You turn on the television at any given time of the day or night and they're on. Game shows. They even have a dedicated cable network channel for them.TV Guide recently compiled a list of the Greatest Game Shows of All Time. We took the list and narrowed it down to the top 5.

5) The Price is Right - "Come on Down!" Thee words that can excite the majority of people on this show which has been running since it was revamped in 1972. The host on that day in September was Bob Barker. He remained in that capacity until June of 2007. He was replace by Drew Carey who has remained at the helm since.  One of the fun games contestants play after they win the bid in contestant row is "Plinko."

4) Match Game - Debuting in 1963, contestants were on this panel game show in which they attempted to match celebrities' answers to fill-in-the-blank questions. The precise format of the show varied through five runs on all of he major networks - 1962 to 1969 (on NBC), 1973 to 1982 (on CBS), 1983 to 1984 (again on NBC as part of the Match Game - Hollywood Squares Hour), 1990 to 1991 (on ABC) and 1998 to 1999. Gene Rayburn was the main host from the start until1984. The celebrity panelists changed over the years, some of the notable full time panelists included Richard Dawson, Brett Somers and Charles Nelson Riley. There was always fun and craziness on the show.

3) Family Feud - Two families or groups of 5 celebrities compete against each other in a contest to name the most popular responses to a survey question posed to 100 people. Since its premiere in 1976, Family Feud has aired during 30 non-consecutive seasons. Richard Dawson was the original host starting in 1976 and stayed until its first cancellation in 1985. There have been several others and currently hosted by Steve Harvey. The answers given during the main portion of the show are hilarious, but when it comes to the money round, some people have just drawn a blank.

2) Wheel of Fortune -  game show created by Merv Griffin. The show features a competition in which contestants solve word puzzles, similar to those used in Hangman,, to win cash and prizes determined by spinning a giant carnival wheel.

The original daytime version aired on NBC from January 6, 1975, to June 30, 1989, then was moved to CBS on July 17, 1989, and remained there until January 11, 1991, and later returned to NBC on January 14, 1991, only to be canceled permanently on September 20 of that same year.

The daily version of the series premiered on September 19, 1983 hosted by Chuck Woolery and Susan Stafford, with Charlie O'Donnell as its announcer. O'Donnell left in 1980, Woolery in 1981, and Stafford in 1982; they were replaced, respectively, by Jack Clark, Pat Sajak, and Vanna White. O'Donnell returned in 1989; O'Donnell remained on the daytime version until its cancellation, and continued to announce on the syndicated show until his 2010 death.

The original show gave you the option of "shopping" for prizes when you won a round and any money left over was placed on a gift card - usually to a very nice store. There were (for the most part) some very odd prizes. In recent years, the money won on the show has increased. Just last month they recorded their second million dollar winner.

1) Jeopardy - quiz show created by Merv Griffin. The quiz material covers a wide variety of topics (including traditional academic information, popular culture, lifestyle, and wordplay); contestants are presented with clues in the form of answers, and must phrase their responses in question form.

The original daytime version aired on NBCfrom March 30, 1964 to January 3, 1975, then went into weekly nighttime syndication that aired from September 9, 1974 to September 5, 1975. The program's most successful incarnation is the daily syndicated version, which premiered on September 10, 1984.

Both NBC versions and the weekly syndicated version were hosted by Art Fleming. Don Pardo served as announcer until 1975, and John Harlan announced for the 1978–79 show. Since its inception, the daily syndicated version has featured Alex Trebek as host and Johnny Gilbert as announcer. Trebek is expected to retire from the program in 2016, at which point his tenure as host will have lasted for 32 years. Now that you know the number one game show, the theme song will be in your mind all day!

What is or was your favorite game show to watch?  Were you ever on a game show?

 

 

 

 

 

 

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