Shows Where The Host "Partially Controls" The Games

[TimK2003]

I was watching an old Kennedy NTT from the Kathie Lee Johnson years. And in those early years not only does Tom control part of the gameplay by spinning the wheel on Melody Roulette (as did Jim Lange and Dennis James), but during the Golden Medley, Tom also starts the :30 timer on the podium at the start of each song.

Pat Sajak (and all the other Wheel Hosts) have partially decided to outcome with their Final Spins.

Jim Peck stopped the Payoff Point bonus randomizer on The Big Showdown.

In the non-Wheel examples, the hosts only controlled some aspect that didn't necessarily affect the oucome of the ultimate winner (just bonus money and the occasuonal car giveaway). But Pat's (etal) final spin could either help or hurt a contestant's chance of winning the overall game.

What other shows allowed the host to physically affect the game -- either for side bonuses or for actual gameplay in situations similar to those aforementioned examples?

[WhammyPower]

The host of Jeopardy is in charge of when the "time's up" is sounded after any particular clue.

Jack Narz called for each letter to appear in the Semi-Final (then Qualifying) round of Now You See It.

Any game show where speed is a factor in reading questions can have a factor into how much a contestant can win (e.g. The Chase).

[Jimmy Owen]

Blankety Blanks with Bill Cullen selecting the doohickey and putting it in the gizmo

[parliboy]

The host of Jeopardy is in charge of when the "time's up" is sounded after any particular clue.

I don't know that this is universally true now:

“I have two red buttons, but they removed one,” Bialik said with a laugh. Unlike the contestants, who use clickers as a means to lock in answers, her signaling device is intended to alert “Jeopardy” producers if she’s confused about a clue or stumbles over words. “I accidentally hit the wrong one, so they took it away. They left my other emergency button in place. So I have a defunct emergency button.”

Source: https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/mayim-bialik-jeopardy-host-1235168705/

Sounds like she kept hitting the times-up signal by accident.

[Blanquepage]

Initially during the run of The Diamond Head Game, Bob reached into the treasure pouch and pulled out the bills. This was eventually changed to have the contestant do so based off an old clip I found from after the format changed.
Dennis James also stopped the letter randomizer on Beat the Odds.
I'd also throw out there all the What's My Line moderators. They were basically the primary judges, and even threw all the cards over when the panel was way off base.

[Unrealtor]

On Countdown, any time a contestant doesn't specify which spaces to pick the numbers from, Carol or Rachel pick them. And until recently, the host controlled when the clock started.

I assume that Jim Perry had the authority to cut the price on Instant Bargains down to some minimum specified in advance and on when to make the cuts and when to say "no sale." I'd assume Monty Hall had similar leeway when the plan for a deal called for a cash buyout offer, but something tells me that Wayne Brady is more likely to be taking those cues in his earpiece.

[SuperMatch93]

I'd assume Monty Hall had similar leeway when the plan for a deal called for a cash buyout offer, but something tells me that Wayne Brady is more likely to be taking those cues in his earpiece.

In his Archive of American Television interview, Monty confirmed that he had discretion in those instances when he was the host; he mentioned that since it was his production company, he knew the budget and kept it in mind when determining how much cash to offer contestants.

[knagl]

This one barely qualifies, but in the early episodes of Classic Concentration, Trebek would call out the numbers at his own pace to reveal the speed-up puzzle pieces one at a time.

[BrandonFG]

I assume that Jim Perry had the authority to cut the price on Instant Bargains down to some minimum specified in advance and on when to make the cuts and when to say "no sale."

This actually crossed my mind while watching not too long ago. It made me wonder when Jim had the authority to sweeten the deal with a few hundred bucks, as opposed to a Sale Surprise.

For the Showcase Showdown bonus spin, could we count Bob or Drew setting the wheel at .15 to ensure the wheel goes around once?

[Bryce L.]

For the Showcase Showdown bonus spin, could we count Bob or Drew setting the wheel at .15 to ensure the wheel goes around once?

No, but we could count that as a host blooper, since the wheel is supposed to start at .05 in those cases.

[BrandonFG]

For the Showcase Showdown bonus spin, could we count Bob or Drew setting the wheel at .15 to ensure the wheel goes around once?

No, but we could count that as a host blooper, since the wheel is supposed to start at .05 in those cases.

I got my numbers mixed up, but yeah .05.

[TimK2003]

I think Jack Clark was not only the Keeper of The Cross Wits, I believe he also ran the :05/:07 "shot clock" when players were playing the clues. 

[chris319]

Union rules govern who may operate sound effects and stage electronics.

On Family Feud, taped at ABC, NABET local 57 granted a waiver to allow producer Howard Felsher to directly operate the "duplicate answer" buzzer in Fast Money due to the time element involved.

On Password Plus, taped at NBC, NABET local 53 refused to grant such a waiver for Alphabetics. Sound effects were cued by an array of three colored light bulbs operated by producer Bobby Sherman. The light bulbs were positioned in front of sound-effects engineer Geoff Cooper who operated the sound effect. The bell and buzzer were the actual devices; the "illegal clue" effect and the Alphabetics countdown came from MacKenzie carts.

The exception is if by necessity a performer must operate a device. I'm thinking of Switcheroo where a model operates the game board. I'm skeptical of any claims that an emcee operates a sound effect or a clock. It is more likely that an offstage operator does that.

[JasonA1]

I'm skeptical of any claims that an emcee operates a sound effect or a clock. It is more likely that an offstage operator does that.

I can understand the skepticism. I had the Jeopardy! time's up podium button confirmed (and demonstrated for me) when visiting the set years ago before Alex's illness.

There's one episode of Name That Tune with Tom Kennedy in which Tom forgot to hit the button to start the Golden Medley clock. He explained the staff was keeping duplicate time offstage, and they rectified the error on camera by having Tom hit his button, and the contestant hitting theirs to stop it once the appropriate time had ticked away. (starts at 18:15 in the video linked below)



-Jason

[TimK2003]

I'm skeptical of any claims that an emcee operates a sound effect or a clock. It is more likely that an offstage operator does that.

I can understand the skepticism. I had the Jeopardy! time's up podium button confirmed (and demonstrated for me) when visiting the set years ago before Alex's illness.

For all the episodes I've seen of Trebek hosting J!, I don't ever recall seeing him activating the time's up sfx, unless the directors really tried to hide it in camera shots.  I have seen Jeff Probst numerous times hitting the button on R&R J! But I thought it was only because there weren't as many staffers on hand for that show (and under the guise of a different producer -- Scott Sternberg).

In some of the episodes of Bud Collyer's To Tell The Truth, I have seen him reach for the end-of-turn bell at his desk.  I wonder if he received a cue offstage as to when to ring the bell.

And one of the more obvious ones i completely forgot about, as I consider them co-hosts...

Ruta Lee/Elaine Stewart were the dice rollers on the first incarnations of High Rollers.  The contestant's fate was entirely in their hands in the main games.