All right, enough pretense, you've waited long enough. Here's the Top 9 as voted on by all of you:
#9: MICHAEL STRAHAN succeeds "Mr. Pyramid" Dick Clark (57 points on 15 votes)
I'm inclined to believe that part of the praise here is owed to the fact that this version of Pyramid is the most intricately similar to the 80s CBS pinnacle. That said, Strahan has proven himself to be a very likable host who runs the game very smoothly. Dick Clark would be proud.
#8: MEREDITH VIEIRA succeeds "Mr. Millionaire" Regis Philbin (64 points on 17 votes)
How do you replace a man who captivated the nation with such a bombastic style as Regis? Simple, you maintain the calm, cool and serious side of the game where the (usually) biggest prize in all of television is on the line. Meredith had all of that in spades, but wasn't afraid to admit to being a "horny old woman" once or twice. A side note: Meredith was the only one in the Top 9 to not get a #1 vote.
#7: DREW CAREY succeeds "Mr. Price Is Right" Bob Barker (74 points on 15 votes)
If we had done this survey 10 years ago, Drew would have been nowhere near this conversation. Yes, those first three years were rough, as evidenced by the scores of Golden Road critics who'd all say "Bob would never do that" on a daily basis. That said, I think when he got serious about his health in 2010, the mindset change bled into his hosting style as well. He found his voice, hit a groove, and acceptance and praise started coming. Nowadays, there's only maybe one person who refuses to accept that he'll ever be any good at all.
#6: RAY COMBS succeeds "Mr. Family Feud" Richard Dawson (88 points on 21 votes)
Ray was the first pure comedian to host Feud, given his days in standup and as a go-to warmup guy. It shows when you see how closely his style of handling contestants' crazy real answers emulates Richard's, but with a little more play-along-with-it smoothness. Sadly, as great as Ray was, it's a shame that Feud was also his biggest curse, as when the success faded, so too did he all too quickly.
#5: WAYNE BRADY succeeds "Mr. Let's Make A Deal" Monty Hall (91 points on 23 votes)
Monty made it forever evident how much LMAD requires an ultimate sense of improvisational timing due to the wild reactions and conversations with the costumed contestants. To that end, Wayne has proven to be such a master of using his natural improv background to give every contestant a way to shine for the world, yet not changing the natural wildness of it all one bit. It's even better that everyone on the cast and crew gets involved in the action, too, be it Jonathan, Tiffany, Cat or even stage director Chris the Money Fairy. They're a true family on that show, a vibe I don't think any other game show has.
#4: PAT SAJAK succeeds "Mr. Wheel" Chuck Woolery (93 points on 19 votes)
I knew when I started this, there was gonna be some gray area with a few select shows that could legitimately claim that they've had two iconic standard-setting hosts. Here's the first of them. We may not think of Chuck as Mr. Wheel much now, but he endeared us to himself for 7 years with his "Aw shucks, I goofed up again" Kentucky charm, and his chemistry with Susan Stafford was top notch. Not a bad standard for a rookie host to have set, and only to have another rookie perhaps even greener than he was take over. Combining low key calling of the action with left field zingers aplenty that he doesn't care if they sound corny when he says them, Pat's done... pretty good for the past 39 years, I think.
#3: BOB BARKER succeeds "Mr. Price Is Right" Bill Cullen (94 points on 15 votes)
If an argument is to be made whether the Dean of Game Shows was ever a Mr. any game show at all, the biggest case would have to be made to his longest success, The Price Is Right. Those 9 years made Bill more synonymous with a game show than I've Got A Secret ever could because he shown on his own, not in an ensemble. (Plus, hey, The Flintstones paid tribute to him!) For that reason, Barker's 35 years of on-camera talent and legacy find their way here. And if we try to put all of that into words, we'll be here forever. The fact that almost every ballot that named Bob had him at #1 or #2 speaks to that.
#2: TOM BERGERON succeeds "Mr. Hollywood Squares" Peter Marshall (102 points on 23 votes)
"The Master" has said in many stories before how Hollywood Squares is like a big party that you can't let your guests forget you are the host of. Peter proved this by playing the straight man to his great regulars who he let have the zing and then reel them back in to play the game. Tom took it in the other direction, unafraid to join in on the zings himself, making the laughs all the louder, and still tying it all together in a neat bow. His was a phenomenal performance for 6 years, with "You fool!" and April Fool's Day being the two biggest cherries on the sundae. And destined greatness was sure to come.
And before we get to the #1, here are a couple quick Honorable Mentions:
STEVE HARVEY succeeds "Mr. Family Feud" Richard Dawson (36 points on 9 votes, #10 overall)
Full disclosure: Steve is the reason I started this survey to begin with, and he was my #2. You've heard my rants arguing for him in the past here, especially now that he's the longest tenured host in Feud's history. I had to know if he's gained ANY cred with the fandom. Evidently, a little, but...
