June 2012 Game Show Highlights

Scott Hostetler on TPIR

In this week's article, I'm going to highlight some of the most interesting and most memorable game show moments that occurred during the month of June. This month's game show highlight compilation include clips from shows such as The Price Is Right, Figure It Out, and The Million Pound Drop. Enjoy!


June 4, 2012- The Price Is Right: The First "Perfect Show" In Two Years
Every so often on The Price Is Right, a “perfect game” would occur, meaning that each of the six contestants who won themselves on stage won the grand prize in the pricing game they played. For the past two seasons, the show has suffered a dry spell of perfect shows ever since Drew Carey took the helm. This streak would soon end on June 4 with the help of engaged couples playing on the show in honor of the show’s wedding special. Check out the highlights from the perfect show in the video below.

June 8, 2012- The Price Is Right: A Brand New Pricing Game "Double Cross"
Since 1974, we have seen at least one brand new pricing game every season on The Price Is Right. Two seasons ago, we saw the debut of nail-biting, photo-finishing game “Rat Race” and last season, we saw the debut of the highest paying out pricing game with $100,000 to prize, “Pay The Rent”. This season, specifically on June 8, The Price Is Right unveiled a brand new pricing game called “Double Cross”. In this game, a contestant has to drag a touch-screen box to the correct price of two prizes on an X-shaped board, causing the two prices to intersect with each other. If the contestants guess the right price of both prizes, they win the two prizes; otherwise, they win nothing. It’s been a while since the show has created any quick, one-minute pricing games since “Balance Game” in 2006. Double Cross is a pretty cool game with a great design and the first game to use touch-screen technology on the show. Check out the inaugural playing of the new game in the clip below.

4-time champions Juile and Yemi

June 8, 2012- All New Blockbusters (Challenge TV): Four Down, One To Go

As you might have remembered from the 80’s version with Bob Holness, or even from the NBC version with Bill Cullen, Blockbusters is played on a 5x4 hexagonal board with a team of two players playing against one. This is the third revival we have seen in the U.K. and hopefully the most successful revival due to the positive reception the show has received from various critics. So far, this revival has seen two undefeated champions (both solo players) thus far, and contestants Julie and Yemi are looking to bump that number up to three, that is if they get on the right path......literally. Click here to find out what I’m talking about. For all of the U.K. viewers, the premiere season of the all new Blockbusters will resume on July 6 at 8:00pm on Challenge TV. For everyone else, you can check out past episodes of Blockbusters on YouTube and play Blockbusters online against others on Challenge TV’s website.

Can you "figure it out"?

June 11, 2012- Figure It Out: Premiere Episode of The 2012 Revival

Nickelodeon has returned to reviving their own game shows with the premiere of Figure It Out on June 11 with BrainSurge and 101 Ways To Leave a Game Show host Jeff Stuphen. For those who haven't heard of or seen the show before, a panel of celebrities has to figure out what the contestant’s secret talent is in three timed rounds. Essentially, it’s a kids’ version of I’ve Got A Secret. The 2012 version of Figure It Out has proved itself to be more fun and messier than ever before. On the show’s premiere episode, the celebrity panel of Nick starts went two-for-two in guessing both of the contestants’ talents for the show. Click here to check out the series premiere of Figure It Out.

June 15, 2012- The Million Pound Drop Live: A Star-Studded Series 10 Premiere 

This season of The Million Pound Drop saw its first contenders to beat the Drop with celebrities Kirstie Mary Allsop and Phil Spencer winning £125,000 for their charities Home-Start UK, Children’s Hospice South West, Broadway (a London-based homelessness charity), and SOS Children. Wade and Scott from Yorkshire, England were the next team to face the Drop. The duo blazed through the first two questions, holding on to their original million pounds. It wouldn’t be long until for the team to falter as they stumbled through the third and fourth question, losing a combined total of £925,000. The show concluded with a cliffhanger of Wade and Scott with £75,000 and three questions remaining, and host Davina McCall revealing the mystery celebrity contestant for the next show.

June 18, 2012- The Price Is Right: Game Show Guru Scott Hostetler Returns!

Avid game show fans best remember Scott Hostetler for his exuberance when he landed on a trip to Hong Kong on Press Your Luck in 1983. But I'll bet that none of you knew that Scott was a champion on more than 14 other game shows including Wheel of Fortune (Woolery era), The $1,000,000 Chance of a Lifetime, Catch 21, Trivia Trap, and Match Game (1998 Burger era).  The self-proclaimed “game show guru” has amassed a game show career total of over $100,000 in cash and prizes. On June 18, Scott "came on down" to become a contestant on The Price Is Right. It seems like he picked up where he left off of being a champion in this episode. Not only was he the first contestant to win himself on stage, he won a trip to Hawaii playing “Flip Flop”, won the Showcase Showdown, and won his Showcase. He racked up over $44,000 in prizes on The Price Is Right. I'm surprised he didn't say "Hawaii, all right!” when George Gray introduced the prize. Scott is one of the most underrated, best all-around game show champions in game show history. He may not have won 74 games of Jeopardy! or answered 15 questions correctly on Millionaire without using a lifeline, but Scott’s impressive winning record on the game shows he has competed on makes him one of the best in my book. 

June 23, 2012- The 39th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards
A little over a week ago, the Daytime Emmy Awards was broadcasted on HLN, a CNN spin-off network. The awards ceremony, which was held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, honor the best shows in daytime television including children's shows, talk shows, and game shows. This year, Jeopardy! and Todd Newton were the center of attention in the game show category as Jeopardy! won for 'Best Game Show' and Todd Newton won his first Emmy award for Best Game Show Host. Newton was chosen over Ben Bailey from Cash Cab, Wayne Brady from Let's Make a Deal, and Meredith Vieira from Millionaire. What makes Newton's award win even more memorable was that he won based on his hosting performance on The Hub's Family Game Night, a game show that nearly faced cancellation after two seasons. Meanwhile, Jeopardy! won its 13th Daytime Emmy ever since the show premiered in syndication for the second time in 1984. Check out Todd Newton and the Jeopardy! crew accepting their Daytime Emmy Awards in the video below.