Improbable Game Show Wins
Quote: gpac1377Very interesting, thanks.
I figured I might be in the minority :(
I have a quick one from Pyramid. The improbable part here is that although the contestant appears perfectly harmless, her friends are Cletus and Jimbob (no offense):
That was too funny, and the final box was a classic tough finish.
Not for nuthin' but I miss Dick Clark after seeing a few of these.
Quote: djatcRemember MXC?
Google tells me it was a comedy re-edit of episodes from Japanese game show Takeshi's Castle. Sadly I know nothing of the genre, except my impression is that it involves large groups of people attempting physical challenges, and when they fail, the men are whacked in the nuggets. (Somebody post a clip please.)
Do you remember Crystal Castles? After the Treasure Hunt revival failed, Geoff Edwards hosted a video arcade game show called Starcade. In this clip, the contestant chooses a game called Crystal Castles for his bonus challenge:
(joined at 19:33) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaNH8cFJZIA#t=19m33s
Quote: DeucekiesOne of my favorite game show moments of all time from one of my favorite game shows of all time.
A fun fact to note about this particular WC is that categories were often recycled, and the top box ("Things that are enshrined") had showed up in play twice in the past, both times flummoxing the team. Nathan Cook was one of the two celebrities who had to face that category a few months prior, so perhaps it was in the back of his mind when Keefe started listing off her clues.
Either way, Keefe knocked it out of the park when she gave the one clue that no one else had given before: "Hall of fame books". Send it.
On Pyramid, you typically needed to reach that last clue with at least 20 seconds left to have a chance. And even then, it usually wound up with the clue giver repeating the same 2 or 3 items over and over again and hoping the receiver somehow blurts out the key word .
Quote: gpac1377After the Treasure Hunt revival failed, Geoff Edwards hosted a video arcade game show called Starcade.
I soooooo wanted to be on Starcade as a kid.
I was too young to fully appreciate Match Game when I was young, but here's one of the wilder Match Game clips (not exactly a big win)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNc33xxGaWE
Quote: gpac1377Do you remember Crystal Castles? After the Treasure Hunt revival failed, Geoff Edwards hosted a video arcade game show called Starcade. In this clip, the contestant chooses a game called Crystal Castles for his bonus challenge:
(joined at 19:33) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaNH8cFJZIA#t=19m33s
When you posted this, I thought for sure the kid was going to use the warp trick to instantly win. In the first level of Crystal Castles, if you go to the left rear corner and jump, your score is augmented to 140,000 and you go to level 3 (aka round 9).
This thread has gotten me thinking about the improbable wins I have seen on game shows. I know I've seen dozens, and yet not a one comes to mind that I haven't already seen posted. I'll have to mull it over.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7dByg6KV2JQ
And this is a very close 2nd...
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=G9_wXMbR8-E
Quote: slytherI was too young to fully appreciate Match Game when I was young, but here's one of the wilder Match Game clips (not exactly a big win)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNc33xxGaWE
That was an odd philosophy of judging because it forced the celebrities to focus on plain responses that would match, rather than being allowed leeway to craft funny responses.
I was in love with Patti Deutsch. I think she annoyed a lot of viewers because she rarely matched the contestants, but I thought she was hilarious.
It's hard to find video from Match Game that perfectly fits the topic, but I have one with a pair of dumb blondes (sorry) playing the Head-to-Head Match. At the top of the show during the introductions, the contestant failed to recall the name of her husband. Joined at 18:15 ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iDPtkDtUyU#t=18m15s
Quote: michael99000I believe this is the Pyramid all time record for fastest bonus round win ever...
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7dByg6KV2JQ
This is second place. Here's the fastest, courtesy of Billy Crystal:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYGlEYlvt1c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPzprI-vAwg#t=16m00s
The trouble escalates at 18:00, when Richard Dawson's response is rejected. Dawson's attitude had deteriorated since he started as host of Family Feud, but I'd say he has a valid complaint here.
A win here for Steven would be improbable because he earned only 4 extra seconds, for a total of 64:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zYlkT8GCYI
Here's my contribution: http://youtu.be/DT1rxdvWjGg
Because of the base of the game in the clip, I'm surprised this was still available to contribute!
'Brian
Quote: GWAEI have never heard of some of these shows.
Some of them are gone forever because until around 1980, daytime shows were considered disposable. Gambit from the mid-70s is gone except for a few episodes. Whew! has never been rebroadcast, although the tapes are believed to exist. Match Game from the 70s probably only exists because the producers preserved the videotapes.
