Other TV shows I’ve watched lately
Here are some TV shows I’ve watched lately, game show edition. Watching old Password shows led me to some other game shows, some of which I hadn’t heard of before. Aside from Jeopardy! and Family Feud these are shows from the 70s and 80s. The previous iteration of this list is here.
The $10,000 Pyramid
Dick Clark hosted this game show classic for a long time. Contestants are paired with a celebrity, and in each round they try to get their partner to say words by saying anything but those words — they can also use gestures in this round. The winner goes to the winner’s circle to play for the big money. Here you only have 60 seconds to get your partner to say 10 words that are categories, by listing things that are in the category. Followed by The $20,000 Pyramid and other higher numbers.
Blockbusters
Bill Cullen hosts this show with no celebrities, just contestants answering trivia questions. A solo contestant plays against a team of 2 family members. You were trying to connect a series of hexagons by answering questions correctly. You could block the other team by answering a question correctly that would complete their series. The winner played a similar game and had to answer enough questions to get across the board in 60 seconds.
Body Language
Tom Kennedy hosts this show that’s based on charades. Contestants got to play with a celebrity — each of them tried to get the other to guess words by using charades. Then those words would fit into a puzzle. Stars who played include Betty White, Vicki Lawrence, Tom Poston, Jamie Farr, Brad Garrett, and Edie McClurg. Kennedy also hosted the astonishingly named Whew! and he took over on Super Password when Alen Ludden got sick.
Concentration
Jack Narz (Tom Kennedy’s brother) hosts this game that I am not very good at. It requires a good memory. Contestants face a board divided into squares. On their turn they can ask for 2 squares to be turned over — if they match, then they win a prize or get to perform an action. The winner of the game had to solve a rebus puzzle in a very short amount of time to win a car. Followed by Classic Concentration, hosted by Alex Trebek. Narz also hosted Now You See It.
Family Feud
I watched a bunch of episodes with Louie Anderson, who’s an interesting host. Anderson doesn’t always succeed at being funny, but at least he tries. I’ve also previously seen lots of episodes hosted by Richard Dawson and Steve Harvey. I’ve also seen a bit of Family Feud Canada with Gerry Dee. Dee might actually be my favourite host of all, as his interactions with players are terrific.
Jeopardy!
I watched a bunch of episodes with Alex Trebek hosting, and then some of the ones since then with a variety of people hosting. Some guest hosts were better than others, and I agree with people 100% who complained that Dr. Oz was not a suitable host given his peddling of pseudoscience. Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik, the current hosts, are both good. It seems like the questions are easier than they were in the old days, because I can answer more of them — of course, often I can’t answer them fast enough.
Tattletales
Bert Convy hosted this unique show where the celebrities played the game. Convy would ask the men a question while the women were offstage and vice versa. They would have to answer a question the same way as their spouse. The ones who answered the most the same won some money for the section of the audience in front of them. Couples who played the game include Allen Ludden and Betty White, Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, Bobby Van and Elaine Joyce, Dick Gautier and Barbara Stuart, Bill and Ann Cullen, and Orson Bean and Carolyn Maxwell. Some couples who appeared remained married and some did not. It’s more interesting if you know the couples playing the game. Convy also hosted Super Password and Win, Lose or Draw.