The Game Show Forum
The Game Show Forum => The Big Board => Topic started by: Sonic Whammy on August 29, 2020, 10:23:04 PM
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Periodically over the years, we've seen TV Guide, GSN and other places do some kind of "greatest game shows" list. And in turn, we here have been periodically inspired to do our own to see where we stand versus professional opinion.
Well, it's 2020, and I think it's been a while since we did one of these. But this time, instead of the same ol' same ol', my mind took me in a different direction.
We associate certain game shows with one particular host. But when those hosts leave, or new versions, reboots, etc. come along, new hosts step in. And a good number of those successors have left their own impressive stamp on that show.
And over this next week, I want to know who the best of those hosts, past and present, are.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe0DeKWZtiNhtK7Kljnrcpf-9UIk3e71l_KnBan_ejDN6rgyg/viewform?fbclid=IwAR1gP6cVAY_-wGhZxqWl8QfGzyjlv0yI5f1C425twJmnUsCZ8AU2GAXWY_Y (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe0DeKWZtiNhtK7Kljnrcpf-9UIk3e71l_KnBan_ejDN6rgyg/viewform?fbclid=IwAR1gP6cVAY_-wGhZxqWl8QfGzyjlv0yI5f1C425twJmnUsCZ8AU2GAXWY_Y)
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Is "succession" the word you meant to use?
JakeT
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I also don't quite get the point here.
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I’ll probably play. I’m bored.
Are we eliminating hosts who did only a pilot from consideration?
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This has actually crossed my mind before. I submitted a list, which was easier than I thought it would be.
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Is "succession" the word you meant to use?
I'll admit that I had a hard time coming up with a term here. I didn't want to simply say "new" host, and "transitional" sounded temporary. Successional was the best word I found in asking around. But I'm open to something if someone has a better suggestion.
But to clarify the point of the survey. We've done the "who's the greatest host ever" time and again, and the same names of yesteryear will always come up, as well they should. And a large reason for those hosts having their iconic status is that they've become so identified with the show that is usually just as heralded. "(Insert show here) is (insert host here)'s show."
But many of these heralded franchises had someone who came along at some point later in the show's history that left significant impacts as well, some so good that it even if you say "He's never be as good as (insert host here) was", you still think he's an excellent host of that show.
So the question is: Who over the history of the genre has done the best job of stepping into the shoes of the legends?
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What if the same person qualifies for two different shows? I'm thinking in particular of Bob Barker on both Truth or Consequences and The Price Is Right, but I'm sure there are other examples. Do I list the person twice or just once?
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I've submitted my ballot. Some of my choices actually are the hosts most closely associated with their shows, but they are eligible because they weren't the first hosts of those shows.
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The game show version of wins above replacement. I am SO in.
Without going into detail about who I voted for, things I considered, along with a generic example of each:
Popularity and longevity of the replacement host's version of the show vs. the preceding version. Alex Trebek's Jeopardy run is closing in on 40 years, replacing Art Fleming whose three runs lasted 11, 1, and 0.5 years.
Host's own contributions to the game and to the show. You need a sample size of one episode each to see how fundamentally different Password Plus w/ Tom Kennedy ca. 1982 is from Super Password w/ Bert Convy ca. 1984, beyond just fixing the format or building a new set.
Since the ballot also requires the show name, I considered each individual succession (ie a new team) to be eligible for a separate ballot. The aforementioned Tom Kennedy would be eligible for separate listings for Password Plus and his nighttime version of The Price is Right.
A host that departs then returns is eligible for the return. Monty Hall on the 1990 run of Let's Make a Deal comes to mind immediately.
Temporary hosts and pilot-only hosts were not considered. Richard Kline does not get compared to Robin Ward (one of Kline's TTTT90 pilots aired instead of the premiere on the east coast), nor does Trebek get compared to fill-in host Mark Goodson from later in the same run. Robin Ward -> Gordon Elliott -> Lynn Swann -> Alex Trebek -> John O'Hurley.
Entire canon of the genre in it's broadest view (anything with a game element) was at least considered. Dating Game has had multiple host changes; so has The Mole. Not always for the better.
Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour was considered part of the succession order for both series. This changes nothing for Match Game; John Davidson succeeds Jon Bauman.
In cases where two concurrent runs of the show with different hosts aired, the second host to debut was considered the successor. If the shows debuted in the same broadcast week, they were considered simultaneous successors to the first host. Dennis James and Bob Barker both succeeded Bill Cullen; Bill Rafferty was compared to Bob Eubanks. "Who was the last person viewers saw host this show before this person?"
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Fun idea.
Question: I assume situations where a new series was given a different name & fairly significant overhaul, but kept the same basic game idea and is generally considered in the same lineage as its predecessor, are eligible (i.e., Tomarken as successor for Second Chance/Press Your Luck, or Convy for He Said, She Said/Tattletales)?
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A host that departs then returns is eligible for the return. Monty Hall on the 1990 run of Let's Make a Deal comes to mind immediately.
Temporary hosts and pilot-only hosts were not considered. i
So would Regis Philbin(Super Millionaire, 10th Ann.) Be a return or temporary since they were both short run?
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A host that departs then returns is eligible for the return. Monty Hall on the 1990 run of Let's Make a Deal comes to mind immediately.
Temporary hosts and pilot-only hosts were not considered. i
So would Regis Philbin(Super Millionaire, 10th Ann.) Be a return or temporary since they were both short run?
Keep in mind that this is just one person’s criteria; if you feel different then vote as you will.
Me, I would count them as returning, at least in the case of Super Millionaire because they got two series out of it. The one Regis run I’m inclined to not count is his week of hosting the syndicated series.
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Good googa mooga, you thought this through even past me.
Most of what you said here, I had the same thoughts in mind as I wrote the question to different degrees as I'm trying to submit an answer for the polls myself. Let me break down the key ones:
Since the ballot also requires the show name, I considered each individual succession (ie a new team) to be eligible for a separate ballot. The aforementioned Tom Kennedy would be eligible for separate listings for Password Plus and his nighttime version of The Price is Right.
Yes. And that's why I asked for the show, too. There might be a host or two who qualifies more than once, and it's just as much about the show they took over as it is the host themselves.
A host that departs then returns is eligible for the return. Monty Hall on the 1990 run of Let's Make a Deal comes to mind immediately.
Not really. The idea I was going for here is to first find a host of a franchise that it's widely agreed that "He is "Mr. (show)", and from there determine if anyone else that ever hosted the show after him knocked it out of the park. In your example, Monty already is Mr. Let's Make A Deal, his comeback after Bob Hilton got the ax doesn't raise or succeed his already iconic status. How can he fairly appear on the list of "Best LMAD host ever" TWICE, you know?
Temporary hosts and pilot-only hosts were not considered.
Correct. Backing up what I said in the previous statement, I didn't know we thought Mike Wallace or Richard Kline were given the crown of Mr. To Tell The Truth. Mark Goodson, either.
Entire canon of the genre in it's broadest view (anything with a game element) was at least considered. Dating Game has had multiple host changes; so has The Mole. Not always for the better.
Of course.
Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour was considered part of the succession order for both series. This changes nothing for Match Game; John Davidson succeeds Jon Bauman.
Technically, yes, in this unique case.
Popularity and longevity of the replacement host's version of the show vs. the preceding version. Alex Trebek's Jeopardy run is closing in on 40 years, replacing Art Fleming whose three runs lasted 11, 1, and 0.5 years.
In cases where two concurrent runs of the show with different hosts aired, the second host to debut was considered the successor. If the shows debuted in the same broadcast week, they were considered simultaneous successors to the first host. Dennis James and Bob Barker both succeeded Bill Cullen; Bill Rafferty was compared to Bob Eubanks. "Who was the last person viewers saw host this show before this person?"
These are the two items here that I'll be the most curious about everyone's arguments for, because I'm torn. The second item is definitely a grayer area than the first one, I'll say that much. As for the first item, can it be possible that a show has had more than one true "Mr. (show)" during its history? I guess it will depend on if you think that for the time, the first guy was THAT genuinely synonymous with the show that the public said "you can't do (show) without him".
