MAKE ME A MILLIONAIRE
The games feel a little too generic for their own good, but the presentation makes it passable.
California syndication, 2009-2010
Mark Wahlberg
*1/17/2009 premiere [OC, PBurgos8.5, A-]
*3/21/2009 - Joesephine plays for $2.8 million! [OC, PBurgos8.6, A]
*8/22/2009 - Natalie plays for $5.2 million! [OC, PBurgos8.7, A]
*9/12/2009 - Queen plays for $1.4 million! [OC, PBurgos8.8, A]
*10/17/2009 - Dave plays for $1.8 million! - video not fully-sized [OC, PBurgos8.2, A+]
*2009-10 - Almost every episode afterward, and it's too much for me to catalog. Inquire within! - some episodes may have cable problems or DVD hangup [all OC, ranges from A to A++]
MATCH GAME
I can see why it's so incredibly popular, but I think this is best watched in moderation.
'70s version is best example, 1990 is also great, 1998 isn't good but certainly not horrible.
NBC, 1962-1969
Gene Rayburn
*VTR 12/1962 pilot - Arthur, Ronni, and Peggy Cass vs. Rick, Mary, and Peter Lind Hayes [SC(?!), BEvans1.1.1, A-]
*1/1964 All-Star special w/Bennett Cerf, Henry Morgan, and Robert Q. Lewis vs. Joan Fontaine, Betty White, and Peggy Cass - minor video glitches sometimes [GAME, BEvans1.2.3, B+]
*7/28/1964 - Joe, Marlene, and Jayne Mansfield vs. Dave, Jean, and Orson Bean [GSN, A+]
CBS, 1973-1979
In all Rayburn-hosted versions, unless otherwise listed, celebs include: Brett Somers, Charles Nelson Reilly, and Richard Dawson. The latter doesn't apply for post-1978 shows.
*VTR 5/19/1973 pilot w/Bert Convy, Arlene Francis, Jack Klugman, Jo-Anne Pflug, and Betty White - contains few minor differences - Susan vs. Wendy - two copies: [SM w/slate, JLeeman6.5.1, A- (pretty rough framerate)] or [GSN, A+ (but some commercial edits aren't the best)]
*7/2/1973 PREMIERE w/Michael Landon, Vicki Lawrence, Jack Klugman, Jo-Anne Pflug, and Anita Gilette - Joan vs. Stanley - two copies: [GAME w/comm, RRinkerman6.10.1, A] or [GSN, A+]
*7/16/1973 w/CNR and BS in their first appearances, Bert Convy, Jaye P. Morgan, and Betty White - Beverly at Head-to-Head Match [GSN, A+]
*9/20/1973 w/Bobby Van, Elaine Joyce, and Nanette Fabray - Sandy vs. Patrick - the infamous, banned Queer episode! - At occasional brief points, video will turn B&W and audio will short out [GAME, JLeeman3.2.3, B]
*11/26/1973 w/Robert Vaughn, BS, McLean Stevenson, Nancy Dussault, and Betty White - Ellen vs. Charlene - bad commercial edits, with contestant interviews and Super Match rules cut [GSN, A++]
*1/17/1974 w/Joe Flynn, Linda Kaye Henning, and Betty White - Brenda Lee vs. Janet - "Time is up, ladies!" [SC w/slate, JLeeman6.1.2, B+]
*early 3/1974 w/Steve Allen, Fannie Flagg, and Kaye Ballard - Sue vs. Valerie - 'boobs' is given as an answer, which the panel doesn't react kindly to. Not that one of Brett's answers is really much better... [GSN, A++]
*6/12/1974 w/Bert Convy, Louisa Moritz, and Kaye Stevens - Gloria vs. John - a later contestant is Karen Lesko, & despite the infamous blooper being cut from all airings, Gene briefly refers to it - from that 70s hour, with then-current comments from Gene [GSN w/slate & comm, RRinkerman6.10.2, A]
*6/25/1974 w/Jimmie Walker, Joyce Bulifant, and Loretta Switt - Ken vs. Suzy [GSN, A++]
*6/27/1974 w/same guests as above - Judy vs. Beth [GSN, A+]
*8/26/1974 w/Donald Ross, Patti Deusch, and Fannie Flagg - Janet vs. King - a new winnings record is at stake, and Charles uppstages everyone in the moment! - two copies: [GSN, A++ (missing end credits and Super Match rules)] and [GSN w/comm, CCohan0720-6.3, A (complete)]
*11/5/1974 w/Michael Evans, Joyce Bulifant, and Fannie Flagg - first day of CNR's 6-month hiatus; Gary Burghoff takes his place during this - Alicia at Super Match [GSN, A++]
*11/6/1974 w/same guests as above - Alicia vs. Lola [GSN, A++]
*VTR 2/23/1975 w/Leslie Neilsen, Patti Deutsch, and Marcia Wallace - JOHNNY OLSEN subs for Gary Burghoff! - John at the Super Match [GSN, JLeeman6.4.3, A+]
*8/8/1975 w/Allen Ludden, Dolly Martin, and Betty White - Maxine vs. Elaine - clearly the people working today weren't taking their jobs too seriously... also contains a contestant who's a belly dancer and the 'I've tried Betty' blooper! - missing final segment, save for the credits [GAME, JLeeman6.3.4, A-]
*7/1/1976 w/George Kennedy, Donna Mills, and Patti Deutsch - Roary at Super Match - no opening; begins during Gene's opening interactions [GSN, A++]
*11/5/1976 w/Jimmie Walker, Roz Kelly, and Betty White - Gordon vs. Sharon - contains the "Snow Black" question, and the 'in the ghetto' incident from the same taping session is acknowledged - no contestant interviews or Super Match rules [GSN, A++]
*7/8/1977 w/Ed Asner, Debralee Scott, and Patti Deutsch - Kathy at Super Match - the infamous School Riot episode, where the panelists call out a particularly head-scratching judge ruling - two copies: [GAME, NJohnson2.1, B- (video red-tinted)] or [GSN w/comm, A+]
*10/20/1977 w/Gary Burghoff, Meg Bennett, and Fannie Flagg - Marcie vs. Kenneth (mid-tiebreaker!) - contains another, just as baffling ruling that Dawson does not hesitate to call out - no crunch, but ends partway through credits [GSN, A++]
*6/28/1978 w/Scoey Mitchell, Sharon Ferrell (her first appearance!), and Mary Wilkes - debut of the Star Wheel (which Richard's none too impressed at) - Cindy vs. Ann [BUZZR, A++]
*7/18/1978 w/Henry Morgan, Debralee Scott, and Joyce Bulifant - Bill at Super Match - last episode with the original set, and a first in the Head to Head Match! [BUZZR, A++]
*7/19/1978 w/Nipsey Russell, Susan Richardson (her first appearance!), and Fannie Flagg - Bill at Super Match - first episode with the blue set, along with a short-lived dark blue wall behind the panel! [BUZZR, A++]
*8/23/1978 w/Dick Martin, Lorrie Mahaffey, and Joyce Bulifant - Debbie vs. Harold - Richard Dawson's final episode, and he just doesn't seem to care. At all. [GAME, JLeeman6.4.2, A]
*3/16/1979 w/David Doyle, Loretta Switt, Scoey Mitchell, and Fannie Flagg - Barbara vs. Louann - Director's Track version, with Marc Breslow's audio heard throughout! [SM w/slate, NJohnson2.2, B]
weekly syndication, 1975-1980 ("Match Game PM")
*9/22/1975 (ep. 3) w/William Shatner, Joyce Bulifant, and Fannie Flagg - Dottie vs. Karen - contains the first $10,000 win! [GSN w/comm, SWylie5e, A++]
*5/1978 w/Nipsey Russell, Ethel Merman, and Fannie Flagg - Becky vs. Don - reception glitches cause video to be in B&W (except for a few brief moments) [OC, JLeeman3.1.3, A-]
daily syndication, 1979-1982
*9/10/1979 premiere w/Bart Braverman, Eva Gabor, Bill Daly, and Fannie Flagg - Patti vs. Rose
[GSN, A++]
*late 1979 w/Robert Walden, Elaine Joyce, Bill Daily, and Joyce Bulifant - Adrianne vs. Ginger - Cuckoo, Friend, and Ollie? [GAME, GGarsten3.3, A-]
*Fall 1980 w/Jimmie Walker, Connie Stevens, Bart Braverman, and Debralee Scott - Phillip at Head-to-Head Match - Charles' name tag on the Star Wheel falls out "for the third time this week" - this week never ran on GSN due to them never showing Jimmie's appearances in this run [5/2/1985 RPT w/comm, JLeeman4.2.3, A]
*1981 w/Bart Braverman, Richard Deacon (in place of CNR), Connie Stevens, McLean Stevenson (who switches places with Gene for most of the show!), and Debralee Scott - Roxy vs. Jim [GSN, A-]
*Fall 1981 w/Robert Donner, Patty Duke Astin, CNR, Betty Kennedy, McLean Stevenson, and Joyce Bulifant - Debbie vs. Dorothy [5/8/1985 RPT w/comm, JLeeman4.2.4, A-]
*VTR 1/15/1982 unannounced finale w/Skip Stephenson, Melinda O. Fee, McLean Stevenson, and Betty White - Beth at Super Match [GAME, GGarsten3.4, A]
ABC, 1990-1991
*VTR 10/5/1989 third pilot w/Bert Convy hosting and the 3 round format; Brad Garrett, Marsha Winfield, CNR, Khrystina Haje, Jerry Van Dyke, and Teri Copley - Harley vs. Michelle - contains the 'cannibal halloween party' question seen on a couple of blooper reels! [GSN w/comm (which there's very few of), A+]
Ross Shafer
Here, the only celeb not listed is Charles Nelson Reilly
*7/16/1990 premiere w/Joe Alaskey, Ilene Graff, Sally Struthers, Chris Lemmon, and Daphne Maxwell-Reid - Michelle vs. Kelly - a rare tiebreaker is used [GAME, NJohnson2.3, A-]
*8/10/1990 w/Brad Barrett, Marcia Wallace, Khrystyne Haje, Ronn Lucas, and Robin Strasser - Stefanie vs. Janos - contains the short-lived gold Super Match board [GAME w/comm, RRinkerman517-4.1, A-]
*9/10/1990 w/Bill Kirchenbauer, BRETT SOMERS, Vicki Lawrence, Ronn Lucas, and Deborah Tranelli - Susan vs. Bruce [GSN w/comm, A+]
*12/3/1990 w/Brad Garrett, Dana Fleming, Vicki Lawrence-Shultz, Richard Simmons, and Lisa Canning - John vs. Nancy - the all-time series record is broken! [GSN, GGarsten0820-3.4, A]
*2/22/1991 w/Fred Travalena, Dolly Martin, Khrystyne Haje, Jason Stuart, and JoAnne Worley - Mary Beth vs. Tony - somewhat dark video [GAME w/comm, RRinkerman6.10.3, A]
*6/21/1991 finale w/Brad Garrett, Nell Carter, Diana Jordan, Bruce Baum, and Jackie Zeman - Stacey vs. Herman - Ross mentions a move to a different network, which never went through [OB w/most comm, RRinkerman6.10.4, B+]
syndication, 1998-1999
Michael Burger
*9/21/1998 premiere w/Vicki Lawrence, Kristoff St. John, Judy Tenuta, Nell Carter, and George Hamilton - Kara vs. Sandy [OC, NJohnson2.4, A]
*10/7/1998 w/VIcki Lawrence, Rondell Sheridan, Judy Tenuda, Nell Carter, and George Hamilton - Barbara vs. Todd [GSN w/comm, A+]
*1998 w/Vicki Lawrence, John Salley, Judy Tenuta, Nell Carter, and Bobby Collins - Margie vs. SCOTT HOSTETLER [OB, RRinkerman6.2.2, B+]
Australian versions (titled "Blankety Blanks")
Network 10, 1977-1978
Graham Kennedy
*1977 w/Barry Creyton, Noeline Brown, Ugly Dave Gray, Carol Raye, Stuart Wagstaff, & John Paul Young - begins with Andrew at the Super Match [SM, A+]
United Kingdom versions (titled "Blankety Blank")
BBC1, 1979-1990, 1997-2002
Les Dawson
*1987 - Roy Walker and Mark Curry are among the guests! - Gary vs. Paula, and Roy vs. Shirley [CHA, CDonegan7.1.1, A]
Paul O'Grady as Lily Savage
*12/26/1997 premiere (though not the first taped) w/Ronan Keating, Gwen Taylor, Christopher Cazenove, Liz Dawn, Gareth Hale, and Carol Vorderman - Julie vs. John, and Dominic vs. Sharon [OB, CDonegan7.1.2, A]
*1/7/2001 series premiere w/Joseph Millson, Tracie Bennett, Phil Tufnell, Julie Goodyear Mbe, Keith Duffy, and Liz McClarnon - Paul vs. Donna, and Pete vs. Lisa [CHA, Blank2001.4, A+]
*1/14/2001 w/Billy Murray, Jayne Middlemiss, Stuart Miles, Liz Dawn Mbe, Steve Penk, and Lorraine Kelly - Sam vs. Andy, and Rosalind vs. Tom - missing most of opening [CHA, Blank2001.3, A++]
*1/21/2001 w/Nick Weir, Deena Payne, Richard Dunwoody, Jane Rossington, Bill Tarmey, and Rhona Cameron - Rachel vs. Craig, and Graham vs. Sandy [CHA, Blank2001.1, A+]
*4/8/2001 w/John Barnes, Sherrie Hewson, Jeremy Edwards, Julie Goodyear Mbe, Rhodri Williams, and Josie D'arby - Russ vs. Catherine, and Kate vs. George [CHA, Blank2001.6, A++]
*5/20/2001 w/Bill Tarmey, Fiona Dolman, Derek Fowlds, Gayle Tuesday, Nick Weir, and Jayne Cox - Sean vs. Gail, and Brian vs. BB [CHA, Blank2001.2, A+]
*6/17/2001 series finale w/Ross Kelly, Gloria Hunniford, Michael Starke, Julie Goodyear, Keith Duffy, and Natasha Hamilton - Trivia vs. Irman, and Scott vs. Rachael [CHA, Blank2001.5, A+]
MATCH GAME - HOLLYWOOD SQUARES HOUR
This has a ton of great ideas, especially in the Super Match, but Mark Goodson Productions clearly didn't understand Hollywood Squares as well as they should have.
