If enough people say it, it must be true...right?

[Ian Wallis]

I thought I'd start a thread about widely held beliefs about game shows that you are sure are not true.  I can't recall a thread dedicated just to this kind of topic in the past.

I'll start:

The $10,000 Pyramid - the debut of the Big 7.  I've heard it stated that it's thought to have started on Dec 23, 1974, the day the show changed time slots from 4 PM to 2 PM.  It's even listed that way on wikicrapia.

I think that date is incorrect.  Here's why:  the show was on tape-delay in my area, but when it changed time slots we got it live at 2 PM, so I watched it fairly regularly.  One day, after not seeing the show for a while, Dick referenced a new feature called the Big 7.  He also stated something like "we haven't seen it in the first game for a while".  Being an anxious pre-teen, I was curious as to what this new feature was about, and was worried I'd go through the show without seeing it (not realizing when Dick said that, that it popped up once per show).

Since I hadn't seen the show for a while and it now had this new feature, I'm thinking it would have debuted sometime just before spring break - about mid-March 1975.  I'm sure the Dec '74 date is too early.

Got any others?

[aaron sica]

I thought I'd start a thread about widely held beliefs about game shows that you are sure are not true.  I can't recall a thread dedicated just to this kind of topic in the past.

I'll start:

The $10,000 Pyramid - the debut of the Big 7.  I've heard it stated that it's thought to have started on Dec 23, 1974, the day the show changed time slots from 4 PM to 2 PM.  It's even listed that way on wikicrapia.

I think that date is incorrect.  Here's why:  the show was on tape-delay in my area, but when it changed time slots we got it live at 2 PM, so I watched it fairly regularly.  One day, after not seeing the show for a while, Dick referenced a new feature called the Big 7.  He also stated something like "we haven't seen it in the first game for a while".  Being an anxious pre-teen, I was curious as to what this new feature was about, and was worried I'd go through the show without seeing it (not realizing when Dick said that, that it popped up once per show).

Since I hadn't seen the show for a while and it now had this new feature, I'm thinking it would have debuted sometime just before spring break - about mid-March 1975.  I'm sure the Dec '74 date is too early.

Got any others?

Not sure if this is EXACTLY what you are looking for..........but going back to the early days of discussing game shows on the internet, I seem to remember it being a widely held belief that the Star Wheel's debut and the new set of MG '78 went hand-in-hand, which is now known as not true - the Star Wheel debuted a few weeks before the new set (and boy, IMHO, did it look out of place)...

[Bertie Bott]

I thought I'd start a thread about widely held beliefs about game shows that you are sure are not true.  I can't recall a thread dedicated just to this kind of topic in the past.

I'll start:

The $10,000 Pyramid - the debut of the Big 7.  I've heard it stated that it's thought to have started on Dec 23, 1974, the day the show changed time slots from 4 PM to 2 PM.  It's even listed that way on wikicrapia.

I think that date is incorrect.  Here's why:  the show was on tape-delay in my area, but when it changed time slots we got it live at 2 PM, so I watched it fairly regularly.  One day, after not seeing the show for a while, Dick referenced a new feature called the Big 7.  He also stated something like "we haven't seen it in the first game for a while".  Being an anxious pre-teen, I was curious as to what this new feature was about, and was worried I'd go through the show without seeing it (not realizing when Dick said that, that it popped up once per show).

Since I hadn't seen the show for a while and it now had this new feature, I'm thinking it would have debuted sometime just before spring break - about mid-March 1975.  I'm sure the Dec '74 date is too early.

Got any others?

Not sure if this is EXACTLY what you are looking for..........but going back to the early days of discussing game shows on the internet, I seem to remember it being a widely held belief that the Star Wheel's debut and the new set of MG '78 went hand-in-hand, which is now known as not true - the Star Wheel debuted a few weeks before the new set (and boy, IMHO, did it look out of place)...

I'm almost sure that there were only 11 episodes of FOX Family Double Dare. I personally have 10 episodes and recently found out based on an LA Times article that one of the episodes I'm missing was an hour long.  If all of these other episodes have turned up, why haven't the so called "missing ones" turned up somewhere?

