MONDAY, JULY 17, 1977 - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

AaronHandy3 · 07-17-2006, 07:47 AM

"It's women vs. men in the battle of the sexes! Women or men, which is The Better Sex?!"

The Better Sex, a Goodson-Todman game show which combined the elements of previous G-T triumph Family Feud and H-Q’s The Hollywood Squares and was hosted by Bill Anderson and Sarah Purcell, debuted @ noon on ABC Daytime.

Two teams of six (6 men, 6 women) faced off against each other. The champions (i.e., the men) started and a question was asked. This question could be a general knowledge or survey question (e.g.: "Where is Elvis from?" or "According to a survey, what did most people say was the worst thing about camping out?"). The team captain of the men's team looks at the correct answer and decides whether to use it, or come up with a good bluff. The host or hostess then goes to the opposing team (the women) and asks if they agree or disagree.

When the polling is over, then the actual answer is revealed. If the women are right, then the team captain is eliminated, plus one more of their choice. If the men were successful with the bluffing, then the two ladies that agreed or disagreed were eliminated. Whichever team was eliminated first lost the game. In the bonus round, a section of 30 men and 30 women are seated in a section of the audience. The women play against the men and vice versa. Each member of the team gets one chance to eliminate all 30 members of the audience section in the same fashion as in the main game. A question is asked, an answer is given, then all 30 players vote on whether to agree or disagree.

The Better Sex employed the same sound effects as Family Feud (which, when it was originally being developed, was very similar in concept to TBS!). The pilot for The Better Sex originally had 7 member teams instead of 6. Its rather weird main title theme music was performed by The Score Production Band and Chorus.

TBS was a victim of expanding soaps on ABC, and, as a result, had a tragically short run of 9 months, lasting no further than January 13, 1978. Plans to bring back TBS, even for syndication, never saw fruition, and the series finale concluded on a rather somber note as Bill Anderson (guitar in hand) played one of his hit tunes for the audience. Anderson, who already had over 75 hit singles under his belt since 1958, would later on emcee Fandango on The Nashville Network, and co-host Sarah Purcell later starred in Real People (NBC, 1979-84).

(Source of info: Matt Kaiser's Better Sex Page)

howilu · 07-17-2006, 05:49 PM

I remember The Better Sex. Even though the show had a short life, it was memorable because it was one of the few game shows to have a female host, Sarah Purcell. Her co-host Bill Anderson was a country music star who mentioned about his experiences hosting the show in his autobiography Whispering Bill. He also mentioned about a member of the production staff who would go onto bigger and better things. She later appeared on Night Court and Hearts Afire, Markie Post.

And there you have The Better Sex.

Heidi Dawn · 07-18-2006, 08:34 AM

I met Bill Anderson at a concert a couple of years ago. He's a very nice man in person. I told him that I see him on the opry once in a while. I also got his autograph.

07-17-2006, 07:47 AM	#1
AaronHandy3 Classic TV Buff Forum Regular Join Date: Nov 21, 2001 Location: New Orleans, LA Posts: 859	MONDAY, JULY 17, 1977 "It's women vs. men in the battle of the sexes! Women or men, which is The Better Sex?!" *The Better Sex, a Goodson-Todman game show which combined the elements of previous G-T triumph Family Feud* and H-Q’s The Hollywood Squares and was hosted by Bill Anderson and Sarah Purcell, debuted @ noon on ABC Daytime. Two teams of six (6 men, 6 women) faced off against each other. The champions (i.e., the men) started and a question was asked. This question could be a general knowledge or survey question (e.g.: "Where is Elvis from?" or "According to a survey, what did most people say was the worst thing about camping out?"). The team captain of the men's team looks at the correct answer and decides whether to use it, or come up with a good bluff. The host or hostess then goes to the opposing team (the women) and asks if they agree or disagree. When the polling is over, then the actual answer is revealed. If the women are right, then the team captain is eliminated, plus one more of their choice. If the men were successful with the bluffing, then the two ladies that agreed or disagreed were eliminated. Whichever team was eliminated first lost the game. In the bonus round, a section of 30 men and 30 women are seated in a section of the audience. The women play against the men and vice versa. Each member of the team gets one chance to eliminate all 30 members of the audience section in the same fashion as in the main game. A question is asked, an answer is given, then all 30 players vote on whether to agree or disagree. The Better Sex employed the same sound effects as Family Feud (which, when it was originally being developed, was very similar in concept to TBS!). The pilot for The Better Sex originally had 7 member teams instead of 6. Its rather weird main title theme music was performed by The Score Production Band and Chorus. TBS was a victim of expanding soaps on ABC, and, as a result, had a tragically short run of 9 months, lasting no further than January 13, 1978. Plans to bring back TBS, even for syndication, never saw fruition, and the series finale concluded on a rather somber note as Bill Anderson (guitar in hand) played one of his hit tunes for the audience. Anderson, who already had over 75 hit singles under his belt since 1958, would later on emcee Fandango on The Nashville Network, and co-host Sarah Purcell later starred in Real People (NBC, 1979-84). *(Source of info: Matt Kaiser's Better Sex* Page)** Attached Images
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07-18-2006, 08:34 AM	#3
Heidi Dawn Muppets Forum Regular Join Date: Jan 01, 2003 Location: Canada Posts: 883	I met Bill Anderson at a concert a couple of years ago. He's a very nice man in person. I told him that I see him on the opry once in a while. I also got his autograph.
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07-17-2006, 05:49 PM	#2
howilu Member Senior Member Join Date: Apr 20, 2003 Location: St. Louis Park, MN Posts: 1,963	I remember The Better Sex. Even though the show had a short life, it was memorable because it was one of the few game shows to have a female host, Sarah Purcell. Her co-host Bill Anderson was a country music star who mentioned about his experiences hosting the show in his autobiography Whispering Bill. He also mentioned about a member of the production staff who would go onto bigger and better things. She later appeared on Night Court and Hearts Afire, Markie Post. And there you have The Better Sex.