My Tribute-Alex Trebek on Sitcoms

 I've commented before that Jeopardy was never my favorite game show. For reasons I have explained elsewhere. But if there was one thing I loved on that show, it was its host. Alex Trebek was coolness personified. He wasn't the first host of Jeopardy and he hosted other game shows, my favorite being Classic Concentration, but he will always be known as THE host of Jeopardy.

He passed away today and as a tribute I wanted to go over five time's Alex Trebek appeared on sitcoms. Usually as himself, hosting Jeopardy. There are more than these, including an appearance on Blossom that even IMDB has forgotten, but here are a few examples.

Mama's Family

I don't recall the setup, but long story short Mama ends up on Jeopardy. And since she has no real class...hijinks ensue.

Five Painful Game Show Revivals

One common trend in game shows is the revival. Taking a game show that was popular and bringing it back for another run, years or even decades later. It’s usually the same game just things are tweaked or updated to reflect the times. This has happened a lot, including Classic Concentration (a revival of “Concentration”), Hollywood Squares and Super Password (just to name a few). It makes sense, if the show worked before why wouldn’t it again? And it usually does. Take Family Fud for instance, which is the Energizer bunny of game shows with all its revivals. Some revivals work so well you forget there was an original version. Jeopardy first appeared in 1964. The syndicated revival with Alex Trebek we all know and love came around twenty years later, in 1984.

Alas however, some game shows just aren’t as lucky. And not only are the revivals not popular, but they are just plain bad. Usually missing some element that made the original so beloved. Here are five examples of what I mean. And I should point out this is opinion, if you loved these revivals more power to you.

Whammy!

So here’s an idea, let’s take the old game Press Your Luck and rather than just return it, we’ll give it a spin and make it seem like a different show with a different board. This would be the equivalent of putting a fresh coat of paint on your car and pretending it’s something totally different. Why not just revive Press Your Luck? Well they would eventually but for a little while we had this which came off as a poor man’s copy more than a “revival”. I especially loved the CGI Whammy which went from being kind of funny to very creepy.

Top 10 Game Shows to Play Along With

I used to love game shows as a kid! Of course there are different types of TV game shows. You have the one’s that are almost stunt shows with all kinds of silly things contestants are forced to do to win prizes. “Double Dare” comes to mind, and you can go all the way to “Beat the Clock” for examples of that. Of course we have Reality Shows which function as game shows, where if you do something realistic you get a prize (singing contract on American Idol, a date on The Love Connection, or getting cash for having America’s funniest home video). Quiz shows which sound exactly like it sounds, questions and answered or puzzles are solved. There are a wide range of these from “Name That Tune” to “Sale of the Century”. And of course there were Panel Shows which involved celebrities trying to participate to win money (either for a contestant or a charity). Think “To Tell the Truth”, “Win Lose or Draw” or “The Gong Show”. These are fun thanks to the celebrities who are in the show. Sometimes the contestants are an after thought.

 

 

The best part of all these types of shows is being able to play along with the contestants. Some game shows, you can’t really. I mean we can laugh at the stunts on “Ellen’s Game of Games” but we can’t play along so much. Pyramid was like this, the audience is given the word so there is no fun in it to play at home. This doesn’t mean these shows aren’t fun to watch, but I like the one’s where you can actually play along and try to see if you can answer the questions or solve the puzzles.

 

 

 

 

 

And so after that long intro, here are the ten best game shows to play along with. Of course, this is all opinion and just for fun.

#10.The Match Game

I’ve said before that I was never a big fan of this show. But it still belongs on the list. There is a panel of celebrities, who kind of dominate the show, and the goal is for the contestants to match the answers that the celebrites had given. While not one of my favotites Richard Dawson, Charles Nelson Riley and Betty White were among the famous panelists.

 

Top 5 Dumbest (Fake) Game Show Episodes

Just about two years ago (good god time does fly) I did a whole week long look at game shows I loved. One of those articles was discussing when a sitcom will base an episode on a real life game show, with some or all of the character literally appearing on the said game show. These episodes are usually cute and silly and I love them.


In that article I mentioned that sitcoms will often do made up game shows but did not get into that subject. Well, I guess now is as good a time as any. The problem I have with these episodes is very simple-THEY’RE AWFUL!! I don’t know what it is, but every time a sitcom episode is based around a fake game show the episode is a stinker in my opinion. I guess it’s because these episodes seem geared to make the characters stupid and/or huge losers. Want some examples? Well of course!


Here are my top 5 dumbest (fake) game show episodes!!
There are two rules here–it has to be pretending to be a real game show actually airing on TV. For instance, Family Ties did an episode involving a simple PBS quiz show which was made up. But it was harmless and so simple that it would never really air even on PBS. Besides it was a good episode which forever taught me what the acronym SCUBA stood for (and Alex getting cold feet on TV was kind of funny). Also the characters have to actually appear on the show, so for instance that episode of “Friends” with Joey spending an episode rehearsing for an audition to host “Bamboozled” doesn’t count.


Of course this is all just opinion if you love any of these shows more power to you. Oh and yes this concept is not specific to sitcoms, but by now do you really expect me to discuss drama’s? Anyway…..


#5.Night Court, “The Game Show”

This isn’t the worst one ever, but it’s not a great episode. One reason it’s not a great episode is because Judge Stone is mostly absent, replaced with Judge Wilber from “My Two Dads” (yeah, that’s another article altogether!). Long story short, Bull appears on “What am I?”, a game show where the host describes something and the contestant answers “I am a….”. Well you can guess the jokes. Bull is doing OK until he panics when they roll out the clock. It looks like he’s going to lose (he’s playing for a charity he helps with) but gets the answer in time. There is a another part of he story with Dan which would take to long to explain. It’s a weak episode but not the worst because the game show is played mostly straight and the characters are not hurt or made to look stupid. Well Dan kind of is but it’s his own fault, like usual. To bad the same can’t be said for the rest of these.

