vs. Sheila - most of open and entire closing segment missing - video slightly wavy at times; buzzy audio at times [OC, TMcSwain5.8, B]
*4/1/1983 finale (so FORGET IT!) - Gene Kelly and Vice Presidents - Laureen vs. RANDY WEST vs. Julie vs. Sheila - video slightly wavy at times and occasionally shifts slightly "out of place"; buzzy audio, which occasionally gets notably bad [OC, PBurgos4.3, B-]
HOLLYWOOD SQUARES - Regardless of if you're going for the win or block, this is the secret square.
HOT POTATO
Good list game that would've been better off without celebrities.
NBC, 1984
Bill Cullen
civilian format
*1/23/1984 premiere - Moms-to-Be vs. Teachers [OC, SWylie2.1, B+]
*3/22/1984 - Accountants vs. Car Saleswomen [GSN w/comm, SWylie5f, A++]
*3/23/1984 - Accountants vs. Pro Surfers - contains a rare look at Bill Cullen without his glasses [GAME w/few comm, B]
*3/27/1984 - Accountants vs. Circus Performers [GAME w/few comm, B+]
*4/13/1984 - Coast Guard Rescue Team vs. Interior Designers [GAME, B+]
*4/20/1984 - Reporters vs. Auctioneers - last episode with civilian teams... oh well [GAME, GGarsten0820-2.3, A]
celebrity format
*1984 (unaired on NBC) w/Phyllis Diller, Emma Samms, Rene Enriquez, and Billy Huffsey - first taped episode with the celebrity format! - Tracy vs. Marji [GAME, GGarsten0820-3.1, A]
*5/8/1984 - from the Daytime vs. Nighttime tournament! - Leann Hunley, James Reynolds, Anne-Marie Martin vs. George Wyner, Marla Gibbs, Jenilee Harrison [USA, GGarsten2.3, B+]
*6/29/1984 finale w/Arte Johnson, Anson Williams, Jan Murray, and Lanie Kazan - Carrie vs. Rod [OC, SWylie2.2, B+]
HOT SEAT
Meh show with okay gameplay, could-be-better execution, and an admittedly cool lie detector.
ABC, 1976
Jim Peck
*7/1976 (possibly the premiere) - Jim and Debbie vs. Jeff and Susan - contains TWO consecutive voiceovers for Family Feud, which confusingly enough, mention different timeslots! - opening is pretty glitchy, and for the rest there's a slight glitch here and there [OC, JLeeman6.2.2, B+]
I'LL BET
A fun celebrity gossip game that shouldn't have been short-lived.
NBC, 1965
Jack Narz
*9/6/1965 - Bob Askinson and Denise Darcel vs. Nancy and Robert Culp - rather bright video [OC, CDonegan6.1.5, B]
INSTANT RECALL
Not too bad; maybe it would've had a much better chance if they just focused on one game instead of two, since it just feels much too rushed when the gameplay comes around.
GSN, 2010
Wink Martindale
*3/4/2010 premiere - first game involves a love seminar [OB, A++]
IT'S ANYBODY'S GUESS
syndication, 1977
Monty Hall
*9/23/1977 - Denise vs. Joe - muffled and buzzy audio [SM w/slate, RRinkermanDec2011/8.3, B]
IT'S YOUR BET
This time, the other celebrity gossip game got the chance it needed.
syndication, 1969-1973
Hal March
*1969 - Michael Callen and Patricia Hearty vs. Jan and Toni Murray [SM, NJohnson1.2, A+]
*VTR 10/21/1969 - Tom Kennedy subs... which would eventually become permanent - Lyle and Sharon Waggoner vs. Imogene and King Donovan Coca [SM w/slate, NJohnson1.1, A+]
iWITNESS
I only really recorded this one because my friend wanted copies. That being said, the show isn't badly made by any stretch, it's just that not much really grabbed my interest.
syndicated test run, 2017 (which my station didn't even finish)
John Henson
*7/11/2017 (second ep.) - Tony vs. Courtney vs. Luis [OB, A++]
*7/13/2017 - Jenelle vs. Ryan vs. Percy [OB, A++]
JACKPOT!
A rather neat riddle show with plenty of ways to win.
NBC, 1974-1975
Geoff Edwards
*1/3/1975 - Anne at $1985 and 11 players left - a later Super Jackpot is worth $38,750! This is the best version of them all, as proved here! [SM, TMcSwain6.2.1, A-]
USA, 1985-1988
Mike Darrow
*1986 - Barry at $4100 and 15 players left - you can tell things will get exciting, can't you? [OB, JOswaldtape1.4, A-]
*Next ep. - Barry starts a game [OB, JOswaldtape1.1, B+]
*1987 - Kerry Ann at $325 and 13 players left - $10K Riddler is crowned! [OB, JOswaldtape1.2, B+]
*1987 - Larissa starts a game - two "big" wins occur in this ep.! [OB, JOswaldtape1.3, B+]
syndication, 1989-1990
Geoff Edwards
*9/18/1989 premiere - Lynne starts a game [OB, GGarsten3.1, B+]
*9/19/1989 - Lynne at $615 and 7 players left [OB, GGarsten3.2, B+]
*9/22/1989 (fifth ep.) - Lee at $570 and 7 players left [OB, TMcSwain6.3.4, B+]
*late 1989 - Cory at $890 and 15 players - now in better quality! [OB, CCohan0720-2.3, B]
JEOPARDY!
‘What is, one of the most recognizable and perfect game shows ever?'
