zpostcode
List of Famous Game Shows
Sep 9, 2025 9:54 PM

  

List of Famous Game Shows1

  Twenty-One Host Jack Barry standing at the podium while contestant Charles Van Doren (right) ponders a question during the television quiz show Twenty-One. (more) List of Famous Game Shows Ask the Chatbot a Question More Actions Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/topic/List-of-Famous-Game-Shows Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Select a type (Required) Factual Correction Spelling/Grammar Correction Link Correction Additional Information Other Your Feedback Submit Feedback Thank you for your feedback Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

  External Websites Ask the Chatbot a Question Written by Laura Payne Laura Payne is a freelance writer whose work covers many topics. She is a former Wayne State University linguistics instructor. Laura Payne Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Jan 24, 2025 • Article History Table of Contents Table of Contents Ask the Chatbot a Question { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " What was the scandal involving the game show Twenty-One? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "In August 1958 former contestant Herbert Stempel revealed that Twenty-One was rigged. A federal investigation followed, and Charles Van Doren admitted to participating in the sham during a congressional hearing in 1959." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " What is the format of The Chase? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "The Chase is a quiz-based game show in which a team of four players competes against a u201Cchaser.u201D Players answer questions to earn money and face the chaser to win more. The final round involves answering more questions than the chaser to win the cash." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " How did Jeopardy! originate? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "Jeopardy! was created by Merv Griffin in 1964 after a conversation with his wife, who suggested giving contestants the answers and having them come up with the questions. The show became a cultural staple and was hosted by Alex Trebek from 1984 until his death in 2020." } } ] } Top Questions What was the scandal involving the game show Twenty-One? In August 1958 former contestant Herbert Stempel revealed that Twenty-One was rigged. A federal investigation followed, and Charles Van Doren admitted to participating in the sham during a congressional hearing in 1959.

  What is the format of The Chase? The Chase is a quiz-based game show in which a team of four players competes against a “chaser.” Players answer questions to earn money and face the chaser to win more. The final round involves answering more questions than the chaser to win the cash.

  How did Jeopardy! originate? Jeopardy! was created by Merv Griffin in 1964 after a conversation with his wife, who suggested giving contestants the answers and having them come up with the questions. The show became a cultural staple and was hosted by Alex Trebek from 1984 until his death in 2020.

  Game shows were first introduced to audiences on radio broadcasts in the mid-1930s, and they have been captivating television viewers since the first one aired on the BBC in May 1938. The blend of entertainment, competition, and suspense, combined with the ability to play along from home, continues to attract viewers to the genre. (There is an entire television network—aptly named the Game Show Network, founded in 1994—devoted to airing reruns of classic game shows as well as new entries.) Game shows are produced around the world and come in various types, including quiz, puzzle, and reality shows. Some have ...(100 of 975 words)

  Access the full article Help support true facts by becoming a member. Subscribe today!

Comments
Welcome to zpostcode comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Recommend >
Yorgos Lanthimos
  Yorgos Lanthimos (born September 23, 1973, Athens, Greece) is a Greek director and screenwriter known for his surreal films that combine absurd scenarios, striking set designs, and stories of penetrating psychological insight. Lanthimos learned his trade directing television commercials and music videos in Greece before turning to feature films. His movies include The Favourite (2018) and Poor Things (2023), both...
Valerie Adams
  Valerie Adams (born October 6, 1984, Rotorua, New Zealand) is a retired shot-putter and Olympian who was virtually undefeated in the major international competitions in her sport between 2006 and 2014. She competed in five Olympic Games, earning gold medals in two. Adams also earned gold medals in three Commonwealth Games and several IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) World...
Wu Minxia
  Wu Minxia (born November 10, 1985, Shanghai, China) is the most-decorated female athlete in the history of diving and became the most-decorated Chinese athlete in Olympic history at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. There she won her seventh medal overall, more than any other Chinese athlete. One of the medals Wu won was a gold medal for the...
Sophie Pascoe
  Sophie Pascoe (born January 8, 1993, Christchurch, New Zealand) is a New Zealand swimmer and the country’s most successful Paralympian, having won a total of 19 Paralympic medals. She has competed in four Paralympic Games, a major international sports competition for athletes with disabilities comparable to the Olympic Games. For Paralympic athletes there are 10 eligible impairment types—including limb deficiency,...
Information Recommendation
Tamara de Lempicka
  Tamara de Lempicka (born May 16, 1898?, Warsaw, Poland?—died March 18, 1980, Cuernavaca, Mexico) was a 20th-century artist who created a unique painting style, often called “stylized cubism,” which appears to combine the monumentality of 16th-century Mannerism, the mechanical feel of Italian Futurism, and the exaggeration of contemporary fashion magazines. De Lempicka is perhaps best known for depicting the ideal...
Battle of Carthage
     How Hannibal's conquests led to the fall of CarthageOverview of the rise and fall of Carthage, with a detailed discussion of Hannibal's victories against Rome, including the Battle of Cannae, and his later defeat at the Battle of Zama.(more)See all videos for this articleThe Battle of Carthage in 146 bce ended generations of war between the Phoenician-founded city and...
Battle of Balaklava
  Battle of Balaklava, also spelled Balaclava, (Oct. 25 [Oct. 13, Old Style], 1854), indecisive military engagement of the Crimean War, best known as the inspiration of the English poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s “Charge of the Light Brigade.” In this battle, the Russians failed to capture Balaklava, the Black Sea supply port of the British, French, and Turkish allied forces in...
Roy Cohn
  Roy Cohn (born February 20, 1927, Bronx, New York, U.S.—died August 2, 1986, Bethesda, Maryland) was a lawyer and a controversial public figure who rose to prominence through his alliance with U.S. Sen. Joseph McCarthy and his tenacious legal representation of high-profile clients, including businessman and future U.S. president Donald Trump, shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, and organized-crime leaders, such as...
Stephanie Wilson
  Stephanie Wilson (born September 27, 1966, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.) is an American astronaut who has made three spaceflights to the International Space Station (ISS) on the space shuttle Discovery and is part of the Artemis team of astronauts who are to fly to the Moon in the mid-2020s. She was the second Black woman in space, after Mae Jemison.   Wilson...
Sally Pearson
  Sally Pearson (born September 19, 1986, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia) is a retired track athlete and Olympian considered to be one of the most successful Australian hurdlers of all time. Pearson won a gold medal in the 100-meter hurdles at the London 2012 Olympic Games, and she was also the world champion in the event in 2011 and 2017....
Sergeant Stubby
     Sergeant Stubby at your serviceStubby sporting a blanket bedecked with medals made for him by the women of a French town he helped liberate during World War I.(more)Sergeant Stubby was a stray dog whose heroic service during World War I (1914–18) saved lives and even led to the capture of a German spy. He was the unofficial mascot for...
Satoshi Nakamoto
     Satoshi NakamotoHypothetical depiction of Bitcoin developer Satoshi Nakamoto.(more)Satoshi Nakamoto is the presumed pseudonym used by the person (or persons) who helped develop the first Bitcoin software and introduced the concept of cryptocurrency to the general public via the paper “Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System” (2008). Nakamoto was the first to solve the problem of digital cryptocurrency being wrongly...