NBC, 1983-1984
Gene Rayburn and Jon Bauman
*10/31/1983 premiere - Laurie vs. David vs. Stacy [OC, JLeeman2.4, A-]
*1/31/1984 - Janet vs. Laurie vs. Ron - Gene promotes the Telephone Match (with not that much success). Also contains a 0-0 tie in the Match Game segment! [OB, JDay2.1.1, B]
*2/1984 - Pat Sajak is among the guests! - Denise vs. Sandi vs. Adrianne - missing entire first segment, and thus, the first round of the Match Game half [OC, JDay2.2.3, B+]
*3/5/1984 - Johnny Olsen announces, and Charles Nelson Reilly is among the guests! - June vs. Sylvia vs. Charlotte - video has slight reception distortion; low audio [OB, EPerez2.4, B+]
*5/1984 - Salute to the '50s, with Fabian, Troy and Elinor Donahue, etc - Steve vs. Charisse vs. Maria - a new record is set! [OB, JDay2.1.2, B]
*5/29/1984 - Lisa vs. Anne-Marie vs. Karna - the 30 is picked in the Super Match! - somewhat pixelated video [OB w/few comm, JOswaldtape2.4, B-]
*5/30/1984 - Clayton vs. JoAnn vs. Lisa - missing opening due to NBC Weather bulletin (Al Roker looks very young BTW!) - somewhat pixelated video [OC, JOswaldtape2.5, B-]
*7/27/1984 unannounced finale (and Gene's last time hosting Match Game) - Angela vs. Sally vs. Tara - video slightly wavy at times but is quite blurry; low audio, which gets even lower during the second half [OC, EPerez2.5, B-]
MERV GRIFFIN'S CROSSWORDS
Things are wrong with the format, but give it credit for its simple yet strangely addicting gameplay and trying to throw in a few twists.
syndication, 2007-2008
Ty Treadway
*10/5/2007 - SCOTT HOSTETLER vs. Susan; Spoilers: Nerre, Nell, Karyn [OC, RRinkerman7.2.3, A++]
*3/26/2008 - ROBERT WARGO vs. Dawna; Spoilers: Ryan, Heidi, Ali - contains a different extra format and bonus scoring system [7/7/2008 RPT w/comm, RRinkerman7.2.4, A++]
MILLION DOLLAR MONEY DROP
Interesting concept, though a little overdramatic for its own good.
FOX primetime, 2010-present
Kevin Pollak
*12/20/2010 (2nd ep.; aired same day as the premiere) - Tiffany and Andrew play [OB, A]
MINDREADERS
NBC, 1979-1980
Dick Martin
*8/15/1979 w/Patty Duke Astin and Nipsey Russell - contestant info TBA - video has random colors "flashing" onscreen throught, and also is pixelated in bottom half at most points; in order words, this is barely watchable [1979 RPT w/comm, TMcSwain6.2.2, C]
*12/13/1979 w/Joyce Bulifant and Jack Jones - Elizabeth's team vs. the men's jury [OC, TMcSwain6.2.3, A-]
MONOPOLY
This might've been able to be a much bigger hit if the timing was better and the hosting choice was improved. As is, it's still good, but you can see why it was canned as quickly as it was.
ABC primetime, 1990
*1990 pilot w/a Rich Uncle Pennybags running around the board, returning champions, better pacing, and Peter Tomarken as host. For the most part, this is what the actual show should've been. - Michael (Mr. Reilley) vs. Jennifer vs. Richard - video slightly jerky at most points [SM, GBrobeck1.3, B+]
Mike Reilly
*6/16/1990 premiere - Patrick vs. Rebecca vs. Mike [OB, MTiller1.1, B+]
*6/23/1990 - Matthew vs. Sharlene vs. Jeff - rather rough-looking video [OB, JOswaldtape2.6, B-]
*6/30/1990 - Barry vs. Bonnie vs. Peter - VERY exciting game, and Mike gives away an answer! - pretty glitchy video [OB, JOswaldtape3.15, B]
*8/4/1990 - Chris vs. Helen vs. Victor - low audio [OB, JOswaldtape2.1, B]
*8/18/1990 - Malcolm vs. Teresa vs. Kerry [OB, JOswaldtape2.2, B]
*8/25/1990 - Robert vs. Diane vs. Ken [SM, GBrobeck1.4, A++]
*9/1/1990 finale - Tom vs. Debra vs. Tripp - muffled audio [OC, JOswaldtape2.3, B]
NAME THAT TUNE
Classic format, timeless subject-matter, lots to be won. What more could you want?
CBS, 1954-1959
George DeWitt
*1958 clip show with George showing clips of favorite contestants [KIN w/comm, BSchwartz3.3.3, B+]
NBC, 1974-1975
Dennis James
*12/26/1974 - Bill vs. Roberta [OC, B+]
weekly syndication, 1974-1981
Tom Kennedy
*1974 - 7-minute Golden Medley clip w/Gina [OB, IWallis1.1, A-]
$100K mystery tune format
*9/20/1976 (possibly the season premiere) - Don vs. Thelma - includes the rare Money Tree game, and a Dennis James TPIR ad! - video very blurry with some dark areas; credits cut [OB w/few comm, B]
*VTR 6/22/1976 - 5-minute Golden Medley clip w/John [OB, A-]
*1976 - 40-minute Not-For-Air parody ep. - Tommy vs. Tara - Beware of fowl language throughout! [SM, BSchwartz3.3.4, B+]
*9/1977 - 11 minutes of an ep. from the Second Chance tournament; includes Sing-a-Tune and the Golden Medley Showdown (first time this format is used!) - John vs. Bill vs. Joe - blurry video [OB, A-]
*late 1977 - John vs. Debbie - blurry video, with inactive time code throughout [SM, filtered version is B+ (fixed color); original is DBarkow3.1, B]
*2/23/1978 - Richie vs. Joan - Karen Rockmin plays at the end for $100K! [OC, IWallis1.2, A]
$100K tournament format
*9/27/1978 - Mike vs. Jeanne - one of the first ep.s with this format, with some extra disco dancers atop the stage that were gone by the end of the season. [OC, A]
*early 1979 - $100K tournament finals! - Margaret vs. Suzi - bad commercial edits, and ends during fee plugs - low audio; video slightly grainy with some dark areas [OB, filtered version is B (adjusted brightness and saturation); original is DBarkow5.1, B-]
*1/8/1980 - Dave vs. Cathy [OC, A]
*late 1980 - Ken vs. Sylvia - audio slightly off-sync [SM w/slate, JOswald1.7, B]
*1981 - Danny vs. Bartha - opening segment cut; begins midway through Melody Roulette [OB, IWallis1.3, A-]
*1981 - Chester vs. Sister Jean - last few minutes missing; cuts while Tom is announcing winner's total [OB, IWallis1.4, A-]
*4/25/1981 - Ben vs. Kitty [OB, A-]
*6/6/1981 semi-finals - Kitty vs. Dan vs. Camille vs. Edd vs. Wendy - slightly wavy video [OB, B+]
*6/13/1981 tournament finals (possible finale) - Michael vs. Kitty - note the incredibly obvious edit before the final result is revealed! [OB, A-]
syndication, 1984-1985
Jim Lange
*9/20/1984 - Super Champ tournament finale! - Elaina vs. John [USA, JOswald1.8, A-]
*1984 - Annie vs. Michael - “Please Help Me, I’m Falling!” - bright video [FAM, MTiller6.2, B-]
*1984 - Carol vs. Hap - the Golden Medley player gets very crafty! [FAM, DBarkow3.4, A-]
*Wk 10/15/1984 tournament finals - Michael vs. Hap (same as above) [FAM, JOswald1.9, A-]
*10 or 11/1984 - Linda vs. Rowland - some absolutely pathetic playing all across the board... - missing first minute (begins before contestants are called) and the first two minutes or so of the Golden Medley (joins at tune #2) [FAM w/few comm, TMcSwain0820-4.5, A-]
*1984 - Anita vs. Mark [4/1/1985 RPT w/comm, MPannoni0320-2.3, A]
*11/1984 tournament finals - Elaine vs. Tommy - a total of 19 tunes in the Golden Medley Showdown! [FAM, RRinkerman7.6.4, A-]
*12/1984 tournament finals - Richard vs. Carol vs. Marty [FAM, RRinkerman4.3.5, B]
*12/6/1984 tournament finals - Scott vs. Kirk - missing opening; beings at Melody Roulette [USA, RRinkerman7.6.5, B+]
*1985 - Shirley vs. Wes [FAM, JOswald3.4, A-]
*3/18/1985 - first of the five aired pilots w/some minor differences and Tune Countdown in place of Topics - Diane vs. Alfred - both players end up very fierce during Bid-a-Note! [USA, DBarkow3.3, A]
*3/20/1985 - third aired pilot - Connie vs. Ross - VERY low and pretty buzzy audio [FAM w/comm, RRinkerman7.8.3, B]
*1985 - Vivian vs. Dave - this medley ends up not being very golden... [FAM w/comm (last ever airing of the show!), MPannoni0320-1.5, A-]
*1985 - Tammy Warner vs. Tom [FAM, BSchwartz2.3.13, B]
*1985 tournament semi-finals - Steve vs. Tammy Warner vs. Les vs. Myra [FAM, DBarkow3.5, B+]
*1985 tournament finals - Les vs. Stan - no credits [FAM, JOswald3.3, A-]
NAME THAT VIDEO
VH1, 2001
Karen Bryant
*3/2001 premiere - Klunk vs. Brian vs. Phil [OC, RRinkerman7.1.3, A]
THE NEWLYWED GAME
Where one's relationship can literally go either way, with some laughs down the road. Enjoyable, but can also make you feel a little dirty. Which is kind of why I'm not into this sort of show, hence the lack of episodes.
ABC, 1966-1974
Bob Eubanks
*12/20/1974 finale, and it's also reunion day! - Lore and Frey vs. Kenny and Debbie vs. Tim and Sandy vs. Jay and Francine - It's a Bob Eubanks finale, of course it's gonna be a tear-jerking ending! [GAME w/comm (from a marathon with hilarious clips from other episodes!), RRinkermanNov2012/1.3, A]
GSN, 2009-present
Carnie Wilson
'Goldyweds' bonus format
*4/6/2009 premiere - contestant info TBA - missing opening; begins at very beginning of gameplay [OB, A-]
Back to traditional format
*5/18/2010 - Game Show Kings ep., with BOB EUBANKS guest-hosting! - Wink and Sandy Martindale vs. Monty and Marilyn Hall vs. Peter and Laurie Marshall! [GSN w/comm, RRinkermanNov2012/1.4, A++]
NOW YOU SEE IT
Interesting idea for a game, but the 1989 version certainly handled it better.
CBS, 1974-1975
Jack Narz
Second format
*4/4/1975 - Mike at Solo Round - two former champions return to play a Championship Round due to board change! [GSN, A++]
*4/28/1975 - Dit vs. Glenda (Championship Round) [GSN, A++]
CBS, 1989
Chuck Henry
*4/3/1989 premiere - Joanne vs. Jeff [OB, MTiller6.2, B+]
*4/10/1989 - Dorothy vs. Tony - audio low and pretty garbled [OC, DDownsBonus4.4, B]
*7/13/1989 - Melanie vs. Dale (Qualifying Round) - bright and somewhat blurry video [OB, JDay7.1, B-]
*7/14/1989 finale - JoAnn vs. Carol - some dumbness is seen here, and check out Chuck's reactions to the cancellation! - VERY bright video [OB, JDay7.2, B]
THE OBJECT IS
Dick Clark's first game show gig. This was when everyone was knocking off Password, and it shows.
ABC, 1963-1964
Dick Clark
*12/30/1963 premiere w/Dwayne Hickman, Ivone Craig, and Hans Conrey - Georgette vs. Mary-Anne vs. Gerald - bright video in some areas [KIN w/comm, RRinkerman6.5.3, B+]
*3/27/1964 finale w/Stubby Kaye and Joan Crawfield [KIN w/comm, RRinkerman6.5.4, B+]
THE $128,000 QUESTION
Actually a very worthy revival of the '50s classic. Definitely worth a watch!
weekly syndication, 1976-1978
Mike Darrow
*9/18/1976 premiere - Bernard starts at $64 in Michelangelo - rough frame rate [OB, A-]
Alex Trebek
NOTE: All episodes except for the last one has rather blurry video.
*11/17/1977 - Joel goes for $8K in boxing - no credits; ends after Alex's goodbye speech - towards the end, the video becomes slightly glitchy at times [OC, TMcSwain4.1, B-]
*11/24/1977 - Dwier goes for $16K in Leonardo DeVinci - no credits nor closing speech; ends RIGHT after Morris and Ruth's $64 question - video is slightly glitchy at times [OC, TMcSwain4.2, B-]
*12/1/1977 - Morris and Ruth go for $128 in ‘Gilbert and Sullivan’ [OC, TMcSwain3.1, B]
*12/8/1977 - John (brought back, due to an error) plays for $8K in World War I - video somewhat dark and slightly glitchy at times [OC, TMcSwain3.2, B-]
*12/15/1977 - John plays for $16K in World War I; can Don win $32K? - minor tape distortion throughout, but this copy is a considerable upgrade from before just the same [OC, MPannoni0320-1.3, B]
*1978 - 14-minute pitchfilm featuring fantastic clips mostly from season 2, highlighting the contestants, big wins, and the Playoff of Champions! [SM, B+]
THE $1,000,000 CHANCE OF A LIFETIME
syndication, 1986-1987
Jim Lange
*4/1986 - Marci and Rudi vs. Bill and Cheryl [OB, MTiller2.1, A]
*Next ep. - Bill and Cheryl vs. Sandy and Avi [OB, MTiller2.2, A]
*Next ep. - Bill and Cheryl (going for the million!) vs. Jane and David [OB, MTiller3.3, A]
*12/29/1986 - Coddy and Mary vs. Pam and Scott (Hostetler!) - missing opening; begins JUST after contestant interviews [OB, DDownsBonus6.2, A-]
*12/30/1986 - Scott and Pam (Hostetler!) vs. Angela and Mark [OC, DDownsBonus6.3, A-]
*Summer 1987 - Donald and Kathi vs. Phillip and Barbara - video pretty pink-tinted; audio has skips throughout [OC, RRinkerman5.9.5, B-]
1 vs. 100
Easily one of the better prime-time shows of the 2000s. I like both versions, but the NBC version is far superior mostly because of the budget.
NBC, 2006-2008
Bob Saget
Increasing-stakes format
*12/8/2006 - starts at Paula vs. 33 - Bob Eubanks and Wink Martindale are in the mob! [OB, A-]
Ladder format
*1/18/2008 - starts at Joe vs. 60 - contains a $250K loss! [OC, A+]
GSN, 2010-present
Carrie Ann Ivana
*11/19/2010 (5th ep.) - Jill plays - things get pretty exciting toward the end! [OB, A++]
*12/3/2010 - Jacob vs. 26 [OC, RRinkerman7.1.1, A++]
PASSWORD
The password is "classic"! All versions are very fun in their own right, except for the Million-Dollar version which is just meh.
Plus is my personal favorite.
