The Joker's Wild (Host: Pat Finn)
For those of you unfamiliar with little-known game show versions, this list is going to introduce you to some "wild" facts. It's only fitting that the first game show being featured is the 1990 revival of The Joker's Wild. Originally conceived as television's first 90-minute game show under the name The Honeymoon Game, the format everyone has come to know and love ran on CBS from September of 1972 to June of 1975 and in syndication from September of 1977 to May of 1986.
The Joker's Wild was created, produced and hosted by Jack Barry, who was making a major comeback after being involved with the 1950s' quiz show scandal. Another game show he created, produced and hosted, Twenty One, was part of the rigging era when it was revealed that popular contestants were informed of the answers to their games. Despite his downfall, Barry returned in a big way, creating a format that many enjoyed watching daily and hosting the show with his dry wit from its inception until his death in 1984. Legendary game show host Bill Cullen took over in '84 until the show's cancellation in 1986.
With the return of The Joker's Wild came big changes as the original format was disregarded and instead made into a "game of definitions." In fact, half-way through the run, a new format was created which incorporated elements from the original Joker's Wild. Format one involved the slot machine containing dollar amounts. The person in control received the amount spun for every correct answer. An incorrect answer meant another player could buzz in and steal that amount of money and gain control of the wheels. Two of the three players moved on to the second round, where the dollar amounts were increased on the wheels and categories were in play. The third wheel for both rounds featured a Joker space, which tripled the amount of money spun on the first two wheels.
The second format had contestants spinning the wheels which now contained various categories, just like on the original show. A single category was worth $25 per answer, a double was worth $50 and a triple was worth $100. Each wheel answer contained Jokers, which, of course, were wild, and spinning three Jokers earned the players an automatic $250 and $100 for each correct answer to a selected category. During both formats, the first player to reach $2,000 won the game and advanced to the bonus round.
The bonus round did not contain devils, but instead more definitions. The contestants had 60 seconds and were given three definitions to a word beginning with a specific letter. Every word guessed correctly earned them a spin on the Joker machine. If they could spin three of the same prize, they won it, but spinning three Jokers meant they would win a cash jackpot.
The 1990 Joker's Wild was hosted by Pat Finn, who would later go on to host Shop 'Til You Drop for a total of seven years. Pat was a fantastic host as he was able to read so many definitions without making a single stutter and you can feel his genuine excitement when a contestant won, especially in the bonus round. Plus, it helped that Pat has one of the nicest smiles in game show industry. While the show took a formatting direction that ultimately led to it's short-lived run, the game itself wasn't too bad. The definitions aspect put a unique twist on the game, and if the second format featuring the categories was used from the beginning, the show had a chance of lasting longer. The first format took away the aspect every viewer loved hearing, "Joker ... Joker ... Joker!" You can't expect The Joker's Wild to last if there are hardly any Jokers on the wheels.
Currently, rapper Snoop Dogg hosts a version of The Joker's Wild on TBS, but Pat Finn should have definitely been given the opportunity to emcee The Joker's Wild again because he was superb as the 1990 version's host. It's unfortunate that the game itself put him out of a job.
There has been a critical error on your website.<\/p>
Learn more about debugging in WordPress.<\/a><\/p>","data":{"status":500},"additional_errors":[]}