User:Daniel Benfield/Sold Pilot Theatre

While many game shows have sold, it's a tossup on whether their pilots (which tend to get them in the door) get aired. This also includes pitchfilms, sales presentations, and sizzle reels. Shows where only the pilot was aired (such as Grill Me) are in the Unsold Pilot Theatre.

LEGAL STUFF SO I DON'T GET SUED: I'm only linking to these videos, none of which (barring two exceptions) were uploaded by me, for the purposes of research and as a public record. All footage is copyrighted by their respective copyright holders, and I'm using that wording because there's way too many of them to list here.

Aired
Pilots that aired during their respective shows' runs, typically first (such as National Bingo Night) but in some cases (such as You Deserve It and Take the Money & Run) last. This does not include pilots that were aired by GSN, but were originally not meant to be televised.

3's A Crowd (1979)
Aired September 17-19, 1979 (taped at Hollywood Center Studios); hosted by Jim Peck

Has a more "full" set (although no "SECRETARY"/"WIFE" placards), and Jim doesn't have that goofy-looking "perm" he'd sport in the series. Listings are Husbands, Secretaries, Wives.


 * September 17, 1979 (Pilot #1/Premiere: Husbands - Guy/Art/Bob; Secretaries - Joy/Judy/Rose; Wives - Christy/Tina/Jane...and a catfight breaks out over spaghetti! {taped 12/78}; taped from GSN's "50 Greatest Game Shows of All-Time" farce, as #50 {alternate copy of "catfight" portion})
 * September 19, 1979 (Pilot #3: Husbands - Don/Gary/Steve; Secretaries - Cathy/Barbara/Liz; Wives - Phyllis/Laurie/Kenni {taped early 1979}; taped from GSN)

He Said She Said
Aired 1969; hosted by Joe Garagiola

A celebrity couple competes against three civilian couples. Not entirely sure whether this aired during the show's original run, though.


 * 1969 (Gene & Helen Rayburn/Thor & Marnie Stratton/Bob & Jean Babblewall/Newt & Beth Koll; taped from GSN)

How Do You Like Your Eggs?
March 23-31, 1977; hosted by Bill Cullen

A local show from Columbus, Ohio, broadcast live on four nights through Warner's QUBE cable service. The first two episodes had five choices per question in the front game, which was dropped to four for the last two shows; the fifth slot was covered up by a display showing how many "home families" had answered the question.

Five choices per question
 * March 23, 1977 (Premiere: Sue & Larry vs. Lenore & Bob)

Four choices per question
 * March 30, 1977 (#3: Andy & Sara vs. Jim & Maureen)
 * March 31, 1977 (Finale: Carl & Gayle vs. Charles & Sue {uploaded by me})

I've Got a Secret (1976)
Aired June 15-22, 1976; hosted by Bill Cullen

The first two episodes of the four-show Summer run, taped September 28, 1975. The other two episodes were taped June 11, 1976, the only difference being the presence of Phyllis George instead of Elaine Joyce.


 * June 15, 1976 (Pilot #1/Premiere: Elaine Joyce, Richard Dawson, Pat Collins, Henry Morgan; Special Guest: Rodney Dangerfield {taped 9/28/75})

Make Me Laugh! (1979)
Aired 1979; hosted by Bobby Van

No real differences from what I can tell. Not entirely sure whether this aired during the show's original run, though.


 * 1978 (Johnny Dark, Bill Kirchenbauer, Roger & Roger; Contestants: Pamelia, Edward, Sharon Lee; no credits)

Name That Tune (1984)
Aired around late March 1985; hosted by Jim Lange

A "pilot week" with a different intro and somewhat different set. Aired on at least a few stations around late March '85, and probably as a result they were in the package aired by The Family Channel.


 * 1984 (Pilot #1: Diana Davis vs. Alfred Bogdalioff)
 * 1984 (Pilot #2 or #5: Donna vs. Ken {last names given, but not displayed})
 * 1984 (Pilot #3: Connie Arnold vs. Ross Curran)
 * 1984 (Pilot #4: Dee O'Connor vs. Duane Krause)

The Newlywed Game (1984)
February 13-17, 1984 (taped January 27, 1984 at ABC Television Center in Hollywood); hosted by Jim Lange

One of the many, many week-long things ABC tried plugging into the schedule around this point. Has a slightly different set from the eventual series.