Look at Sitcom Cliches : GAME SHOWS!!

Game shows and sitcoms are a lot like chocolate and peanut butter. Two different things which shouldn't work together and yet when they are combined just complement each other perfectly. This goes back as far as The Honeymooners which had an episode where Ralph appeared on "The 99,000 Answer". I guess it makes sense, since sitcom characters are supposed to be everyday people (in theory) so why wouldn't it work if they appeared as contestants? It also gives the game show a chance to be seen by people outside their normal demographic that may not watch/

I am only talking today about sitcom episodes regarding real game shows. There are two reasons for this. One, if I included episodes with fake game shows we'll be here all day. And second, for some reason I usually do not like those kinds of episodes. Not sure why, maybe because the game show that is being made up is often done like a parody of game shows. That is fine on SNL but a sitcom?

The trope is pretty simple. Usually the characters lose, and embarassingly so, or if it is a dim witted character they win and win huge! So here are some memorable sitcom episodes regarding a cast member(s) appearing on a real life game show.

Top 5 Popular Game Shows That I HATE!!!

Well, I can't like every game show out there. First of all, hate is a strong word. These are really five game shows that I either never liked and/or watched unless I had to. There is nothing wrong with these games and if you enjoy them, then fantastic. I just did not.

So let's get started:

#5. Romance Game Shows

I had to lump these into a category or they would have been the whole list. As much as I loved game shows, I never got why these dating shows are supposed to be entertaining. Newlywed Game is bascially Bob Eubanks laughing as he makes newlywed couples get into arguments. And was it my imagination or did they did find the dumbest people on the planet for that show? The Dating Game has three guys (or girls) sweating it out while they wait to see which will have the honor of going on a date with someone they've never met. And then there's Love Connection which is like The Dating Game except not only is the date set up, but we get to have the couple back so we can hear the embarassing details about how awful the date was. I admit Chuck Woolery was a fine host for that show, but really why do I need to know about this couple's date? Back in college I was forced to watch it or the news (I had no cable) and I just never saw the appeal. I know these shows are popular, they have been on for ages and parodied to death, but I have no love for them.

Things I Just Love-Family Feud!

Welcome back to game show week as I discuss my all time favorite game show :

I was a huge fan of game shows as a kid, but none more than Family Feud! I loved this game, watching it every afternoon at 4:30 (until the station changed the time slot on me!).There was also a daytime version, on for an hour at one point, that I also watched when I had the opportunity.

 

Family Feud, if you don't know, takes two families and has them compete in teams of five. This already makes the game cool watching the families interact with each other. So first two members of each family meet in the center of the stage for the face off. The host asks a survey question that was asked to 100 people. The answers can have anywhere from 3 to 8 answers, and whoever buzzes in and answers with the most popular answer wins. In the Dawson era the host would ask the family if they wanted to play. That changed in the Combs era, which I liked because that never made sense to me. Why wouldn't they want to play???? I guess strategy but is still made no sense to me.

The family answers questions from  surveys given to a hundred average people, and who ever can discover the most popular answers that were given by those average people wins. You get three "strikes" if you miss a guess and on the third strike the other team gets a chance to steal your bank. As the game progresses the points double and then triple. The first family to reach 200 points wins and gets to play the fast money round, where two players team up to answer the same five questions, and if they combine a score of 200 or more they win whatever the established prize amount is. In later years a bonus prize was added where a family winning five times in a row also wins a car! There were other added games like a Bulls eye round which decided the fast money amount, but I won’t get into those.

 

Is That Your Final Answer?- A Look at Who Wants To Be a Millionaire (and its copycats)

Welcome to game show week! All week I will have a game showr elated article. I used to love game shows, especially when I was a kid in the 80's. But I am going to hold that discussion off for today. Instead I want to talk about the prime time game show revival in the late 90's. This was an amazing thing and was kicked off by a show which was a flat out phenomenon! I am talking of course about:

I absolutely loved this show! Who Wants to be a Millionaire changed everything about game shows. The way they are played, the way they look, even the way the contestants got chosen! It also launched ABC into the ratings stratosphere, becoming amonster hit for the network. The best part may have been the host. Regis Philbin was perfect for this show, since he was able to casually talk with contestants and also keep the suspense of the game going. He did a great job teasing the contestants waiting to find out if their answer was correct or not/. No insult to Meredith Vieira intended, but if I didn't know better I would think this show was madewith Regis in mind (it wasn't, it came from England first).It was because of him that "Is that your final answer" became a national catchphrase.

What I Loved in the 80's-Game Shows!

I consider myself lucky, when I was a kid in the 80’s; talk shows had yet to dominate the daytime schedule. Instead when I was home during the week I got to watch awesome game shows! I loved these shows, they were fun to watch and even the theme songs are amazing. They are much more fun than the trashy talk shows that are on now. So, here is a look at some of my favorites from that great era. 

The Price is Right

The granddaddy of all game shows. It amazes me that this show has been on the air, every weekday at 11:00am, since two years before I was born! If I was home from school, than this show was part of my morning. Bob Barker may be the best emcee in the world, and those beauties weren't bad to lack at either. I guess the appeal is simple, bid on merchandise and if you get it right (or close enough), you win cool prizes! I could do a whole article just on this show, you know all the games, the fast money round, the famous “Come on down!” This show as pure fun, however I stopped watching when Drew Carey took over, I can't stand him.