Games shows have always been popular in TV and the 80s definitely had its share of hits as well. Some of them were a little cheesy and filled with bad jokes and a lot of inuendo that may make you cringe along the way but they were a popular diversion from daily live and run of the mill TV shows. Enter for a chance to win prizes online every week! Our services include contests, giveaways, and more. Sign up now for a chance to win great prizes.
From Wheel of Fortune to The Price is Right, we are here to give you a list of the best game shows of the 80s and we guarantee you that you won’t be able to resist watching classic clips of them on Youtube while jamming to your favorite 80s music.
- The Newlywed Game – This game show pitted newly married couples against each other to test them who knows the other better. The game has two rounds full of revealing questions that would expose how much spouses really knows their partners. Unlike other game shows, The Newlywed Game’s grand prize was not a lump of cash, instead, it is usually a household appliance that the couple requested before they start the game.
- Double Dare – This children’s game show was Nickelodeon’s first game show. The objective of the game was two teams would fight each other by answering trivia questions and win cash while playing messy stunts and physical challenges. This game show proved to be a huge success for Nickelodeon and it helped the network became a major TV player. During that time, Double Dare was the most-watch original daily game show on TV.
- Win, Lose or Draw – In this game show, two teams that are comprised of two celebrities and one contestant took turns in guessing a thing, phrase, or title of a song or movie that a team member drew on a sketch pad. The one who’s drawing the clues cannot speak about the subject and use numbers and letters. If one of them used it, the pot money would be automatically split between the two teams.
- Name That Tune – This game show is where contestants go against each other to test their knowledge in music. There have been several versions of this show since it was conceived in the ‘50s but it was the 80s incarnation where two contestants were picked from the studio audience and compete in the three rounds to win prizes. Whoever has the highest score at the end of the third round wins and he or she would have the opportunity to compete in the Golden Medley Round for a chance to win more prizes. If you are interested to learn more about the classic television shows in the ‘80s, you may also read our post, Which Talent Shows Captivated Audiences on 1980s TV?
- Supermarket Sweep – This is a one of a kind game show because it is like an ordinary game show but with a live and timed race through a supermarket. During the timed race, three teams will sweep through the vacated supermarket while cameras follow them around as they attempt to collect as many items as possible. The team with the highest cart value wins the game.
- Love Connection – This is a dating game show that was hosted by Chuck Woolery. This game’s objective is to attempt to match a single person to a suitable partner of the opposite gender. The guest would go on a date with one of the three contestants and footage of their dates are shown to the audience and the three contestants and the guest would go on TV. The audience then votes on who they felt was the best match to the guest.
- Tic-Tac-Dough – This game show was clearly inspired by the pencil and paper game Tic-Tac-Toe. In this game, however, in order for a contestant to put an X or an O on the board, they had to correctly answer the questions first. All nine squares on the game board have a category and the center square is the most important piece strategically for the players to put their mark on.
- Wheel of Fortune – Most of us probably know this game show in which the contestants solves word puzzles in order to win prizes. The amount of money that a contestant is going to win is determined by the spinning carnival wheel. Every round has a category and a blank word puzzle. This puzzle is usually a figure of speech, the title of a song or movie, or a common phrase. Although it sounds easy, it’s still surprising to see the number of people who cannot possibly guess the right phrase.
- Did you know that Wheel of Fortune debuted in the late ‘70s? For more information on classic game shows, you may read our article, Which TV Game Shows Captured Audiences in the 1970s?
- The Price is Right – This game show has a pretty simple premise and that’s what makes it so good. The contestants just have to guess the right price of the different product in order to win cash or from a range of prizes. Contestants were picked out from the audience as the host yelled the iconic phrase “Come on down!”
- Jeopardy – This iconic game show was created by media mogul Merv Griffin. This quiz show had a somewhat weird premise in which the contestants were given answers and they were the ones who had to come up with the matching questions. If you feel like testing your IQ, Jeopardy still runs in syndication on daytime TV.
- Family Feud – Most of us probably dreamed of dragging our parents onto the set of Family Feud at some point. Why not? This game show literally pitted two families against each other in a competition to see who names the most popular responses to survey questions.
These are the top game shows of the ‘80s, which one do you remember watching? You may also check out our article, What Were the Must-Watch Game Shows of the 1950s? to discover more classic game shows on TV.