Why The Price is Right is the Greatest Game Show of All Time

It was very difficult to come up the greatest game show of all time, because when you look back at the history of game shows, especially daytime game shows, there have been a number of entertaining and great game shows.

The greatest game show of all time is one where a lot of different people win prizes and cash, it has a variety of games to keep the audience from becoming bored or losing interest, has a likable host, is a game anyone can play, has an element of glamour, incorporates an element of surprise and it has sustained itself over time.

Prime-Time Game Shows

First, why are some of these other great game shows not the greatest of all time? They have some of the elements of the greatest game show of all time, but not all of them.

Deal or No Deal

Deal or No Deal was very exciting when it first came to prime time, once you got used to a shaved Howie Mandel as host. The game show was different than what American audiences had seen before. It combines the appeal of playing the lottery and winning a million dollars, with gambling, guessing, and pure luck.

Once you figure out the game, though Deal or No Deal quickly loses its appeal. Audiences figure out that there is a reasonable stopping point in the game for the contestants. That stopping point changes with each game play, but a reasonable person knows when to walk away in the game. Anyone who continues beyond that point is either a world-class risk taker, or they are just being greedy.

Deal or No Deal also tries to add a touch of glamour with their models, in the successful tradition of The Price is Right.

This made the game seem boring after the initial excitement of its newness wore off.

Jeopardy

Jeopardy remains one of my personal favorites. A lot of people refer to this TV game show as the "genius show." Jeopardy

The game has managed to sustain its long run because the basic game has stayed the same. The game show in it current run has also maintained the same host, Alex Trebeck, which contributes to game show longevity.

Jeopardy has mostly managed to not add cheesy factors to show. It has remained a cerebral show, and has not needed to resort to adding current pop music or models to liven up the show.