Buzz
Game shows rose to prominence during the final years of the Great Depression, fueled by widespread financial hardship. The chance to win money and prizes captivated audiences like never before. In many ways, game shows paved the way for reality TV, showcasing everyday people thrust into extraordinary situations. However, like all entertainment, game shows have their own share of strange and controversial stories.
10. The Intercept
While Grand Theft Auto stands as one of the most iconic video game series globally, translating its concept into a game show format presents obvious challenges. The Russians, however, took this idea to the streets with The Intercept, a show where participants were tasked with stealing a vehicle.
Once the contestants hit the road, their challenge was to avoid the show’s police force for 35 minutes. Successfully evading capture meant they could keep the car as their prize. However, victory was almost unattainable—the vehicles were equipped with tracking devices, making it a near miracle to outrun the authorities.
9. Man vs. Beast
In 2003, Fox introduced Man vs. Beast, a series where humans faced off against animals in various challenges, often ending in defeat. One notable event featured Takeru Kobayashi, a former Nathan’s Hot Dog champion, competing in an eating contest against a half-ton Kodiak bear. The most controversial segment involved 44 dwarfs racing against an Asian elephant in a plane-pulling competition.
The sole event where humans clearly triumphed was an obstacle course race between a US Navy SEAL and a chimpanzee. Scott Helvenston, the SEAL, had little time to savor his win. The next year, he joined Blackwater, a private security firm, and tragically became a victim of one of the most brutal attacks during the Iraq War. His team was ambushed by insurgents, set ablaze, mutilated, and paraded through the streets.
8. The Price Is Right
Every episode of The Price Is Right ends with two finalists attempting to guess the total value of a showcase filled with high-end items such as vehicles, home furnishings, and travel packages. The participant whose estimate is closest to the actual price, without exceeding it, claims the prize.
Typically, this is a game of chance. However, on September 22, 2008, contestant Terry Kneiss stunned everyone by guessing the precise amount of his showcase ($23,743), which included a pool table, a karaoke system, and a 17-foot trailer. Host Drew Carey’s reaction was notably subdued, as he worried another game show controversy might be unfolding.
Kneiss did not cheat; as a dedicated viewer, he had observed that many items were frequently reused. He memorized their prices, and luckily, they appeared in his showcase. As for the $743? That was pure coincidence—Kneiss simply used his PIN number as a random guess.
7. Jeopardy!
The quiz show Jeopardy! is famously recognized for Ken Jennings' remarkable 2004 streak, where the Mormon prodigy competed in 75 consecutive episodes. His run ended with a Final Jeopardy clue about a company with 70,000 seasonal white-collar employees working four months a year. Jennings answered, “What is Fed-Ex?” but the correct response was “What is H&R Block?”
Capitalizing on the unprecedented publicity, H&R Block offered Jennings lifetime free tax preparation and financial advice. He later participated in multiple Jeopardy! tournaments, including a high-profile match against IBM’s AI supercomputer Watson, which defeated him decisively.
Winning Jeopardy! hinges on outscoring two other contestants. While Jennings often dominated by wide margins, Air Force lieutenant colonel Darryl Scott secured a victory in 1993 with just $1. For context, the theoretical maximum winnings in a single game, assuming perfect play and optimal Daily Double and Final Jeopardy bets, is $566,400.
6. Wheel Of Fortune
Wheel of Fortune, often airing just before Jeopardy!, targets a broader, less scholarly audience, with auditions focusing more on charisma than intellect. The show is helmed by the affable Pat Sajak, while the ever-elegant Vanna White, aged 56, operates the electronic letter board with grace.
While today’s contestants can win substantial cash prizes, vehicles, and luxurious trips, the 1980s version of the show was, as Sajak described, “boring.” Back then, players earned symbolic currency to purchase mundane items like household appliances. In 2012, Sajak revealed that the lengthy filming process allowed him and Vanna to sneak away for margarita-filled dinners at a nearby restaurant. He joked that they’d consume “two or three or six” margaritas before returning to set, often struggling to “recognize the alphabet.”
