Your hottest game show takes

[Jeremy Nelson]

Obviously, there will be disagreements in any discussion forum, but let's see how divisive your takes are. I'll start.

1. Drew should stop doing the Spay and Neuter signoff. He's found his own cause telling people to take care of their mental health, and often times those two messages seem like too much of a mouthful. As a friend recently mentioned, the show is still doing a Pet Adoption Week, so there are ways to honor the positive parts of Bob's legacy without being beholden to a magic phrase that doesn't resonate with people anymore.

2. Jim Lange, with all due respect, was never the best available option for any game show he hosted.

[DoItRockapella]

I have never found What's My Line anything other than boring. To be fair to the show, this is partially because I don't have any nostalgia for it (I was born in 1989).

[carlisle96]

I know I may catch some flak for this but I never liked Card Sharks and always found Wheel of Fortune dull.

[BrandonFG]

The 80s versions of Dating/Newlywed Game >>> the OG versions, which are like watching paint dry.

The current TPiR theme sounds like a bad karaoke remake, and I’d rather they brought back the 94 nighttime theme, dated as it might sound.

John Davidson wasn’t as bad of a host as people make him out to be, although he might fall more into “Pretty Boy Traffic Cop” territory.

[MSTieScott]

1. Drew should stop doing the Spay and Neuter signoff. He's found his own cause telling people to take care of their mental health, and often times those two messages seem like too much of a mouthful.

I've thought this myself. The mental health message is clearly more from his heart, and the end of the show doesn't need two PSAs. It made sense for him to do the spay/neuter plug when he first took over the show, the media would have spun it as an insult to Barker if he stopped doing it while Barker was still alive, and it would have been bad optics for him to have dropped it immediately after Barker died. But when season 54 debuts this fall, it will have been two years since Barker's passing... I think we're approaching the time Drew can retire the daily spay/neuter message.


This isn't exactly a hot take, but while I don't hate it, I can only muster up indifference for the Super Password theme -- I don't understand why some people seem to love it so much. Is it just nostalgia? For example, the Press Your Luck theme gives me warm fuzzies because it's strongly associated with fond childhood memories, but if it weren't for that context, I would have no feelings for the tune. Is the same thing going on with Super Password?

[SuperMatch93]

Johnny Olson isn't my favorite announcer. He isn't even my favorite announcer named Johnny.

[TimK2003]

1. Drew should stop doing the Spay and Neuter signoff. He's found his own cause telling people to take care of their mental health, and often times those two messages seem like too much of a mouthful.

I've thought this myself. The mental health message is clearly more from his heart, and the end of the show doesn't need two PSAs. It made sense for him to do the spay/neuter plug when he first took over the show, the media would have spun it as an insult to Barker if he stopped doing it while Barker was still alive, and it would have been bad optics for him to have dropped it immediately after Barker died. But when season 54 debuts this fall, it will have been two years since Barker's passing... I think we're approaching the time Drew can retire the daily spay/neuter message.

Here's a "Which Came First?" Question from. The Barker Era:

• The Spay & Neuter sign-off, or
• The Adopt A Dog or Cat From Your Local Shelter segment that was occasionally featured during an IUFB?

Obviously Drew, to my knowledge, has never featured shelter pets in his era, but since Barker started it all, I think the overall  awareness of pet population and adoption is commonplace now compared to 40-some years ago.  Mental Health Awareness (in its various forms) needs to be more in the spotlight than pets, IMHO.  Let Drew be the ambassador for that cause.

[SuperMatch93]

Here's a "Which Came First?" Question from. The Barker Era:

• The Spay & Neuter sign-off, or
• The Adopt A Dog or Cat From Your Local Shelter segment that was occasionally featured during an IUFB?

I'm nearly certain the sign-off came first. I haven't seen any episodes on the Barker Era channel that feature a doggie during an IUFB.