NBC, 1964-1975
Art Fleming
*9/7/1966 - first 5 minutes of an ep. w/Libby vs. Joy vs. Irene - cuts after second question - video is VERY bright, blurry, and rather glitchy at times (especially at the beginning and the end) [SC w/slate, CDonegan4.1.7, B-]
*2/21/1972 - 2000th ep., with a special appearance by Mel Brooks! Also, only a special version of Double Jeopardy is played with 6 daily doubles! - Burns vs. Jane vs. Elliot - muffled audio [GAME w/comm, BSchwartz3.3.1, B+]
*4/24/1974 - Norma vs. Larry vs. Anne - now in better, far less compressed quality [SM w/slate, filtered version is B+ (corrected color and inconsistent brightness); original is CDonegan1219-1.5, B]
*6/27/1974 - Karen vs. Kent vs. Kim - no video for 15 seconds [SM, DBarkow5.1.1, A-]
*1/3/1975 finale (with a somewhat haunting ending) - Robin vs. Robin vs. Linda [SM, DDowns3.1, A-]
weekly syndication, 1974-1975
*11/23/1974 - Barbara vs. Ron vs. Beth - B&W video - missing a small part of opening; cuts off at Fleming's closing remarks [OB, B+]
NBC, 1978-1979
*10/2/1978 premiere - Emily vs. Richard vs. Jim [SC (Armed Forces service), JLeeman5.1.2, A+]
*10/3/1978 - Richard vs. Harriet vs. Todd [SC (Armed forces service), JLeeman5.2.1, A+]
*11/13/1978 - Karen (she also appeared in the '83 pilot) vs. Brian vs. Vi - blurry video, but great quality otherwise [OB w/few comm, A-]
*1/16/1979 - Clarence vs. Nina vs. Bill - somewhat distorted audio [OC, B+]
*1979 - Tournament of Champions finals! - Stuart vs. Todd vs. Philip - contains a truly exciting Double Jeopardy! Counts as half an episode due to virtually all non-gameplay footage being cut [OB, A-]
*3/2/1979 finale - Charlie vs. Susan vs. Doug [GAME, DDowns3.2, A-]
syndication, 1984-present
Alex Trebek
*VTR 9/18/1983 first pilot (the unsold one) - Karen vs. Jack Campion vs. Cynthia - contains a lot of cosmetic elements from the Fleming versions and also a very strange (yet somewhat cool) futuristic set! [SM, filtered version is A- (improved color); original is GBrobeck3.1, B+]
*1984 second pilot (the sold one) - Jack Campion vs. Cynthia vs. Michael - this one much more resembles what we got - now in master quality! [Netflix, A+]
*9/10/1984 PREMIERE - Greg vs. Lois vs. Frank [GAME, PBurgos1.5, A-]
*9/11/1984 - Greg vs. Lynn vs. Paul - very strange and shocking final Jeopardy result! - video blurry and slightly glitchy at times [OC, PBurgos1.6, B-]
*9/14/1984 - Larry vs. Lorrie vs. Howard Wilson (from Whew!) [OC, DDownsBonus3.1, A-]
*10/5/1984 - Elise (her fifth day!) vs. Richard vs. Stan [OC, CCohan0420-6.2, A]
*11/26/1984 - Richard vs. Leland vs. Sara - blurry video and rough frame rate [OB, filtered version is B (improved color and brightness, though results aren't quite perfect); original is DFendley.1, B-]
*11/27/1984 - Richard (his fifth game) vs. Elaine vs. Mark - blurry video and rough frame rate [OB, filtered version is B (see above ep.); original is DFendley.2, B-]
*11/28/1984 - Mark vs. Alice vs. Don [OC, filtered version is B+ (improved color); original is BSchwartz2.3.5a, B]
*11/29/1984 - Mark vs. Tom vs. Nancy [OC, filtered version is B+; original is BSchwartz2.3.5b, B]
*12/4/1984 - Dan vs. Mary vs. Richard ( back due to an error) [OC, filtered version is B+; original is BSchwartz2.2.4, B]
*12/10/1984 - Ric vs. Brian vs. Linda [OC, filtered version is B+; original is BSchwartz2.2.5, B]
*12/11/1984 - Ric vs. Dale vs. Hal (with a very strange getup!) - thin black lines flicker on screen most of the time [OC, filtered version is B+; original is BSchwartz2.2.6, B-]
*3/4/1985 - Bruce vs. Yvonne vs. Bob [GAME w/few comm, DDownsBonus6.4, A]
*4/10/1985 - Mike vs. Monte vs. Mini [GAME, DFendley.3, A-]
*9/9/1985 season premiere - Alan vs. Susan vs. Steve - contains the debut of the new set, the new buzzing-in rule, and the champion being on the RIGHT-MOST podium (the latter, of course, ended up being super short-lived) [OC, RRinkermanDec2011/7.1, A-]
*10/3/1985 - Chuck vs. Claudia vs. Renee - slightly squiggly video at some points [1986 RPT, DBarkow5.1.2, B+]
*10/4/1985 - Chuck (his fifth game) vs. Susan vs. Linda [GAME w/few comm, DBarkow5.1.3, A-]
*10/25/1985 - MARK LEINWAND vs. Faye vs. AL LUSHER [GAME, RRinkerman7.2.1, B+]
*4/22/1986 - Kurt vs. Randy Amesia vs. Susan - video squiggles at most points; garbled and muffled audio [SM w/slate, BSchwartz2.2.7, B-]
*4/23/1986 - Randy Amesia vs. Pam vs. Lois - audio even more distorted than above [SM, BSchwartz2.2.8, B]
*5/26/1986 - Marvin Shinkman vs. Robert vs. Francis [OB, RRinkerman1.1, A-]
*11/4/1986 tournament ep. - Paul vs. Marvin Shinkman vs. Jared [GAME, RRinkerman1.2, A]
*3/2/1987 - Virginia vs. Paula vs. Pat - Alex plugs the Seniors tournament! [GAME, DBarkow5.1.4, A-]
*11/20/1987 Tournament finals - Dave vs. Eugene vs. Bob [OC, RRinkerman6.11.3, B+]
*12/10/1987 - David vs. Tom vs. Kathy - includes PA lottery drawings! - slightly garbled audio [OC, BSchwartz3.4.5, A]
*1/25/1988 - Stephanie vs. Leanne vs. Sue [OC, DDowns4.1.1, A-]
*4/6/1988 - Bob vs. Peter (later achieved fame on NPR) vs. Joe - rather dark video [OC, RRinkerman6.11.4, A-]
*7/5/1988 - Kevin vs. John vs. Andrea - a new one-day record is set! [OB, PBurgos2.8.4a, A-]
*5/23/1989 - Lisa vs. Rich vs. Janet - pretty bright video [SM, DDownsBonus3.2, A-]
*5/24/1989 - Rich vs. Otis vs. Judi [SM, DDownsBonus3.3, A-]
*5/25/1989 - Rich vs. Tom vs. Lynn [SM, DDownsBonus3.4, A-]
*5/26/1989 - Rich vs. Doug vs. Thompson - some messed color in areas [SM, DDownsBonus3.5, B]
