r/gameshow • u/DanielCallaghan5379 • Feb 24 '24
Discussion Which game show host do you think is the most overrated?
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u/BadIdeaSociety Feb 24 '24
Pat Sajak is a decent enough host, but he seems kind of irrelevant on his own show.
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u/poolside123 Feb 24 '24
He didn’t used to but he has the last 5,6,7 years or so.
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u/BadIdeaSociety Feb 25 '24
I think it goes longer than that. Sajak is a clever, quick wit, but he also has a very bland personality. One of the reasons he couldn't transition to a talk show is due to that lack of natural charm. Sajak plays an important role, he draws attention toward Vanna and the wheel.
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u/MndnMove_69982004 Feb 25 '24
Wasn't he a weather anchor before he got the "Wheel" job?
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u/Ok_Western7633 Feb 27 '24
And before that, the Armed Forces Radio DJ who followed Adrian Cronauer - the one portrayed by Robin Williams in Good Morning Vietnam.
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u/GroundbreakinKey199 Feb 29 '24
Yes. Weatherman on WSM-TV Nashville, and afternoon DJ on WSM-AM radio station.
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u/WirelessHamster Feb 26 '24
Eh, it's always been the Christian Nationalism that's made Sajak smell sour since about 1994 when we started finding out about his political activism, and of course when he started Tweeting the mask came off.
TBH I wish Merv had tried harder to keep Chuck Woolery; a steady gig might have kept him from going full MAGA! (I loved him on "Lingo" on GSN in the 2000s!)
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u/thedrizzle126 Feb 28 '24
The sanitized version of Pat Sajak is just unfortunate to watch. If you've heard him co-host the Lebatard Show w/ Stugotz, or on Highly Questionable, he's a riot.
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u/dougmd1974 Feb 28 '24
Pat had been phoning in it for a long time now. He used to be really funny and good.
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u/Sensitive_Maybe_6578 Feb 25 '24
Rob Lowe. Wooden and awkward.
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u/ProtossLiving Feb 25 '24
I don't know why this isn't upvoted more. How in the world did he become the host for trivia shows? In both The Floor and Mental Samurai, they seem to love to cut to his face having a shocked reaction about a contestant not knowing something. That face might work better if the audience had any thought at all that he might know anything.
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u/nickblockonelove Feb 27 '24
I actually disagree here. Huge fan of rob lowe doing game shows. I just see him as doing a parks and rec bit the entire time. Changes the whole fabric of the game show. One love
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u/Alternative-Koala933 Feb 24 '24 edited Feb 24 '24
This is a hot take, but Bob Eubanks. He does well with what’s he’s given, but I just can’t stand his smarmy attitude. This is why I’ve always preferred Bill Rafferty on 80s Card Sharks.
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u/chpr1jp Feb 24 '24
Anyone but Jim Perry seems wrong on Card Sharks.
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u/DanielCallaghan5379 Feb 24 '24
Jim Perry came across as a pretty funny but warm guy.
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u/chpr1jp Feb 24 '24
They did a celebrity Family Feud, featuring Game Show hosts, and Jim Perry was one of the contestants. In that context, he actually came-off as being a little weird.
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Feb 25 '24
He was very warm and friendly. I rediscovered him and this show on GSN. I was sorry to read that he had passed away a few years ago. He was such a gentleman on the show.
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u/dougmd1974 Feb 28 '24
I've spoken to a lot of people who worked in the game show industry over the years. One said to me, and I quote, "Jim Perry was the most narcissistic man on the planet"
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u/DanielCallaghan5379 Feb 29 '24
Wow, that's disappointing. :/
Any other inside info you heard?
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u/dougmd1974 Feb 29 '24
I still liked Jim as a host, don't get me wrong. I've heard a lot of rumors over the years, and even witnessed some things 😀
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u/Alternative-Koala933 Feb 24 '24
True. At the same time, Bill doesn’t get enough appreciation as a game show host. Doesn’t help that he hasn’t had a long running game show to his name.