CBS, 1961-1967
Allen Ludden
Black-and-White
*1/10/1966 w/Lucille Ball & Gary Morton - Bays vs. Kenda [KIN w/comm, RRinkermanDec2011/3.1, B]
*1/11/1966 w/same guests as above - Desi Arnaz Jr. vs. Lucie Arnaz(!!) [KIN w/comm, RRinkermanDec2011/3.2, B]
Color
*10/6/1966 w/Carol Burnett and Ross Martin - Sandy vs. Gene - Carol has a hard time with the word 'register'! - closing segment cut [GSN, A]
*1966 w/Barbara Eden and Peter Lawford - Sam vs. Patti [GAME w/comm, PBurgos10.1, B+]
*3/31/1967 w/Chris Noel and Roger Smith - from Armed Forces Week! - David vs. Donald [GSN w/comm, RRinkermanDec2011/3.3, A]
*5/22/1967 - day 1 of second Tournament of Champions w/Carol Burnett and Peter Lawford - Bud vs. Mary Kay [GSN, SWylie5a, A++]
*5/23/1967 - day 2 of TOC w/same guests as above - Dee Dee vs. Lee - a lightbulb bursts during a lightning round ("Dr. Reason A. Goodwin shot himself!") [GSN w/comm, RRinkerman4.8.5, A]
*9/15/1967 finale (all direct references to it are cut, though) w/Betty White and Frank Gifford - Ed vs. Meryl - contains a celebs vs. civilians game! [GSN w/comm, RRinkermanDec2011/3.4, A+]
CBS primetime, 1962-1965, 1967
Black-and-White
*8/21/1962 w/Rita Morano and Bill Cullen - Bruce vs. Kay - Jack Clark guest-hosts due to Allen being on vacation! [GSN w/comm, BBolton1.4, A+]
*2/11/1965 w/Lauren Becall and Jack Palance - Bud vs. Liba - Gene Wood announces, and its his first stint as such too! [GSN w/most comm, BBolton1.5, A]
*7/8/1965 w/Nancy Sinatra and Woody Allen - First game: John vs. Lorna; second game: William vs. Naomi - a new tournament format is tested here - buzzy audio [GAME w/comm, RRinkermanDec2011/4.1, A]
Color
*3/19/1967 w/Polly Bergen and Tony Randall - Bob vs. Anne - contains a humerous incident when the password is 'Bungalow' [GSN, BBolton2.1, A]
ABC, 1971-1975
Classic format
*12/9/1971 w/Jack Klugman and Brett Somers - Mary vs. Diane [GSN, DDowns11.3, A]
*2/14/1972 w/Sheila MacRae and Martin Milner - Sandra vs. Jerry [SC, A]
All-Star format
*2/21/1975 - finals of second grandmaster tournament (and final episode of all-star version) w/Richard Dawson, Bill Bixby, Hal Linden, and Betty White [OC, filtered version is B+ (improved saturation); original is JLeeman5.1.4, B]
Updated format, civilians
*3/14/1975 w/Vicki Lawrence and Betty White – Charlene at Lightning Round – small white bar at start used to cover up tracking bar – bright video; VERY distorted audio [SM w/slate, DDowns8.2, B-]
*6/27/1975 finale w/Kate Jackson and Sam Melville - Susan at Lightning Round - features a promo for the replacement show: Showoffs (which Allen mentions at a couple points) - features a nice goodbye from Allen, the crew, and Betty White! [SC, JLeeman0220-2.2, A]
NBC, 1979-1982 ("Password Plus")
*1/8/1979 premiere w/same celebs as below - Bruce vs. Sylvia [GSN w/comm, A+]
*1/9/1979 w/Elizabeth Montgomery and Robert Foxworth - Bruce vs. Jon [BUZZR, A++]
*1/19/1979 w/Eliane Joyce and Tony Randall - Lisa vs. George - cuts right before closing fee plugs - slight blackout during second segment (probably GSN's fault) [GSN w/comm, A]
*1/31/1979 w/Linda Kaye Henning and Richard Paul - Louis vs. David - VERY blurry video, with limited color [OC, JLeeman3.2.5, B-]
*3/20/1979 w/Greg Morris (he is said to be in the show's pitch!) and Joyce Bulifant - Doug vs. Laura [GSN, JLeeman5.2.3, A]
*3/27/1979 w/Martin Milner and Karen Morrow - Nancy vs. Meg [OC (first third) then GAME (the rest), CDonegan5.1.1, A]
*Intended to air on 6/11/1979 w/Elaine Joyce and George Peppard - Steve at Alphabetics - George makes a rant about NBC's policies... which ends up banning this episode from NBC and he was never invited back as a result. There's also a puzzle with VERY questionable and rather disturbing content. [GSN, JLeeman5.2.5, A+]
*6/1979 w/same guests as above - Karen vs. Joe [GSN, RRinkermanDec2011/4.2, A]
*11/7/1979 w/Lee Meriwether and Peter Marshall - Sandy vs, David - THREE Password Puzzles are guessed correctly on the first word! [GSN, BBolton2.2, A]
*11/16/1979 w/Patty Duke Astin and John Astin - Donna vs. Ann [GSN, A+]
*1/29/1980 w/Joanna Gleason and Dick Gautier - Denise vs. Laurie - "What happened was, she fell in my hole, you see." [GSN, RRinkermanDec2011/4.3, A]
*4/14/1980 w/Elaine Joyce and Bill Anderson - Bill Cullen guest-hosts (his first ep. doing so!), and Johnny Olson announces! - Sawyer vs. Carolyn [GSN, JLeeman2.2.5, A+]
*5/7/1980 w/Greg Morris and Betty White - Bill Cullen guest-hosts! - Kristen vs. Barbara [OC (first half) then GSN (the rest), JLeeman2.2.4, A]
*5/13/1980 w/Susan Richardson and Bill Cullen - Allen's second show back after his surgery - some antenna distortion [OC, CDonegan5.1.2, B+]
*8/6/1980 w/Sally Struthers and Monty Hall - Debby vs. Paula - contains a GSN Live interview with a 1976 LMAD winner! [GSN w/most comm, RRinkermanDec2011/4.4, A+]
*10/24/1980 w/Vicki Lawrence and Robert Donner - Allen Ludden's last episode (for real) - Mike at Alphabetics [GSN, JLeeman3.2.4, A+]
Tom Kennedy
*12/23/1980 w/Betty White and Dick Martin - the infamous France/French incident, with unaired footage! - Kathy vs. Tom - rough frame rate [SM w/slate, JLeeman3.1.2, A-]
*4/21/1981 w/Barbara Rhodes and Bart Braverman - Kathy at Alphabetics [OC, JLeeman3.1.1, A-]
*5/7/1981 All-Star special w/Robert Donner as Exodor, Jon Bauman as Bowzer, Anne Francine as Florida Simpson Reilly, and Patty Duke Astin as Patty Lane [OC, CDonegan5.1.3, B+]
*9/14/1981 w/Betty White and Dick Martin - Cindy vs. Hester [GSN, A++]
*9/15/1981 w/same celebs as above - Ghandi vs. Hester - everyone gets stumped with a Mr. Bill puzzle, so much that an audience member demonstrates his gimmick! [GSN, A++]
*9/16/1981 w/same celebs (again) - Nancy vs. Hester - closing segment missing [GSN, A++]
*12/17/1981 w/Betty White and Pat Sajak - Sharon vs. Ann [GSN, RRinkermanDec2011/4.5, A]
*3/26/1982 finale w/Audrey Landers and Tom Poston - game is reformatted so a winner is guaranteed - most fee plugs uncrunched, but cuts abruptly [GSN, A+]
NBC, 1984-1989 ("Super Password")
Bert Convy
*9/24/1984 premiere w/Gloria Loring and Pat Sajak - Wendy vs. Ed - video flickers during intro; audio muffled and quite warpy [GAME, EPerez1.1, B-]
*9/25/1984 w/same guests as above - Patricia vs. Ed [GSN, EPerez1.2, A]
*11/21/1984 w/Joanne Worley and Charlie Seibert - Carla vs. Bob - no credit crunch! [GAME w/comm, RRinkerman6.12.1, A+]
*12/31/1984 w/Laurie Handler and Jamie Farr - Sue vs. Marjorie - the year ends on a rather big note! [GAME w/comm, RRinkerman6.12.2, A+]
*6/13/1985 w/Shelley Smith and Jamie Farr - Robin vs. Teresa - opening missing [GSN, A++]
*8/25/1986 w/Pat Harrington and Edie McClurg - Teresa vs. Michael - the Magic Toaster breaks apart! [OC, CDonegan5.1.5, A-]
*12/23/1986 w/Mary Ann Mobley and Gary Collins - Robyn vs. Lynn [GSN, EPerez1.3, A]
*12/24/1986 w/same guests as above - Teri vs. Lynn [GSN, EPerez1.4, A]
*5/5/1987 w/Constance McCashin and Edwin Newman - Fran vs. Jeannie - a bird flies in the studio, and Bert chases it around! - some antenna distortion [OC, JLeeman5.1.1, B]
*9/11/1987 w/Jamie Farr and Stuart Pankin - Claire vs. John - a puzzle has to be done on cards! [OB, JLeeman5.2.2, B]
*1/11/1988 w/Audrey Landers and Bruce Baumm - Patrick (the infamous fugitive) vs. Lisa [OC, TMcSwain6.3.3, B]
*1/21/1988 w/Patty Duke and Rip Taylor - Rip reveals his bald side! [GAME w/comm, DDowns10.5, B+]
*10/10/1988 w/Roz Ryan and Marc Summers - Cindy vs. Lilla - video silghtly pixelated [OB, EPerez1.5, B]
*11/8/1988 - from an All-Star Week w/Lucille Ball & Carol Channing vs. Dick Martin & Betty White! - at one point, the wrong puzzle is put on the board, making everyone improvise for a minute! [OC, JLeeman0620-2.4, B+]
*2/1989 w/Betty White and McLean Stevenson - Cristy vs. Wendy - the show ends with the wrong clue being revealed on the puzzle board by mistake, forcing the round to abruptly end! [OC, GGarsten4.1, B+]
*3/23/1989 w/same guests as below - Michelle vs. Lee - closing segment missing - somewhat grainy video [OB, GGarsten4.2, B]
*3/24/1989 finale w/Betty White and Christopher Hewitt - Michelle vs. Jerri - Betty breaks the magic toaster, and a funny plug is shown! - somewhat dark video [OB, EPerez1.6, B+]
CBS, 2008-2009 ("Million Dollar Password")
Regis Philbin
*6/1/2008 premiere w/Neil Patrick Harris and Rachael Ray - Josh vs. Melaine [OC, A+]
*6/12/2008 w/Susie Essman and Betty White - Steve vs. Nadia [OB w/some comm, A-]
*6/14/2009 finale w/Jeff Garlin and Chelsea Handler - Jim vs. Julie [OB w/some comm, A+]
PAY CARDS
syndication, 1968-1969
Art James
*VTR 4/22/1969 - Paul vs. Celeste Holm vs. Jack - video sometimes briefly flashes B&W [SM, RRinkerman7.6.2, B]
syndication, 1981-1982 ("Super Pay Cards")
*1981 - Eli vs. David [OB, TMcSwain7.12, A-]
PITFALL
Very impressively done show with a pretty solid main game and a fascinating bonus round! Pity the budget ruined it all.
Canadian syndication, 1981-1982
Alex Trebek
*1981 - Vivianne vs. Dan vs. Mary - video slightly glitchy at times and snowy in a few screen areas [OB, MTiller8.1, B]
*1981 - Dan (same as above) vs. Rosemary vs. Michael - the first bonus round literally goes no where! - video slightly wavy at times, blurry, somewhat snowy, and slightly shaky at times; garbled audio [OB, RRinkerman4.7.3, C+]
*1981 - Jane vs. Mona vs. Rose - video slightly wavy at most points; no credits [OB, GBrobeck1.2, B]
*1981 - Sunny vs. Sharon vs. Paul - one bonus round player forgets to give Alex the pit passes! - video gets glitchy at times [1985 RPT, MTiller4.1, B-]
*Next ep. - Vonnie vs. Paul vs. Rod - muffled audio [OB, MTiller8.2, B+]
*1981 - Linda vs. Janet vs. Bob - video can be slightly glitchy at times [1985 RPT w/comm, JOswald3.6, B]
*1982 - Margaret vs. Glen vs. Eileen [OC, CDonegan5.1, A-]
*Next ep. - Bill vs. Eileen vs. John - second bonus round comes right down to the wire! - video has tracking problems throught; audio is low, somewhat muffled, and pretty warpy. [OB, JOswald3.7, B-]
*Next ep. - Eileen vs. Cindy vs. Bobby [OC, CDonegan5.2, A-]
PLAY THE PERCENTAGES
A simple but fun game of statistics and guesswork. It's a shame they just couldn't settle on a format.
syndication, 1980
Geoff Edwards
*1/28/1980 - Bryne vs. Williams - contains a $13,000 jackpot win! [USA, TMcSwain0420-4.3, A-]
*2/4/1980 - Palmer at the Bonus Round (which is slightly tweaked in this ep; now, there's 6 possible answers) [USA, TMcSwain0420-4.4, A-]
*2/29/1980 - Jennison vs. Rolnik - last episode with the couples format [USA, TMcSwain0420-4.5, A-]
THE POWER OF 10
An admittedly cool game that did need some tweaks to see its full potential.
CBS, 2007-2008
Drew Carey
*8/7/2007 premiere, with a rather exciting first game! - Jamie vs. Maureen [GSN, RRinkermanNov2012/2.1, A+]
*VTR 2008 finale (unaired on CBS) - Melissa at $1,000 [GSN, RRinkermanNov2012/2.2, A++]
PRESS YOUR LUCK
The show that made us want big bucks and no whammies!