Quote: gameshowfanFirst, I have to acknowledge the Whew! post above. I knew two people, including the gentleman in the clip above, who beat the Gauntlet on that show. (And to this day, he can re-create his win, word-for-word, with the tape playing behind him.)
I love it! I do a really bad one-word impression. I scream "Portuguese!!!!" at the top of my lungs.
Quote: Mission146Long one, but here's a win that only seemed improbable:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFEBCve-3Cw
"Big money, big money, no Whammy...and....STOP!!!!"
(My favorite game show ever)
Love this. Terrible doc. Guy should be praised as a badass.
The documentary actually makes the ex-girlfriend look bad when she says "All I got out of the money was that $5,000," the documentary should have specifically mentioned that the two of them had minor children together at the time and it doesn't.
From 1956, the contestant is Mrs. Elsie Lawrence, who appears heavier than the average woman. The panel, including guest Jerry Lewis, will try to identify the product associated with her occupation. This clip is an example of how attitudes were different back then.
(If you just want to see the finish, click ahead to about 4 minutes.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fXhTX6321U
Quote: gpac1377Some of them are gone forever because until around 1980, daytime shows were considered disposable. Gambit from the mid-70s is gone except for a few episodes. Whew! has never been rebroadcast, although the tapes are believed to exist. Match Game from the 70s probably only exists because the producers preserved the videotapes.
Most of the tapes still around from before 1976 are from Goodson-Todman shows - and even then, mainly NBC and CBS; for some reason, most of their ABC shows got erased. This is why the complete runs of 1970s-era Match Game and The Price is Right (both CBS) exist, but Password (ABC) does not. IIRC, NBC had a "tape purge" in 1977 or so, and got rid of a lot of tapes, which explains why most of the Chuck Woolery run of Wheel of Fortune is gone. (Not just game shows or soap operas, either; the only tape of Johnny Carson's first episode hosting The Tonight Show was discarded as well.)
Another problem: video tapes - especially color ones - were quite expensive before the mid-1970s, and they were reused. There is a rumor that the ABC Password tapes were reused for Family Feud. Even the tapes that still exist from the 1960s are deteriorating rapidly; I remember hearing that somebody had found part of the run of Dark Shadows, but the tapes were in no condition to air.
Quote: jopkeSaw this in the news today...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEEuBOZwH_E
Thanks. I had seen the headline, but not the video. That's amazing.
Quote: ThatDonGuyAnother problem: video tapes - especially color ones - were quite expensive before the mid-1970s, and they were reused.
I know I'm off-topic, but possibly the worst loss was the recordings from the 10-year history of the pioneering DuMont Network. At a 1996 Library of Congress hearing, Edie Adams (who preserved recordings of her husband, Ernie Kovacs) explained that in the 1970s, some lawyers were arguing over responsibility for storing the DuMont archive:
Quote: Edie Adams/Library of Congress, 1996One of the lawyers doing the bargaining said that he could "take care of it" in a "fair manner," and he did take care of it. At 2 a.m., the next morning, he had three huge semis back up to the loading dock at ABC, filled them all with stored kinescopes and 2" videotapes, drove them to a waiting barge in New Jersey, took them out on the water, made a right at the Statue of Liberty and dumped them in the Upper New York Bay. Very neat. No problem.
Reference: http://www.loc.gov/film/hrng96la.html
What the heck is an On-the-Spot Dicespin? Is that something AHigh could tell us about?Quote: GWAEin my opinion this is the winner for improbable wins. The fun starts about a minute in.
Quote: beachbumbabsSaw this earlier this week when it aired. Scary that this is a college student. Scarier that he won. The wheel was most unkind to the ladies, and ridiculously kind to him, as he spun so many extra times without losing his turn/bankrupting.
This. Player 3 kept benefiting from his missolves, but she was only able to cash in at or near the house minimum per round. Round 2, the only round Player 2 won, was basically the game.
One of my favorite threads
Drew Carey and the producers were worried that Terry Kneiss had cheated by having insider information from a disgruntled former CBS employee. But Kneiss claims that he simply did his homework and watched the show obsessively. He realized that the same prizes kept appearing on the show over and over, so the show was easy to beat. (Does Jeopardy! repeat their questions on multiple shows? I doubt it.)
Quote: renoIf you haven't already done so, this article about the man who got a perfect bid on the Showcase Showdown on the Price is Right is fascinating.
Drew Carey and the producers were worried that Terry Kneiss had cheated by having insider information from a disgruntled former CBS employee. But Kneiss claims that he simply did his homework and watched the show obsessively. He realized that the same prizes kept appearing on the show over and over, so the show was easy to beat. (Does Jeopardy! repeat their questions on multiple shows? I doubt it.)
