The Top 5 October 2012 Game Show Highlights

Courtesy GSN.

As we are entering the early days of November, today's article will take a brief look back at the top game show highlights of October from programs such as the long-running syndicated show Wheel of Fortune and GSN's The American Bible Challenge, which has their first season under their belt. Check out the countdown to see if your memorable moment made the list of five. 

#5: October 17, 2012: Wheel of Fortune- First $100,000 Win Of The 30th Season

Since Wheel upped their regular top prize to $100,000 and $1,000,000, over 19 contestants have taken home the $100,000+ grand prize including Michelle Lowenstein's history-making million-dollar win. On October 17, Kimberly Boggess, an environmental analyst from Sandyville, WV, became the newest member of the $100,000+ Club as she was the first $100,000 winner on the show's 30th season in syndication and banked a staggering total of $129,600. Check out her Bonus Round win in the clip below. 

#4: October 24, 2012: Millionaire- Ron Freshour Wins $250,000

Although it has been over 10 years since Millionaire has seen a legitimate million-dollar winner, it is still impressive to see contestants win six-figure cash prizes. Ron Freshour, a pub quiz host from Austin, TX, banked a cool $250,000 for answering a question that seemed right up his alley considering his profession: "With a whopping 15 in total, what is the most common last name among those with stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame?" Check out Ron's big moment as he becomes the second quarter-million dollar winner this season in the clip below. 

Courtesy CBS Television Distribution.

#3: October 17, 2012: Jeopardy!- Stephanie Jass: Longest Reigning Woman Champion

Ken Jennings, Brad Rutter, Roger Craig, Stephanie Jass: What do these four people have in common? They are among the top Jeopardy! elite champions who made their mark in the Jeopardy! record books through their remarkable performance on the show. Ken Jennings' claim to fame is his 74-game winning streak; Brad Rutter is the show's all-time biggest money winner banking a grand total of $3,455,102; Roger Craig currently holds the record for the highest one-day total, most money wagered and won on a Daily Double, and won the 2012 Tournament of Champions last season; Finally, Stephanie Jass, a college professor from Milan, MI, is the newest member of the list of Jeopardy! elites as she became the longest-reigning woman champion and probably the first contestant ever to call Alex Trebek "the Devil" upon goading her to place a big bet on a Daily Double on one occasion when she had a sizable lead over her opponents. Stephanie banked a total of $147,570 (not including the $2,000 consolation prize on day #8) during her seven-day championship run. Sadly, I couldn't find any videos of Stephanie in action. Nevertheless, Jeopardy.com's video page features a Winner's Circle section, which contains interviews of the show's most recent champions discussing their overall experience on the show as champions. Click here to check out Stephanie's interview.

#2: October 15, 2012: The Price Is Right- First (Non-Celebrity) Male Model

During the waning days of summer, The Price Is Right held a historical nationwide search to seek the first male model for the long-running CBS daytime game show. The field of potential male models was narrowed down to 26 candidates and they had to compete a series of challenges, which aired on pricesright.com. The challenges include quick costume changing and writing and singing their original lyrics to the theme of The Price Is Right. About two months later, the viewers had made their decision and had christened Rob Wilson, a native of Boston, MA, the show's first male model over runners-up Clint Brink and Nick Denbeigh. Nick made his debut appearance as one of "Drew's Beauties" during the week of October 15. Check out Rob in action during his final day in the clip below. 

#1: October 18, 2012: The American Bible Challenge- Team Judson's Legacy Takes First In Tournament

As Jesus had taken three days to rise from the dead, it took the team of Drake and Christina Levansheff, and Dean Bobar three games to rise to victory. On October 18, Team Judson's Legacy were dubbed the show's first champions and walked away with $140,000 for their charity. The team's mission on the show was to raise money for Hunter's Hope, a organization which raises awareness and funds research for Krabbe Disease, a rare and fatal illness Christina and Drake's firstborn son sadly succumbed to. Watch Team Judson's Legacy tackle their competition by the skin of their teeth in the $100,000 Final Revelation round in the clip below.