CBS, 1983-1986
Peter Tomarken
*1983 pilot - Jack vs. Maggie vs. Matt - contains 5 questions per round, and one whammy animation - low audio [SM, BMoore2.3.4, B]
*9/19/1983 PREMIERE - Lana vs. Linda vs. Phil - two copies: [OC, CDonegan7.2.1, B (bright and rather blurry video)] and [GSN, A+]
*9/20/1983 - Linda vs. Patricia vs. Henri [GSN, A]
*9/22/1983 - Robert vs. Jim vs. Terry [GSN, A]
*9/23/1983 - Robert vs. Dave vs. Shirley - video somewhat blurry [OC, SWylie3.2, B]
*9/26/1983 - Alison vs. Tom vs. Robert - this ep. didn't originally air in the East due to a presidential address. [GSN, A]
*9/29/1983 - Randy West vs. Pam vs. Maggie [OC, GGarsten2.4, A-]
*9/30/1983 - Randy West vs. Cathy vs. Alan - video gets slightly glitchy from time to time [OB, DDowns9.4, B]
*10/3/1983 - Randy West vs. Clay vs. Martha [GSN, A]
*10/13/1983 - David vs. Jessica vs. Jeanne - missing closing segment [USA, MWise1.6, B+]
*10/17/1983 - Mariam vs. Betty vs. Warren - definitely one of the most exciting early games! [GSN w/comm, A]
*10/26/1983 - 12-minute Big Board clips (includes Peter's demonstration) w/Kim vs. Patti vs. Mark [USA, MWise3.3, B+]
*10/27/1983 - Reagan vs. Patti vs. Sam - dark video [OC, MWise3.2, B+]
*11/14/1983 - Toni vs. Bob vs. Tony - Contains an early version of the montage intro that lacks music. [GSN, A]
*12/2/1983 - John vs. Toni vs. Scott Hostetler - VERY dark and blurry video [USA w/comm, DDowns10.1, B-]
*12/5/1983 - Thawann vs. John vs. Scott Hostetler - cuts during closing whammy poem, but credits were crunched anyway. [GSN, A]
*12/26/1983 - Carlotta vs. Tracy vs. Steve [OC, MWise1.4, B+]
*12/27/1983 - 11.5-minute clip of Big Board rounds w/Stephen vs. Carol vs. Dawn - shaky video at most points [USA, MWise3.1, B-]
*1/3/1984 - 11-minute Big Board clips (includes Peter's demonstration) w/Tom vs. Vicki vs. Troy (very hyperactive!) [USA, MWise4.6, B]
*1/23/1984 - Beth vs. Tom vs. Kimberly - missing closing segment and most of opening [USA, MWise1.7, A]
*1/26/1984 - Jim vs. Mimi vs. Mark - contains a very high-stake and exciting end result! [USA, MWise4.2, B+]
*1/27/1984 - Mimi vs. Irene vs. Kirk [USA w/comm, MWise4.3, B+]
*2/22/1984 - Jim vs. Cyann vs. Richard [GSN w/comm, A-]
*2/23/1984 - Kerry vs. Darlene vs. Jim [GSN w/comm, A-]
*2/24/1984 - Gilbert vs. Lorri vs. Darlene [GSN w/comm, A-]
*2/27/1984 - Mac vs. Gilbert vs. Rachele - no Whammies here! [GSN w/comm, A-]
*2/28/1984 - John vs. Terre vs. Mac - Pick-a-Corner debuts! Also, someone gets NO spins in round 1! [GSN w/comm, A-]
*3/9/1984 - Michael vs. Bob vs. MAGGIE BROWN-SPHOCK [GSN, VHSConversion1.4, A+]
*3/12/1984 - MAGGIE BROWN-SPHOCK vs. Burt vs. Laureen - closing segment missing [GSN, VHSConversion1.5, A+]
*4/2/1984 - KAREN MARTIN vs. Rich vs. Mae [GSN, A-]
*4/3/1984 - Sue vs. KAREN MARTIN (she wants that pool table!) vs. Bill [GSN, A]
*6/7/1984 - Pamela vs. Vicki vs. Ed [GAME w/comm, RRinkermanDec2011/2.1, A+]
*6/8/1984 - Ed vs. Michael Larson vs. Janie, part 1 [GSN, A++]
*6/11/1984 - Ed vs. Michael Larson vs. Janie, part 2. Things get really interesting here! [GSN, A++]
*6/12/1984 - Mike vs. Jo vs. Jeffie - Peter doesn't have as much enthusiasm as usual; you can probably tell why [GAME w/comm, RRinkermanDec2011/2.2, A+]
*7/25/1984 - Aaron vs. Nyna vs. Nancy [GSN, A++]
*8/10/1984 - Randy vs. Cathy vs. Lori - contains the (in)famous Cathy/Lori spin battle; in fact, that segment took so long, there is a TON of editing throughout, including an entirely redone intro! - low audio [GAME, SWylie4.2, A-]
*11/7/1984 - Bob vs. Claire vs. Marc - faint ghosts in background, but they aren't that visible anyway. [USA w/comm, PBurgos1.3, A-]
*11/29/1984 - Chris (his fifth game!) vs. Paula vs. Ron [GSN, A++]
*1/14/1985 - Lisa vs. Max vs. Jerome - missing opening; begins during Peter's opening speech [GSN, A]
*1/15/1985 - Lesley vs. Jerome (his fifth game!) vs. Tim [GSN, A++]
*2/27/1985 - Scott vs. Pamela vs. Lisa [GSN, JCranmer1.4, A+]
*2/28/1985 - Scott (the audience wants him to whammy!) vs. Suzanne vs. Bob - missing most of contestant interviews [GSN, JCranmer1.5, A+]
*3/25/1985 - Tyler vs. Pam vs. Wade [USA w/comm, MWise5.7, A]
*5/6/1985 - Cindy vs. Pat vs. Tony - missing opening; begins at contestant introductions - starts with a promo narrated by... Whammy? [USA w/most comm, MWise5.5, A]
*5/8/1985 - Coleen vs. Shequita vs. Dan [USA w/comm, MWise5.6, A]
*5/15/1985 - Joey vs. Damon (who gets no spins in round 1 but somehow gets the most money there) vs. Queta - video has an occasional glitch [USA w/comm, RRinkermanNov2012/3.1, B+]
*6/12/1985 - Jerry vs. Ana vs. Steve [GSN w/comm, RRinkermanNov2012/3.2, A+]
*8/23/1985 - Jacklynn vs. Mark vs. Matt - a VERY strange episode; some board slides go black, and 11(!) whammies total are hit! [GSN, SWylie3.4, A]
*Intended to air on 8/26/1985 - was supposed to be first ep. of Back to School week, but never aired on CBS! - Jacquie vs. Matt vs. Roxy - 11 whammies are hit (again)! [GSN, JCranmer2.3, A]
*10/21/1985 - Mona vs. Joe vs. Janice - first episode of Home Player Sweepstakes! [GSN, A++]
*10/25/1985 - Sharyl vs. Debbie vs. Stephen [GSN, A++]
*10/28/1985 - Colleen vs. Debbie vs. Andy [GSN, A++]
*10/29/1985 - Lark vs. Andy vs. Carolyn - missing opening and closing segment; begins after Peter's introduction [GSN, A++]
*11/22/1985 - Jon vs. Carla vs. Shirley - Home Player Sweepstakes finale, with a special drawing for a BIG sweepstakes spin at the closing! [USA w/comm, DDowns11.4, B]
*1/3/1986 - Marla vs. Joyce vs. Chris - last episode in 10:30 timeslot, which would be replaced by Eubanks Card Sharks - muffled audio [OB, MWise5.1, B]
*1/6/1986 - Marla vs. Kent vs. David - first episode in new timeslot (depends on where you live) [USA w/comm, MWise5.2, B]
*2/4/1986 - Dorothy vs. Wayne vs. Joe - 3-way $0 tie, and despite what Peter says, this is NOT the first time! [USA, DDowns4.2.5, A-]
*2/5/1986 w/same players as above - the rematch to the above tie! [USA, MWise2.1, B+]
*2/17/1986 - 12-minute opening and Big Board clips (includes prize descriptions) w/Grace vs. Hal vs. Randy [OB, MWise5.4, A]
*3/11/1986 - Bill vs. Zena vs. Deanne - Peter mocks the infamous carpeting prize after it gets hit! [USA, MWise2.2, B+]
*4/1/1986 - Kate vs. Robert vs. Bob - contains a rather breathtaking ending! [USA w/comm, DDowns10.3, A-]
*5/6/1986 - Llewellyn vs. Dave vs. Joe - quite a rare end result happens here! - video gets wavy in some shots, especially during board shots. [OC, JLaPratt3.2, C+]
*5/8/1986 - Mark vs. Susan vs. Rita [OB, MWise5.3, A-]
*5/19/1986 - Leselle vs. Ed vs. Frank [GSN, IWallis3.5, A+]
*6/12/1986 - clip of last 7.5 minutes of Round 2 w/Billy vs. Jo vs. Tim [OB, MWise1.3, B+]
*6/13/1986 - Jo vs. Robert vs. Donna - bright video, which has a tendency to 'flicker-glitch' at most points [OC, MWise1.2, B-]
*6/16/1986 - Bill vs. Yvonne vs. Paige - features a putrid Add-a-One hit [OC, MWise2.3, B+]
*6/17/1986 - Scott vs. Paige vs. Jacques - another putrid Add-a-One hit, and the 'N' in Paige's 'Spins' sign falls off! - rather low audio [OC, GBrobeck3.4, B+]
*6/24/1986 - Annemarie vs. Dailyn vs. Robert [USA w/few comm, MWise1.1, B]
*7/2/1986 - Mark vs. Donna vs. Greg [USA w/comm, MWise2.4, B+]
*7/4/1986 - Jane vs. Cynthia vs. Robert - missing opening (CBS News v/o can be heard); begins after Peter's intro [OC, MWise2.5, B+]
*7/22/1986 - Debbie vs. Chris vs. Andre [OC, MWise2.6, A-]
*9/16/1986 - Kathy vs. Joe vs. Danny [OC, MWise2.7, B+]
*9/26/1986 (unannounced) finale - Andy vs. Karen vs. Bill [OC, JLaPratt3.3, B]
THE PRICE IS RIGHT - If you want to place your bid, check out this showcase.
PYRAMID - "Uh-uh... shows that have their own page?"
QUIZ KIDS CHALLENGE
syndication, 1990
Johnathan Prince
*1990 - Aditi, David, Taos vs. Milan, Grethen, Matt [OB, RRinkerman7.5.1, A-]
REMOTE CONTROL
If you like MTV and game shows, this is for you.
MTV, 1987-1990
Ken Ober
Craft-matic Adjustable bonus format
*VTR 11/19/1987 pilot 1 - Marc vs. Kelly vs. Bill - Off the Air works differently [SM, TMcSwain5.11, A-]
*VTR 11/20/1987 pilot 2 - Nancy vs. Kevin vs. Carolyn - slightly snowy video [SM w/slate, TMcSwain2.3, B-]
*12/7/1987 premiere - Chuck vs. Dina vs. Dan [1989 RPT, DBarkow1.1, A]
*12/1987 - Ted vs. Michele vs. Scott [11/18/2009 RPT, RRinkermanRC.1, A++]
*12/1987 - Mike vs. Kelly vs. Tom... all three of which do so poorly, they all get yanked after round 1 in favor of Ric vs. Patty vs. Matt [1989 RPT, RRinkerman817-3.1, A]
*4/1988 - Spring Break special, taped in Hawaii! - Pat vs. Leslie vs. Larry - opening missing [OB, DBarkow6.3, A]
*1988 - MTV at Your House special! - Rick vs. Dawn (shot in her room) vs. Dave [OB, DBarkow5.5, B]
*mid-1988 - David vs. Billie vs. Adam - Weird Al Yankovic gets his own category in round 2, featuring the one and only! - no opening; begins during contestant interviews [OB, RRinkerman817-3.2, B+]
*1988 celebrity ep. – LL Cool J vs. Downtown Julie Brown vs. Weird Al Yankovic – missing open; begins as Ken as explaining the rules [OB, TMcSwain3.1, B]
*1988 - Ted vs. Lisa vs. David - BOB EUBANKS appears as a special guest and coaches Ken on his hosting skills! - video is blurry and slightly glitchy at times [1988 RPT, MTiller5.2, C+]
*1988 - tribute to Susan Olsen! - Tom vs. Leslie vs. Carl - low audio [OB, RSeidelman2.4.4, A-]
*1988 - Kris vs. Jeff vs. Erin - AMAZING comeback in Think Real Fast! [SM, RRinkerman7.8.4, A]
*1988 - Ted vs. Lori vs. Mitchell [OB, RRinkerman7.8.5, A]
*1989 - Salute to Heavy Metal! - Charlie Benante vs. Lorraine Lewis vs. Dizzy Dean Davidson [OB, DBarkow6.1, B-]
*1989 - The ‘Lost 1975 episode!’ - Eric vs. Leigh vs. Arthur [1989 RPT, DBarkow1.2, B-]
*late 1989 - Penthouse Pets special! - John and STEPHANIE vs. NATALIE and Eric vs. JOANNE and Bob [OB, RRinkermanRC.2, B]
*11/1989 - Paul vs. Andrea vs. Mike - the bonus round is won in *8 seconds*! [OB, MPannoni0320-2.4, A-]
Wheel of Jeopardy bonus format
*VTR 12/15/1989 - Greg vs. Roselyn vs. Tim [SM w/slate, TMcSwain7.9, A-]
*4/10/1990 - Andy vs. Stacy vs. Robert [11/18/2009 RPT, RrinkermanRC.3, A++]
*1990 - Andrew vs. Rich vs. Melo [OB, DBarkow1.3, A-]
*1990 - Michael vs. Joshua vs. Denise - somewhat dark and jerky video [OB, TMcSwain4.10, B]
syndication, 1989-1990
Season 4 format
*9/23/1989 premiere - Brady Kids special w/Eve Plumb, Barry Williams and Susan Olsen [OB, RSeidelman2.3.1, A]
*1989 - TC vs. Sally vs. Scott - early episode with different bonus round graphics - blurry video and low audio [OB, RRinkermanGrabbag2.3, B-]
*1989 - Rozzano vs. David vs. Mike - quite a nice comeback is seen here! - video rather jerky, pretty bright, and pretty grainy [OB, RSeidelman2.3.2, B-]
*1990 - Word Class Athletes special w/Ron Greschner vs. Boomer Esiason vs. David Cone - pretty grainy video; low audio [OB, RSeidelman2.3.3, B+]
Season 5 format
*1990 - Michael vs. DJ vs. Scott [OB, RRinkermanRC.4, A-]
*4/24/1990 - Mardi Gras special - David vs. Tim vs. Mitch [SM w/slate, TMcSwain3.2, A-]
*1990 - Sharon vs. Ken vs. Jason - opening missing; begins at tossup [OC, RRinkermanRC.5, A]
THE RICH LIST
A one-shot that so totally did not deserve to be. The concept is well executed, and the set and music are really cool as well. At least GSN gave this another shot, even if their run didn't do much better.
FOX, 2006
Eeamon Holmes
*11/1/2006 only episode - Eric and May vs. Ray and Bill [OC, RRinkermanNov2012/3.3, A]
GSN, 2009 ("The Money List")
Fred Roggin
*6/13/2009 premiere - Harriet and Scott vs. Judith and Spencer [2009 RPT w/comm, RRinkermanJan117-8.3, A]
*7/11/2009 - Young and Shannon vs. Robert and Anastasia - contains the sole $50K win of the series! [9/13/2009 RPT, A++]
*7/25/2009 - 14 minutes of clips w/Jeff and Valerie vs. Brad and Megan; contains opening, one round, and the bonus round. [9/27/2009 RPT, A++]
Australian versions
Channel 7, 2007-2009
Andrew O'Keefe
*12/29/2008 - Mark and Carmel vs. Jess and Shane - contains a $250K win! Missing first couple minutes; begins during the bidding of the first list [OC, A+]
United Kingdom versions (titled "Who Dares Wins")
BBC One, 2007-present
Nick Knowles
*4/30/2011 - Adam and Dawn (on quite the winning streak!) vs. Lucy and Steven [OB w/some comm, A+]
The games feel a little too generic for their own good, but the presentation makes it passable.
