Analyzing the Best Game Show Contestants

[Jeremy Nelson]

Hey guys,


I'm starting a small side project where I'm analyzing the play of some of the best game show contestants of all time. Basically, I'll be going back through runs of players like John Hatten, Michael Larsen and the like to illustrate how much better they were than their competition. Someone had already curated stats on Ken Jennings, so I probably won't do that, but if you have some examples of players on game shows that were miles ahead of their competition, throw me some suggestions by replying here. I'll at least do a couple and if things go well, maybe more.

[WarioBarker]

Looking forward to seeing the results.

As for suggestions, lemme see here...
* Alice Conkwright (Sale of the Century)
* Joe Dunn (The Joker's Wild, all-time regular-play champ)
* Pat & Liz McCarthy (Blockbusters; Adam Nedeff's page on the show sums them and their run up pretty well)
* Thom McKee (Tic-Tac-Dough)
* Stan Newman (The Challengers, from what I can tell the show's biggest winner and their only $100K+ champ)

[Kevin Prather]

Keefe Ferrandini on Pyramid, unless someone can come up with someone better. Hell, analyzing celebrities on the show could be a project in and of itself.

[Clay Zambo]

Keefe Ferrandini on Pyramid, unless someone can come up with someone better.

I offer Sandy Mumbach, who, back in the $20K era, won 16 consecutive front games, then won the Winner's Circle, and, invited back for a tournament, won that, too.

Unfortunately, no videotapes of her games seem to have survived.

[BrandonFG]

I'm guessing any Jeopardy! player who's won more than 10 or 15 games, with several five-timers from the pre-KenJen era?

Ruth Horowitz on the original Concentration comes to mind. Considering the mental exercises you gotta do with deciphering the rebuses and remembering each prize's location, to do that 20 times is pretty damn impressive.

[TLEberle]

I offer Sandy Mumbach, who, back in the $20K era, won 16 consecutive front games, then won the Winner's Circle, and, invited back for a tournament, won that, too.

It's interesting to me that they would have a tournament featuring people who were very good at the front game but couldn't make it work in the winner's circle.

[Kevin Prather]

I offer Sandy Mumbach, who, back in the $20K era, won 16 consecutive front games, then won the Winner's Circle, and, invited back for a tournament, won that, too.

It's interesting to me that they would have a tournament featuring people who were very good at the front game but couldn't make it work in the winner's circle.

I was about to say, losing the Winner's Circle 15 times is not my idea of a great champion. Sure winning that many times in the front game is great, but how many of those were well fought games? We don't know.

[TLEberle]

First a thought--it would be interesting to compare Chuck Forrest to Ken Jennings in terms of dominance.

For Thom and Joe: how many times did they have a "save your bacon" moment? How many times did Joe win a game because he stole an answer from his opponent? How many times was Thom in danger of losing a game?

[SuperMatch93]

Keefe Ferrandini on Pyramid, unless someone can come up with someone better.

I offer Sandy Mumbach, who, back in the $20K era, won 16 consecutive front games, then won the Winner's Circle, and, invited back for a tournament, won that, too.

Unfortunately, no videotapes of her games seem to have survived.

A bit off-topic, but do you happen to remember how the tournaments in that era worked? Was it something similar to the $100K tournaments?

Also, another dominating champ from years past whose episodes no longer exist: Lew Retrum from Password.

[Jeremy Nelson]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I'm looking to provide precedent to contestants who have readily available episodes- that'll allow me to go further in-depth than I would be able to without. Think of this as those ESPN Sport Science sections, but for game shows.

[TLEberle]

That's too bad, because Wesley Berry just about demolished everyone in his championship run on American Gladiators. The problem is I don't know what constitutes "readily available," because Willy Gibson was dominant as well, and I think there were other twenty time winners on Concentration.

[PYLdude]

Readily available likely means episodes he can find and watch without much effort.

[Clay Zambo]

I offer Sandy Mumbach, who, back in the $20K era, won 16 consecutive front games, then won the Winner's Circle, and, invited back for a tournament, won that, too.

It's interesting to me that they would have a tournament featuring people who were very good at the front game but couldn't make it work in the winner's circle.

I was about to say, losing the Winner's Circle 15 times is not my idea of a great champion. Sure winning that many times in the front game is great, but how many of those were well fought games? We don't know.

No, we don't. As for the WC, remember: it was one-and-done. You didn't get to *play* for $20K unless you'd "lost" two times before.

As for the tournament entry, I'm pretty sure it was high money winners over the past however-long--so, since you only could win one 5-digit prize, the more main games you won (and, subsequently, WC prizes of $500 or less), the better.

[chrisholland03]

I'm assuming 'best' = best game player/strategist/biggest winner vs 'best' = most interesting to watch

Some of the 'best' players in my book were some of the worst strategists. 

see:  Sophie Gerrey/The Joker's Wild

[JakeT]

I'm assuming 'best' = best game player/strategist/biggest winner vs 'best' = most interesting to watch

Some of the 'best' players in my book were some of the worst strategists. 

see:  Sophie Gerrey/The Joker's Wild

"Bacon grease"

JakeT