 * February 1984 (Promo for the special week)

The Parent Game
Aired September 4-5 or 11 (not sure if it was weekly or daily), 1972; hosted by Clark Race

The first two episodes to air were also the pilots, with a slightly different set, a different theme, and Charlie O'Donnell announcing (Johnny Jacobs did the other 21 episodes that are known to exist).


 * September 4, 1972 (Pilot #1/Premiere: Mike & Sherry Dekovsky/Chuck & Marina Mosier/Louis & Tracy Davey; intro and first 7:30 of gameplay, taped from GSN)

The Perfect Match (1967)
Aired September 18-19 or 25, 1967 (at least two pilots); hosted by Dick Enberg

Different intro and opening theme. Most notably, the magnet board is on Dick's right, the envelopes have a yellow-on-blue color scheme, and the magnets themselves don't really work like they should.

Not entirely sure whether these aired during the show's original run, though.


 * September 1967 (Men - Larry/Art/Bill; Women - Sharon/Arden/Sue; taped from GSN)

Pop Quiz Hotshot
Aired March 31, 2015; hosted by Brad Jones as "Brad Jones" (see below)

So...Channel Awesome does an Indiegogo fundraiser in mid-2013, gets nearly $90,000, spends over $47,000 on studio upgrades and the initial costs for this thing, has issues with production, and finally releases the first episode in March 2015...and boy, do a lot of people want their money back.

On the other hand, the production itself is clearly satire in a similar way to The Cheap Show, essentially being a half-hour skit (Brad himself has said that he suggested to Doug and Rob Walker that this be a satire of the genre), so anything I could say on the format would be pointless.

(And yes, I know I had a long frickin' dissertation of this show here before. That was to see if anybody would notice.)

The storyline is that Brad is a dictator version of himself who wants to do a game show, so he puts on a low-budget one by kidnapping people to be his contestants. The aforementioned questions unexpectedly throw in ones about politics, wars, and death; losing the main game gets you "shot"; and losing the final round also "kills" you. They don't show the "deaths" on-camera, though.

Brad's a funny guy and I love his stuff (for the most part), and I hope he took some medication for the back pain he got from carrying this thing.

I don't know if this was an April Fool's joke or not, but a lot of people didn't get it in any case. To be fair, it's not hard to see why if you judge the game show format in the game show as...well, a game show.

Greggo offered to help improve the show, noting that the endgame is fine but the front game is pointless, unrewarding, and boring. He also notes that the premise is rather similar to a game show he almost took to pilot with ADV Films in the early 2000s. Similarly, Channel Awesome contributor GuruLarry had some choice words about the show in the comments of this YouTube video (itself LordKaT and friends doing a long beatdown of this show):

"They said absolutely nothing to the other CA members on this series, we weren't even privy to seeing an early airing of it. it was all behind closed doors.

Which is ironic as a certain long time contributor on their site has worked multiple times for Endemol, the company that makes several international game shows on Television, such as Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, Wipeout, Golden Balls Etc. So knows what goes into making a proper game show.

''I'd be here all day saying what needs to be changed. But really there needs to be a catch to make it interesting, putting wacky characters on top still doesn't disguise it's just a basic question based show."''

If I can level anything against this, it's all behind-the-scenes aspects: the Indiegogo promotion specifically noted that some of the money would go toward finishing the sets and soundproofing them. The resulting show has echoing all over the place.

According to former Channel Awesome contributor Obscurus Lupa, who was let go from the site by CEO Mike Michaud for probably the pettiest of reasons, the pilot was taped and retaped at least 17 times, most with the same questions "and guests" (contestants, maybe?). Per her, at the time the other two game shows didn't have names, much less any production started.

tl;dr – While the show's a satire of the genre, some of the Indiegogo backers feel ripped-off due to Channel Awesome's troubled behind-the-scenes crap and them only ever saying "It's a game show!" and not "It's a half-hour skit!", and I can definitely agree that 18 months and $47,000+ is probably way too much to record and release a single episode. Add the fact that the Indiegogo page said this would be a weekly series and it took until July 15, 2015 to do so (albeit after the show was substantially retooled into something that's less "satire of the genre" and more "quiz with a silly storyline and format that better fit the Nostalgia Critic anyway"), and you've got a mess of a pilot.


