Game shows
I loved game shows when I was a little kid. I watched the Newlywed Game, the Match Game, Hollywood Squares, Family Feud, and The Price is Right. Even now, I like to watch reruns of the first two on the Game Show Network.
The Newlywed Game was funny because even back then I thought the couples were pretty dorky. They would get all embarrassed when answering questions regarding “making whoopie”, and they would playfully hit each other when they gave a “wrong” answer or give each other a big kiss if they got the answer “right”. I still like to watch and think about whether Kyle and I would get the “right” answers.
The Match Game was funny because I could understand a lot of the innuendo, and it was entertaining to see these celebrities in unscripted roles. Same for Hollywood Squares. I especially liked Hollywood Squares because of Paul Lynde. My grandparents had him as a student in high school, and he and some of his celebrity friends would come to an annual party at our house when we were growing up.
Family Feud was fun because I could actually venture guesses at some of the answers. I swear if I could have assembled my family and gotten us on Family Feud, we would have won the $10,000. I really didn’t want to kiss Richard Dawson though. Ewwwww. I can’t understand why anyone would think he was sexy.
But The Price is Right was the best. The trips! The cars! The $100 cash if you guessed the actual retail price right on the nose! I wanted to spin that wheel. I wanted to win my showcase. I was 10 years away from a driver’s license, and yet I could guess the price of a car. I was 15 years away from regularly buying my own groceries, and yet I could guess the price of a box of corn starch.
Why did I love game shows so much as a child? Was it the challenge of answering questions meant for adults? The intrigue of peeping into topics meant for adults? The dream of winning fabulous prizes – trips, cars, money? I’m still not sure myself.
But I don’t watch game shows now. None of them really interest me. I watched “Who Wants To Be a Millionaire” for the first few episodes, but nothing else ever piqued my interest. Even though I’m now old enough to be a contestant, I’m also now old enough to go to work and earn money and buy my own fabulous prizes. That’s my challenge now.
October 4th, 2005 at 6:54 pm
I do remember some of these… two of the others I remember were some strange show where everyone wore weird costumes (Let’s Make a Deal, maybe?) I don’t remember the premise of the show, just people jumping up and down in costumes. Also, my favorite was old time Wheel of Fortune when the winners would pick out prizes based on the dollar amounts they’d won. I remember wishing I could pick some of the prizes myself because I never agreed with the things they chose!
October 4th, 2005 at 7:57 pm
Oh, Family Feud, first time I saw that show when I was little, I took that to mean the feud would be within the family and not against another family, cause I know if my family ever made it to that show, we’d never agree on anything.
October 5th, 2005 at 6:03 am
I still like Jeopardy. I enjoy watching with someone else and beating them to the response (Um, competitive much?) I’d go on that show, but know I’d freeze on the spot and sound like I never made it past the third grade.
October 5th, 2005 at 6:46 am
I loved family feud when I was a little girl! I would act like I was on the show too and play along. What a DORK I was!
October 5th, 2005 at 6:57 am
i *love* game shows — i watch the old reruns on GSN, too. my summers as a child consisted of mornings glued to “Sale of the Century”, “Name that Tune”, “$100,000 Pyramid”, “Scrabble”, and the end-all, be-all of game shows: “The Price Is Right”. Also, I am a big Jeopardy fan — I was on Jeopardy in 2001! and I won! no joke!
October 5th, 2005 at 6:59 am
and I love Paul Lynde!!! how cool to have met him! the king of snarkiness!!
October 9th, 2005 at 1:26 am
I always liked Paul Lynde. And Richard Dawson? Totally thought he was hot. Must have been the accent.
My grandmother and I used to watch the Price is Right together. Grandma said Bob Barker was the sexiest man on television.
I still watch Wheel of Fortune every once in awhile but I also liked when they could pick out the prizes. There was this plaster dog that drove me crazy, it was always there and then someone actually chose it! Craziness.