California syndication, 2009-2010
Mark Wahlberg
*1/17/2009 premiere [OC, PBurgos8.5, A-]
*3/21/2009 - Joesephine plays for $2.8 million! [OC, PBurgos8.6, A]
*8/22/2009 - Natalie plays for $5.2 million! [OC, PBurgos8.7, A]
*9/12/2009 - Queen plays for $1.4 million! [OC, PBurgos8.8, A]
*10/17/2009 - Dave plays for $1.8 million! - video not fully-sized [OC, PBurgos8.2, A+]
*2009-10 - Almost every episode afterward, and it's too much for me to catalog. Inquire within! - some episodes may have cable problems or DVD hangup [all OC, ranges from A to A++]
MATCH GAME
I can see why it's so incredibly popular, but I think this is best watched in moderation.
'70s version is best example, 1990 is also great, 1998 isn't good but certainly not horrible.
NBC, 1962-1969
Gene Rayburn
*VTR 12/1962 pilot - Arthur, Ronni, and Peggy Cass vs. Rick, Mary, and Peter Lind Hayes [SC(?!), BEvans1.1.1, A-]
*1/1964 All-Star special w/Bennett Cerf, Henry Morgan, and Robert Q. Lewis vs. Joan Fontaine, Betty White, and Peggy Cass - minor video glitches sometimes [GAME, BEvans1.2.3, B+]
*7/28/1964 - Joe, Marlene, and Jayne Mansfield vs. Dave, Jean, and Orson Bean [GSN, A+]
CBS, 1973-1979
In all Rayburn-hosted versions, unless otherwise listed, celebs include: Brett Somers, Charles Nelson Reilly, and Richard Dawson. The latter doesn't apply for post-1978 shows.
*VTR 5/19/1973 pilot w/Bert Convy, Arlene Francis, Jack Klugman, Jo-Anne Pflug, and Betty White - contains few minor differences - Susan vs. Wendy - two copies: [SM w/slate, JLeeman6.5.1, A- (pretty rough framerate)] or [GSN, A+ (but some commercial edits aren't the best)]
*7/2/1973 PREMIERE w/Michael Landon, Vicki Lawrence, Jack Klugman, Jo-Anne Pflug, and Anita Gilette - Joan vs. Stanley - two copies: [GAME w/comm, RRinkerman6.10.1, A] or [GSN, A+]
*7/16/1973 w/CNR and BS in their first appearances, Bert Convy, Jaye P. Morgan, and Betty White - Beverly at Head-to-Head Match [GSN, A+]
*9/20/1973 w/Bobby Van, Elaine Joyce, and Nanette Fabray - Sandy vs. Patrick - the infamous, banned Queer episode! - At occasional brief points, video will turn B&W and audio will short out [GAME, JLeeman3.2.3, B]
*11/26/1973 w/Robert Vaughn, BS, McLean Stevenson, Nancy Dussault, and Betty White - Ellen vs. Charlene - bad commercial edits, with contestant interviews and Super Match rules cut [GSN, A++]
*1/17/1974 w/Joe Flynn, Linda Kaye Henning, and Betty White - Brenda Lee vs. Janet - "Time is up, ladies!" [SC w/slate, JLeeman6.1.2, B+]
*early 3/1974 w/Steve Allen, Fannie Flagg, and Kaye Ballard - Sue vs. Valerie - 'boobs' is given as an answer, which the panel doesn't react kindly to. Not that one of Brett's answers is really much better... [GSN, A++]
*6/12/1974 w/Bert Convy, Louisa Moritz, and Kaye Stevens - Gloria vs. John - a later contestant is Karen Lesko, & despite the infamous blooper being cut from all airings, Gene briefly refers to it - from that 70s hour, with then-current comments from Gene [GSN w/slate & comm, RRinkerman6.10.2, A]
*6/25/1974 w/Jimmie Walker, Joyce Bulifant, and Loretta Switt - Ken vs. Suzy [GSN, A++]
*6/27/1974 w/same guests as above - Judy vs. Beth [GSN, A+]
*8/26/1974 w/Donald Ross, Patti Deusch, and Fannie Flagg - Janet vs. King - a new winnings record is at stake, and Charles uppstages everyone in the moment! - two copies: [GSN, A++ (missing end credits and Super Match rules)] and [GSN w/comm, CCohan0720-6.3, A (complete)]
*11/5/1974 w/Michael Evans, Joyce Bulifant, and Fannie Flagg - first day of CNR's 6-month hiatus; Gary Burghoff takes his place during this - Alicia at Super Match [GSN, A++]
*11/6/1974 w/same guests as above - Alicia vs. Lola [GSN, A++]
*VTR 2/23/1975 w/Leslie Neilsen, Patti Deutsch, and Marcia Wallace - JOHNNY OLSEN subs for Gary Burghoff! - John at the Super Match [GSN, JLeeman6.4.3, A+]
*8/8/1975 w/Allen Ludden, Dolly Martin, and Betty White - Maxine vs. Elaine - clearly the people working today weren't taking their jobs too seriously... also contains a contestant who's a belly dancer and the 'I've tried Betty' blooper! - missing final segment, save for the credits [GAME, JLeeman6.3.4, A-]
*7/1/1976 w/George Kennedy, Donna Mills, and Patti Deutsch - Roary at Super Match - no opening; begins during Gene's opening interactions [GSN, A++]
*11/5/1976 w/Jimmie Walker, Roz Kelly, and Betty White - Gordon vs. Sharon - contains the "Snow Black" question, and the 'in the ghetto' incident from the same taping session is acknowledged - no contestant interviews or Super Match rules [GSN, A++]
*7/8/1977 w/Ed Asner, Debralee Scott, and Patti Deutsch - Kathy at Super Match - the infamous School Riot episode, where the panelists call out a particularly head-scratching judge ruling - two copies: [GAME, NJohnson2.1, B- (video red-tinted)] or [GSN w/comm, A+]
*10/20/1977 w/Gary Burghoff, Meg Bennett, and Fannie Flagg - Marcie vs. Kenneth (mid-tiebreaker!) - contains another, just as baffling ruling that Dawson does not hesitate to call out - no crunch, but ends partway through credits [GSN, A++]
*6/28/1978 w/Scoey Mitchell, Sharon Ferrell (her first appearance!), and Mary Wilkes - debut of the Star Wheel (which Richard's none too impressed at) - Cindy vs. Ann [BUZZR, A++]
*7/18/1978 w/Henry Morgan, Debralee Scott, and Joyce Bulifant - Bill at Super Match - last episode with the original set, and a first in the Head to Head Match! [BUZZR, A++]
*7/19/1978 w/Nipsey Russell, Susan Richardson (her first appearance!), and Fannie Flagg - Bill at Super Match - first episode with the blue set, along with a short-lived dark blue wall behind the panel! [BUZZR, A++]
*8/23/1978 w/Dick Martin, Lorrie Mahaffey, and Joyce Bulifant - Debbie vs. Harold - Richard Dawson's final episode, and he just doesn't seem to care. At all. [GAME, JLeeman6.4.2, A]
*3/16/1979 w/David Doyle, Loretta Switt, Scoey Mitchell, and Fannie Flagg - Barbara vs. Louann - Director's Track version, with Marc Breslow's audio heard throughout! [SM w/slate, NJohnson2.2, B]
weekly syndication, 1975-1980 ("Match Game PM")
*9/22/1975 (ep. 3) w/William Shatner, Joyce Bulifant, and Fannie Flagg - Dottie vs. Karen - contains the first $10,000 win! [GSN w/comm, SWylie5e, A++]
*5/1978 w/Nipsey Russell, Ethel Merman, and Fannie Flagg - Becky vs. Don - reception glitches cause video to be in B&W (except for a few brief moments) [OC, JLeeman3.1.3, A-]
daily syndication, 1979-1982
*9/10/1979 premiere w/Bart Braverman, Eva Gabor, Bill Daly, and Fannie Flagg - Patti vs. Rose
[GSN, A++]
*late 1979 w/Robert Walden, Elaine Joyce, Bill Daily, and Joyce Bulifant - Adrianne vs. Ginger - Cuckoo, Friend, and Ollie? [GAME, GGarsten3.3, A-]
*Fall 1980 w/Jimmie Walker, Connie Stevens, Bart Braverman, and Debralee Scott - Phillip at Head-to-Head Match - Charles' name tag on the Star Wheel falls out "for the third time this week" - this week never ran on GSN due to them never showing Jimmie's appearances in this run [5/2/1985 RPT w/comm, JLeeman4.2.3, A]
*1981 w/Bart Braverman, Richard Deacon (in place of CNR), Connie Stevens, McLean Stevenson (who switches places with Gene for most of the show!), and Debralee Scott - Roxy vs. Jim [GSN, A-]
*Fall 1981 w/Robert Donner, Patty Duke Astin, CNR, Betty Kennedy, McLean Stevenson, and Joyce Bulifant - Debbie vs. Dorothy [5/8/1985 RPT w/comm, JLeeman4.2.4, A-]
*VTR 1/15/1982 unannounced finale w/Skip Stephenson, Melinda O. Fee, McLean Stevenson, and Betty White - Beth at Super Match [GAME, GGarsten3.4, A]
ABC, 1990-1991
*VTR 10/5/1989 third pilot w/Bert Convy hosting and the 3 round format; Brad Garrett, Marsha Winfield, CNR, Khrystina Haje, Jerry Van Dyke, and Teri Copley - Harley vs. Michelle - contains the 'cannibal halloween party' question seen on a couple of blooper reels! [GSN w/comm (which there's very few of), A+]
Ross Shafer
Here, the only celeb not listed is Charles Nelson Reilly
*7/16/1990 premiere w/Joe Alaskey, Ilene Graff, Sally Struthers, Chris Lemmon, and Daphne Maxwell-Reid - Michelle vs. Kelly - a rare tiebreaker is used [GAME, NJohnson2.3, A-]
*8/10/1990 w/Brad Barrett, Marcia Wallace, Khrystyne Haje, Ronn Lucas, and Robin Strasser - Stefanie vs. Janos - contains the short-lived gold Super Match board [GAME w/comm, RRinkerman517-4.1, A-]
*9/10/1990 w/Bill Kirchenbauer, BRETT SOMERS, Vicki Lawrence, Ronn Lucas, and Deborah Tranelli - Susan vs. Bruce [GSN w/comm, A+]
*12/3/1990 w/Brad Garrett, Dana Fleming, Vicki Lawrence-Shultz, Richard Simmons, and Lisa Canning - John vs. Nancy - the all-time series record is broken! [GSN, GGarsten0820-3.4, A]
*2/22/1991 w/Fred Travalena, Dolly Martin, Khrystyne Haje, Jason Stuart, and JoAnne Worley - Mary Beth vs. Tony - somewhat dark video [GAME w/comm, RRinkerman6.10.3, A]
*6/21/1991 finale w/Brad Garrett, Nell Carter, Diana Jordan, Bruce Baum, and Jackie Zeman - Stacey vs. Herman - Ross mentions a move to a different network, which never went through [OB w/most comm, RRinkerman6.10.4, B+]
syndication, 1998-1999
Michael Burger
*9/21/1998 premiere w/Vicki Lawrence, Kristoff St. John, Judy Tenuta, Nell Carter, and George Hamilton - Kara vs. Sandy [OC, NJohnson2.4, A]
*10/7/1998 w/VIcki Lawrence, Rondell Sheridan, Judy Tenuda, Nell Carter, and George Hamilton - Barbara vs. Todd [GSN w/comm, A+]
*1998 w/Vicki Lawrence, John Salley, Judy Tenuta, Nell Carter, and Bobby Collins - Margie vs. SCOTT HOSTETLER [OB, RRinkerman6.2.2, B+]
Australian versions (titled "Blankety Blanks")
Network 10, 1977-1978
Graham Kennedy
*1977 w/Barry Creyton, Noeline Brown, Ugly Dave Gray, Carol Raye, Stuart Wagstaff, & John Paul Young - begins with Andrew at the Super Match [SM, A+]
United Kingdom versions (titled "Blankety Blank")
BBC1, 1979-1990, 1997-2002
Les Dawson
*1987 - Roy Walker and Mark Curry are among the guests! - Gary vs. Paula, and Roy vs. Shirley [CHA, CDonegan7.1.1, A]
Paul O'Grady as Lily Savage
*12/26/1997 premiere (though not the first taped) w/Ronan Keating, Gwen Taylor, Christopher Cazenove, Liz Dawn, Gareth Hale, and Carol Vorderman - Julie vs. John, and Dominic vs. Sharon [OB, CDonegan7.1.2, A]
*1/7/2001 series premiere w/Joseph Millson, Tracie Bennett, Phil Tufnell, Julie Goodyear Mbe, Keith Duffy, and Liz McClarnon - Paul vs. Donna, and Pete vs. Lisa [CHA, Blank2001.4, A+]
*1/14/2001 w/Billy Murray, Jayne Middlemiss, Stuart Miles, Liz Dawn Mbe, Steve Penk, and Lorraine Kelly - Sam vs. Andy, and Rosalind vs. Tom - missing most of opening [CHA, Blank2001.3, A++]
*1/21/2001 w/Nick Weir, Deena Payne, Richard Dunwoody, Jane Rossington, Bill Tarmey, and Rhona Cameron - Rachel vs. Craig, and Graham vs. Sandy [CHA, Blank2001.1, A+]
*4/8/2001 w/John Barnes, Sherrie Hewson, Jeremy Edwards, Julie Goodyear Mbe, Rhodri Williams, and Josie D'arby - Russ vs. Catherine, and Kate vs. George [CHA, Blank2001.6, A++]
*5/20/2001 w/Bill Tarmey, Fiona Dolman, Derek Fowlds, Gayle Tuesday, Nick Weir, and Jayne Cox - Sean vs. Gail, and Brian vs. BB [CHA, Blank2001.2, A+]
*6/17/2001 series finale w/Ross Kelly, Gloria Hunniford, Michael Starke, Julie Goodyear, Keith Duffy, and Natasha Hamilton - Trivia vs. Irman, and Scott vs. Rachael [CHA, Blank2001.5, A+]
MATCH GAME - HOLLYWOOD SQUARES HOUR
This has a ton of great ideas, especially in the Super Match, but Mark Goodson Productions clearly didn't understand Hollywood Squares as well as they should have.
