All-time Greatest TV Game Shows (MSN)

[Brian Damage]

"The Price Is Right" (1956)
If you don't know who Bob Barker is, if you've never dreamed of possessing your own Plinko stick or reaching deep inside his $100 pocket, then you're simply not an American. How else could you have missed out on the four-decade-encompassing collective daytime remembrances of an entire nation? Ask any stranger if they'd spin again with 85 cents; whether they liked Janice, Dian or Holly best; or where they were on the monumental morning when Bob finally let his hair go gray, and you'll open up a floodgate of memories. Ultimately, Dian reached a little too deeply into Bob's magic pockets, but even that scandal couldn't lessen the desire to "Come on down" and curse at those unavoidable contestant-row weasels adding a dollar to someone else's bid.

[Brian Damage]

"Let's Make a Deal" (1963)
Mixing the camaraderie of a costume party with the con-or-be-conned atmosphere of a used-car lot, "Deal" has resurrected itself numerous times during the last five decades. Much of the credit is due to co-creator and host Monty Hall, quite possibly the only man to ever offer a housewife $500 if she could pull a bag of peanuts out of her purse.

Like any classic game show, "Deal" crossed over into pop-culture folklore, whether through the urban legend of the goat winner who actually took his prize home, or the so-called Monty Hall Paradox, a still-relevant mathematical problem that served as a recent plot point for the hit show "Numb3rs."

[Brian Damage]

"The Gong Show" (1976)
Long before George Clooney was obsessed with Chuck Barris, America was obsessed with "The Gong Show," a low-rent amateur hour that did for game shows what "The Daily Show" is currently doing for the news. Often going entire episodes without actually making eye contact with the camera, Chuckie Baby and the entire nation could only watch and groan as people such as The Unknown Comic; Gene, Gene the Dancing Machine; and even Paul Reubens would compete for the grand prize of $516.72. The show got "gonged" itself in 1980, but the influence of its cheesy embrace and underachieving, long-suffering host can still be felt in everything from "Dancing with the Stars" to the persona of Howard Stern.

[Brian Damage]

"Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" (1998)
Years after public opinion pounded the supposed final nail into the coffin of prime-time game shows, "Millionaire" did for the concept what "Pirates of the Caribbean" would eventually do for swashbuckling movies. It may still be too soon for the backlash cycle to spin far enough around to fully appreciate the rare convergence of an iconic host (Regis Philbin), a distinctive-yet-familiar concept and enough catch-phrases to fill an entire season of a sitcom. In relaunching the game-show genre -- and its oft-despised baby brother, the reality show -- "Millionaire" became one of the all-time greats. And yes, that's our final answer.

[Brian Damage]

"Match Game" (1962)
The premise was thinner than Gene Rayburn's stick micro the wide-grinning host would read the setup of a potentially bawdy statement, and the contestant would attempt to complete it with a blank-filling piece of wit that matched the answers of the celebrity panel. Rumors of alcohol-fueled tapings only added to the allure of watching old-schoolers such as Richard Dawson, Brett Somers and Charles Nelson Reilly complete phrases with terms such as "doo-doo," or Rayburn accidentally telling a female contestant that she had nice nipples. A trailblazer for C-lister celebrity shows such as "The Surreal Life," reruns still fill the airwaves some three decades after the show's prime.

[Brian Damage]

"Love Connection" (1983)
The "Dating Game" vs. "Love Connection" debate will undoubtedly rage as long as the eternal questions of "Ginger or Mary Ann?" and "Dick York or Dick Sargent?," but we're giving an extra "2 and 2" points to "Connection" for the joys of watching mac-daddy host Chuck Woolery. Sleazy enough to prod a woman for details about a goodnight kiss but maintaining enough class to spare audience members the need to shower after watching, Woolery oversaw plenty of fairy-tale dates and (on the best episodes) ones that went horribly wrong. If you watched the highly-addictive program even once, it was nearly impossible to not fall in love yourself.

[Brian Damage]

"Jeopardy!" (1984)
Still making us feel stupid after all these years, "Jeopardy!" is one of the rare shows that not only entertains us but also makes us aspire to be more fully rounded people. Replacing the cheese-factor of previous game-show hosts with an almost John Houseman-like sense of endearing elitism, Canadian Alex Trebek became a rock star practically overnight in the 1980s and still shows no signs of slowing down. His moustache may be gone, he may be forced to half-heartedly toss softball questions to Jon Lovitz on the celebrity version of the show and everything from "Saturday Night Live" to "Cheers" may have parodied the man to within an inch of his life, but the prevailing image of the modern-day game show continues to be three harried contestants, scribbling furiously as that relentlessly catchy Final Jeopardy theme song nears its concluding note.

