Come on Down for This Quiz on Classic Game Shows

The wheel at the center of "Wheel of Fortune" has been spinning on screens since 1975, but while the show has long featured Vanna White and Pat Sajak, neither of them appeared on the show at the outset. The original host was Chuck Woolery, a game show mainstay who went on to host "Love Connection" and "Scrabble" after leaving “Wheel” in 1981.

The game show “Cash Cab” was a smash hit during its initial run from 2005 to 2012. Host and comedian Ben Bailey — who had previously driven limos to pay his bills — drove a taxi through New York City and asked passengers trivia questions for prize money. The series was inspired by a British show of the same name.

Alex Trebek began standing at the podium on “Jeopardy!” in 1984 and remained there until his death in 2020. During his tenure on the quiz show, Trebek also led the NBC show “Classic Concentration” from 1988 until 1991 and hosted some episodes of “To Tell the Truth” in 1991. Trebek was the first person to host three American game shows at the same time.

Having starred in both the U.K and U.S. versions of “The Chase,” Mark Labbett is so intimidatingly knowledgeable he is known as “The Beast.” On the show, contestants correctly answer as many trivia questions as they can before going up against Labbett, who tries to “chase” down and surpass that total number of correct answers.

“You Bet Your Life” debuted as a radio game show in 1947, and was first broadcast on NBC television three years later. The program was hosted by comedian Groucho Marx, who delivered one-liners that kept audiences roaring with laughter. After bantering with the contestants, Marx would ask them trivia questions for prize money.

The Monty Hall problem is a statistical probability puzzle named after Monty Hall, the host of “Let’s Make a Deal” from 1963 to 1986. The problem is based on the final round of the show, during which contestants were given the opportunity to select from three mystery doors, one of which concealed a grand prize. After one of the “losing” doors was revealed, contestants could stick with their original door or switch to the remaining door. Sticking with the original provided a one-third chance of winning, whereas switching offered a two-thirds chance.

Before she held the title of Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle was a “briefcase beauty” on the hit game show “Deal or No Deal” in 2006. Markle had been working at the U.S. embassy in Argentina when she decided she wanted to break into Hollywood. As a way to make ends meet between auditions, she worked on the game show before landing a starring role on the USA Network show “Suits.”

Before his long reign as ABC’s late night host, Jimmy Kimmel was launching zingers as a sidekick on the Comedy Central game show “Win Ben Stein’s Money” from 1997 to 2000. Kimmel had honed his comedic chops as a radio DJ for 12 years before getting his chance to co-host the show. During the audition process, Ben Stein said once they saw Kimmel they knew they didn’t need to look at anyone else.

Named after prehistoric people in Meso-America who built massive stone heads, Olmec was the giant foam face of “Legends of the Hidden Temple.” While today Olmec’s motions might be controlled animatronically, back then his lower lip was manipulated by a single two-by-four. The show’s shoestring budget also meant his flickering red eyes were just a pair of voice-activated lights bought at the local Radioshack and soldered into place.

When it came to “Match Game” panelists, Richard Dawson couldn’t be beat. His standout performance earned him a spot hosting a new game show called “Family Feud,” which premiered in 1976. Dawson pulled double duty for a while, but the grueling schedule wore on him. “Match Game” producers initially refused to let Dawson out of his contract so he suddenly became very sullen on air, and they eventually relented.

After Regis Philbin wrapped up his legendary primetime tenure on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” Meredith Vieira took over for the show’s daytime syndicated run. The veteran TV journalist and "Today Show" host appeared on the show from 2002 to 2013, the longest run of any female game show host.

Not only did IRS employee John Carpenter become the first to win the grand prize on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” in 1999, he did so with style. Carpenter skated through 14 questions without using a single lifeline, and when he got to the million-dollar question (“Which of these U.S. presidents appeared on the television series ‘Laugh-In’?"), he used “phone-a-friend” to call his dad to tell his father he was going to be a millionaire.

Steve Martin was a writer for “The Smothers Brothers” when he got a chance to woo Dean Martin’s daughter as Bachelor #2 on "The Dating Game." Introduced as “a wild and crazy guy” years before he made the phrase famous on “Saturday Night Live,” the funnyman told Deana he’d like to be locked in a Goodwill overnight and try on all the old clothes. She ended up picking Martin, and the two won a trip to Italy.

Although he stole scenes in “Bewitched” as the wicked Uncle Arthur, most TV watchers are probably familiar with Paul Lynde for his 11-year residency (1968-1979) in the center of the “Hollywood Squares.” Lynde’s razor-sharp wit and campy delivery combined to dish out double entendres that left audiences in stitches and earned him three Emmy nominations.

In the first few episodes of “Jeopardy!,” contestants were allowed to buzz in while host Alex Trebek was still reading the clue. It was distracting and led to many rushed (and wrong) responses. Today a signal lights up to indicate to contestants when the host has stopped reading and buzzing is allowed. An itchy buzzer-thumb locks a player out for a quarter of a second, which can make or break who answers first.

For “Wheel of Fortune’s” final round, contestants are given the letters “R,” “S,” “T,” “L,” “N,” and “E,” then asked to select three more consonants and a vowel. An evaluation of over 1,500 final rounds revealed contestants most often select “C,” “M,” “D,” and “A” as their chosen letters; however, an analysis of the same puzzles show the letters that most frequently appear are “G,” “H,” and “P,” with “O.”

“Big bucks, big bucks, no Whammies, STOP!” This was the mating call of the “Press Your Luck” contestant, hoping to lure in cash and resist the red critters that wiped out their totals. The big board had 54 possible outcomes, nine of which were dreaded “Whammies.”

One of the many charms of the Jeff Foxworthy-hosted show occurred when contestants flunked out or decided to take their winnings — they had to admit they were “not smarter than a fifth-grader.” Over the course of four seasons, only two people dodged this mildly humiliating fate: superintendent of Georgia public schools, Kathy Cox, and George Smoot, who also won a Nobel prize in physics.

When “Jeopardy!” creator Merv Griffin hummed a made-up lullaby for his son, he never imagined it would earn him millions. Griffin came up with the song “Think!” in less than a minute, and later realized it would be a good fit for his new game show. While “Jeopardy!” tried out a few theme songs in its earlier years, “Think!” has always played during Final Jeopardy.

During the 1970s, animal shelters were becoming filled with unwanted dogs and cats. Influenced by his wife Dorothy Jo, in 1979 Bob Barker began using his platform to ask viewers to control the pet population by having pets spayed or neutered. When Drew Carey took over in 2007, he continued using Barker’s trademark sign-off.