The Game Show Forum

The Game Show Forum => The Big Board => Topic started by: Matt Ottinger on April 06, 2005, 11:07:09 AM

Title: Contestants Becoming Celebrity Players
Post by: Matt Ottinger on April 06, 2005, 11:07:09 AM
In November 1976, one of the contestants was Brianne Leary.  She became a regular on Chips in 1978 and later that year returned to Match Game as a celebrity.

Is this the first time a player went from appearing as a contestant and then return as a celebrity on the same game show during its run?  What other examples, even later ones, can anyone think of?
Title: Contestants Becoming Celebrity Players
Post by: Jimmy Owen on April 06, 2005, 11:18:57 AM
Ken Jennings?  Seriously, there have been a number of Pyramid people that became celebs, Constance McCashin, Mel Harris come to mind but they may not count because they were on different versions of the show.
Title: Contestants Becoming Celebrity Players
Post by: zachhoran on April 06, 2005, 11:19:10 AM
[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Apr 6 2005, 10:07 AM\']In November 1976, one of the contestants was Brianne Leary.  She became a regular on Chips in 1978 and later that year returned to Match Game as a celebrity.

Is this the first time a player went from appearing as a contestant and then return as a celebrity on the same game show during its run?  What other examples, even later ones, can anyone think of?
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Pyramid had a few examples: David Graf, Joel Brooks, COnstance Mccashin, Richard Kline, Bonnie Urseth, and Mel Harris among them. Although they appeared as a celebrity on a different Pyramid incarnation than they were originally a contestant on.

Lynn Deerfield was on Match Game in the 60s run and appeared in 1976 or 1977 as a celeb on MG7x.
Title: Contestants Becoming Celebrity Players
Post by: uncamark on April 06, 2005, 11:59:53 AM
[quote name=\'zachhoran\' date=\'Apr 6 2005, 10:19 AM\'][quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Apr 6 2005, 10:07 AM\']In November 1976, one of the contestants was Brianne Leary.  She became a regular on Chips in 1978 and later that year returned to Match Game as a celebrity.

Is this the first time a player went from appearing as a contestant and then return as a celebrity on the same game show during its run?  What other examples, even later ones, can anyone think of?
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Pyramid had a few examples: David Graf, Joel Brooks, COnstance Mccashin, Richard Kline, Bonnie Urseth, and Mel Harris among them. Although they appeared as a celebrity on a different Pyramid incarnation than they were originally a contestant on.
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Add to the "Pyramid" list Caren Kaye and Lynnie Greene.  And then say "who?"
Title: Contestants Becoming Celebrity Players
Post by: TwoInchQuad on April 06, 2005, 12:24:47 PM
McLean Stevenson was a civilian contestant on the CBS daytime version of "Password", and later did a week of "Password Plus".  That's the earliest one that I can think of.

-Kevin
Title: Contestants Becoming Celebrity Players
Post by: Don Howard on April 06, 2005, 12:46:09 PM
[quote name=\'uncamark\' date=\'Apr 6 2005, 10:59 AM\']Add to the "Pyramid" list Caren Kaye and Lynnie Greene.  And then say "who?"
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Ah, yes. Caren was on The Betty White Show, It's Your Move starring Jason Bateman and other series. She bared her breasts in the motion picture My Tutor. She did not do so on Match Game.
Lynnie Greene co-starred with Bess Armstrong on the mid-1970s CBS sitcom On Our Own.
Title: Contestants Becoming Celebrity Players
Post by: mmb5 on April 06, 2005, 12:59:55 PM
Debra Jo Rupp on $20K (civilian) and Osmond Pyramid.  She mentioned on one of her Osmond appearances that all she won was a rug shampooer, which did her no good since she didn't have any carpeting at the time.