I hope this answer a lot of the questions for anyone still debating. It's a tough question, I think. I'm still struggling for my own vote. (Not looking at any of yours to prevent influence)
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Sonic: Do you have the results yet, or are you still working on them?
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I do, I've been a little caught up in final preparations for my virtual teaching job starting up tomorrow afternoon.
A few disclaimers, as I have shared the results already with a few people outside this forum today on Facebook.
1) Of the 38 official ballots I received, there were some of you here that I had to reach out to because of portions of your vote that had to be disqualified because the host you selected was either:
A) the first host the show ever had, meaning they were not a "successor",
B) the host did not replace a legend who was synonymous with the show in their time, which was a criteria I had set for this (this happened more often, with the biggest names being Jim Perry for Sale, Wink for Tic Tac and Kennedy for Name That Tune, sorry about that).
Some of you responded to my emails and adjusted your ballots accordingly, where others did not get back to me or opted not to change. In those cases, I removed the names that did not count and adjusted the scores on those ballots based on how many acceptable names there were on it. (So, say there were only 6 valid names, then the top name got 6 points, then 5, 4, etc.) I felt this was more fair to the process rather than just throwing the ballots out, and a show of kindness in entertaining me in this opinion of the masses.
2) In total, I got 47 name/host combinations. Looking at the results, I settled on a Top 9 for the final reveal (though I will entertain anyone who wishes to know where/if a certain host made the list). I wanted more, but seeing as the Top 9 were the only ones to garner at least 10 votes (they all got at least 15, actually), it seemed more official to cut it there. I admit that this ticked me off a little because of who ended up at #10 but only got 9 votes. I'll explain why tomorrow.
3) The biggest thing that I cannot stress enough is that when you all read the results of this, don't forget that this was a poll for the fans, by the fans, and done purely for fun and amusement. This is not an end-all 10 Commandments set in stone edict that must be obeyed for generations to come. Debate is encouraged, but please do not harass. I have to stress this because one person that I told the results to on Facebook today lost his mind over who ended up as #1, believing that this host should not have counted because no one today who's not a game show fan like us knows who the guy before him was. This has lead this person to believe I somehow rigged this survey. That is not my style, and you all know that I offered no encouragement to any of you on who to vote for, only who did not qualify. As a discrete math teacher, I always stress that this or any other style of voting is an imperfect science, especially one based on opinion like this (which the guy's wife even backed me up on to no avail). So again, just have fun with it and don't take it too seriously.
OK, I'm going to sleep, see you all tomorrow. (And if you know the results from FB, don't spoil it.)
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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)
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As for honorable mention, when I first saw your survey, it screamed Steve Harvey.
Under his tenure a show near cancellation was again often the #1 syndicated game show. His tenure has exceeded Dawson. But it is not just that. Without his Feud the whole game show landscape would be different.
The success of Feud with Harvey, lead to a prime time network spinoff.
The success of the primetime spinoff leads ABC to create the summer fun and games.
The other revivals probably do not happen without the ratings success of Celebrity Family Feud.
According to Anthony Anderson, ABC and Fremantle were already talking to him about reviving TTTT, before he appeared on Celebrity Feud. Would it have gone beyond talking if Celebrity Feud had failed?
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BOB BARKER succeeds "Mr. Truth Or Consequences" Raplh 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!
And have them name a park after you: https://sierracountyevents.com/locations/ralph-edwards-park/
Yes, I'm the other person who picked Barker on T or C (I mentioned but spoiler-hid it when I asked a question earlier in the thread so as not to skew the survey results), but I'll also admit that I tend not to watch newer shows (I probably would have voted for Wayne and/or Drew if I did) and I'm a big Barker fan (for his emceeing, not for his personal and professional behavior). I had Barker for T or C at #3 and for TPIR at #1, with Trebek in between, though those three could have gone in just about any order, and I certainly wouldn't quibble with Trebek's ending up at #1.