5. Family Feud
Family Feud debuted in 1976 with Richard Dawson as its charismatic host, famous for his habit of kissing female contestants. Dawson was later replaced by Ray Combs, who hosted for six years but left a less memorable impression. Combs infamously walked off the set after his final episode without bidding farewell to anyone. In 1994, a car accident caused him severe, lifelong spinal injuries.
His career declined, financial troubles mounted (including losing his home to foreclosure), and he and his wife divorced. Combs spiraled into psychosis, attempting suicide and spending time in the hospital. After his release, he vandalized his home and injured himself by banging his head against walls. Police intervened, taking him to Glendale Adventist Medical Center for evaluation. Tragically, the next day, he took his own life by hanging himself with bedsheets in his hospital room closet. He was only 40.
4. Press Your Luck
Press Your Luck, a popular 1980s game show, blended trivia with pure chance. Contestants faced a flashing game board that highlighted various prizes in shifting patterns, and they could halt it at any moment to claim the cash or rewards it landed on.
However, landing on a “Whammy” (a cartoonish villain) meant losing everything. The game appeared entirely random until 1984, when Michael Larson, an unemployed ice cream truck driver, appeared. He dominated the board, playing 45 consecutive rounds before finally losing. His extraordinary run was so lengthy that it spanned two episodes.
Larson walked away with an astonishing $110,237. CBS investigated and discovered he had used his VCR’s stop-motion feature to meticulously analyze past episodes. He identified a predictable sequence in the seemingly random board patterns. While CBS ruled this wasn’t cheating and awarded him the prize, they promptly reprogrammed the board to prevent anyone from replicating his strategy.
3. Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?
Who Wants To Be a Millionaire is renowned for its “lifelines,” which contestants can use to assist with challenging questions. Over the show’s history, lifelines have evolved, but two staples remain: “phone-a-friend” and “ask the audience.” One iconic “phone-a-friend” moment occurred on November 19, 1999, when John Carpenter called his father during the million-dollar question. Carpenter didn’t need assistance—he simply wanted to share the news that he was about to win. He succeeded, becoming the first US contestant to claim the million-dollar prize.
The “ask the audience” lifeline allows the audience to vote on the correct answer, often providing a clear majority choice. In the American version, this usually aligns with the right answer. However, international audiences, particularly in France and Russia, have been known to deliberately mislead contestants by voting for incorrect answers.
2. Cash Cab
Cash Cab is a unique quiz show where a taxi driver poses progressively harder trivia questions to passengers during their ride. The game operates on a three-strike rule: three incorrect answers result in the passenger being dropped off on the sidewalk before reaching their destination.
The Canadian edition of the show faced a grim scandal in 2011 when the Cash Cab hit and killed a 61-year-old pedestrian in Vancouver, British Columbia. Thankfully for the show’s future, the incident didn’t happen during filming but later that evening when a producer was returning the cab to a garage.
Over two dozen international adaptations of the show have been produced worldwide. The American version concluded its run in 2012.
1. Amaan Ramazan
Amaan Ramazan is a Pakistani game show where participants earn rewards such as laptops, smartphones, and property deeds by answering questions about Islam correctly.
Hosted by the charismatic Aamir Liaquat Hussain, one of Pakistan’s most renowned TV figures, the show has faced criticism for its sensational tactics to boost ratings. However, during Ramadan in 2013 (July 9 to August 7), a period of intense competition among Islamic programs, Hussain introduced his boldest move yet: he gifted orphaned infants to families.
While it seemed the babies were awarded as prizes, the recipients were carefully screened and approved in advance. Despite the controversy, Amaan Ramazan may have provided these children with a lifeline. In Pakistan, abandoned babies, particularly girls, are a common issue due to societal biases against them.