On this past Fridays show, a couple missed by $8.
Quote: renoIf you haven't already done so, this article about the man who got a perfect bid on the Showcase Showdown on the Price is Right is fascinating.
Drew Carey and the producers were worried that Terry Kneiss had cheated by having insider information from a disgruntled former CBS employee. But Kneiss claims that he simply did his homework and watched the show obsessively. He realized that the same prizes kept appearing on the show over and over, so the show was easy to beat. (Does Jeopardy! repeat their questions on multiple shows? I doubt it.)
The version I heard was, it wasn't a "former disgruntled employee," but someone from the TPIR fan website golden-road.net. I also heard that the same person played a part in both of the million dollar showcase wins on the prime time spectaculars, and it actually got to the point where they had somebody stand between him and the contestants during the showcase.
As for Jeopardy!, I think there was a question (well, answer) asked twice - and both times in Final Jeopardy; something along the lines of, "This seasonal company does most of its business from January through April." (The correct question is, "What is H&R Block?")
Quote: ThatDonGuyAs for Jeopardy!, I think there was a question (well, answer) asked twice - and both times in Final Jeopardy; something along the lines of, "This seasonal company does most of its business from January through April." (The correct question is, "What is H&R Block?")
If you didn't know it, that's the Final Jeopardy question Ken Jennings missed, and caused him to lose the game, after winning 74 games in a row.
Quote: EdCollinsIf you didn't know it, that's the Final Jeopardy question Ken Jennings missed, and caused him to lose the game, after winning 74 games in a row.
Wow.
Quote: IbeatyouracesQuote: renoIf you haven't already done so, this article about the man who got a perfect bid on the Showcase Showdown on the Price is Right is fascinating.
Drew Carey and the producers were worried that Terry Kneiss had cheated by having insider information from a disgruntled former CBS employee. But Kneiss claims that he simply did his homework and watched the show obsessively. He realized that the same prizes kept appearing on the show over and over, so the show was easy to beat. (Does Jeopardy! repeat their questions on multiple shows? I doubt it.)
On this past Fridays show, a couple missed by $8.
Earlier this year, I saw someone beat the other person by $1. If a tie occurs, I would hope they would award both showcases. I don't think it's ever happened though.
No, no special bonus. If you're off by $100 or less, you win both showcases, but there is no other special bonus or reward if you get it exactly right.Quote: AxelWolfI haven't watched TPIR for years. Do you get some kinda bonus if you get the bid exactly right? If not, why would anyone with inside knowledge "guess" the exact amount? Why not be $80 off or something?
Quote: tringlomaneEarlier this year, I saw someone beat the other person by $1. If a tie occurs, I would hope they would award both showcases. I don't think it's ever happened though.
It happened once on the 1970s weekly syndicated version that Dennis James hosted (Barker took over after a few years), and yes, both contestants win their showcase.
In fact, on one CBS episode, Barker explained that, not only would both contestants win, but if they tied and were both in Double Showcase Winner range ($99 or less back then; $250 or less now), both would win both showcases (and then he a crack like "and we would be off the air the next day," although in reality, they probably would start using their harder games more often - "Stack the Deck again?"). There has been one instance that I know where both contestants were in Double Showcase range, but since it wasn't a tie, only the one whose bid was closer won.
Speaking of TPIR, it's almost a shame that the two gambling-based games - Hit Me and Poker Game (Card Game doesn't really count as "gambling-based") - are retired. Almost a shame. I liked Hit Me (which was blackjack, but the player's cards were based on prices of items), although it did have one strange rule; if the player's total was the same as or higher than the dealer's (since the player won ties), but the dealer had a soft 17-19, the dealer hit.
Quote: IbeatyouracesI don't recall the dealer hitting any hands 17 or higher on that game.
I definitely do. The player had, I think, 19, and the dealer had A-7. Bob Barker said, "The house has the choice of making it 1 or 11, and since 11 would be a loss, the house makes it a 1, and hits", then took two more cards, ended up with 20, and the player lost.
There was a similar situation where Barker didn't quite understand the rules; the player had something like 15, and the house had 16. Barker tried to say that the game was over and the player lost, but then the producer said, "The house has to hit on 16 or less - you said so yourself at the start of the game,"
"But why would the house hit if it is ahead?"
"Because it has to."
"Okay - deal another card for the house"; the house busted, and the player won.
Quote: ThatDonGuyI definitely do. The player had, I think, 19, and the dealer had A-7. Bob Barker said, "The house has the choice of making it 1 or 11, and since 11 would be a loss, the house makes it a 1, and hits", then took two more cards, ended up with 20, and the player lost.