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It's weird. I know Cullen's Price had fun little games for contestants to play as a bonus for winning their prize, but I've never really been on board comparing Cullen to Barker. I just think The New Price is Right added so much to the format, especially when it went hour long, that the shows are practically night and day. With every other entry in this Top 10 and even the honorable mentions, the host that "succeeded" did so with a show that made little to no changes by the time that host begin hosting it.
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Chris Harrison got no love. Sad. I feel he gave them a shot in the arm they so desperately needed and probably bought them a couple extra years.
But who does he qualify as the replacement for, Regis or Meredith? I would assume the latter?
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Chris Harrison got no love. Sad. I feel he gave them a shot in the arm they so desperately needed and probably bought them a couple extra years.
But who does he qualify as the replacement for, Regis or Meredith? I would assume the latter?
Since Millionaire has always been considered Regis' show because of the fame it first got under his watch, all of them succeed him. I will say it's cool that you call Meredith Ms. Millionaire, too, though. What do you rest of you think? (And for the record, Harrison was #7 on my list.)
It's weird. I know Cullen's Price had fun little games for contestants to play as a bonus for winning their prize, but I've never really been on board comparing Cullen to Barker. I just think The New Price is Right added so much to the format, especially when it went hour long, that the shows are practically night and day. With every other entry in this Top 10 and even the honorable mentions, the host that "succeeded" did so with a show that made little to no changes by the time that host begin hosting it.
Reboots of shows under the same title still qualified for this. (Come to think of it, did any other shows mentioned on this list have a reboot that was dramatically different than the original?) The question still comes down to whether Bill was with the show long enough and linked to it intensely enough by viewers to be seen as Mr. Price for his time and still at the time when the host that followed (Bob) started? I had to feel that the answer was yes. (More on that in a minute.)
(Trebek, Barker and Sajak) could have gone in just about any order, and I certainly wouldn't quibble with Trebek's ending up at #1.
Could you tell my friend that? He's literally the only person this whole time who's cried foul over this outcome. (Read back a few posts in this thread on what he kept telling me.)
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Chris Harrison got no love. Sad. I feel he gave them a shot in the arm they so desperately needed and probably bought them a couple extra years.
I would give him love over several of the top answers in the survey, and Bob Goen too. I don't think I would have put either of them higher than the #7 that I gave to Jim Perry which was denied because "Joe Garagiola wasn't Mr. Sale of the Century." Harrumph. And apparently there were other votes that were spiked. Perhaps "pinch runner" would be a better metaphor because I don't recall anyone but Allen Ludden being called "Mr. (X)"
But who does he qualify as the replacement for, Regis or Meredith? I would assume the latter?
It is a greatly missed opportunity that Mr. Harrison didn't slide in for Meredith when she gave it up. As much as I loved the enthusiasm that Terry brought Chris was able to hit the ground running with the game and was already a polished host at that point.
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As for honorable mention, when I first saw your survey, it screamed Steve Harvey.
Under his tenure a show near cancellation was again often the #1 syndicated game show. His tenure has exceeded Dawson. But it is not just that. Without his Feud the whole game show landscape would be different.
The success of Feud with Harvey, lead to a prime time network spinoff.
The success of the primetime spinoff leads ABC to create the summer fun and games.
The other revivals probably do not happen without the ratings success of Celebrity Family Feud.
According to Anthony Anderson, ABC and Fremantle were already talking to him about reviving TTTT, before he appeared on Celebrity Feud. Would it have gone beyond talking if Celebrity Feud had failed?
Here’s my thing about Steve Harvey: After his first season, I’d have probably considered him the best Feud host since Dawson. But then it felt like he just kept repeating the same schtick, which dropped him down a couple positions in my view. (Though to be fair, he does seem to have gotten out of that cycle a bit in more recent seasons.) I think his run is also tinted for some of us by the constant barrage of raunchy humor, & just the fact that it’s on TV so dang much. Not that either of those is directly Steve’s fault, necessarily, but those may be reasons his run isn’t viewed more favorably in GS fandom.
That said, you do make a persuasive argument for why he belongs in this conversation.
The one I’m really surprised didn’t get more love in this survey is John O’Hurley. I thought his runs both on Feud and TTTT were pretty highly regarded around here.