*5/29/1989 - Rich (his fifth game) vs. Robert vs. Susan [SM, DDowns4.1.2, B]
*1/9/1990 - Joe vs. Frank Spangenberg vs. Al [Crackle, CCohan1.3, A+]
*2/16/1990 - teen tournament finals - Jamie vs. Andrew vs. Richard [OC, PBurgos6.5, A]
*9/3/1990 season premiere - Michael vs. Peter vs. Debra - video slightly fuzzy [OB, PBurgos2.8.4b, B+]
*7/19/1991 - Senior's tournament finals, also final day with the late-’80s set - Mary vs. Lou vs. Bob [OC, DDowns4.1.5, B]
*5/18/1992 - Don vs. Jerome Vered vs. Katie [SM, JFisher2.2, B+]
*5/22/1992 - Jerome Vered (he goes for game #5!) vs. Daniel (who also was on TTD’90) vs. Julie [SM, JFisher2.3, B+]
*10/26/1992 - Celebrity Jeopardy w/Carol Burnett vs. Donna Mills vs. Regis Philbin [GAME, DDowns4.1.3, B]
*7/12/1993 - Senior's tournament semi-finals! - Sandi vs. Lee vs. Noel - uneven color in upper half; low audio [GAME, RRinkerman5.8.5, B]
*11/9/1993 - Celebrity Jeopardy w/Ed Asner vs. Teri Garr vs. Pat Sajak(!) [OB, RRinkerman0120-4.1, A-]
*12/3/1993 - 10th anniversary tournament finals, pt. 2! - Frank vs. Tom vs. Leslie - low audio [OB, RRinkerman7.2.2, A-]
*5/23/1994 - Pat vs. Gregg vs. Larry [OB, DDowns4.1.6, B+]
*12/8/1995 - Gwen vs. Michael vs. Richard (he appeared on the ‘78 premiere!) - bright video [GAME, DDowns4.1.7, B+]
*11/11/1996 - Celebrity Jeopardy w/Beverly Sills vs. John Mahoney vs. Laura Innes - first day with the Sushi Bar set [OB, DDowns4.1.4, A-]
*4/1/1997 - Paul vs. Lori vs. Christian - April Fools episode, hosted by *Pat Sajak* and contains some very apt categories! - muffled audio and video that's clearly a few gens distorted [OB, B-]
*5/5/1997 - first day of the International Tournament, taped in Sweden; the host of their version appears in the first few minutes! - Boris (Israel) vs. Dana (Denmark) vs. Tobias (Germany) [OB, RRinkerman117-7.1, B+]
*6/12/1998 - Steve vs. Robert vs. Marion [OB, RRinkerman6.9.2, A-]
*2/16/1999 - Third Semifinals of Tournament of Champions! - Dave Abbott vs. Dan Girard vs. Pat Healy [SM, RRinkerman0120-5.6, A+]
*10/20/1999 - Keith vs. Eddie Timanus vs. Becky [OB, TMcSwain0820-2.2, B+]
*10/26/1999 - Eddie Timanus (the show's first blind contestant, on his fifth day!) vs. Jane vs. Ted - includes newly-added comments from Alex (though one of these ends up cutting out a prize plug), and an update on Eddie's life! [2009 RPT w/few comm, RRinkerman117-4.1, A]
*10/30/2000 - David vs. Regina vs. Brad Rutter (his first appearance!) [6/2002 RPT w/comm, MPannoni0320-2.1, A]
*10/31/2000 - Brad Rutter vs. Annette vs. Mike [Crackle, CCohan2.4, A+]
*11/3/2000 - Brad Rutter (his fifth game!) vs. Jim vs. Laurence [SM w/slate, RRinkerman0120-4.2, B+]
*11/26/2001 - Kristin vs. Geoffrey vs. Harold - first episode with doubled values! [SM w/slate, GGarsten0820-3.3, A-]
*5/14/2002 - final day of the Million Dollar Masters, taped in New York City! - Bob Verini vs. Eric Newhouse vs. Brad Rutter [2003 RPT w/comm, RRinkerman117-7.2, A]
*4/16/2003 - Brian (his fifth day!) vs. Russell vs. Vicki [OC, TMcSwain0820-4.3, A-]
*11/22/2002 - College Championship finals, and final episode with dashed scoreboards - Mark vs. Kyle vs. Jani - features a Pyramid promo for the Dick Clark challenge! [OC, B]
*6/2/2004 - Jerry vs. KEN JENNINGS (his FIRST game!) vs. Julia [GSN w/comm, A+]
*7/13/2004 - Ken Jennings ($972K; day 30) vs. Irene vs. Max - Ken enters seven-digit territory! [OC, RRinkerman117-4.2, A]
*10/15/2004 - Ken Jennings ($1.94M; day 58) vs. Josh vs. Jose [GSN w/comm, A++]
*11/3/2004 - Ken Jennings ($2.15M, day 65) vs. Denise vs. Rob - the all-time game show winnings record is broken! [OC, RRinkerman117-4.3, A]
*11/8/2006 - Celebrity Jeopardy (filmed in Radio City Music Hall!) w/Regis Philbin vs. Nancy Grace vs. Carson Kressley - Kate Reinders from Wicked appears for a Daily Double! [OC, RRinkerman0120-4.3, A]
*3/16/2007 - Scott vs. Jamie vs. Andress - contains the only three-way tie in the history of the series! [OC, TMcSwain0820-2.3, A]
*3/19/2007 - Scott vs. Jamie vs. Andress (again!) [OC, TMcSwain0820-2.4, A]
*1/2/2009 - Michael vs. Ben vs. Rebecca [OB, A++]
*9/14/2009 season premiere, and permanent debut of the new set! - Stefan vs. Erique vs. Elizabeth [OB, A++]
*10/12/2009 - Terry vs. Jeff Kirby (found to be ineligible after being on the show 10 years earlier) vs. Emma [OC, RRinkerman4.5.4, A++]
*3/31/2010 - Stacy vs. Pat vs. Matt [OB, A++]
*4/1/2010 - April Fools show, with several post-production celebrity cameos! Also, one contestant mentions Pitfall! - Matt vs. Ken vs. Jessica [OB, A++]
*12/24/2010 - Tom (his ninth day!) vs. Marissa vs. Chris [OB, A+]
*2/14/2011 - first day of IBM superchallenge! - Ken Jennings vs. Watson (IBM supercomputer) vs. Brad Rutter - contains Single Jeopardy and some backstories on Watson - missing first two minutes or so; begins at Watson's introduction [OB, A+]
*2/15/2011 - second day of IBM superchallenge! - Ken Jennings vs. Watson vs. Brad Rutter - contains Double and Final Jeopardy of game 1! [OB, A+]
*9/23/2011 - Justin vs. Amit vs. Jessica - Trebek has limited mobility here due to a certain incident that happened over the summer. [OB, A++]
*11/15/2011 tournament finals - Roger vs. Tom vs. Buddy [OB, A++]
*4/4/2019 - Alex vs. Anna vs. James Holzhauer (his first appearance!) [OC, A+]
*4/8/2019 - James Holzhauer (day 3) vs. Maryanne vs. Matthew [OC, A+]
*4/17/2019 - James Holzhauer (day 10) vs. Hannah vs. Lorelle - James finishes with a record-shattering $131K! - missing first minute [OC, A+]
ABC primetime, 1990 ("Super Jeopardy!")