[Chief-O]

Johnny Olson isn't my favorite announcer. He isn't even my favorite announcer named Johnny.

Yeah........I prefer Gilbert, but then again I am a loyal J! viewer.

As for me:

-"Talk About" is way up there in my list of favorite shows.
-(somewhat relevant to another active thread) I prefer "Super Password" over "Plus", and I do like what Bert brought to the table......even when he blew words/puzzles.
-I prefer Don Morrow as "Sale of the Century" announcer over Jay Stewart.
-Piggybacking off of DoItRockapella, I've never taken too much interest in *the original* WML?. Bruner/Blyden, yes.
-On that note, I have a slight fondness for the 1972 IGAS, preferring it over the original (though I'd take original IGAS over original WML? any day).
-Aww heck, I also prefer Moore/Garagiola TTTT, and even the 1990 series, over Collyer. Even the Ward version is likely to pique my interest as well.
-I liked TPIR a lot when I was little. Not so much nowadays. (*not* Drew's fault; heck, I barely watch The Barker Era streaming channel)
-I was excited for "Classic Concentration" to make it onto Buzzr, but I haven't watched it as much as I should. (though I was glued to the Narz eps, as well as "Talk About" and "Whew!")
-....and piggybacking from the above, Jack Narz should've gotten a lot more work.

[tpirfan28]

Plinko is overrated and overplayed only because basically every single person who enters the studio wants to play it.
I would not be against playing it for $100K and only 7 times a year.

I have never found What's My Line anything other than boring. To be fair to the show, this is partially because I don't have any nostalgia for it (I was born in 1989).

I actually prefer What's My Line over To Tell The Truth.

[BrandonFG]

-I liked TPIR a lot when I was little. Not so much nowadays. (*not* Drew's fault; heck, I barely watch The Barker Era streaming channel)

This is me with MG and to an extent Feud. I think it's because we haven't been able to escape those three shows in the last 50 years; for the most part they've always existed in new episodes or reruns over the past few decades. Outside of maybe a fur coat TPiR you don't have too many rare episodes that pop up in the wild the way you do Wheel or Pyramid.

[Dbacksfan12]

Here's a "Which Came First?" Question from. The Barker Era:

• The Spay & Neuter sign-off, or
• The Adopt A Dog or Cat From Your Local Shelter segment that was occasionally featured during an IUFB?

I haven't seen any episodes on the Barker Era channel that feature a doggie during an IUFB.

I have.  Per G-R, the pet adoption segments started 1/18/84. 

As for the OP:

I find 3's a Crowd entertaining and am disappointed no episodes appear to be on YouTube.
I would rather have a cavity filled than watch the original version of Password.
Other than nostalgia, I don't get the inordinate love for the B&W shows, save for TTTT.

[Jeremy Nelson]

I find 3's a Crowd entertaining and am disappointed no episodes appear to be on YouTube.

I'll turn this into an even hotter take- in 2025, this is the gem of the Barris catalog and would do numbers on Bravo.

[TLEberle]

I find 3's a Crowd entertaining and am disappointed no episodes appear to be on YouTube.

I'll turn this into an even hotter take- in 2025, this is the gem of the Barris catalog and would do numbers on Bravo.

I don’t know if this is a hot take at all but I have no idea why GSN revived the show—steadies vs. exes was just not interesting, thought mom vs. girlfriend was sometimes ok. The best thing about the newer version was the theme and incidental music.

As much as I would love to see a triumphant return of Treasure Hunt, I fear it has been subsumed by Deal or No Deal. Harrumph.

I have no problem with the Jeopardy tournament ladder but feel like Second Chance is too far. Win two or three games and you can fight your way to the tournament. Two out of three people lose day in and day out, it isn’t the end of the world.

[aaron sica]

I was never a fan of Bullseye (US). Whoever decided that a "contract" can be 5 questions in a row should been fired. I didn't have the patience for it when I watched it as a child, and I have the same impatience as an adult.