BOB BARKER succeeds "Mr. Truth Or Consequences" Ralph Edwards (13 points on 2 votes, #20 overall)
While I knew that this survey was meant to cast a spotlight on most recent decades of television, I was shocked that only one other person besides me acknowledged this at all. This was my #1 with a bullet. Ralph created and grew this baby for 16 years between radio and TV. I debated whether Ralph was really thought of as Mr. Truth until realizing hey, how can you not be after you get a U.S. city to rename themselves after your show! Bob's legacy began here on Ralph's eye for the future, carrying the last audience participation show of its kind for 19 more years, way past the relevance that kind of show ever had on television anymore. And one wonders, without Ralph's discovery, would we even be talking about The Price Is Right in the present day?
And finally...
#1: ALEX TREBEK succeeds "Mr. Jeopardy" Art Fleming (179 points on 28 votes)
This was a landslide, and I'm not surprised. 16 of the 28 ballots he appeared on, complete or not, had Alex in the top spot. But he wouldn't he here if not for Art Fleming's pedigree and influence.
Out of the three gray area hosts that made this list, Art Fleming being seen as the original Mr. Jeopardy was easily the strongest case. It is the one and only show he is known for, solidified by 11 years of intelligent dapperness that would seem out of place on almost any other game show you could try to pair it with. And, lest we forget, WEIRD AL! If being in one of his videos that's dedicated to your show doesn't cement your place in pop culture, much less game shows, I don't know what does.
As for Alex himself, we all watched his transformation from the sarcastic & goofy humor of his other shows to the serious atmosphere that Jeopardy demanded back in Fleming's day. Coupled with his extensive work and research behind the scenes, he is seen today as the host who knows all, and probably does. It is why we debate so anxiously to this day who would make a fan-based list like this one in another 5 or 10 years, because the man who will forever be Mr. Jeopardy now has left a mark that feels almost impossible to follow.
And that's the Top 9. Below is the rest of the list, including a few I actually feel bad that I didn't think of, whehter I put them on my list or not. And one person threw in a little international flavor, too.
Enjoy, debate and discuss what we hath wrought from this. I thank you all for taking part.
10) Steve Harvey (Feud, 36 pts, 9 votes)
11) Tom Kennedy (Password, 34 pts, 7 votes)
12) Alec Baldwin (Match Game, 33 pts, 7 votes)
13) Elizabeth Banks (PYL, 28 pts, 9 votes)
13) Bert Convy (Password, 28 pts, 9 votes)
15) Garry Moore (TTTT, 28 pts, 7 votes)
16) George Gray (Weakest Link, 19 pts, 6 votes)
17) Bob Eubanks (Card Sharks, 15 pts, 4 votes)
18) Bill Cullen (Joker, 14 pts, 4 votes)
19) Alex Trebek (Concentration, 14 pts, 3 votes)
20) Bob Barker (Truth or Consequences, 13 pts, 2 votes)
21) Todd Newton (PYL, 10 pts, 4 votes)
22) Bill Rafferty (Card Sharks, 10 pts, 3 votes)
22) Anthony Anderson (TTTT, 10 pts, 3 votes)
22) Jimmy Kimmel (Millionaire, 10 pts, 3 votes)
25) Bill Rafferty (Blockbusters, 10 pts, 2 votes)
26) Donny Osmond (Pyramid, 8 pts, 1 vote)
26) Bob Clayton (Concentration, 8 pts, 1 vote)
28) Jack Narz (Concentration, 7 pts, 4 votes)
29) Laura Moure (La ruleta de la suerte, 7 pts, 1 vote)
30) Bob Goen (Wheel, 6 pts, 3 votes)
31) Bill Cullen (Pyramid, 6 pts, 1 vote)
32) Chris Harrison (Millionaire, 5 pts, 2 votes)
33) Jim Caldwell (Tic Tac Dough, 5 pts, 1 vote)
33) John O'Hurley (Feud, 5 pts, 1 vote)
33) Liza Koshy (Double Dare, 5 pts, 1 vote)
36) Michael Berger (Match, 4 pts, 1 vote)
36) Robert Earle (College Bowl, 4 pts, 1 vote)
38) Richard Karn (Feud, 3 pts, 1 vote)
38) John Davidson (Squares, 3 pts, 1 vote)
40) Takeshi Kaga (Time Shock, 2 pts, 1 vote)
40) Pat Finn (The Big Spin, 2 pts, 1 vote)
40) Sherri Shepherd (Newlywed, 2 pts, 1 vote)
43) Tom Kennedy (Price, 1 pt, 1 vote)
43) Larry Blyden (What's My Line, 1 pt, 1 vote)
43) Rachel Riley (Countdown, 1 pt, 1 vote)
43) Jim Lange (Name That Tune, 1 pt, 1 vote)
43) Gordon Elliott (TTTT, 1 pt, 1 vote)