NBC, 1983-1984
Gene Rayburn and Jon Bauman
*10/31/1983 premiere - Laurie vs. David vs. Stacy [OC, JLeeman2.4, A-]
*1/31/1984 - Janet vs. Laurie vs. Ron - Gene promotes the Telephone Match (with not that much success). Also contains a 0-0 tie in the Match Game segment! [OB, JDay2.1.1, B]
*2/1984 - Pat Sajak is among the guests! - Denise vs. Sandi vs. Adrianne - missing entire first segment, and thus, the first round of the Match Game half [OC, JDay2.2.3, B+]
*3/5/1984 - Johnny Olsen announces, and Charles Nelson Reilly is among the guests! - June vs. Sylvia vs. Charlotte - video has slight reception distortion; low audio [OB, EPerez2.4, B+]
*5/1984 - Salute to the '50s, with Fabian, Troy and Elinor Donahue, etc - Steve vs. Charisse vs. Maria - a new record is set! [OB, JDay2.1.2, B]
*5/29/1984 - Lisa vs. Anne-Marie vs. Karna - the 30 is picked in the Super Match! - somewhat pixelated video [OB w/few comm, JOswaldtape2.4, B-]
*5/30/1984 - Clayton vs. JoAnn vs. Lisa - missing opening due to NBC Weather bulletin (Al Roker looks very young BTW!) - somewhat pixelated video [OC, JOswaldtape2.5, B-]
*7/27/1984 unannounced finale (and Gene's last time hosting Match Game) - Angela vs. Sally vs. Tara - video slightly wavy at times but is quite blurry; low audio, which gets even lower during the second half [OC, EPerez2.5, B-]
MERV GRIFFIN'S CROSSWORDS
Things are wrong with the format, but give it credit for its simple yet strangely addicting gameplay and trying to throw in a few twists.
syndication, 2007-2008
Ty Treadway
*10/5/2007 - SCOTT HOSTETLER vs. Susan; Spoilers: Nerre, Nell, Karyn [OC, RRinkerman7.2.3, A++]
*3/26/2008 - ROBERT WARGO vs. Dawna; Spoilers: Ryan, Heidi, Ali - contains a different extra format and bonus scoring system [7/7/2008 RPT w/comm, RRinkerman7.2.4, A++]
MILLION DOLLAR MONEY DROP
Interesting concept, though a little overdramatic for its own good.
FOX primetime, 2010-present
Kevin Pollak
*12/20/2010 (2nd ep.; aired same day as the premiere) - Tiffany and Andrew play [OB, A]
MINDREADERS
NBC, 1979-1980
Dick Martin
*8/15/1979 w/Patty Duke Astin and Nipsey Russell - contestant info TBA - video has random colors "flashing" onscreen throught, and also is pixelated in bottom half at most points; in order words, this is barely watchable [1979 RPT w/comm, TMcSwain6.2.2, C]
*12/13/1979 w/Joyce Bulifant and Jack Jones - Elizabeth's team vs. the men's jury [OC, TMcSwain6.2.3, A-]
MONOPOLY
This might've been able to be a much bigger hit if the timing was better and the hosting choice was improved. As is, it's still good, but you can see why it was canned as quickly as it was.
ABC primetime, 1990
*1990 pilot w/a Rich Uncle Pennybags running around the board, returning champions, better pacing, and Peter Tomarken as host. For the most part, this is what the actual show should've been. - Michael (Mr. Reilley) vs. Jennifer vs. Richard - video slightly jerky at most points [SM, GBrobeck1.3, B+]
Mike Reilly
*6/16/1990 premiere - Patrick vs. Rebecca vs. Mike [OB, MTiller1.1, B+]
*6/23/1990 - Matthew vs. Sharlene vs. Jeff - rather rough-looking video [OB, JOswaldtape2.6, B-]
*6/30/1990 - Barry vs. Bonnie vs. Peter - VERY exciting game, and Mike gives away an answer! - pretty glitchy video [OB, JOswaldtape3.15, B]
*8/4/1990 - Chris vs. Helen vs. Victor - low audio [OB, JOswaldtape2.1, B]
*8/18/1990 - Malcolm vs. Teresa vs. Kerry [OB, JOswaldtape2.2, B]
*8/25/1990 - Robert vs. Diane vs. Ken [SM, GBrobeck1.4, A++]
*9/1/1990 finale - Tom vs. Debra vs. Tripp - muffled audio [OC, JOswaldtape2.3, B]
NAME THAT TUNE
Classic format, timeless subject-matter, lots to be won. What more could you want?
CBS, 1954-1959
George DeWitt
*1958 clip show with George showing clips of favorite contestants [KIN w/comm, BSchwartz3.3.3, B+]
NBC, 1974-1975
Dennis James
*12/26/1974 - Bill vs. Roberta [OC, B+]
weekly syndication, 1974-1981
Tom Kennedy
*1974 - 7-minute Golden Medley clip w/Gina [OB, IWallis1.1, A-]
$100K mystery tune format
*9/20/1976 (possibly the season premiere) - Don vs. Thelma - includes the rare Money Tree game, and a Dennis James TPIR ad! - video very blurry with some dark areas; credits cut [OB w/few comm, B]
*VTR 6/22/1976 - 5-minute Golden Medley clip w/John [OB, A-]
*1976 - 40-minute Not-For-Air parody ep. - Tommy vs. Tara - Beware of fowl language throughout! [SM, BSchwartz3.3.4, B+]
*9/1977 - 11 minutes of an ep. from the Second Chance tournament; includes Sing-a-Tune and the Golden Medley Showdown (first time this format is used!) - John vs. Bill vs. Joe - blurry video [OB, A-]
*late 1977 - John vs. Debbie - blurry video, with inactive time code throughout [SM, filtered version is B+ (fixed color); original is DBarkow3.1, B]
*2/23/1978 - Richie vs. Joan - Karen Rockmin plays at the end for $100K! [OC, IWallis1.2, A]
$100K tournament format
*9/27/1978 - Mike vs. Jeanne - one of the first ep.s with this format, with some extra disco dancers atop the stage that were gone by the end of the season. [OC, A]
*early 1979 - $100K tournament finals! - Margaret vs. Suzi - bad commercial edits, and ends during fee plugs - low audio; video slightly grainy with some dark areas [OB, filtered version is B (adjusted brightness and saturation); original is DBarkow5.1, B-]
*1/8/1980 - Dave vs. Cathy [OC, A]
*late 1980 - Ken vs. Sylvia - audio slightly off-sync [SM w/slate, JOswald1.7, B]
*1981 - Danny vs. Bartha - opening segment cut; begins midway through Melody Roulette [OB, IWallis1.3, A-]
*1981 - Chester vs. Sister Jean - last few minutes missing; cuts while Tom is announcing winner's total [OB, IWallis1.4, A-]
*4/25/1981 - Ben vs. Kitty [OB, A-]
*6/6/1981 semi-finals - Kitty vs. Dan vs. Camille vs. Edd vs. Wendy - slightly wavy video [OB, B+]
*6/13/1981 tournament finals (possible finale) - Michael vs. Kitty - note the incredibly obvious edit before the final result is revealed! [OB, A-]
syndication, 1984-1985
Jim Lange
*9/20/1984 - Super Champ tournament finale! - Elaina vs. John [USA, JOswald1.8, A-]
*1984 - Annie vs. Michael - “Please Help Me, I’m Falling!” - bright video [FAM, MTiller6.2, B-]
*1984 - Carol vs. Hap - the Golden Medley player gets very crafty! [FAM, DBarkow3.4, A-]
*Wk 10/15/1984 tournament finals - Michael vs. Hap (same as above) [FAM, JOswald1.9, A-]
*10 or 11/1984 - Linda vs. Rowland - some absolutely pathetic playing all across the board... - missing first minute (begins before contestants are called) and the first two minutes or so of the Golden Medley (joins at tune #2) [FAM w/few comm, TMcSwain0820-4.5, A-]
*1984 - Anita vs. Mark [4/1/1985 RPT w/comm, MPannoni0320-2.3, A]
*11/1984 tournament finals - Elaine vs. Tommy - a total of 19 tunes in the Golden Medley Showdown! [FAM, RRinkerman7.6.4, A-]
*12/1984 tournament finals - Richard vs. Carol vs. Marty [FAM, RRinkerman4.3.5, B]
*12/6/1984 tournament finals - Scott vs. Kirk - missing opening; beings at Melody Roulette [USA, RRinkerman7.6.5, B+]
*1985 - Shirley vs. Wes [FAM, JOswald3.4, A-]
*3/18/1985 - first of the five aired pilots w/some minor differences and Tune Countdown in place of Topics - Diane vs. Alfred - both players end up very fierce during Bid-a-Note! [USA, DBarkow3.3, A]
*3/20/1985 - third aired pilot - Connie vs. Ross - VERY low and pretty buzzy audio [FAM w/comm, RRinkerman7.8.3, B]
*1985 - Vivian vs. Dave - this medley ends up not being very golden... [FAM w/comm (last ever airing of the show!), MPannoni0320-1.5, A-]
*1985 - Tammy Warner vs. Tom [FAM, BSchwartz2.3.13, B]
*1985 tournament semi-finals - Steve vs. Tammy Warner vs. Les vs. Myra [FAM, DBarkow3.5, B+]
*1985 tournament finals - Les vs. Stan - no credits [FAM, JOswald3.3, A-]
NAME THAT VIDEO
VH1, 2001
Karen Bryant
*3/2001 premiere - Klunk vs. Brian vs. Phil [OC, RRinkerman7.1.3, A]
THE NEWLYWED GAME
Where one's relationship can literally go either way, with some laughs down the road. Enjoyable, but can also make you feel a little dirty. Which is kind of why I'm not into this sort of show, hence the lack of episodes.
ABC, 1966-1974
Bob Eubanks
*12/20/1974 finale, and it's also reunion day! - Lore and Frey vs. Kenny and Debbie vs. Tim and Sandy vs. Jay and Francine - It's a Bob Eubanks finale, of course it's gonna be a tear-jerking ending! [GAME w/comm (from a marathon with hilarious clips from other episodes!), RRinkermanNov2012/1.3, A]
GSN, 2009-present
Carnie Wilson
'Goldyweds' bonus format
*4/6/2009 premiere - contestant info TBA - missing opening; begins at very beginning of gameplay [OB, A-]
Back to traditional format
*5/18/2010 - Game Show Kings ep., with BOB EUBANKS guest-hosting! - Wink and Sandy Martindale vs. Monty and Marilyn Hall vs. Peter and Laurie Marshall! [GSN w/comm, RRinkermanNov2012/1.4, A++]
NOW YOU SEE IT
Interesting idea for a game, but the 1989 version certainly handled it better.
CBS, 1974-1975
Jack Narz
Second format
*4/4/1975 - Mike at Solo Round - two former champions return to play a Championship Round due to board change! [GSN, A++]
*4/28/1975 - Dit vs. Glenda (Championship Round) [GSN, A++]
CBS, 1989
Chuck Henry
*4/3/1989 premiere - Joanne vs. Jeff [OB, MTiller6.2, B+]
*4/10/1989 - Dorothy vs. Tony - audio low and pretty garbled [OC, DDownsBonus4.4, B]
*7/13/1989 - Melanie vs. Dale (Qualifying Round) - bright and somewhat blurry video [OB, JDay7.1, B-]
*7/14/1989 finale - JoAnn vs. Carol - some dumbness is seen here, and check out Chuck's reactions to the cancellation! - VERY bright video [OB, JDay7.2, B]
THE OBJECT IS
Dick Clark's first game show gig. This was when everyone was knocking off Password, and it shows.
ABC, 1963-1964
Dick Clark
*12/30/1963 premiere w/Dwayne Hickman, Ivone Craig, and Hans Conrey - Georgette vs. Mary-Anne vs. Gerald - bright video in some areas [KIN w/comm, RRinkerman6.5.3, B+]
*3/27/1964 finale w/Stubby Kaye and Joan Crawfield [KIN w/comm, RRinkerman6.5.4, B+]
THE $128,000 QUESTION
Actually a very worthy revival of the '50s classic. Definitely worth a watch!
weekly syndication, 1976-1978
Mike Darrow
*9/18/1976 premiere - Bernard starts at $64 in Michelangelo - rough frame rate [OB, A-]
Alex Trebek
NOTE: All episodes except for the last one has rather blurry video.
*11/17/1977 - Joel goes for $8K in boxing - no credits; ends after Alex's goodbye speech - towards the end, the video becomes slightly glitchy at times [OC, TMcSwain4.1, B-]
*11/24/1977 - Dwier goes for $16K in Leonardo DeVinci - no credits nor closing speech; ends RIGHT after Morris and Ruth's $64 question - video is slightly glitchy at times [OC, TMcSwain4.2, B-]
*12/1/1977 - Morris and Ruth go for $128 in ‘Gilbert and Sullivan’ [OC, TMcSwain3.1, B]
*12/8/1977 - John (brought back, due to an error) plays for $8K in World War I - video somewhat dark and slightly glitchy at times [OC, TMcSwain3.2, B-]
*12/15/1977 - John plays for $16K in World War I; can Don win $32K? - minor tape distortion throughout, but this copy is a considerable upgrade from before just the same [OC, MPannoni0320-1.3, B]
*1978 - 14-minute pitchfilm featuring fantastic clips mostly from season 2, highlighting the contestants, big wins, and the Playoff of Champions! [SM, B+]
THE $1,000,000 CHANCE OF A LIFETIME
syndication, 1986-1987
Jim Lange
*4/1986 - Marci and Rudi vs. Bill and Cheryl [OB, MTiller2.1, A]
*Next ep. - Bill and Cheryl vs. Sandy and Avi [OB, MTiller2.2, A]
*Next ep. - Bill and Cheryl (going for the million!) vs. Jane and David [OB, MTiller3.3, A]
*12/29/1986 - Coddy and Mary vs. Pam and Scott (Hostetler!) - missing opening; begins JUST after contestant interviews [OB, DDownsBonus6.2, A-]
*12/30/1986 - Scott and Pam (Hostetler!) vs. Angela and Mark [OC, DDownsBonus6.3, A-]
*Summer 1987 - Donald and Kathi vs. Phillip and Barbara - video pretty pink-tinted; audio has skips throughout [OC, RRinkerman5.9.5, B-]
1 vs. 100
Easily one of the better prime-time shows of the 2000s. I like both versions, but the NBC version is far superior mostly because of the budget.
NBC, 2006-2008
Bob Saget
Increasing-stakes format
*12/8/2006 - starts at Paula vs. 33 - Bob Eubanks and Wink Martindale are in the mob! [OB, A-]
Ladder format
*1/18/2008 - starts at Joe vs. 60 - contains a $250K loss! [OC, A+]
GSN, 2010-present
Carrie Ann Ivana
*11/19/2010 (5th ep.) - Jill plays - things get pretty exciting toward the end! [OB, A++]
*12/3/2010 - Jacob vs. 26 [OC, RRinkerman7.1.1, A++]
PASSWORD
The password is "classic"! All versions are very fun in their own right, except for the Million-Dollar version which is just meh.
Plus is my personal favorite.