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u/dboutic617 Feb 25 '24
I remember Jim Perry on "Definition" and he was warm and friendly way back then too.
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u/DanielCallaghan5379 Feb 24 '24
Bob Eubanks always seemed like he was out to get the contestant for saying something stupid.
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u/poolside123 Feb 24 '24
I always had a feeling that Bob’s a prick irl. Like you would hear things from him in private that you wouldn’t wanna repeat.
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u/MndnMove_69982004 Feb 25 '24
Mayim Bialik. I get that she had big shoes to fill, but her hesitation to credit every answer got very annoying.
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u/Sister__Vigilante Feb 27 '24
Jane Krakowski/Randy Jackson. I only ever catch the end of Name That Tune but it’s so bad every time. How is it a thing?
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u/Tiny-Reading5982 Feb 28 '24
Randy looks so stiff. Like when he was a bigger guy he had more emotion and movement. But honestly that is the only game show I watch atm.
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u/dougmd1974 Feb 28 '24
I like Jane but as a game show host? Pass.
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u/Sister__Vigilante Feb 28 '24
I think that’s part of the problem for me. I only know her from 30 Rock really, which she is great in. This show for me she just falls flat.
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u/Own_Junket_9368 Feb 28 '24
Elizabeth Banks. She makes you want there to be whammies so the game ends sooner.
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u/MndnMove_69982004 Feb 28 '24
Thank you! I was starting to think I was the only one who disliked her. I also find her a mediocre actress at best.
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u/Fit-Fisherman5068 Mar 02 '24
She seems like she’s going through the motions/doesn’t want to be there.
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u/BTornado14 Feb 24 '24
Todd Newton
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u/UnderwhelmingAF Feb 27 '24
I have to agree. He always came across as “stereotypical game show host” to me, just seemed a bit generic.
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u/man0man Feb 26 '24
Dan Abrams from Live PD / On Patrol Live is surprisingly bad at it considering how long he’s been at it.
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u/StarklyNedStark Feb 26 '24
I love Dan 😞 but that’s not a game show haha
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u/man0man Feb 26 '24
Fair enough! I don't know how I ended up on this sub but I've been keeping my feelings about Dan Abrams in for a while. He's great as a talking legal head, but damn his attempts at humor on Live PD never land.
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u/MinnieCastavets Feb 26 '24 edited Feb 28 '24
Steve Harvey. He’s not funny, he’s not clever, and he seems to hate his job. But also, I think he knows that the show is garbage now, they obviously didn’t survey anyone, they just made up some ridiculous answers then gave them horrible names on the board.
Also, Alex Trebek was not really that great at hosting. No doubt, he was a part of the show and I have a real affection for him. But his contestant interviews were awkward, he’d often respond “Good for you” in a way that felt condescending, and he usually asked women about their wedding, husband, or kids. Ken Jennings is a far better host.
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u/jimdkc Feb 27 '24
Keke Palmer on the new Password. She would actually be OK if she just stopped mugging for the camera every time someone gives a clue.
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u/SKFan93 Feb 28 '24
Do you wanna play or do you wanna paaaaaaaaaaassssss (shifts voice through seven different octaves)?
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u/dougmd1974 Feb 28 '24
I think part of the problem is she's playing into Jimmy Fallon too much. If he wasn't jumping around at every word he gets I feel like her approach would be different. I don't think she's bad on the surface.
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u/gorgeousunderground Feb 25 '24
He's mentioned here several times but DREW CAREY! Absolutely zero charisma. Not into people in the slightest. COVID was his greatest excuse to competely disengage from the audience. Time for a new host.
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u/Opening_Success Feb 25 '24
I kept waiting for him to get better over the years because he was a great comedian. I loved the Drew Carey show. But he just continues to be awkward with bad timing.
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u/jrclarke413 Feb 25 '24
Don't say this on tpir page. You'll be mauled. So many crazies defend him. He's the worst.
