3's A Crowd

OPENING SPIEL #1 (Syndication): From the Chuck Barris stages in Hollywood, California, it's 3's a Crowd''! Yes, it's 3's a Crowd, the game who knows the husband best, his wife, or his secretary. And now, let's meet the husbands... (insert three husbands about facts). Those are husbands for today, and now, here's your host, the star of 3's a Crowd, Jim Peck.''

OPENING SPIEL #2 (GSN): ''Let's meet today's 3's a Crowd trios... We got (insert three middle persons and their friends from both sides). Today, we'll find out who knows who better on All-New 3's a Crowd. And now (insert funny fact), Alan Thicke!''

REST OF SPIEL (GSN):'' Thank you. Hi, everybody, and welcome to the All-New 3's a Crowd. Here's what we do, we take three people, add two of the most important folks of their lives and find out who knows them better.'' This was a show where they decide who knows who better.

Broadcast
Syndication - September 17, 1979-February 1, 1980

GSN - 2000

Packagers
Chuck Barris Productions (1979-1980)

The Phil Gurin Company/Columbia TriStar Television Distribution (2000)

Hosts
Jim Peck - 1979-1980

Alan Thicke - 2000

Announcers
Johnny Jacobs - 1979-1980

Randy West - 2000

Bob Hilton (sub in 2000)

Syndicated version
Hosted by Jim Peck, this version's tagline was "Who knows a man better, his wife or his secretary?" It bore many similarities to Barris' The Newlywed Game. Three sets of husband-wife-secretary teams appeared, and the game started with the men answering three pointed questions, usually referencing their wives and secretaries in ways that would lead to potential marital discord.

The secretaries then were brought back to answer the same questions, followed by the wives. Whichever team — wives or secretaries — matched the men's answers more often split a $1,000 prize ($333.33 each or $166.67 if the wives & secretaries tied). The men received an announced prize for their participation.

Broadcast history
Because of the show's premise of adultery and sexual innuendo, Three's a Crowd immediately attracted strong criticism from both feminists and conservative religious activists. According to Barris in his first autobiography, The Game Show King, the protests against the show – as well as the sometimes-evident lack of fun the contestants seemed to be having on it – prompted him to retreat from television production entirely.

At the time, Barris' company had three other shows on the air: revivals of both The Dating Game and The Newlywed Game, and the still-running syndicated The Gong Show. Barris wrote that "The public backlash from Three's a Crowd not only caused the program to be canceled, but it took three other TV shows of mine with it. I went to my house in Malibu and stayed there for a year." Indeed, it was largely due to the backlash from Three's a Crowd that ratings for all of his other shows – including the still-popular Gong Show – plummeted and were removed from the air by the start of the next television season.

The series was replaced on February 4 by a revival of Camouflage, also produced by Barris. This show also failed and was canceled after thirteen weeks, largely due to poor clearances due to its being a weekly series as opposed to a daily "strip", the former of which had fallen out of favor with TV stations by 1980.

GSN version
This version was hosted by Alan Thicke. GSN defused its remake, produced by sister company Sony Pictures Television, markedly. The wives-secretaries pairings were replaced by pairings such as wife-ex-girlfriend, wife-brother, girlfriend-best friend, girlfriend-mother and such. Just as often, a female would be the central subject with the pairings altered appropriately, etc.

Round 1
As in the original, the middle people were asked three questions about their significant others. The significant others were asked the same questions when they returned altogether. Each time they or either one match, they get 5 points.

Round 2
The tables were turned as the significant others were asked three questions about their mate. The middle people were asked the same questions when they returned altogether. Each time either one or both significant others match, they get 10 points.

Round 3: Fast Match Round
Each middle person was given four words/phrases that may or may not relate to them. They must answer with one of three possible choices such as, "Be There", "Wouldn't Dare", "No Fair"; "I Win", "I Lose", "It's a Draw" etc. (so, in other words, choice A would be a "Yes" answer, choice B would be a "No" answer, and choice C would be a "Maybe" answer) Before they answer, each significant other must lock in their predictions to how their mates will answer. Once again each match is worth 10 points.

Originally, the middle person makes the choice of an answer after locking in their answer; in Season 2 the person now holds the card (like in the first round) to show the answer after they locked it in.

Unlike the original, the significant others don't work as a team, so it's every person for themselves. The significant other with the most points at show's end won $1,000. The central characters, as before, received an unannounced prize for participating.

Episode status
Most, if not all, of the original series is intact. GSN reran many episodes, including two pilots from 1978 and a third from 1979. The pilots are distinguishable from the rest of the series through a somewhat different set (a brown backdrop with green stripes behind the contestants, plus Peck's podium having a large "3" as the backdrop) and Peck himself not having a "perm".

All episodes exist of the GSN revival.

Links
Josh Rebich's 3's A Crowd Rule Sheets

YouTube Videos
A big fight ensued in the show's premiere

A clip from the GSN revival