[Brian Damage]

"Tic Tac Dough" (1978)
What do you get when you combine the world's simplest game, a corny play on words, and a game-show host named Wink? "Tic Tac Dough" has existed in nearly a half-dozen incarnations over the years, but it was former disk jockey (and current Orbitz pitchman) Wink Martindale who presided over the most memorable version throughout the late '70s and early '80s. Loyal viewers tuned in to see if contestants could beat the dreaded dragon, a cheesy graphic nearly as terrifying as the wood-paneled set and Wink's immovable hair.

[Dynomite]

Originally Posted by Brian Damage

"The Price Is Right" (1956)
If you don't know who Bob Barker is, if you've never dreamed of possessing your own Plinko stick or reaching deep inside his $100 pocket, then you're simply not an American. How else could you have missed out on the four-decade-encompassing collective daytime remembrances of an entire nation? Ask any stranger if they'd spin again with 85 cents; whether they liked Janice, Dian or Holly best; or where they were on the monumental morning when Bob finally let his hair go gray, and you'll open up a floodgate of memories. Ultimately, Dian reached a little too deeply into Bob's magic pockets, but even that scandal couldn't lessen the desire to "Come on down" and curse at those unavoidable contestant-row weasels adding a dollar to someone else's bid.

The 1956 version of The Price is Right was hosted by Bill Cullen.

[Brian Damage]

"Press Your Luck" (1983)
It may have featured the flattest host of any show on this list, but "Press Your Luck" also boasted such a fun, irreverent attitude that it made viewers want to stand up and scream "No Whammies!" in their own living rooms. A gaudy, lit-up board displayed various cash and prizes, while cartoon pictures of the devilish Whammy hopped around in between, threatening contestants while they hesitantly pressed down on their controllers. Host Peter Tomarken introduced video clips of the red, horned creature as he blew up, threatened or otherwise tormented contestants, and it was one of the few games that had the potential for the front-runner to lose it all in the final round. The show also yielded history's most bizarre game-show moment, when an unemployed ice cream man named Michael Larson figured out the patterns of the board, went on the show and simply would not lose -- causing "Press Your Luck" to offer the genre's first-ever "To Be Continued ... " promise.

[Brian Damage]

"Fun House" (1988)
Since the other nine shows are beloved TV classics, spot No. 10 is set aside for a cult classic. Those who remember the brightly colored sets, infectious energy and tongue-in-cheek charm of this late '80s kiddie show undoubtedly do so fondly. As for everyone else -- well, write a letter to the Game Show Network and demand that they start airing reruns. Starring endlessly energetic host J.D. Roth, diet-impaired announcer "Tiny" and identical twin cheerleaders, "Fun House" had competing kids engaging in stunts (including Vat Splat, Pie-athlon and Bobbing for Bagels) that out-grossed "Double Dare." The ultimate goal? A dream-come-true two minutes to dash around an enormous, booby-trapped house while grabbing as many prizes as you could carry. Even Alex Trebek can't make a game-show premise that exciting.

[Brian Damage]

Originally Posted by Dynomite

The 1956 version of The Price is Right was hosted by Bill Cullen.

I think they are just saying when the show actually started. That is why they have the dates on the shows.

[Ireneparalegal]

Originally Posted by Brian Damage

"Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" (1998)
Years after public opinion pounded the supposed final nail into the coffin of prime-time game shows, "Millionaire" did for the concept what "Pirates of the Caribbean" would eventually do for swashbuckling movies. It may still be too soon for the backlash cycle to spin far enough around to fully appreciate the rare convergence of an iconic host (Regis Philbin), a distinctive-yet-familiar concept and enough catch-phrases to fill an entire season of a sitcom. In relaunching the game-show genre -- and its oft-despised baby brother, the reality show -- "Millionaire" became one of the all-time greats. And yes, that's our final answer.

This show was only good with Regis hosting. I can't stand Meredith hosting it. It lost its edge after Regis handed the reigns over.

[Mikado]

My 2 all-time favorites werent mentioned.....the Newlywed game and Hollywood squares

[Corolla]

Originally Posted by Brian Damage

"Press Your Luck" (1983)
It may have featured the flattest host of any show on this list, but "Press Your Luck" also boasted such a fun, irreverent attitude that it made viewers want to stand up and scream "No Whammies!" in their own living rooms. A gaudy, lit-up board displayed various cash and prizes, while cartoon pictures of the devilish Whammy hopped around in between, threatening contestants while they hesitantly pressed down on their controllers. Host Peter Tomarken introduced video clips of the red, horned creature as he blew up, threatened or otherwise tormented contestants, and it was one of the few games that had the potential for the front-runner to lose it all in the final round. The show also yielded history's most bizarre game-show moment, when an unemployed ice cream man named Michael Larson figured out the patterns of the board, went on the show and simply would not lose -- causing "Press Your Luck" to offer the genre's first-ever "To Be Continued ... " promise.

I still watch Press Your Luck on GSN.