Alternate realities when it comes to game shows

[bulldog_06]

What if Mark Goodson gave Bruce Forsyth the job for "Card Sharks" on CBS? Would it still be a three-year run? Would there ever be a nighttime companion? Would Bob Barker even welcome Forsyth to the Price Is Right set?

[clemon79]

What if Mark Goodson gave Bruce Forsyth the job for "Card Sharks" on CBS? Would it still be a three-year run? Would there ever be a nighttime companion? Would Bob Barker even welcome Forsyth to the Price Is Right set?

Are you suggesting Bob Farking Eubanks is responsible for whatever level of success CS86 achieved?

When daytime game shows were still a thing in the '70s and '80s, you know what made Card Sharks successful? Giant playing cards. Tying them to a game that, while a little thin, was at least interesting enough if moved at a fast pace helped, but the gimmick was the giant cards.

Bob Eubanks was literally one day away from getting fired a month into his most well-known gig and becoming an industry footnote.

[Kevin Prather]

Bob Eubanks was literally one day away from getting fired a month into his most well-known gig and becoming an industry footnote.

Somehow this managed to sneak by me. Tell me more. They were about to replace him on TNG?

[clemon79]

Somehow this managed to sneak by me. Tell me more. They were about to replace him on TNG?

Barris wrote about it in The Game Show King. He said that Eubanks "wasn't getting it" and that Barris was gonna fire him the next tape day, but then he came in and it was like a light turned on, and he never had a problem with him since.

[Kevin Prather]

Somehow this managed to sneak by me. Tell me more. They were about to replace him on TNG?

Barris wrote about it in The Game Show King. He said that Eubanks "wasn't getting it" and that Barris was gonna fire him the next tape day, but then he came in and it was like a light turned on, and he never had a problem with him since.

Interesting! Tying that in to the thread's topic, I wonder who becomes the new host if that light doesn't turn on. Did Barris happen to mention anyone?

[clemon79]

Interesting! Tying that in to the thread's topic, I wonder who becomes the new host if that light doesn't turn on. Did Barris happen to mention anyone?

Nope.

[TheInquisitiveOne]

As someone who was intimately involved with Jeopardy GOAT, let me assure you Alex’s health was anything but an issue that was in the table.  The concept had been discussed during the 50th anniversary year.  GSN was among the networks Harry and team pitched it to.  Needless to say, it was well beyond our pocketbook (and besides, it had a shiny floor, which killed it with my superiors).  The ABC station group advocated for it with the network but at the time their brass was down on game shows.  As Rob Mills got more entrenched and as Sony became a reliable supplier the topic was revisited several times—other experiments got in the way.  We finally found a window of budgetary opportunity on both sides in 2019.  Alex’s health issues were a constant factor but that did not factor into the green light.  As even he said so often, it’s the game that mattered the most.

First off, let me say that between this and your take on Wheel’s “what if.” your firsthand accounts and insights have been very helpful, and I greatly appreciate it.

Regarding this, it sounds like the time window and circumstances just so happened to fall in the right place. It just felt so coincidental, between Alex’s health, James’ tournament win, and the shutdowns that were to happen two months later.

The Inquisitive One

[TLEberle]

I’m curious who is the third challenger in a GOAT rodeo back in 2014. Perhaps an early iteration of JIT would do the trick.

Also didn’t GSN have some standard fare game shows back then?

[Jeremy Nelson]

I’m curious who is the third challenger in a GOAT rodeo back in 2014. Perhaps an early iteration of JIT would do the trick.

We kinda got that with Jeopardy: Battle of the Decades. But if you have to choose one person, it's probably Roger Craig (who ended up being the third finalist in BotD) but you could go Chuck Forrest if you wanted representation from the old guard.