Question - I've noticed on the '72 IGAS, Steve does not mention any prize money to the contestants. I wonder if they got any or they just got the prizes Johnny O announced. I know on the four eps of IGAS that Cullen hosted in '76, the contestants got no money.
In the seventies, the G-T people stumbled across a bit of brilliance when it came to their two main panel shows. People didn't care whether the "contestants" (who really didn't do anything) won anything or not. So they just dropped it. They were content to play the guessing game for a couple of minutes, then demonstrate and/or explain the guest's "secret" and/or "line". Contestant received prizes, mostly to maintain the artifice that this was a game show, but for them, the chance to be on television, and the exposure that could bring to their business or book, was work more than a token cash prize.
This is such a simple concept that it's astonishing how many panel shows (including kids shows) have messed it up since. No one wants to watch a game being played badly. Go no further than our consensus on
Celebrity Name Game to be reminded of that. Plus, you always want to root for the contestant, especially a solo one. On a panel show, if there's a prize for "stumping" the panel, those two fundamental concepts are at odds with each other. If you want the contestant to win, you have to hope the game is played badly. If you want to watch the celebrities play well, then you hope the contestant doesn't get the prize.