[Vahan_Nisanian]

With lots of non-GSN episodes of Press Your Luck recently resurfacing onto YouTube, here are some myths related to that show, that I think can now be debunked:

1) The PYL Board Configurations Page says that the stakes in round 1 increased on the 11/2/83 episode (the same day board sound #2 debuted). But actually, it happened sometime during the week of October 17. I don't know when exactly, all I know is that it happened sometime during that week (the show normally did 11 episodes every other weekend, so it wasn't uncommon for them to make cosmetic changes during a week of shows).

2) The episode guides, for weeks 3-6 are off by one episode. The real episode #030, which aired on 10/28/83, had Tony/Sam/Aradine as the contestants.

3) One episode guide says that the last episode with Double Your $$ (No spin) was on 12/5/85, and another says that it was 12/11/85. Most likely, the former is correct, because Peter Tomarken's birthday was on December 7, which is acknowledged on the Robert/Jackie/Trish episode.

Finally, there are rumors that in 1986, there was an incredibly big Whammy loss, bigger than Cathy Singer's $31,408 loss. It has not been verified yet, but if it is true, then it would obviously debunk the myth that $31,408 was the largest amount of money ever lost to a Whammy on the show.

[J.R.]

Are we supposed to be impressed by all the minutiae gslover87 knows?

[TLEberle]

Are we supposed to be impressed by all the minutiae gslover87 knows?

No.

[Matt Ottinger]

Replace "widely held beliefs" with "things not even other game show fans know" and you'll have my opinion on the value of this thread.  But people love doing it, so just sit back and let them.

[PYLdude]

Finally, there are rumors that in 1986, there was an incredibly big Whammy loss, bigger than Cathy Singer's $31,408 loss. It has not been verified yet, but if it is true, then it would obviously debunk the myth that $31,408 was the largest amount of money ever lost to a Whammy on the show.

I've seen a loss (maybe the same) but it wasn't bigger- the loss was $30,518 (so about $900 less).

[Vahan_Nisanian]

I meant in a 1986 episode that has yet to resurface.

[Dbacksfan12]

I meant in a 1986 episode that has yet to resurface.

As to the OP:  I think a good one to mention (most of us know better) is that the final round on TPiR is the showcase showdown.
ETA: Fair point, Palmer.  Revised as such.

[PYLdude]

I meant in a 1986 episode that has yet to resurface.

What would your source be on this?

My guess?  The GSN boards, where, last I knew, Adam Kliest still had an account.

Mark, don't. For once, don't. The last thing I think a lot of us wanna see is another gslover hissy fit.

[Vahan_Nisanian]

I meant in a 1986 episode that has yet to resurface.

What would your source be on this?

My guess?  The GSN boards, where, last I knew, Adam Kliest still had an account.

Mark, don't. For once, don't. The last thing I think a lot of us wanna see is another gslover hissy fit.

Which I am not even gonna think about doing this time.

[PYLdude]

I meant in a 1986 episode that has yet to resurface.

What would your source be on this?

My guess?  The GSN boards, where, last I knew, Adam Kliest still had an account.

Mark, don't. For once, don't. The last thing I think a lot of us wanna see is another gslover hissy fit.

Which I am not even gonna think about doing.

I hope.

Although maybe I am being a little harsh- you're taking your lumps a lot better.

[aaron sica]

Replace "widely held beliefs" with "things not even other game show fans know" and you'll have my opinion on the value of this thread.  But people love doing it, so just sit back and let them.

Speaking for myself, I took "widely held beliefs" to mean minutiae inside the community itself - I wasn't thinking about your casual game show fans out there who simply just watch and occasionally catch an episode or two here or there. Heck, someone new to GSN wouldn't even *know* there was ever a Star Wheel or that Dawson eventually left.

[WarioBarker]

One rather large misconception over the years (one that very much fits the title of this thread) was that Wheel of Fortune first used its five-and-a-vowel Bonus Round on Pat's first day (December 28, 1981), and it was pretty much stated as fact until Eric Paddon shared the December 18 show in January 2011.

The $10,000 Pyramid - the debut of the Big 7. I've heard it stated that it's thought to have started on Dec 23, 1974, the day the show changed time slots from 4 PM to 2 PM. It's even listed that way on wikicrapia.

IIRC, the source of that date was William A. Padron, who has proven over the years to be quite the expert on New York-era Pyramid (he supplied a good chunk of information about that era for Xanfan's site). Not saying your thoughts don't hold any merit, just wanted to point out the (again IIRC) source.

(And also, you said you hadn't seen the show in a while; who's to say it didn't debut while you weren't watching it?)