CBS, 1961-1967
Allen Ludden
Black-and-White
*1/10/1966 w/Lucille Ball & Gary Morton - Bays vs. Kenda [KIN w/comm, RRinkermanDec2011/3.1, B]
*1/11/1966 w/same guests as above - Desi Arnaz Jr. vs. Lucie Arnaz(!!) [KIN w/comm, RRinkermanDec2011/3.2, B]
Color
*10/6/1966 w/Carol Burnett and Ross Martin - Sandy vs. Gene - Carol has a hard time with the word 'register'! - closing segment cut [GSN, A]
*1966 w/Barbara Eden and Peter Lawford - Sam vs. Patti [GAME w/comm, PBurgos10.1, B+]
*3/31/1967 w/Chris Noel and Roger Smith - from Armed Forces Week! - David vs. Donald [GSN w/comm, RRinkermanDec2011/3.3, A]
*5/22/1967 - day 1 of second Tournament of Champions w/Carol Burnett and Peter Lawford - Bud vs. Mary Kay [GSN, SWylie5a, A++]
*5/23/1967 - day 2 of TOC w/same guests as above - Dee Dee vs. Lee - a lightbulb bursts during a lightning round ("Dr. Reason A. Goodwin shot himself!") [GSN w/comm, RRinkerman4.8.5, A]
*9/15/1967 finale (all direct references to it are cut, though) w/Betty White and Frank Gifford - Ed vs. Meryl - contains a celebs vs. civilians game! [GSN w/comm, RRinkermanDec2011/3.4, A+]
CBS primetime, 1962-1965, 1967
Black-and-White
*8/21/1962 w/Rita Morano and Bill Cullen - Bruce vs. Kay - Jack Clark guest-hosts due to Allen being on vacation! [GSN w/comm, BBolton1.4, A+]
*2/11/1965 w/Lauren Becall and Jack Palance - Bud vs. Liba - Gene Wood announces, and its his first stint as such too! [GSN w/most comm, BBolton1.5, A]
*7/8/1965 w/Nancy Sinatra and Woody Allen - First game: John vs. Lorna; second game: William vs. Naomi - a new tournament format is tested here - buzzy audio [GAME w/comm, RRinkermanDec2011/4.1, A]
Color
*3/19/1967 w/Polly Bergen and Tony Randall - Bob vs. Anne - contains a humerous incident when the password is 'Bungalow' [GSN, BBolton2.1, A]
ABC, 1971-1975
Classic format
*12/9/1971 w/Jack Klugman and Brett Somers - Mary vs. Diane [GSN, DDowns11.3, A]
*2/14/1972 w/Sheila MacRae and Martin Milner - Sandra vs. Jerry [SC, A]
All-Star format
*2/21/1975 - finals of second grandmaster tournament (and final episode of all-star version) w/Richard Dawson, Bill Bixby, Hal Linden, and Betty White [OC, filtered version is B+ (improved saturation); original is JLeeman5.1.4, B]
Updated format, civilians
*3/14/1975 w/Vicki Lawrence and Betty White – Charlene at Lightning Round – small white bar at start used to cover up tracking bar – bright video; VERY distorted audio [SM w/slate, DDowns8.2, B-]
*6/27/1975 finale w/Kate Jackson and Sam Melville - Susan at Lightning Round - features a promo for the replacement show: Showoffs (which Allen mentions at a couple points) - features a nice goodbye from Allen, the crew, and Betty White! [SC, JLeeman0220-2.2, A]
NBC, 1979-1982 ("Password Plus")
*1/8/1979 premiere w/same celebs as below - Bruce vs. Sylvia [GSN w/comm, A+]
*1/9/1979 w/Elizabeth Montgomery and Robert Foxworth - Bruce vs. Jon [BUZZR, A++]
*1/19/1979 w/Eliane Joyce and Tony Randall - Lisa vs. George - cuts right before closing fee plugs - slight blackout during second segment (probably GSN's fault) [GSN w/comm, A]
*1/31/1979 w/Linda Kaye Henning and Richard Paul - Louis vs. David - VERY blurry video, with limited color [OC, JLeeman3.2.5, B-]
*3/20/1979 w/Greg Morris (he is said to be in the show's pitch!) and Joyce Bulifant - Doug vs. Laura [GSN, JLeeman5.2.3, A]
*3/27/1979 w/Martin Milner and Karen Morrow - Nancy vs. Meg [OC (first third) then GAME (the rest), CDonegan5.1.1, A]
*Intended to air on 6/11/1979 w/Elaine Joyce and George Peppard - Steve at Alphabetics - George makes a rant about NBC's policies... which ends up banning this episode from NBC and he was never invited back as a result. There's also a puzzle with VERY questionable and rather disturbing content. [GSN, JLeeman5.2.5, A+]
*6/1979 w/same guests as above - Karen vs. Joe [GSN, RRinkermanDec2011/4.2, A]
*11/7/1979 w/Lee Meriwether and Peter Marshall - Sandy vs, David - THREE Password Puzzles are guessed correctly on the first word! [GSN, BBolton2.2, A]
*11/16/1979 w/Patty Duke Astin and John Astin - Donna vs. Ann [GSN, A+]
*1/29/1980 w/Joanna Gleason and Dick Gautier - Denise vs. Laurie - "What happened was, she fell in my hole, you see." [GSN, RRinkermanDec2011/4.3, A]
*4/14/1980 w/Elaine Joyce and Bill Anderson - Bill Cullen guest-hosts (his first ep. doing so!), and Johnny Olson announces! - Sawyer vs. Carolyn [GSN, JLeeman2.2.5, A+]
*5/7/1980 w/Greg Morris and Betty White - Bill Cullen guest-hosts! - Kristen vs. Barbara [OC (first half) then GSN (the rest), JLeeman2.2.4, A]
*5/13/1980 w/Susan Richardson and Bill Cullen - Allen's second show back after his surgery - some antenna distortion [OC, CDonegan5.1.2, B+]
*8/6/1980 w/Sally Struthers and Monty Hall - Debby vs. Paula - contains a GSN Live interview with a 1976 LMAD winner! [GSN w/most comm, RRinkermanDec2011/4.4, A+]
*10/24/1980 w/Vicki Lawrence and Robert Donner - Allen Ludden's last episode (for real) - Mike at Alphabetics [GSN, JLeeman3.2.4, A+]
Tom Kennedy
*12/23/1980 w/Betty White and Dick Martin - the infamous France/French incident, with unaired footage! - Kathy vs. Tom - rough frame rate [SM w/slate, JLeeman3.1.2, A-]
*4/21/1981 w/Barbara Rhodes and Bart Braverman - Kathy at Alphabetics [OC, JLeeman3.1.1, A-]
*5/7/1981 All-Star special w/Robert Donner as Exodor, Jon Bauman as Bowzer, Anne Francine as Florida Simpson Reilly, and Patty Duke Astin as Patty Lane [OC, CDonegan5.1.3, B+]
*9/14/1981 w/Betty White and Dick Martin - Cindy vs. Hester [GSN, A++]
*9/15/1981 w/same celebs as above - Ghandi vs. Hester - everyone gets stumped with a Mr. Bill puzzle, so much that an audience member demonstrates his gimmick! [GSN, A++]
*9/16/1981 w/same celebs (again) - Nancy vs. Hester - closing segment missing [GSN, A++]
*12/17/1981 w/Betty White and Pat Sajak - Sharon vs. Ann [GSN, RRinkermanDec2011/4.5, A]
*3/26/1982 finale w/Audrey Landers and Tom Poston - game is reformatted so a winner is guaranteed - most fee plugs uncrunched, but cuts abruptly [GSN, A+]
NBC, 1984-1989 ("Super Password")
Bert Convy
*9/24/1984 premiere w/Gloria Loring and Pat Sajak - Wendy vs. Ed - video flickers during intro; audio muffled and quite warpy [GAME, EPerez1.1, B-]
*9/25/1984 w/same guests as above - Patricia vs. Ed [GSN, EPerez1.2, A]
*11/21/1984 w/Joanne Worley and Charlie Seibert - Carla vs. Bob - no credit crunch! [GAME w/comm, RRinkerman6.12.1, A+]
*12/31/1984 w/Laurie Handler and Jamie Farr - Sue vs. Marjorie - the year ends on a rather big note! [GAME w/comm, RRinkerman6.12.2, A+]
*6/13/1985 w/Shelley Smith and Jamie Farr - Robin vs. Teresa - opening missing [GSN, A++]
*8/25/1986 w/Pat Harrington and Edie McClurg - Teresa vs. Michael - the Magic Toaster breaks apart! [OC, CDonegan5.1.5, A-]
*12/23/1986 w/Mary Ann Mobley and Gary Collins - Robyn vs. Lynn [GSN, EPerez1.3, A]
*12/24/1986 w/same guests as above - Teri vs. Lynn [GSN, EPerez1.4, A]
*5/5/1987 w/Constance McCashin and Edwin Newman - Fran vs. Jeannie - a bird flies in the studio, and Bert chases it around! - some antenna distortion [OC, JLeeman5.1.1, B]
*9/11/1987 w/Jamie Farr and Stuart Pankin - Claire vs. John - a puzzle has to be done on cards! [OB, JLeeman5.2.2, B]
*1/11/1988 w/Audrey Landers and Bruce Baumm - Patrick (the infamous fugitive) vs. Lisa [OC, TMcSwain6.3.3, B]
*1/21/1988 w/Patty Duke and Rip Taylor - Rip reveals his bald side! [GAME w/comm, DDowns10.5, B+]
*10/10/1988 w/Roz Ryan and Marc Summers - Cindy vs. Lilla - video silghtly pixelated [OB, EPerez1.5, B]
*11/8/1988 - from an All-Star Week w/Lucille Ball & Carol Channing vs. Dick Martin & Betty White! - at one point, the wrong puzzle is put on the board, making everyone improvise for a minute! [OC, JLeeman0620-2.4, B+]
*2/1989 w/Betty White and McLean Stevenson - Cristy vs. Wendy - the show ends with the wrong clue being revealed on the puzzle board by mistake, forcing the round to abruptly end! [OC, GGarsten4.1, B+]
*3/23/1989 w/same guests as below - Michelle vs. Lee - closing segment missing - somewhat grainy video [OB, GGarsten4.2, B]
*3/24/1989 finale w/Betty White and Christopher Hewitt - Michelle vs. Jerri - Betty breaks the magic toaster, and a funny plug is shown! - somewhat dark video [OB, EPerez1.6, B+]
CBS, 2008-2009 ("Million Dollar Password")
Regis Philbin
*6/1/2008 premiere w/Neil Patrick Harris and Rachael Ray - Josh vs. Melaine [OC, A+]
*6/12/2008 w/Susie Essman and Betty White - Steve vs. Nadia [OB w/some comm, A-]
*6/14/2009 finale w/Jeff Garlin and Chelsea Handler - Jim vs. Julie [OB w/some comm, A+]
PAY CARDS
syndication, 1968-1969
Art James
*VTR 4/22/1969 - Paul vs. Celeste Holm vs. Jack - video sometimes briefly flashes B&W [SM, RRinkerman7.6.2, B]
syndication, 1981-1982 ("Super Pay Cards")
*1981 - Eli vs. David [OB, TMcSwain7.12, A-]
PITFALL
Very impressively done show with a pretty solid main game and a fascinating bonus round! Pity the budget ruined it all.
Canadian syndication, 1981-1982
Alex Trebek
*1981 - Vivianne vs. Dan vs. Mary - video slightly glitchy at times and snowy in a few screen areas [OB, MTiller8.1, B]
*1981 - Dan (same as above) vs. Rosemary vs. Michael - the first bonus round literally goes no where! - video slightly wavy at times, blurry, somewhat snowy, and slightly shaky at times; garbled audio [OB, RRinkerman4.7.3, C+]
*1981 - Jane vs. Mona vs. Rose - video slightly wavy at most points; no credits [OB, GBrobeck1.2, B]
*1981 - Sunny vs. Sharon vs. Paul - one bonus round player forgets to give Alex the pit passes! - video gets glitchy at times [1985 RPT, MTiller4.1, B-]
*Next ep. - Vonnie vs. Paul vs. Rod - muffled audio [OB, MTiller8.2, B+]
*1981 - Linda vs. Janet vs. Bob - video can be slightly glitchy at times [1985 RPT w/comm, JOswald3.6, B]
*1982 - Margaret vs. Glen vs. Eileen [OC, CDonegan5.1, A-]
*Next ep. - Bill vs. Eileen vs. John - second bonus round comes right down to the wire! - video has tracking problems throught; audio is low, somewhat muffled, and pretty warpy. [OB, JOswald3.7, B-]
*Next ep. - Eileen vs. Cindy vs. Bobby [OC, CDonegan5.2, A-]
PLAY THE PERCENTAGES
A simple but fun game of statistics and guesswork. It's a shame they just couldn't settle on a format.
syndication, 1980
Geoff Edwards
*1/28/1980 - Bryne vs. Williams - contains a $13,000 jackpot win! [USA, TMcSwain0420-4.3, A-]
*2/4/1980 - Palmer at the Bonus Round (which is slightly tweaked in this ep; now, there's 6 possible answers) [USA, TMcSwain0420-4.4, A-]
*2/29/1980 - Jennison vs. Rolnik - last episode with the couples format [USA, TMcSwain0420-4.5, A-]
THE POWER OF 10
An admittedly cool game that did need some tweaks to see its full potential.
CBS, 2007-2008
Drew Carey
*8/7/2007 premiere, with a rather exciting first game! - Jamie vs. Maureen [GSN, RRinkermanNov2012/2.1, A+]
*VTR 2008 finale (unaired on CBS) - Melissa at $1,000 [GSN, RRinkermanNov2012/2.2, A++]
PRESS YOUR LUCK
The show that made us want big bucks and no whammies!
