For nearly 70 years, television game shows have captivated American audiences. In this comedic podcast, friends John Baker and Jonathan Motney delve into a different game show each episode, exploring the formats, highlights, controversies, and more.
There’s a lot you can say about this post-World War 2 game show, and it’s likely that not a lot of it would be good. We take a look back and analyze this show through a 2021 lens, and fondly remember those days of yore when parading out women to share their sob stories, and then voting (by applause) on who is the most pathetic, was still socially acceptable.
What's better than a game show based on a puzzle game you played as a kid? A game show based on TWO puzzle games you played as a kid. We take you from Concentration's start in the 50s through Alex Trebek's run in the 90s.
It’s the one question where the answer is almost always yes. Of course I would. This British panel show helps us find out which celebrities are the best liars, and which are the best at sniffing them out. Join us as we put on our transatlantic voices to listen to people with funny accents tell amusing lies and stories in order to earn points that ultimately mean nothing.
This week, we discuss the game show that’s kind of like Simon Says, but the power of the world’s mightiest government compels you to do their bidding at the threat of military force. Veteran mockumentary actor John Michael Higgins hosts this laugh-a-minute tour through American colonization, imperialism, and genocide. Either that, or it’s a Game Show Network knockoff of Family Feud.
If you only wanted to watch a game show if it wasn't really a game show, this might be the game show for you. Groucho Marx grew a real mustache to host this post-war NBC hit (World War II being the aforementioned war). This week, we learn all about it, smoke some cigars, and ask what's wrong with reality TV.
If you love a great deal, this is the game show for you. Get a stereo system for $5, a family vacation for $15, and get bamboozled into coming back to defend your title the next day and almost certainly walking away with nothing. This week, we dive into Sale of the Century, break down how it works, its Ameri-Austral-ican origins, and do some really bad accents.
Do you like dating people, but hate having to make an informed decision about who to date? This show might be for you! We head back to the Swinging Sixties to learn about the game, hunt down a serial killer, and figure out if you were a raccoon, what would be your favorite piece of trash and why.
Tune into the ONLY podcast that takes place entirely inside an apartment. This week, we delve into our first game show from the Discovery Channel: Cash Cab. Learn about host Ben Bailey, try your hand at the red light challenge, and help us figure out why this show is on Bravo now.
This week, a couple of squares take you through Hollywood Squares: the only game show where you play tic-tac-toe on Joan Rivers’ face. We talk about their Brady Bunch opening credits-looking set, the hosts, the center squares, testicular cancer, and so much more.
This week, we answer the question: Do you have it? Join John "The Piranha" Baker and Jonathan "Maniac" Motney as we take you through the story of Nickelodeon Guts, try to bring home a glowing piece of the Crag, and go to Mo for the scores.
Celebrities, one word clues, love connections: Password had it all. Well, mostly just those three things. This week, we talk through this word association game's debut in the 60s, it's Plus-sized and Super versions (you know, like tampons), and more.
When disco went out, Chain Reaction came in. This early 80s game show is like a game you’d find in the puzzles section of the Sunday Times. We break down all six degrees of this game, talk through its history and hosts, and try to alternate words for an hourlong podcast.
This week, we go for big bucks and no whammies as we break down Press Your Luck. Learn about the history of the show, a little bit of scandal, and its recent revival.
Long before Ready Player One, Nick Arcade put kids in the game. This episode, we talk about the Nickelodeon game show that combined trivia, video game skills, and a bunch of weatherman-adjacent skills.
Imagine a game show that’s actually just a really long commercial. Now imagine the guy most famous for getting intimate with a pie hosting that game show. Congratulations, you’re a Pepsi executive. This week, we discuss the Jason Biggs-hosted Cherries Wild, dive back into American Pie, and more.
It’s both a game show and the strongest shape. The show that started out as The $10,000 Pyramid (and had bumped up to $100,000) gave us a whole lot of Dick Clark, bad guesses, and even worse clues. This week we dive into The Pyramid in all its forms, its schemes, and even NFTs (what are they???).
The great thing about this game show is that you've got a choice. Deal or No Deal put Howie Mandel's shiny dome back on the map, and this week, we dive into the game show, its stylish metal briefcases, Howie's other fine work, and more.
Since the dawn of time, man has been on the hunt for a good deal. And thanks to Monty Hall, there’s no better place to dress in a ridiculous costume and make some deals than on Let’s Make a Deal. In this episode, we get into all the deals, the zonks, the Monty Hall Problem, the Wayne Brady Solution, and more.
The answer to that question is everybody except billionaires. This week, we give you the final answer on this turn-of-the-century cultural phenomenon and discuss Millionaire's history, controversies, and more.
If you love portmanteaus, then this is the game show for you. After their success with horror movie hits like Paranormal Activity, The Purge, and the thousand subsequent movies in those franchises, Blumhouse Productions took a dive into the game show world with this haunted house/escape room style GSN original. Listen in to learn about the show, the Twisted Twins who hosted it, and more.
It’s the question on absolutely nobody’s minds, but it needs to be asked anyway. If your name is Jeff Foxworthy, you might be a game show host for a game where contestants attempt to answer supposedly elementary-level trivia questions. This week, we ask the real question: is this whole premise kinda b.s.?
Ahhhh, capitalism. Sometimes it’s so so fun, you just have to make game shows celebrating it. In the most early 90s game show imaginable, contestants run through a fake shopping mall exchanging gifts, guessing prices, and more. Learn all about it, take a walk with us down mall memory lane, and make sure you listen ‘til you dristen.
This week, we cut to The Chase. And we only talked about this game show to make that joke right there. Hear about the origins of the game, getting double-Catfished, and more, as we discuss this newly-revived British import.
This week, we put on our puka shells and head back to the early 2000s to discuss Room Raiders, the MTV dating show where the winner was the contestant whose mom was the best at cleaning their room. Listen in and learn all about the only dating show where you break the ice by getting kidnapped.
We found a game show that includes its entire rulebook in the show’s title. From the 50s to today, people have been naming that tune. Learn all about the show, why Motney has seran-wrap on his ceiling and play along as we try to name that… song.
Who can build the tallest structure in 60 seconds? Who can build a bridge from pasta noodles that supports the most weight? Who can get the most podcast subscribers in 4 months? The answer to all those questions is: not us. So let’s dive into the British game show Taskmaster to and see what other challenges lie ahead.
2020 was an absolutely wild year in the game show podcast world. For example, we started this podcast. Out in the real world, things were also wild, and other people started podcasts, too. Let’s look back at the best and worst game shows from the year that was.
Survey says... the holidays are all about family. This Christmas, between battling with in-laws, listen to us break down the history of Family Feud. Show me a double entendre!
Unsurprisingly, this is a game show all about secrets: from the wild ones to the mundane. And trust us, there's a lot of mundane. Travel with us back to the 1950s, where smoking was cool, integration was not, and I've Got A Secret was all the rage.
This week we make our way across the moat, travel down the steps of knowledge, and battle past temple guards to get our hands on some little trinket a talking rock told us about. Hear all about the 90s Nickelodeon classic Legends of the Hidden Temple.
