The 5: Game Show Hosts

You probably don’t realize it but there have been literally hundreds of game show hosts. And while many of them have been flash in the pan, there are still dozens of hosts whose names you would know. But out of that long list of charming men and women who help you win things, there are a few that really stand out. Here are our 5.

  • Chuck Barris – The Gong Show.  Chuck Barris took being a game show host into a completely new direction. Before Chuck most hosts were straight laced and buttoned down. Chuck looked like a mess. Now, the host could be as goofy as the contestants or the celebrity judges. Chuck Barris hosted  “The Gong Show” a show which really had no rules. Horrible acts came on and performed and celebrity judges at their discretion sent them packing with the banging of a gong. Now, every show from “America’s Got Talent” to “American Idol” should be writing Chuck Barris a check for showing that bad entertainment is still entertainment. Chuck Barris made a the tried and true style of game shows into something insane and unpredictable.
  • Bob Barker – The Price Is Right.  Bob was the host of “The Price Is Right” for 35 years, and he had been hosting other game shows for another 16 years before that. The man was a walking game show. Here was a personality that could make guessing the price of a can of corn into habit forming, must see TV. He has the natural charm and  could pull off looking like he was legitimately interested in where a contestant was from and then he showed just the right amount of excitement and disappointment when a player won or lost. And speaking of excitement, any fan of The Price Is Right could feel it in Barker’s voice when he would throw it to his announcer for the next prize and it was going to be “A New Car!!”.
  • Gene Rayburn – Match Game.  Gene Rayburn wasn’t just a game show host, he was a party host and the party was at his place everyday. Gene had the insane job of hosting a game show where the 6 celebrity players could care less about playing the game. This was America’s drunkest game show. All of the celebrities from Brett Somers to Charles Nelson Reilly to Richard Dawson were lit up on every episode. And there would be two contestants sitting there seriously hoping the celebrities would have enough of a moment of clarity to help them win some cash.  Plus, he did it with the best microphone is the business. It looked like a magic game show wand. And he did all this while still joining in the fun himself.
  • Bill Cullen– The $25,000 Pyramid – The Joker’s Wild – Blockbusters – Hot Potato – and so on.  Bill Cullen is the perfect prototype game show host from which all others should be molded. He hosted 23 different game shows during his career. Even if Bill Cullen hadn’t become a professional game show host, he still would have been the guy at any party organizing games and explaining how they work and keeping it moving. Despite working with numerous celebrity players, he knew the games was the star of the show. Due to illness and a car accident, was practically crippled. Yet he was able to entertain and host staying seated without the usual physical running around.   Today, there’s a Bill Cullen Career Achievement Award that goes to entertainers who have distinguished themselves in the game show industry.
  • Alex Trebek – High Rollers – Jeopardy! Alex Trebek started out hosting game shows like “High Rollers” and the very flashy “Battlestars”. And in those days, Alex Trebek was the kind of game show host that looked like a parody of a game show host. He was overly energetic, had giant hair, a huge mustache and talked really quickly. Then in 1984, Merv Griffin hired Trebek to host a revival of his game show “Jeopardy!” and the transformation was massive. Jeopardy! is considered the game show for really smart people and just by hosting it, Alex Trebek seemed more intelligent. He calmed down. The hair was more trimmed and even the mustache took it down a notch. He has now been hosting Jeopardy! for 28 years and has won 5 Emmy awards for doing it. Alex Trebek brought dignity to the game show genre when he helped relaunch Jeopardy! He proves that you don’t need a set that’s exploding in a light show to have a great show.
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