Of all the game shows that have aired since the late 40s, there have been many hosts, including several who have gone on to greater fame with multiple shows. Here is HSGN's Top 10 Game Show Hosts of All-Time.
1. Bill Cullen. Not only has he hosted more game shows than anyone on this list with 23, he was a regular panelist on two long running shows. He had a 15 year run on I've Got a Secret and a nine year run where he also filled in as host on the syndicated revival of To Tell the Truth with another host who made this list. He was a bright and witty man who made the contestants feel at home and brought humor to the proceedings. Though Cullen hosted a number of flops throughout his career, he was best known for hosting the original Price is Right and a couple of games that were produced by his best friend Bob Stewart Eye Guess and Three on a Match. When you watch a Cullen show, you usually saw him seated due to a limp that came from polio.
2. Bob Barker. He was discovered by Ralph Edwards when he heard him on his car radio and was hired in 1956 to host Truth or Consequences in two runs that would run a total of 18 years. But his biggest success came in 1972 when Mark Goodson hired him to host the revamped Price is Right and he would stay with the show until he retired in 2007. His ability to handle audience participation shows and bring out the best in contestants that were chosen from the audience earned him many Emmy Awards.
3. Bob Eubanks. At the age of 28, he made his TV debut as host of The Newlywed Game, a show he would host in three other incarnations. Though he hosted several flops such as The Diamond Head Game, Rhyme and Reason and Trivia Trap, his other game show success was the 1986-89 version of Card Sharks. What puts Eubanks high on the list is his ability to do what every great game show host does well, listen and react. And he did that so well with a dash of humor mixed in. One little known fact about Eubanks, he managed country superstars Dolly Parton and Merle Haggard.
4. Alex Trebek. Since he came from Canada in 1973 to host NBC's The Wizard of Odds, he has hosted shows such as High Rollers, Double Dare (not the kids show on Nickelodeon), The $128,000 Question and Battlestars. In 1984, he would become the host of Jeopardy and he still guiding the show 32 years later. In 1991, he became the first host to host three daily game shows with Classic Concentration and To Tell the Truth along with Jeopardy. He was also the host of The National Geographic Bee from 1989-2013.
5. Allen Ludden. One of the best dressed hosts of all-time, Ludden would be the original host of the GE College Bowl until he became the host of the landmark word game Password. Not only would Password be his greatest success, it was on that show he would meet and later marry Betty White. His friendly and classy and caring personality was a plus as he interacted well with the celebrities and contestants. Ludden would also go on to host two other versions of Password until he had to step down due to cancer, which took his life in 1981. Two little known facts about Ludden, he would host a quiz segment on the program Agriculture USA and a PBS game show on personal finance You Owe it to Yourself, which aired on the Twin Cities on KTCA-TV in the mid 70s.
6. Garry Moore. He was one of the busiest hosts of the 50s and 60s that had two long running hits. The first was I've Got a Secret, which he hosted from 1952-64 and his own variety show that introduced the nation to a young comedienne named Carol Burnett who sang about making a fool of herself over John Foster Dulles. Moore would make a comeback in 1969 when he replaced Bud Collyer as host of To Tell the Truth. He would host the show until he developed throat cancer and had to leave the show in 1977.
7. Wink Martindale. Since making his national debut in 1964 (aka Win) as host of What's This Song, he would host several other short-lived game shows such as How's Your Mother in Law, Words and Music and Can You Top This before he hit it big with Gambit and later Tic Tac Dough. He would also create and host Headline Chasers and host other cable shows, including Debt. Before he made it big in game shows, he had a hit record with Deck of Cards.
8. Tom Kennedy. The brother of Jack Narz, Kennedy would become a household name in 1963 when he became the host of You Don't Say. He would also have two other hit shows, Split Second and the long running Name That Tune. He would also host an attempted effort to bring back the big money quiz show 50 Grand Slam but it was gone after 13 weeks. Kennedy would also go on to replace Ludden as host of Password Plus in 1980 when Ludden left due to illness.
9. Monty Hall. He hosted shows in his native Canada before coming to the United States in the mid 50s. He would be a substitute host on Strike it Rich and Twenty One before he replaced Narz as host of the first Heatter-Quigley game show Video Village in 1960. Three years later, he would create, produce and host the show that would be his biggest hit, Let's Make a Deal. It would run for 13 years, the first five on NBC before moving to ABC for the rest of its run. He was the perfect host for one of the hardest formats to host since there are so many different variables but Hall made it look easy, putting the costumed contestants at ease and injecting humor. Before hosting game shows, he was the radio color commentator for the New York Rangers home games until he was hired for Video Village.
10. The final host in the top 10 is Gene Rayburn. After becoming the first announcer on The Tonight Show in 1954, he would go on to hosting game shows such as Dough Re Mi, Choose Up Sides and Play Your Hunch before becoming the host of the original Match Game in 1962. He would be brought back to host the extremely popular 70s incarnation that brought his wacky sense of humor into the forefront. He also read the comedic questions as he portrayed characters such as Dracula and Old Man Periwinkle. He was also one of the few hosts who never lived in California, commuting every other week for each taping from his Cape Cod home.
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