*6/16/1990 premiere - Bob vs. Bruce vs. Steve vs. Ouida [OB, GGarsten0820-4.3, A-]
*6/30/1990 - Elise vs. Richard vs. Gary vs. Eric - blurry video [OB, TMcSwain4.7, B+]
*7/7/1990 semifinals ep. - Bob vs. Eugene vs. Eric - blurry video [OB, TMcSwain4.8, B+]
*7/14/1990 - Mark vs. Paul vs. Kathy vs. Keith - bright and blurry video [OB, DBarkow5.1.5, B]
*7/21/1990 - Rich vs. Bruce vs. Liz vs. Burns (from the Fleming era!) - bottom of the screen is clearly cut, and the audio isn't in the best shape [OB, GGarsten0820-4.4, A-]
*7/28/1990 - Tom vs. Leah vs. Lionel vs. Roger - same issues as above [OB, DBarkow5.2.1, B]
*8/4/1990 semifinals ep. - Keith vs. Bruce vs. Roger [OC, DBarkow5.2.2, B+]
*9/8/2000 - $250,000 finals! - Dave vs. Bruce vs. Bob [OB, RRinkerman817-5.4, A-]
THE JOKER’S WILD
A true Barry-Enright gem. The slot machine makes things especially fun and exciting! CBS is the best for the intimate tone; Finn's is flawed but still good enough by itself.
CBS, 1972-1975
*VTR 12/8/1968 first pilot, hosted by Allen Ludden with a much different scoring system and celebrities asking the questions - celebrities: Don Drysdale, Rosemary Clooney, Rich Little, Irene Ryan, Pat Paulson - Carol vs. Craig [SM (KIN), CDonegan6.1.3, A-]
*VTR 1/5/1969 second pilot, much like the first pilot sans the celebs - Dinah vs. Charles [SM w/slate, CDonegan6.1.4, A+]
Jack Barry
Prize Board bonus format
*9/4/1972 PREMIERE - Susan vs. Ed [GAME, JOswald3.1, A-]
*9/5/1972 - Ed vs. Mary [GAME, JLeeman6.5.3, A-]
*9/6/1972 - Mary vs. Tex - a different version of this bonus format debuts here, and it starts off with a bang! [GAME, JLeeman6.5.4, B+]
*9/12/1972 - Winfield at Bonus Round - this ep shows why 3 jokers shouldn't be an automatic, question-free win [GAME, CCohan0420-3.2, A-]
*9/18/1972 - Ernest at Bonus Round - last ep. with prize board format, and first ep. with jokers and devils bonus format! [GAME, TMcSwainD1.3, B+]
Jokers and Devils bonus format
*9/19/1972 - Ernest vs. Kira - this ep. starts off in a very exciting manner! Plus, Maggie Brown is a contestant later on! [GAME, TMcSwainD1.4, B+]
*9/26/1972 - Cindy at Bonus Round [GAME, MTiller7.1, A-]
*9/27/1972 - John vs. Kathy - a later contestant, Sophie Garry, is... interesting, to say the least [GAME, MTiller7.2, A-]
*9/28/1972 - Kathy vs. Sophie (Still wacky!) - includes the first Joker’s Jackpot win! [GAME, DBarkow5.2, A-]
*10/16/1972 - Joel vs. Linda - Jack rather humorously mispronounces "omomatopoeia" [GAME, TMcSwain717-1.4, A-]
*12/4/1972 - Isa (going for the jackpot!) vs. Bill - a game is won because the bonus jokers were left on the slides by mistake, which is never acknowledged! [GAME, CDonegan1219-4.2, A-]
*12/15/1972 - Barbara vs. Father Richard - Quite the fascinating game; it goes on for the whole show, and Father Richard gains an interesting relationship with the horse racing category [GAME, CCohan0420-4.1, A-]
*1/5/1973 - Kathy (going for the jackpot!) vs. Wayne - features the return of the contestant who got screwed by the error on 12/4 [GAME w/comm, CCohan0420-4.2, A]
*2/12/1973 - Lynn (going for the jackpot!) vs. Steve - VERY exciting game! [GAME, CCohan0420-4.3, A]
*3/27/1973 - Ken vs. Patti - Jack plugs the upcoming Kids' Week! [GAME, JOswaldtape1.11, A-]
*3/28/1973 - Ken vs. Katherine - the “Bing Crosby/Horse Racing” incident is shown here! [GAME, JOswald2.13, B+]
*3/29/1973 - Ken at Bonus Round - Ken goes for his SECOND Joker’s Jackpot! - video slightly wavy at times, which is also occasionally B&W [GAME, JOswald2.14, B-]
*4/16/1973 - Irene vs. Michael - First of three Kids' Week episodes! [GAME, JOswaldtape1.10, A-]
Face the Devil bonus format
*VTR 7/19/1974 - Andrea vs. the Devil [SM w/slate, A+]
*6/13/1975 finale - Fred vs. the Devil - contains a VERY nice goodbye from Jack, and check out the fading-out studio! [SM, filtered copy is B+ with adjusted brightness; original is DBarkow5.3, B]
syndication, 1977-1986
*9/5/1977 premiere - Ann vs. Glenn - now in MUCH better quality! [GAME, CCohan0420-4.4, A-]
*9/6/1977 - Glenn vs. Moirre [GAME, CDonegan0420-4.6, A-]
*9/7/1977 - Glenn vs. Pat - contains a *very* tight game with a car at stake! [GAME, IWallis3.2, A-]
*11/1977 - Tournament of Champions finals, for $50,000! - Frank vs. Tom - MUCH better quality! [GAME, CCohan0420-4.5, B+]
*VTR 11/1977 - Ann vs. Gil - contains a VERY different opening - wavy video at times [GAME, JOswaldtape1.14, B]
*VTR 12/1977 - Donna vs. Pasquale - the bonus level gets broken the second time it’s played! [GAME, RRinkermanOct2010/7.1, B]
*VTR 1/1978 - Mark vs. the Devil [GAME, RRinkerman5.5.1, A]
