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A 5-Episode Game Show Sampler

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JasonA1:
I saw a thread elsewhere about what 5 songs you'd pick to get someone to love a musical genre they'd not been exposed to before. That got me thinking about what 5 episodes I'd put together for someone who's never given game shows a chance, with the goal to see them fall in love with the genre the same way so many of us did growing up.

1) An '80s episode of Pyramid -- one without an illegal clue or other weirdness in the Winner's Circle
2) An '80s episode of The Price is Right -- one in which a contestant, staff member and/or game gives Bob some trouble, to play up the "anything can happen" nature we used to get so much of on game shows
3) A current episode of Jeopardy! -- one with a satisfying, gettable Final; I think it's best to show off contemporary material, too, rather than pick a Trebek episode and have someone struggle with politicians of the past, etc.
4) A current episode of Family Feud -- featuring at least one benign main game question such as "Who is the greatest ____ of all time?" which they've been having on occasion lately. I thought Dawson first, but the kissing is pretty off-putting to younger folks, and like Jeopardy!, the more up-to-date, the better
5) A '70s episode of Match Game -- with some antics, for the same reason I want them on Price, but with no questions that are too topical, so as to lose your potential new convert

The biggest debate I had was -- Pyramid, or Password? The problem with Password is that the '60s shows are a little too quaint, and the extant ABC episodes are pretty confusing. An Allen-hosted Password Plus could probably do the trick. And Alphabetics is certainly easier to grok on first blush than a Winner's Circle.

-Jason

BrandonFG:
1. J! from the mid-2010s. By this point the show is an institution, but Alex has gotten away from the stuffy professor stereotype and has become more grandfatherly in his role. I think the superchamps of the 2010s gave the show more personality, and allowed the contestants to become rockstars in their own right.

2. An 80s shopping episode of Wheel, or one from c. 1992-93 when the show was still pretty loose and fun.

3. TPiR from about 1988-94...that's mostly from a place of nostalgia as it's when I came into the show. But IMO this was right before the Barker era started going into cruise control mode, give or take a year.

4. Millionaire from 1999-2000. I don't think anyone under 30 realizes just how much of a watercooler show this was back in the day, or how big of a deal it was when John Carpenter won it all. He even made a cameo on SNL the following night.

5. It could be I'm mostly burned out on MG lately, but I'd replace it with Press Your Luck. The Larsen reign of terror stands out in my mind, but I'd go for a general episode from about 1984 or '85 that has a few more Whammies.

Kevin Prather:
Jeopardy: An episode from the Decades tournament. Probably the Jennings/Forrest/Schumacher semi-final.

Millionaire: "Doug Van Gundy, absolutely."

Wheel: An episode from 92-94, where the quality of play was becoming so good that they actually started making the game challenging.

Price is Right: Danielle becomes the biggest one-day winner.

Press Your Luck: The Spin Battle between Lori and Cathi.

It pains me to not have Pyramid on my list, but I just can't take any of these away. Pyramid is definitely my #6 for this exercise.

Jeremy Nelson:
Price is Right- specifically an episode with a tense Three Strikes for a luxury car.

The Chase UK- I love Jeopardy, but the trivia host in me knows that people unused to trivia get intimidated easily. The multiple choice rounds and the constant tension keep the uninitiated engaged.

Wheel of Fortune- I'd pick a road show- probably Radio City 1988 to show just how big of a deal the show had become.

Hollywood Squares- The You Fool! episode still holds up.

Super Sloppy Double Dare- I think the show was at its best around 89 when it increased the mess but the parents weren't involved yet.

#6 for me would have been The Moneymaze, if only because watching otherwise level headed adults run through a maze in safari jackets for a mink coat runs counter to what most people envision when thinking of game shows.

WhammyPower:
I love game shows with those unscripted moments that just turn an entire show on its head.

Hollywood Squares - I'd have to agree with "You Fool!". Such an epic episode.

Match Game 77 - School Riot episode.

Double Dare (Mad Mountaineers vs. Chowderheads) - ALL the pies. So many pies in the first segment that Marc is forced to wear the most hideous jacket for the rest of the episode.


Plus two entries from the UK:

The Crystal Maze (Ayoade Series 3, Episode 1) - Zero crystals. I don't think I need to say any more than that.

I Literally Just Told You (Series 1, Episode 2) - I'm truly surprised this format hasn't crossed the pond yet. This episode in particular goes downhill very quickly.

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