I'd take a guess that that was Barker's mistake. I wouldn't be surprised if they gave that contestant the prize after the fact.
Quote: AxelWolfI haven't watched TPIR for years. Do you get some kinda bonus if you get the bid exactly right? If not, why would anyone with inside knowledge "guess" the exact amount? Why not be $80 off or something?
I guess the only answer I can think of is "Why not?" It's not against the rules (unless you actually got it from a staff member), and why run the risk of your opponent getting a brilliant bid from the same guy in the audience? If you're $80 off to make it look good, and your opponent is $20 off, you get the Willy Wonka.
Quote: RogerKintMy favorite game show moment of all time is when the distant 3rd-place player in final Jeopardy ends up winning by wagering little, or nothing. Take that, smarty's!
https://youtu.be/R7ghDhpCLKM
3:33, 4:55
LOL @ 7:30, both Marilyn Manson's expression as well as the other people who didn't know what the host was asking.
Also 10:18, 12:08, 13:23, 12:06, 14:40
Quote: RShttps://youtu.be/R7ghDhpCLKM
3:33, 4:55
LOL @ 7:30, both Marilyn Manson's expression as well as the other people who didn't know what the host was asking.
Also 10:18, 12:08, 13:23, 12:06, 14:40
Quote: DeucekiesI'd take a guess that that was Barker's mistake. I wouldn't be surprised if they gave that contestant the prize after the fact.
If something like this happens and they do give the contestant the prize after the show, it is mentioned in the closing credits, either by the announcer ("There was an error in one of the pricing games, and the contestant received the announced prize") or on the screen. This is also what they do when a contestant is found to be ineligible after the fact ("The fourth contestant on stage did not meet the eligibility requirements and will not be receiving the announced prizes"), and in at least one case, it was the showcase winner.
Quote: DeucekiesI guess the only answer I can think of is "Why not?" It's not against the rules (unless you actually got it from a staff member), and why run the risk of your opponent getting a brilliant bid from the same guy in the audience? If you're $80 off to make it look good, and your opponent is $20 off, you get the Willy Wonka.
In case I didn't mention it already, there was a showcase once - I'm pretty sure it is on YouTube - where both contestants were under $100 (which was the Double Showcase limit at the time), but only the contestant who was closer won.
Quote: RShttps://youtu.be/R7ghDhpCLKM
3:33, 4:55
LOL @ 7:30, both Marilyn Manson's expression as well as the other people who didn't know what the host was asking.
Also 10:18, 12:08, 13:23, 12:06, 14:40
My favorite I think is the "how many decades would you say your mother is?"
The girl clearly doesn't know what a decade is, so she guesses 10. Or, perhaps she was thinking how many years are in a decade...? I don't know.
Then the guy, also doesn't know what a decade is. So he tries to do the math in his head, "Hmmm, she's 44 years....so at 4 years a decade....10 decades!" Wait hold on, if a decade is 4 years, according to him, he should have guessed 11.
I guess 3 wrongs makes a right, somehow.
Of course, "A group of pill-pushers" is legendary and on its own status above all others.
Name something your neighbors to have more of than you do?Quote: RSMy favorite I think is the "how many decades would you say your mother is?"
The girl clearly doesn't know what a decade is, so she guesses 10. Or, perhaps she was thinking how many years are in a decade...? I don't know.
Then the guy, also doesn't know what a decade is. So he tries to do the math in his head, "Hmmm, she's 44 years....so at 4 years a decade....10 decades!" Wait hold on, if a decade is 4 years, according to him, he should have guessed 11.
I guess 3 wrongs makes a right, somehow.
Of course, "A group of pill-pushers" is legendary and on its own status above all others.
Husband answer, "Cars"
Wife, "No, it's grass, we don't have any"
Husband, " I wouldn't bet on that"
Quote: RSMy favorite I think is the "how many decades would you say your mother is?"
The girl clearly doesn't know what a decade is, so she guesses 10. Or, perhaps she was thinking how many years are in a decade...? I don't know.
Then the guy, also doesn't know what a decade is. So he tries to do the math in his head, "Hmmm, she's 44 years....so at 4 years a decade....10 decades!" Wait hold on, if a decade is 4 years, according to him, he should have guessed 11.
I guess 3 wrongs makes a right, somehow.
Of course, "A group of pill-pushers" is legendary and on its own status above all others.
The decades thing was my absolute favorite as well. I think it's because of how perfect they are together, both that ignorant in the same way. I bet they're still together, still happy 40 - some years later, and have several perfectly ignorant children. If they're a microcosm of America then, it would explain a lot.