*5/1978 - Pam vs. Xavier - Jack has limited mobility due to a broken leg… and then a visual category is picked every round! [GAME w/some comm, CDonnegan3.1, A-]
*9/18/1978 season premiere - Ken vs. Louise - VERY low audio [GAME, JOswald3.8, A-]
*10/9/1978 - Hal vs. Cathy - Hal has a lucky suit, which proves itself as such later… [GSN, RRinkermanMay2010/2.1, A+]
*10/11/1978 - Hal (going for his tenth win and a new series record!) vs. Kathy - now in better quality! [GAME, CCohan0720-6.2, A-]
*10/12/1978 - Diane vs. the Devil - starts with a goodbye to Hal Shear [GAME, JOswaldtape1.16, A-]
*11/2/1978 - Frank vs. the Devil - somebody gets three jokers at the perfect time, but can he pull off a win? [GAME w/comm, PBurgos2.6.4, A-]
*9/18/1979 season premiere - Carol vs. Larry [GAME w/some comm., RRinkermanMay2010/2.2, A+]
*1979 - Eileen (going for her tenth win!) vs. Ray [GAME, JOswald2.10, A-]
*1979 - Eileen vs. Nate [GAME w/comm, JOswaldtape1.16, B]
*early 1980 - Bob (going for a car!) vs. Lynn - the game doesn't get much more exciting than this! [GAME w/comm, PBurgos2.6.3, A]
*11/1980 - $1,000,000 tournament finals! - C.D. vs. Rob [GAME, TMcSwain1.5, B+]
*11/1981 - Denise vs. Neil - ends after spinoff portion of audience game [OC, CDonegan417-3.4, A-]
*9/13/1982 season premiere - Julian vs. Suzanne [GAME, JOswald2.11, B]
*9/24/1982 - Ed vs. the Devil [GAME, RRinkermanDec2011/9.2, A-]
*10/13/1982 - Frank vs. Marilyn - video is somewhat dark [GAME, JOswald3.4, A-]
*1/17/1983 - Jim Peck guest-hosts! - Jan vs. Myra - contains a bonus win due to a math error! - video is slightly pixelated [GAME, Filtered copy is B (severely corrected color); original is RRinkermanGrabbag3.1, C+]
*3/1/1983 - Joe Dunn vs. Mike - missing opening; begins at contestant intros [GAME, DBarkow5.4, B+]
*3/4/1983 - Joe Dunn (his 15th game) vs. Terri - rather snowy but very watchable video, with random colors fluctuating throught (not too noticeable though); muffled audio [GAME, JOswaldtape1.18, B-]
*3/7/1983 - Natalia vs. Joesph - starts with a long goodbye to Joe Dunn, in which Jack talks about how his winnings limit is gonna work out - bright and sometimes pretty jumpy video [GAME, JOswaldtape1.19, B-]
*4/12/1983 - Jim Peck guest-hosts again! - Suzanne vs. Sherri - pretty annoying audio glitches at times [GAME, RRinkerman5.5.2, A-]
*5/12/1983 - Drew vs. Debi - one player gets 3 jokers, misses, then gets 3 jokers AGAIN! [GAME, RRinkerman7.2.3, A-]
*11/9/1983 - Frank vs. Noreen - thanks to CBS News, most of audience game is missing; cuts after second spin - rather blurry video [OC, JLeeman4.1, B]
*2/28/1984 - Victoria vs. Alice - this ep. was once passed off as Jack's last, and strangely enough, an older audio copy is used in the opening and closing! - video pretty pixelated, rather blurry, sometimes wavy, and has a tendency to break [OB, RRinkerman5.5.3, C+]
*3/10/1984 - Paulette vs. Robert - Charlie O'Donnell has to remind Jack of a bonus game! - contains the same bizarre audio issue as the 2/28 show [OB, A]
*3/20/1984 - Hugh vs. Leslie - the Natural Triple Jackpot is won on the *first spin*, an overexcited audience player catches Jack off guard with her pull, and another audience player calls him 'Bob'! - again with the bizarre audio replacement [OB, A]
*1984 - Mike vs. Al [GSN, MLight2.1, A++]
Bill Cullen
*9/10/1984 - Bill's first ep as host! - Tami vs. Bill - now in MUCH better quality, though it's slightly wavy [OC, filtered version is A- (fixed inconsistent brightness); original is CDonegan1219-3.3, B+]
*12/1984 - Charles vs. Ross [USA w/comm, CDonegan417-1.3, A-], or just the audience game on [OC, RRinkermanGrabbag3.5, A (but audio is noticeably garbled)]
*1985 - Howard vs. Mike - now in MUCH better quality, though there's still a noticeable red tint (which is consistent this time) and some 'waves' during the ads [6/1985 RPT w/comm, CDonegan1219-1.4, B+]
*9/9/1985 season premiere - Steve vs. Judy - video slightly jumpy [GAME, RRinkermanMay2010/2.3, B+]
*9/20/1985 - Janilyn vs. Bruce - TWO Natural Triple Jackpots won! - audio low and muffled [GAME, JOswald3.5, A-]
*9/30/1985 - Wendy vs. J.P. - video slightly jumpy [GAME, RRinkermanMay2010/2.4, A-]
*11/1985 - Yvette vs. Kelly - contains an unusually slow game, with missed questions galore [GAME w/comm, CDonegan417-2.1, A-]
*1986 - Melinda vs. Chris - a strategy mistake costs a champion the car - screen is a little low, and as a result, the bottom is cut [GAME, JCranmer2.1, B+]
*1986 - Ricque vs. Dave - missing opening [USA w/comm, TMcSwain7.9, A]
*1986 - Jim Peck guest-hosts this and the next two ep.s! - Brett vs. Ben - jerky and jumpy video [GAME, JOswaldtape3.1, B-]