CBS, 1983-1986
Peter Tomarken
*1983 pilot - Jack vs. Maggie vs. Matt - contains 5 questions per round, and one whammy animation - low audio [SM, BMoore2.3.4, B]
*9/19/1983 PREMIERE - Lana vs. Linda vs. Phil - two copies: [OC, CDonegan7.2.1, B (bright and rather blurry video)] and [GSN, A+]
*9/20/1983 - Linda vs. Patricia vs. Henri [GSN, A]
*9/22/1983 - Robert vs. Jim vs. Terry [GSN, A]
*9/23/1983 - Robert vs. Dave vs. Shirley - video somewhat blurry [OC, SWylie3.2, B]
*9/26/1983 - Alison vs. Tom vs. Robert - this ep. didn't originally air in the East due to a presidential address. [GSN, A]
*9/29/1983 - Randy West vs. Pam vs. Maggie [OC, GGarsten2.4, A-]
*9/30/1983 - Randy West vs. Cathy vs. Alan - video gets slightly glitchy from time to time [OB, DDowns9.4, B]
*10/3/1983 - Randy West vs. Clay vs. Martha [GSN, A]
*10/13/1983 - David vs. Jessica vs. Jeanne - missing closing segment [USA, MWise1.6, B+]
*10/17/1983 - Mariam vs. Betty vs. Warren - definitely one of the most exciting early games! [GSN w/comm, A]
*10/26/1983 - 12-minute Big Board clips (includes Peter's demonstration) w/Kim vs. Patti vs. Mark [USA, MWise3.3, B+]
*10/27/1983 - Reagan vs. Patti vs. Sam - dark video [OC, MWise3.2, B+]
*11/14/1983 - Toni vs. Bob vs. Tony - Contains an early version of the montage intro that lacks music. [GSN, A]
*12/2/1983 - John vs. Toni vs. Scott Hostetler - VERY dark and blurry video [USA w/comm, DDowns10.1, B-]
*12/5/1983 - Thawann vs. John vs. Scott Hostetler - cuts during closing whammy poem, but credits were crunched anyway. [GSN, A]
*12/26/1983 - Carlotta vs. Tracy vs. Steve [OC, MWise1.4, B+]
*12/27/1983 - 11.5-minute clip of Big Board rounds w/Stephen vs. Carol vs. Dawn - shaky video at most points [USA, MWise3.1, B-]
*1/3/1984 - 11-minute Big Board clips (includes Peter's demonstration) w/Tom vs. Vicki vs. Troy (very hyperactive!) [USA, MWise4.6, B]
*1/23/1984 - Beth vs. Tom vs. Kimberly - missing closing segment and most of opening [USA, MWise1.7, A]
*1/26/1984 - Jim vs. Mimi vs. Mark - contains a very high-stake and exciting end result! [USA, MWise4.2, B+]
*1/27/1984 - Mimi vs. Irene vs. Kirk [USA w/comm, MWise4.3, B+]
*2/22/1984 - Jim vs. Cyann vs. Richard [GSN w/comm, A-]
*2/23/1984 - Kerry vs. Darlene vs. Jim [GSN w/comm, A-]
*2/24/1984 - Gilbert vs. Lorri vs. Darlene [GSN w/comm, A-]
*2/27/1984 - Mac vs. Gilbert vs. Rachele - no Whammies here! [GSN w/comm, A-]
*2/28/1984 - John vs. Terre vs. Mac - Pick-a-Corner debuts! Also, someone gets NO spins in round 1! [GSN w/comm, A-]
*3/9/1984 - Michael vs. Bob vs. MAGGIE BROWN-SPHOCK [GSN, VHSConversion1.4, A+]
*3/12/1984 - MAGGIE BROWN-SPHOCK vs. Burt vs. Laureen - closing segment missing [GSN, VHSConversion1.5, A+]
*4/2/1984 - KAREN MARTIN vs. Rich vs. Mae [GSN, A-]
*4/3/1984 - Sue vs. KAREN MARTIN (she wants that pool table!) vs. Bill [GSN, A]
*6/7/1984 - Pamela vs. Vicki vs. Ed [GAME w/comm, RRinkermanDec2011/2.1, A+]
*6/8/1984 - Ed vs. Michael Larson vs. Janie, part 1 [GSN, A++]
*6/11/1984 - Ed vs. Michael Larson vs. Janie, part 2. Things get really interesting here! [GSN, A++]
*6/12/1984 - Mike vs. Jo vs. Jeffie - Peter doesn't have as much enthusiasm as usual; you can probably tell why [GAME w/comm, RRinkermanDec2011/2.2, A+]
*7/25/1984 - Aaron vs. Nyna vs. Nancy [GSN, A++]
*8/10/1984 - Randy vs. Cathy vs. Lori - contains the (in)famous Cathy/Lori spin battle; in fact, that segment took so long, there is a TON of editing throughout, including an entirely redone intro! - low audio [GAME, SWylie4.2, A-]
*11/7/1984 - Bob vs. Claire vs. Marc - faint ghosts in background, but they aren't that visible anyway. [USA w/comm, PBurgos1.3, A-]
*11/29/1984 - Chris (his fifth game!) vs. Paula vs. Ron [GSN, A++]
*1/14/1985 - Lisa vs. Max vs. Jerome - missing opening; begins during Peter's opening speech [GSN, A]
*1/15/1985 - Lesley vs. Jerome (his fifth game!) vs. Tim [GSN, A++]
*2/27/1985 - Scott vs. Pamela vs. Lisa [GSN, JCranmer1.4, A+]
*2/28/1985 - Scott (the audience wants him to whammy!) vs. Suzanne vs. Bob - missing most of contestant interviews [GSN, JCranmer1.5, A+]
*3/25/1985 - Tyler vs. Pam vs. Wade [USA w/comm, MWise5.7, A]
*5/6/1985 - Cindy vs. Pat vs. Tony - missing opening; begins at contestant introductions - starts with a promo narrated by... Whammy? [USA w/most comm, MWise5.5, A]
*5/8/1985 - Coleen vs. Shequita vs. Dan [USA w/comm, MWise5.6, A]
*5/15/1985 - Joey vs. Damon (who gets no spins in round 1 but somehow gets the most money there) vs. Queta - video has an occasional glitch [USA w/comm, RRinkermanNov2012/3.1, B+]
*6/12/1985 - Jerry vs. Ana vs. Steve [GSN w/comm, RRinkermanNov2012/3.2, A+]
*8/23/1985 - Jacklynn vs. Mark vs. Matt - a VERY strange episode; some board slides go black, and 11(!) whammies total are hit! [GSN, SWylie3.4, A]
*Intended to air on 8/26/1985 - was supposed to be first ep. of Back to School week, but never aired on CBS! - Jacquie vs. Matt vs. Roxy - 11 whammies are hit (again)! [GSN, JCranmer2.3, A]
*10/21/1985 - Mona vs. Joe vs. Janice - first episode of Home Player Sweepstakes! [GSN, A++]
*10/25/1985 - Sharyl vs. Debbie vs. Stephen [GSN, A++]
*10/28/1985 - Colleen vs. Debbie vs. Andy [GSN, A++]
*10/29/1985 - Lark vs. Andy vs. Carolyn - missing opening and closing segment; begins after Peter's introduction [GSN, A++]
*11/22/1985 - Jon vs. Carla vs. Shirley - Home Player Sweepstakes finale, with a special drawing for a BIG sweepstakes spin at the closing! [USA w/comm, DDowns11.4, B]
*1/3/1986 - Marla vs. Joyce vs. Chris - last episode in 10:30 timeslot, which would be replaced by Eubanks Card Sharks - muffled audio [OB, MWise5.1, B]
*1/6/1986 - Marla vs. Kent vs. David - first episode in new timeslot (depends on where you live) [USA w/comm, MWise5.2, B]
*2/4/1986 - Dorothy vs. Wayne vs. Joe - 3-way $0 tie, and despite what Peter says, this is NOT the first time! [USA, DDowns4.2.5, A-]
*2/5/1986 w/same players as above - the rematch to the above tie! [USA, MWise2.1, B+]
*2/17/1986 - 12-minute opening and Big Board clips (includes prize descriptions) w/Grace vs. Hal vs. Randy [OB, MWise5.4, A]
*3/11/1986 - Bill vs. Zena vs. Deanne - Peter mocks the infamous carpeting prize after it gets hit! [USA, MWise2.2, B+]
*4/1/1986 - Kate vs. Robert vs. Bob - contains a rather breathtaking ending! [USA w/comm, DDowns10.3, A-]
*5/6/1986 - Llewellyn vs. Dave vs. Joe - quite a rare end result happens here! - video gets wavy in some shots, especially during board shots. [OC, JLaPratt3.2, C+]
*5/8/1986 - Mark vs. Susan vs. Rita [OB, MWise5.3, A-]
*5/19/1986 - Leselle vs. Ed vs. Frank [GSN, IWallis3.5, A+]
*6/12/1986 - clip of last 7.5 minutes of Round 2 w/Billy vs. Jo vs. Tim [OB, MWise1.3, B+]
*6/13/1986 - Jo vs. Robert vs. Donna - bright video, which has a tendency to 'flicker-glitch' at most points [OC, MWise1.2, B-]
*6/16/1986 - Bill vs. Yvonne vs. Paige - features a putrid Add-a-One hit [OC, MWise2.3, B+]
*6/17/1986 - Scott vs. Paige vs. Jacques - another putrid Add-a-One hit, and the 'N' in Paige's 'Spins' sign falls off! - rather low audio [OC, GBrobeck3.4, B+]
*6/24/1986 - Annemarie vs. Dailyn vs. Robert [USA w/few comm, MWise1.1, B]
*7/2/1986 - Mark vs. Donna vs. Greg [USA w/comm, MWise2.4, B+]
*7/4/1986 - Jane vs. Cynthia vs. Robert - missing opening (CBS News v/o can be heard); begins after Peter's intro [OC, MWise2.5, B+]
*7/22/1986 - Debbie vs. Chris vs. Andre [OC, MWise2.6, A-]
*9/16/1986 - Kathy vs. Joe vs. Danny [OC, MWise2.7, B+]
*9/26/1986 (unannounced) finale - Andy vs. Karen vs. Bill [OC, JLaPratt3.3, B]
THE PRICE IS RIGHT - If you want to place your bid, check out this showcase.
PYRAMID - "Uh-uh... shows that have their own page?"
QUIZ KIDS CHALLENGE
syndication, 1990
Johnathan Prince
*1990 - Aditi, David, Taos vs. Milan, Grethen, Matt [OB, RRinkerman7.5.1, A-]
REMOTE CONTROL
If you like MTV and game shows, this is for you.
MTV, 1987-1990
Ken Ober
Craft-matic Adjustable bonus format
*VTR 11/19/1987 pilot 1 - Marc vs. Kelly vs. Bill - Off the Air works differently [SM, TMcSwain5.11, A-]
*VTR 11/20/1987 pilot 2 - Nancy vs. Kevin vs. Carolyn - slightly snowy video [SM w/slate, TMcSwain2.3, B-]
*12/7/1987 premiere - Chuck vs. Dina vs. Dan [1989 RPT, DBarkow1.1, A]
*12/1987 - Ted vs. Michele vs. Scott [11/18/2009 RPT, RRinkermanRC.1, A++]
*12/1987 - Mike vs. Kelly vs. Tom... all three of which do so poorly, they all get yanked after round 1 in favor of Ric vs. Patty vs. Matt [1989 RPT, RRinkerman817-3.1, A]
*4/1988 - Spring Break special, taped in Hawaii! - Pat vs. Leslie vs. Larry - opening missing [OB, DBarkow6.3, A]
*1988 - MTV at Your House special! - Rick vs. Dawn (shot in her room) vs. Dave [OB, DBarkow5.5, B]
*mid-1988 - David vs. Billie vs. Adam - Weird Al Yankovic gets his own category in round 2, featuring the one and only! - no opening; begins during contestant interviews [OB, RRinkerman817-3.2, B+]
*1988 celebrity ep. – LL Cool J vs. Downtown Julie Brown vs. Weird Al Yankovic – missing open; begins as Ken as explaining the rules [OB, TMcSwain3.1, B]
*1988 - Ted vs. Lisa vs. David - BOB EUBANKS appears as a special guest and coaches Ken on his hosting skills! - video is blurry and slightly glitchy at times [1988 RPT, MTiller5.2, C+]
*1988 - tribute to Susan Olsen! - Tom vs. Leslie vs. Carl - low audio [OB, RSeidelman2.4.4, A-]
*1988 - Kris vs. Jeff vs. Erin - AMAZING comeback in Think Real Fast! [SM, RRinkerman7.8.4, A]
*1988 - Ted vs. Lori vs. Mitchell [OB, RRinkerman7.8.5, A]
*1989 - Salute to Heavy Metal! - Charlie Benante vs. Lorraine Lewis vs. Dizzy Dean Davidson [OB, DBarkow6.1, B-]
*1989 - The ‘Lost 1975 episode!’ - Eric vs. Leigh vs. Arthur [1989 RPT, DBarkow1.2, B-]
*late 1989 - Penthouse Pets special! - John and STEPHANIE vs. NATALIE and Eric vs. JOANNE and Bob [OB, RRinkermanRC.2, B]
*11/1989 - Paul vs. Andrea vs. Mike - the bonus round is won in *8 seconds*! [OB, MPannoni0320-2.4, A-]
Wheel of Jeopardy bonus format
*VTR 12/15/1989 - Greg vs. Roselyn vs. Tim [SM w/slate, TMcSwain7.9, A-]
*4/10/1990 - Andy vs. Stacy vs. Robert [11/18/2009 RPT, RrinkermanRC.3, A++]
*1990 - Andrew vs. Rich vs. Melo [OB, DBarkow1.3, A-]
*1990 - Michael vs. Joshua vs. Denise - somewhat dark and jerky video [OB, TMcSwain4.10, B]
syndication, 1989-1990
Season 4 format
*9/23/1989 premiere - Brady Kids special w/Eve Plumb, Barry Williams and Susan Olsen [OB, RSeidelman2.3.1, A]
*1989 - TC vs. Sally vs. Scott - early episode with different bonus round graphics - blurry video and low audio [OB, RRinkermanGrabbag2.3, B-]
*1989 - Rozzano vs. David vs. Mike - quite a nice comeback is seen here! - video rather jerky, pretty bright, and pretty grainy [OB, RSeidelman2.3.2, B-]
*1990 - Word Class Athletes special w/Ron Greschner vs. Boomer Esiason vs. David Cone - pretty grainy video; low audio [OB, RSeidelman2.3.3, B+]
Season 5 format
*1990 - Michael vs. DJ vs. Scott [OB, RRinkermanRC.4, A-]
*4/24/1990 - Mardi Gras special - David vs. Tim vs. Mitch [SM w/slate, TMcSwain3.2, A-]
*1990 - Sharon vs. Ken vs. Jason - opening missing; begins at tossup [OC, RRinkermanRC.5, A]
THE RICH LIST
A one-shot that so totally did not deserve to be. The concept is well executed, and the set and music are really cool as well. At least GSN gave this another shot, even if their run didn't do much better.
FOX, 2006
Eeamon Holmes
*11/1/2006 only episode - Eric and May vs. Ray and Bill [OC, RRinkermanNov2012/3.3, A]
GSN, 2009 ("The Money List")
Fred Roggin
*6/13/2009 premiere - Harriet and Scott vs. Judith and Spencer [2009 RPT w/comm, RRinkermanJan117-8.3, A]
*7/11/2009 - Young and Shannon vs. Robert and Anastasia - contains the sole $50K win of the series! [9/13/2009 RPT, A++]
*7/25/2009 - 14 minutes of clips w/Jeff and Valerie vs. Brad and Megan; contains opening, one round, and the bonus round. [9/27/2009 RPT, A++]
Australian versions
Channel 7, 2007-2009
Andrew O'Keefe
*12/29/2008 - Mark and Carmel vs. Jess and Shane - contains a $250K win! Missing first couple minutes; begins during the bidding of the first list [OC, A+]
United Kingdom versions (titled "Who Dares Wins")
BBC One, 2007-present
Nick Knowles
*4/30/2011 - Adam and Dawn (on quite the winning streak!) vs. Lucy and Steven [OB w/some comm, A+]