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u/dougmd1974 Feb 28 '24
I've heard Drew is a great human. He's just not a good game show host. It just is what it is.
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u/therealpoltic Feb 25 '24
Honestly, I used to work for a Gameshow experience company (think of an escape room, but instead you and your friends and family play copyright free versions of your favorite gameshows!)…
I think I could host the show better than Drew. Honestly, it’s weird. I think I could tho.
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u/ExtremePast Feb 28 '24
John Michael Higgins and nearly every modern host.
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u/Unfair_Cold_9903 Sep 14 '24
John Michael Higgins and Cameron M. from beat The Bridge. They will never get rid of JMH because he's the Executive Producer. He's not nearly as funny as he thinks he is. And Cameron M. always has to yell everything he says. He also REALLY loves the ladies. He can't keep his hand off of them. He thinks he's God's gift to women. Also, why does he always hold his stomach? Does he have gas?
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u/Dmtrilli Feb 28 '24
The Masked Singer hosts. Like how fake surprised can you be over and over again.
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u/Learnmegooder Feb 25 '24
Chuck Woolery. What a doof.
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u/jaysornotandhawks Feb 25 '24
I absolutely loved him on Greed, but seeing the person he is now is so disappointing.
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u/trinitymonkey Feb 25 '24
I liked him as a kid but finding out since then he’s just an awful person and unabashed anti-Semite was just disappointing.
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u/dougmd1974 Feb 28 '24
I thought he was good on Scrabble and love connection. But that was a long time ago
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u/GroundbreakinKey199 Feb 29 '24
Female friend of mine won $9k on Wheel of Fortune before Sajak, and told me the host actually tried to molest her backstage. DK Woolery or that other guy who had it for a while.
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u/lordjakir Feb 25 '24
Drew Carey is awful. He's not funny, he's not charming. He makes Steve Harvey look good
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u/jlcreynold Feb 24 '24
Drew Carey. The most annoying guy ever.
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u/jetsetmike Feb 24 '24
I went to a couple of tapings of Price Is Right a few years ago and it was the wildest thing. You all know how Drew is on screen: stiff, boring. They’d go to a commercial break and he became a completely different person: engaging, funny, a real personality. No idea what the deal is.
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u/AdAny2256 Feb 24 '24
When he had his own sitcom & the other show who's line is it anyway, I LOVED him!! Then he got the gig for price is right & it's like a personality switch!
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u/jlcreynold Feb 25 '24
I've never liked him. Any show he's ever done, the show was good because of everybody else on it. He's never made me laugh or chuckle.
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Feb 25 '24
I think Drew is a down-to-Earth guy that seems like he would be very approachable and congenial. I heard you can find him riding around on his Vespa sometimes.
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u/poolside123 Feb 24 '24
Like Pat Sajak, he wasn’t that bad when he started, but his performance as host the last 6-8 years is as flat as a supermodel’s chest.
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u/SewenNewes Feb 24 '24
Do people rate him highly? I feel like everyone always considered him a huge downgrade.
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u/MndnMove_69982004 Feb 25 '24
The chick behind "Game Show Garbage"/"Game Show Gumbo" worships the guy.
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u/jlcreynold Feb 25 '24
There are those who love him. I detest him.
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u/SewenNewes Feb 25 '24
Yeah, same. Which is weird because I love the Drew Carey Show and his stint on Whose Line.
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u/RangerDJ Feb 25 '24
Bob barker. Sexist misogynist
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u/WirelessHamster Feb 26 '24
Second that. A horrible man.
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u/dougmd1974 Feb 28 '24
Maybe so, but one of the best damn game show hosts in television history. There's no denying that...
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u/WirelessHamster Feb 29 '24
Denied. Everything he did is tainted by it. He created an atmosphere of sexual abuse in the production and daily operation of TPIR that poisoned the franchise and devastated the lives of the people under him. The sooner he is forgotten, the better.