*Next ep. - Paloma vs. Ben (going for a car!) - jerky and jumpy video [GAME, JOswaldtape3.2, B]
*Next ep. - Ben vs. the Devil [GAME, JOswald1.12, B+]
*1986 - Bodie vs. the Devil [GAME, RRinkerman5.5.4, B+]
*1986 - Jan Kraepelin (who also appeared on TTD) vs. the Devil [GAME, JCranmer3.1, A-]
*5/23/1986 finale - Sheryl vs. the Devil - one player gets two CONSECUTIVE three-joker wins! [OB, filtered version is A- (adjusted brightness and smoothness); original is CDonnegan3.2, B+]
syndication, 1990-1991
Pat Finn
Dollar format
*9/14/1990 - Michael Cedar vs. Judy vs. Michael Newkirk [OB, TMcSwain2.1, B+]
*9/18/1990 - Michael vs. Judi vs. Rodger - opening missing; beings as Pat is explaining the rules - some noticeable but watchable tracking problems [USA w/comm, RRinkerman5.4.1, B+]
*9/21/1990 - Michael vs. Eric vs. Jim - fluctuating colors "flash" onscreen throughout [OC, RRinkerman4.1.1b, B]
*1990 - John vs. Susan vs. Raymond - rather bright video [USA w/few comm, DBarkow5.2.4, B]
*Next ep. - Raymond vs. Christine vs. Donna [USA w/comm, RRinkerman5.5.5, A-]
*11/1990 - Donna vs. Greg vs. Pat - CLOSE game! [USA w/comm, Bschwartz2.3.3, B+]
*11/1990 - Johnathan vs. Carlene vs. Thomas - rather blurry video [USA w/some comm, DBarkow5.3.1, B]
*12/1990 - Thomas vs. Najee vs. Barney - a new record is set, which gets much bigger in the end! - pretty bright video [USA, DBarkow5.2.3, B]
*Next ep. - Thomas vs. Marita vs. Darrell - missing 3 minutes or so of round 1 - VERY low and slightly echoey audio [OB, DBarkow5.3.2, A-]
*Next ep. - Darrell vs. Vicki vs. George - Pat and the champ have an intriguing conversation about the Bay area! [USA w/comm, BSchwartz2.3.12, A-]
Category format
*1/7/1991 - first episode with category format! - Jon vs. Peter vs Greg - pretty dark and squiggly video at most points [OB w/most comm, RRinkerman5.4.2, B-]
*1/28/1991 - Frank vs. Sharon vs. Rusty - first ep. with red maingame joker slides - some slight antennea distortion throught [USA w/comm, DBarkow5.3.3, A-]
*2/6/1991 - Laura vs. Dennis vs. Nancy [USA w/comm, DBarkow5.3.4, A-]
*2/8/1991 - David vs. Mary vs. Dennis [USA w/comm, DBarkow5.4.1, A-]
*2/11/1991 - Mary at Joker Machine (the jackpot is at $36,000!) [USA w/comm, DBarkow5.4.2, A-]
*2/13/1991 - Jerry vs. Karen vs. Tom - missing open; begins at rule explanation - rare audience game is played! [USA w/comm., RRinkermanMay2010/2.5, A]
*2/22/1991 - John vs. Winnie vs. Peter - VERY exciting game! [USA w/comm, RRinkermanMay2010/2.2, A]
*3/1991 - Matt at Joker Machine [USA w/comm, DBarkow5.4.3, A-]
Back to Dollar format for whatever reason
*3/7/1991 - Larry vs. Sue vs. Jim [USA w/comm, RRinkerman5.4.3, A-]
*3/8/1991 unannounced finale - Michael vs. Remi vs. Sue - random colors start fluctuating halfway through - missing opening; begins at contestant introductions [USA w/comm, RRinkerman5.4.4, A- at first then B+]
JUST MEN!
It's a somewhat interesting watch, but mostly out of Betty's hosting.
NBC, 1983
Betty White
*2/21/1983 - Brenda vs. Bernice - Peter Tomarken is one of the guests! - uneven color in some areas [OC, TMcSwain5.4, B]
*4/1/1983 finale - Mara vs. Diane - ‘The Simpsons’ accidentally erases 5 seconds of this episode, but nothing big. - ends with a promo for ‘Dream House‘ - somewhat snowy video [OC, TMcSwain2.4, B]
KNOCKOUT
NBC, 1977-1978
Arte Johnson
*1978 - Maxine vs. Jack vs. Anita - no opening nor credits [OB, JLeeman3.2.1, B+]
THE KRYPTON FACTOR
A show with fitness testing. And Atari videogames. Don't go together, do they? Still makes for an engaging watch though.
ABC primetime, 1981
Dick Clark
*8/7/1981 premiere - John vs. Susan vs. Richard vs. Guy - bright video [OC, RRinkerman4.4.5, A-]
*8/14/1981 - Jim vs. Molly vs. Claudia vs. Joel - video is wavy at times as well as being rather dark [OB, RRinkermanMay2010, B-]
*8/28/1981 - Rhonna vs. Garry vs. Andrew vs. Kivi - low audio; video breaks up during a part of the intro [SC w/slate, DDowns4.2.1, B]
LATE NIGHT LIARS
Pretty fun show, despite the somewhat simplistic game play. The set is pretty classy, and there's a good sense of humor.
GSN, 2010
Larry Miller
*6/24/2010 - Kristen vs. Ron - a Mickey Rourke puppet is in place of Sir Sabastian Simian - the bonus round stake is increased to $25,000! [8/21/2010 RPT, A+]
*7/8/2010 - Gary vs. Vicki - a Rosie O'Donnell puppet is in place of Shelley Oceans - bonus round stake is increased to $20,000 [9/11/2010 RPT, A+]
*7/22/2010 - Sharon vs. Doug [9/4/2010 RPT, A+]
LET'S MAKE A DEAL
Classic and timeless format with both the risks and the fun of personal deals. The '70s runs are easily the best, but the others are still pretty good for what they are.