--Mike
Title: Contestants Becoming Celebrity Players
Post by: Mike Tennant on April 06, 2005, 02:01:04 PM
O.J. Simpson appeared on Marshall HS when he was a college student, then later returned as a celebrity.
Title: Contestants Becoming Celebrity Players
Post by: Don Howard on April 06, 2005, 02:30:18 PM
[quote name=\'Mike Tennant\' date=\'Apr 6 2005, 01:01 PM\']O.J. Simpson appeared on Marshall HS when he was a college student, then later returned as a celebrity.
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As did Naomi Judd--albeit on different versions. Contestant with Peter; celeb with Tom.
Title: Contestants Becoming Celebrity Players
Post by: jmangin on April 06, 2005, 03:00:56 PM
As a reverse, one of the few (only?) instances of a game show host later becoming a contestant, Larry Toffler of Finders Keepers "fame" was a contestant on both Greed and Russian Roulette.
Title: Contestants Becoming Celebrity Players
Post by: HairMetalLives on April 06, 2005, 03:09:12 PM
I'm not sure if this guy qualifies or not, really, but Douglas Emerson was on the "Fun House" pilot with his sister before he was a celebrity guest (for "90210") on the FOX version.
Title: Contestants Becoming Celebrity Players
Post by: whewfan on April 06, 2005, 06:11:43 PM
This would barely qualify, but Jim Hanks, the brother of Tom Hanks, was on Combs FF. He's done a few movies, but has yet to reach the success of his brother.

Naomi Judd (under her real name Diane Semonella(sp?) was also a contestant on Password in the 70s... no idea if she also appeared as a celeb.
Title: Contestants Becoming Celebrity Players
Post by: zachhoran on April 06, 2005, 07:22:01 PM
[quote name=\'whewfan\' date=\'Apr 6 2005, 05:11 PM\']

Naomi Judd (under her real name Diane Semonella(sp?) was also a contestant on Password in the 70s... no idea if she also appeared as a celeb.
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Naomi never did any Password versions as a celeb.
Title: Contestants Becoming Celebrity Players
Post by: zachhoran on April 06, 2005, 07:24:54 PM
[quote name=\'mmb5\' date=\'Apr 6 2005, 11:59 AM\']Debra Jo Rupp on $20K (civilian) and Osmond Pyramid.  She mentioned on one of her Osmond appearances that all she won was a rug shampooer, which did her no good since she didn't have any carpeting at the time.


--Mike
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Kathy Najimy was a contestant on CBS $25K and a celeb on Osmond Pyramid.

Neil Flynn from Scrubs tried out for Pyramid in the 80s but did not get on then, but was a celeb on the Osmond Pyramid. Neil was on a few game shows as a contestant in the 80s, including Scrabble and $otC IIRC.
Title: Contestants Becoming Celebrity Players
Post by: Winkfan on April 06, 2005, 08:33:13 PM
And going way back, Eammon Andrews was a 'subject' on To Tell the Truth in 1957, and then returned as a frequent guest panelist over the next few years.

Cordially,
Tammy Warner--the 'Judy Norton-Taylor of the Big Board!'
Title: Contestants Becoming Celebrity Players
Post by: Ian Wallis on April 07, 2005, 09:09:04 AM
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Kathy Najimy was a contestant on CBS $25K and a celeb on Osmond Pyramid.


She was also on the Dawson "Family Feud" with her family.
Title: Contestants Becoming Celebrity Players
Post by: Mike Tennant on April 07, 2005, 11:24:59 AM
[quote name=\'zachhoran\' date=\'Apr 6 2005, 06:24 PM\']Neil Flynn from Scrubs tried out for Pyramid in the 80s but did not get on then, but was a celeb on the Osmond Pyramid.
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Perhaps a telling detail explaining the quality of game play on Donny's show:  Rejects from the high point of the series were accepted.
Title: Contestants Becoming Celebrity Players
Post by: ChuckNet on April 08, 2005, 06:51:25 PM
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She was also on the Dawson "Family Feud" with her family.

And between that and Pyramid, Najimy also appeared on nighttime WoF in 1984 (GSN actually aired her ep a few yrs ago, in fact).

Chuck Donegan (The Illustrious "Chuckie Baby")