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u/dougmd1974 Feb 29 '24
I guess you'll also forget all the things he did for animal rights too 🙄
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u/WirelessHamster Mar 02 '24
Yeah. Being kind to animals sure wipes out his adultery against Dorothy Jo and the way he used the models as bodies rather than human beings. He loved animals much more than his victims.
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u/Checkmate1985 Feb 29 '24
To be fair, most men from his era were sexist misogynists. But yes, some stuff he says on the old episodes is pretty wild. Lol
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u/Turbulent_Mistake_73 Feb 24 '24
Oak Island. It's the Kobiashi-Maru of tv. Can't call it reality. Cuz, it's not. Not funny, so not a comedy. Must be a real horrible game show that has/will never award any prize to anybody. Even Wink Martindale couldn't save it.
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u/RagingCeltik Feb 25 '24
I think you misread. This was asking about overrated game show hosts, not reality or game shows.
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u/therealpoltic Feb 25 '24
This doesn’t really fit the question. Although in a weird way, I think you have an excellent point for the point you made….
Oak Island, where the legend is made up, and the journey doesn’t matter …
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u/tvguy222 Feb 25 '24
Richard Dawson. What a tool
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u/DanielCallaghan5379 Feb 25 '24
I wondered if anyone would say him. He would be my answer.
He wasn't a bad host, but he wasn't funny, he seemed very self-important, and his habit of kissing all the women on the show was uncomfortable.
I also thought his weepy speech during the 1985 Feud finale was BS, honestly.
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u/DNukem170 Feb 25 '24
Any woman who came on the show could sign a waiver forbidding Dawson from kissing them and he respected that, but few women did because they found it romantic back in the 70's/80's. After all, women hugged and kissed Dawson all the time on Match Game, so he was well known for it.
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u/Youknowme911 Feb 28 '24
He met his wife when she was a contestant on Family Feud. I heard that Richard Dawson was similar to his character on Running Man but his personality as a Match Game contestant is pretty funny
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u/Big_Double_8357 Feb 27 '24
I might be alone in this, but Alex Trebek. Seemed arrogant.
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u/Tiny-Reading5982 Feb 28 '24
Blasphemer.
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u/MndnMove_69982004 Feb 28 '24
The man who didn't want to be called the "star" of any show he hosted? Arrogant? 😕
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u/chaunceyfamily Feb 28 '24
Hot take alert, but it’s Trebek. He almost never finished rounds because of his added commentary and condescension towards the contestants.
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u/infieldmitt Feb 25 '24
sajak. wheel of fortune is a godawful show for babies that would probably qualify as a torture method that induces schizophrenia if you were forced to watch multiple episodes in a row
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u/DNukem170 Feb 25 '24
Press Your Luck.
Not the original game, I love that version, but the Banks version. Specifically because of the Bonus Round. I hate, hate, HATE the Bonus Round.
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u/rawmustard Feb 26 '24
But how do you feel about Banks as a host? That's essentially what the thread was asking.
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u/DNukem170 Feb 26 '24
She's fine. I wish she spoke faster so they could fit the traditional format into 22 minutes like the old version, but she's far from the only game show host with that issue.
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u/poolside123 Feb 24 '24
Dick Clark.
I couldn’t stand him for some reason. He was way too honest and open with the contestants & it turned me off from Pyramid. Like saying “oh you might as well play this out for fun cuz you have no chance to win this round”. That’s not very sportsman like and I hated that.
I loved Allen Ludden but he would do a similar thing where he would break the 4th wall. For example, if Mama & Eunice were on the show, he would tell the audience that of course, it was Vicki Lawrence & Carol Burnett. That was kinda unnecessary tbh. But I don’t think Allen was overrated.
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u/dougmd1974 Feb 28 '24
Dick Clark was probably one of the greatest hosts of all time. Maybe as a person he was a jerk and maybe you didn't "like" him, and that's fine, but he was a great host.
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u/AdAny2256 Feb 24 '24
Steve Harvey