NBC, 1963-1968
Monty Hall
*4/1963 hour-long NBC pilot, which is much more calm than later shows, to say the least - first deal involves finding something in a purse for $5 [GAME w/comm, BEvans1.2.1, A+]
ABC, 1968-1976
*12/31/1968 - first deal involves a box for something else - Big Deal $1520 [KIN w/comm, JDay6.4, B+]
*1969 - first deal involves treasure chests and $100 - Monty plugs the nighttime version! - Big Deal $1749 - video is blurry and B&W [KIN w/comm, JMadigan2.4, B]
*VTR 10/30/1974 - first deal is money or the curtain - Big Deal $3960 [SC w/slate, A-]
weekly syndication, 1970-1977
Classic format
*VTR 12/1/1970 - first deal is prices for $10.000 - Big Deal $10258 - early episode with different set [GAME w/comm, RRinkerman4.10.1, A]
*11/13/1971 - first deal involves a Gift Certificate with a mystery amount of zeroes - contains the infamous Runaway Sleigh blooper! - Big Deal $7176 [GSN w/comm, EPerez1.7, A]
*1972 - first deal is the Money Machine [GSN w/comm, A++]
*1973 - first deal involves using $100 to buy various offers... which gets ruined thanks to some loud ducks! - Big Deal $8912 [GAME w/comm, RRinkerman4.9.1, A-]
*1974 - first deal involves some Snik-Snaks - Big Deal $10085 [GSN w/comm, RRinkerman4.9.4, A]
*1974 - first deal involves a box of Candy - Big Deal $10684 - a later deal has Milton Berle as a guest trader! [GAME w/comm, RRinkerman4.9.2, A]
Super Deal format
*1975 - first deal involves either taking 'feed money' or a box - Big Deal $9741 [GSN, A++]
*1976 - first deal involves some mystery money - Big Deal $9322 - Barbara Lesing fills in for Carol! [GAME w/comm, RRinkerman4.9.3, A-]
*1976 - first deal involves a gift certificate with a mystery amount of digits - a few brief cuts come up right before the Big Deal, which is an even $10,000. [GSN, A++]
*1976 - first deal is the Money Machine - Big Deal $9847. Highly recommended! [GSN, A++]
Las Vegas
*VTR 8/9/1976 - first deal is a blackjack game - Big Deal $11695 [GAME w/comm, RRinkerman6.11.1, A+]
*1976 - first deal involves gambling [11/10/1978 RPT w/comm, filtered copy is A with corrected colors and fixed sync; original is JLeeman1.1b, A-]
*5/28/1977 finale - first deal involves 3 wallets - contains an appearance of Monty's daughter, and no appearances of any zonks! - Big Deal $12000 [GSN w/comm, SWylie5d, A++]
Canadian syndication, 1980-1981
*1980 - first deal involves taking either a curtain or another item - Big Deal $5863 - video somewhat yellow-tinted, slightly snowy, and pixelated in bottom half at most points; muffled audio [1985 RPT, TMcSwain5.11, B-]
*1980 - first deal involves trading different items for each of 3 ladies - Big Deal $4235 - most of opening missing - video somewhat snowy, looks pretty dark, and pixelated in bottom half at many points; muffled audio [1985 RPT, TMcSwain5.10, B-]
*1981 - first deal involves money or the curtain - Big Deal $4187 - VERY muffled audio [1986 RPT w/comm, RRinkerman6.11.2, B]
*1981 - first 6 minutes of an ep with various amounts of mystery money [OB, JLeeman0220-3.6, A]
syndication, 1984-1986 ("The All-New LMAD")
*12/1984 (ep 34) - first deal involves up to $9000 for grocery prices - Features the rare cash wheel in Door #4 - Big Deal $8,039 [GSN w/comm, A+]
VTR 5/3/1985 (ep 134) - Geoff Edwards guest hosts! - First deal involves Monty's Money Machine - Big Deal $9,205 [GSN w/comm, RRinkerman4.3.1, A]
*11/14/1985 - First deal involves three items in a curtain - Big Deal $10,370 - Dean opens a box too early! [FAM w/comm, RRinkerman4.3.2, A-]
*1/27/1986 - first deal involves picking high numbers for a Cruise to Mexico - Big Deal $10,445 - the sound mix in this copy is incomplete; most of the prize displays lack the music, and you can even hear behind-the-scenes audio from time to time! [BUZZR, CCohan0720-2.4, A+]
*1/31/1986 - first deal is pricing various items for a car - Big Deal $10,206 [BUZZR, CCohan0430-3.4, A+]
*5/20/1986 - first deal involves some gum - Big Deal $12,836 - includes a special appearance from Jay Stewart and Carol Merrill! - two copies: [OB, RRinkerman4.7.5, B- (missing opening; blurry video, low audio] and [BUZZR, A+ (but inferior frame rate)]
NBC, 1990-1991
Bob Hilton
*7/9/1990 premiere - first deal involves three women, one leading the other two - contains a cold open with Bob near a taxi! [OB, BSchwartz4.6, B]
*1990 - first deal involves 3 gift certificates - Big Deal $12,165 - somebody puts in a The Challengers promo during the intro in a rather sloppy way! [OB w/few comm, RRinkerman4.10.3, A-]
Monty Hall (billed as "guest host")
*1990 - first deal involves a tissue box with money (which doesn't work) - Big Deal $12,288 - low audio; missing most of opening due to transfer problems [OB w/most comm, TMcSwain5.12, B+]
*12/1990 - First deal plays Follow-the-Leader - Big Deal $10,103 - blurry and bright video [OC, RRinkerman4.3.3, B]
NBC primetime, 2003
Billy Bush
*3/18/2003 finale - first deal involves $500 or a mystery envelope - Monty Hall returns to make a deal with someone who lost out on a car in 1976! - Big Deal $51,099 [OC, RRinkerman6.12.3, A+]
CBS, 2009-present
Wayne Brady
*10/5/2009 premiere - first deal involves a bag of chips with money inside - a couple special audience participation deals are done during the first half! - Big Deal $21,219 [OC, A]
*3/26/2010 - first deal uses a dice table to win money, and *Monty Hall* hosts a later deal! - Big Deal $23,460 [OC, A-]
*3/27/2010 - first deal involves picking keys in hopes of unlocking a car... hosted by *Monty Hall*! - Big Deal $22,305 [OC, A-]
*4/1/2010 - info TBA [OB, A++]
*11/2/2010 - first deal involves numbered cards - now with the flashier set [OB, A++]
*12/24/2010 - first deal involves two curtains and a box, each with a clue - everyone is wearing holiday-related costumes! - Big Deal $34,163 [OC, A+]
*4/1/2011 - first deal has three zonks in three curtains... wait, what?!? - Big Deal $31,739 [OC, A]
*9/28/2011 - first deal involves three prizes, one for each of three people. [OB, A++]
LIAR'S CLUB
Great, underrated game with a lot of oddities and guesswork. It's another one where the celebrities really add to the fun, too.
