Test Your Game Show Knowledge

A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment where contestants compete for a reward, typically directed by a host. The first television game show, Spelling Bee, was broadcast in 1938. Truth or Consequences was the first game show to air on commercially licensed television. In the 1950s, game shows became a fixture in popular culture, with higher-stakes programs airing in prime time. The rise of quiz shows was short-lived, as many were exposed as scripted or biased in the 1950s quiz show scandals. Panel shows survived the scandals and made a comeback in American daytime television in the 1970s. Game shows lost their permanent place in the daytime lineup by the mid-1980s, but Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! found success in syndication. The British game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? became a hit in the US and led to several short-lived high-stakes games in the late 1990s. Prime time revivals of classic daytime game shows began to emerge in the mid-2010s. International game show franchises generally only see Canadian adaptations in a series of specials. The Japanese game show is a distinct format, borrowing heavily from variety formats, physical stunts, and athletic competitions. Many of the prizes awarded on game shows are provided through product placement.History of Bonus Rounds in Game Shows

• Insurance companies may refuse to insure a show if the prize is won too often, as seen in The Price is Right $1,000,000 Spectacular series.
• American networks had restrictions on the amount of money that could be given away on a game show from the 1960s to the 1990s.
• The lifting of these restrictions in the 1990s was a major factor in the explosion of high-stakes game shows in the later part of that decade.
• A bonus round usually follows a main game as a bonus to the winner of that game, and the stakes are higher and the game is considered to be tougher.
• The game play of a bonus round usually varies from the standard game play of the front game, and there are often borrowed or related elements of the main game in the bonus round.
• The bonus round is often played for the show's top prize and is almost always played without an opponent.
• Until the 1960s, most game shows did not offer a bonus round.
• One of the earliest forms of bonus rounds was the Jackpot Round of the original series Beat the Clock.
• Another early bonus round ended each episode of You Bet Your Life with the team who won the most money answering one final question for a jackpot.
• Another early example was the Lightning Round on the word game Password, starting in 1961.
• The end game of Match Game, hosted for most of its run by Gene Rayburn, served as the impetus for a completely new game show.
• The bonus round came about after game show producer Mark Goodson was first presented Password.

"Test your game show knowledge with our quiz on the history of bonus rounds! From the first televised game shows to the explosion of high-stakes programs in the 90s, learn about the evolution of bonus rounds and their role in game show culture. Challenge yourself with questions on classic game shows like Beat the Clock, You Bet Your Life, and Password. Impress your friends with trivia on the game show scandals of the 50s and the rise of panel shows in the 70s. Put