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The one I’m really surprised didn’t get more love in this survey is John O’Hurley. I thought his runs both on Feud and TTTT were pretty highly regarded around here.
When whom you're replacing on Feud is Richard Karn and Louie Anderson, pretty much anyone will look like royalty.
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O’Hurley did a decent job, but I bet outside of this forum less than 1% would know who he was. The entries on the top 9 generally established themselves as a recognizable figure associated with the show in question.
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or those who watched the most popular sitcom of the ‘90s, but you know.
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I'm probably in the minority, but I think Davidson did an amicable job on Squares . That said, I grew up with his version, so...
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I'm probably in the minority, but I think Davidson did an amicable job on Squares . That said, I grew up with his version, so...
I'd say we all did around these parts. We needed GSN in 2002 in order to finally see Peter, even if we learned of it long before then.
BTW, looking back over the list, a couple other names I feel bad we let slip save for one person each:
Robert Earle, the other Golden Age host here, and effectively one-hit wonder in the process
Pat Finn, proof lottery game shows deserve a little more love thanks to him and Geoff
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Davidson wasn’t bad, but the show was just so badly produced. Two full rounds of play and no traffic cop as a host equals bad. Bauman was no Peter Marshall but he kept the game rolling. (Then again, the production staff at Goodson was light years ahead of the one at Century Towers, so...)
Harry Friedman wasn’t working his magic back then unfortunately.
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I'm probably in the minority, but I think Davidson did an amicable job on Squares . That said, I grew up with his version, so...
I'd say we all did around these parts. We needed GSN in 2002 in order to finally see Peter, even if we learned of it long before then.
BTW, looking back over the list, a couple other names I feel bad we let slip save for one person each:
Robert Earle, the other Golden Age host here, and effectively one-hit wonder in the process
Pat Finn, proof lottery game shows deserve a little more love thanks to him and Geoff
I was the one who voted for Earle because having seen both him and Ludden host the show, I felt he gave a lot of energy to an otherwise dry (but still wonderful) game.
As someone who grew up with Bergeron Squares and having not seen an episode of Davidson until recently, I do think Tom was better than John when it came to avoiding Mr. Game Show Syndrome. Not to mention that everything about 80s Squares came off to me as the type of overly cheesy game show you'd see on a sitcom.
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I'm probably in the minority, but I think Davidson did an amicable job on Squares . That said, I grew up with his version, so...
I'd say we all did around these parts.
You're adorable.
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Having seen a taping of John Davidson's Squares when it was at Radio City in NYC. yes it looked smooth on TV. That's because they edited out John's mistakes - and Good Lord, there were mistakes. Missing cues, not hearing the "Secret Square" cue. Seemed like it took forever to get through three shows. Of course. JM J Bullock showed John no mercy. John has nice dimples, but he's dumb as an ox.
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Davidson wasn’t bad, but the show was just so badly produced. Two full rounds of play and no traffic cop as a host equals bad. Bauman was no Peter Marshall but he kept the game rolling. (Then again, the production staff at Goodson was light years ahead of the one at Century Towers, so...)
Harry Friedman wasn’t working his magic back then unfortunately.
Davidson did a good job with the cards he was dealt on Squares. What really tarnished that version were those cheesy vignettes you had to sit through after selecting a star but before the celebrity was asked their question.
And yes, trying to keep Jim J. In his seat was a tall order for John.
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Having seen a taping of John Davidson's Squares when it was at Radio City in NYC. yes it looked smooth on TV. That's because they edited out John's mistakes - and Good Lord, there were mistakes. Missing cues, not hearing the "Secret Square" cue. Seemed like it took forever to get through three shows. Of course. JM J Bullock showed John no mercy. John has nice dimples, but he's dumb as an ox.
I was thinking, was that the most mistakes you've seen a host make live?
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I was thinking, was that the most mistakes you've seen a host make live?
It's a close call between John and Mike Darow of "The $128,000 Question" but yeah, I give the most mistakes award to John.
I'll never forget that April Fool's episode pf HS where the two contestants got into a brawl and one toppled over the edge. The look on John's face was priceless.