syndication, 1969
Rod Serling (yes, THAT Serling)
*1969 w/Norm Crosby, Betty Walker, Bill Bixby, & Betty White - Judy vs. Tom [SM, RRinkerman6.4.1, A]
*1969 w/Rolfe Peterson, Betty White, Dick Gautier, and Pia Lindstrom - Barbara vs. Bob - missing entire closing segment [SM, IWallis1.2, A-]
KTLA, 1974-1975
Bill Armstrong
*1974 pilot w/Peter Marshall, Fannie Flagg, Joey Bishop, and George Savalas - Jim vs. Terri vs. Diane vs. Maggie - video is still dark but to a significantly lesser extent than before, along with better audio quality [USA, IWallis3.3, B]
*1974 - first 14 minutes of an ep w/Peter Lawford, Betty White, Jim McKrell, and Larry Hovis - Lorraine vs. Bobbi vs. Bud vs. Pat
[USA w/comm, JLeeman0220-3.5, A-]
*1975 w/Larry Hovis, Betty White, Peter Marshall, and Pat McCormick - Dave vs. Kathy vs. Camille vs. Pam - now has the more familiar betting rules; rough frame rate [Color KIN, A-]
syndication, 1976-1979
*1976 w/Larry Hovis, Bob Crane, Harvey Korman, and Tom Bosley - Kathleen vs. Sheldon vs. Jackie vs. Jim - contains a winning score of $20! [USA, JLeeman0620-3.5, B]
*1976 w/Larry Hovis, Peter Marshall, Charlie Brill, and Mitzi McCall - Lisa vs. Margaret vs. Bettye vs. Linda [USA, RRinkerman6.4.2, B-]
*early 1977 w/Larry Hovis, Betty White, Burt Reynolds, and Norman Fell - Christine vs. Michael vs. Moirre vs. Don - Allen Ludden enters in place of Bill, in quite the prophetic cameo [USA, IWallis3.4, B]
*1977 - last 16 minutes of an ep (begins at the end of round 2) w/Larry Hovis, Joey Bishop, Barbara Feldon, and Gary Burghoff - Maureen vs. Rita vs. Yolanda vs. Maria [USA w/comm, RRinkerman0120-2.3, A-]
Allen Ludden
*1977 w/Larry Hovis, Peter Heskell, Betty White, and Buddy Hackett - Dorothy vs. Betty Lou vs. Ann [SM, A]
*early 1978 w/Larry Hovis, Dionna Warwick, Betty White, and Dick Goutier - Judy vs. Neil vs. Carol - random colors faintly fluctuate onscreen; not too distracting though [SM, JLeeman0620-4.5, B+]
*VTR 5/15/1978 w/Larry Hovis, David Letterman, Betty White, and Dick Goutier - Marilyn vs. Vida vs. Martha [SM w/slate, RRinkerman6.4.3, A-]
syndication, 1988-1989
Eric Boardman
*10/4/1988 w/Rebeca Arthur, Paul Kreppel, Teri Copley, and John Barbour - Bruce vs. Mary-Ann vs. Jim vs. Janice [OC, RRinkerman6.4.4, A-]
*late 1988 w/John Barbour, Deborah Tranelli, *Marc Summers*, and Beverly Garland - Alec vs. Betty vs. Charles vs. Denise [Prime, GGarsten0820-4.1, B+]
*1989 w/John Barbour, Teresa Ganzel, Jimmie Walker, and Shannon Tweed - Blane vs. Janice vs. Ernie vs. Kathie [GameTV w/comm, GGarsten0820-4.2, A+]
LINGO
A very creative game, where teams must guess five-letter words based off given letters. The 80s format is good enough, but GSN is where it really became enjoyable.
syndication, 1987-1988
Michael Reagan
*9/28/1987 premiere - Pat and Mary vs. Wendy and Gregg - some minor reception distortion throughout [OB, RRinkerman6.1.1, B]
*10/1987 - Adele and Kate vs. Dan and Steve - blurry video [OB, CCohan0720-3.1, B+]
*10/1987 - Tanis and Randi vs. Adele and Kate - contains a rare $64,000 win! - video is slightly glitchy [OB, CCohan0720-3.2, B]
*11/1987 - Lynda and Sheri vs. Greg and Todd - now uses a revised top prize system [1988 RPT w/comm, RRinkerman817-1.1, A]
Ralph Andrews
*2/22/1988 - Ralph's first episode, due to Reagan's book tour! - Dale and Pam vs. Robin and Evelyn [SM, filtered version is B+ (improved color and brightness); original is RRinkerman7.5.2, B]
*1988 - Kevin and Rebecca vs. Geri and Jodi - contains a No-Lingo Round that must be seen to be believed! [SM, A]
GSN, 2002-2007
Chuck Woolery
*8/21/2002 - Christina and Grant vs. Tanya and Shay - from test run, filmed in the Netherlands set! [OC, RRinkerman6.8.1, A+]
*12/9/2002 season premiere, and debut of the new set! - Leah and Stephen vs. Jeanette and Jason [OC, RRinkerman6.8.2, A]
*4/1/2003 - from GSN's April Fools special, with Todd Newton announcing! - Mark Wahlburg and Marc Summers vs. Kennedy and Graham Elwood [OC, RRinkerman6.9.3, A+]
*10/7/2003 - Sneak Preview of season 3, with governor candidates! - Scott and Kelley vs. Ron and David - debut of new set, music, and Stacey Hayes as hostess! [OC, RRinkerman6.8.3, A]
*1/8/2004 - first-taped episode of season 3, with Paula Cobb as an additional co-host alongside Stacey - Neil and Katie vs. Greg and Tiffany [3/15/2011 RPT, CCohan0720-3.3, A++]
*1/1/2007 (taped for season 4) - from Hawaii Week, with dancers on the stage and fantastic decorating! - Bishop and Rob vs. Robert and Heather - the maximum 10 words is accumulated in Bonus Lingo, but their luck doesn't end there! - slightly buzzy audio [OC, CCohan0720-3.4, A]
*5/22/2006 - Championship Smackdown ep., with Rainee and Stacey (former champions) vs. Jon and Bill (online champions) [2009 RPT w/few comm, RRinkerman817-1.2, A-]
*5/2/2007 - Michael and Matt vs. Leri and Dave - contains an unbelievably one-sided game; the losing team finishes with *25* points and never marks a single number off their boards [4/30/2008 RPT w/comm, CCohan0720-3.5, A]
LOVE CONNECTION
I'm honestly not sure if this even qualifies as a game show, but GSN has shown it and Chuck Woolery does as great a job as you'd expect, so I'll list what I have of it anyway.
NBC, 1983-1993
Chuck Woolery
*1985 - first guest: Robert Fagot (ouch), with Teresa, Catherine, and Tamantha - missing most of opening [GSN, RRinkerman817-6.2, A]
*1991 - first guest: Yolanda, with Emmitt, James, and Derek - the first date's story quickly gets very uncomfortable, leaving Chuck exhausted and speechless! - low audio [GAME, RRinkerman817-6.3, A]