 * March 31, 2015 (Max vs. John, although I'm not sure whether they're actors {alternate copy, albeit with a snarky title})
 * [For the game show fan, there's questions about Remote Control, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, and Monopoly.]

Shopper's Casino
Aired September 8, 1987; hosted by Jeff Maxwell and Debbie Sue Maffett

I've gotten confirmation this was actually a series, which ran from at least September 8-29. And yeah, I know it's bad. Really bad. So bad that it didn't show up online until April 2013.

Of all things, the May 2, 1989 Weekly World News had a blurb on Cynthia Brooks and namedropped this show. Yes, really.


 * September 8, 1987 (Maryann vs. Rich; has most commercials)

To Tell the Truth (1990)
Aired September 3, 1990; hosted by Richard Kline

More basic set (combining elements from the Collyer and mid-1970s sets), a different host, and Charlie O'Donnell announcing (he subbed for Burton Richardson on the series). Two pilots were made, but weren't supposed to air – NBC mistakenly fed Pilot #2 to the East Coast instead of the premiere!


 * September 3, 1990 (Pilot #2: Morton Downey Jr., Cindy Adams, Lynn Swann, Lynn Redgrave {taped 1/19/90}; Subjects: Robin Mormello {Wall Street worker who posed nude for Playboy}, Harley Lou Cobb {put a sign on his lawn to attract a wife}; no credits)

Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
Aired December 18/24, 1991; hosted by Greg Lee

Has a bunch of differences large (the scoring system, plus in the Loot-Warrant-Crook round the players didn't have to find them in that order) and small (Pilot #1 had a ransom note rather than the Phone Tap). At least one airing of each had a slide and voiceover put in front of the show noting that while the scoring was different, the game was the same.

On a side note, I have no idea what the last taped episode of the series was; best I can tell is (appropriately) "Wave Bye Bye", taped 6/20/95.


 * December 18, 1991 (Pilot #1/"The Purloined Pooch": Jerrylyn/Prashant/Mike, with Rockapella performing "Zombie Jamboree"!; begins just before Corporation for Public Broadcasting plug {alternate copy})
 * December 24, 1991 (Pilot #2/"The Disoriented Express": Jacki/Ted/Cade, with a strange audience game after the show; taped from WTVS {alternate copy... thing, no pre-intro disclaimer, post-Season 1 theme dubbed over credits})

Win, Lose or Draw (1987, Convy)
Aired September 5 or 6, 1987; hosted by Bert Convy

Taped at Television City with a slightly different logo, very different contestant nametags, Rod Roddy announcing, and the caricature drawings only have the celebrities' heads. Aired as a "Sneak Preview" the weekend before the show's debut on September 7.


 * September 1987 (Loni Anderson/Zee/Betty White vs. Burt Reynolds/Jerry/Tony Danza {taped 11/2/86}, with a pretty obvious reshoot during Jerry's interview {his jacket changes for this part only, then changes back right afterward})

You Bet Your Life (1947)
Aired December 28, 1949; hosted by Groucho Marx

Not really a "pilot" in the traditional sense, but a test film presumably designed to show what a TV version might look like. As mentioned by Groucho at the end of the show, it was also the last episode with original sponsor Elgin-American; the next week (January 4, 1950), DeSoto took over sponsorship and remained until about 1957.

The "primary" copy is from a Marx Brothers DVD or compilation of some sort, and has some edits to remove flubbed lines and the pre-intro banter; the "alternate" copy has slightly lower quality, but no edits and is about two minutes longer as a result. Both are nearly an hour long, per standard recording practice of the series.


 * December 28, 1949 (#49-13: Howard & Arlene Scala/Evelyn Fredricksen & Larry Steams/Dr. Mar Elia & Jess Swope {taped 12/5/49}; has commercials, albeit read offstage {alternate copy, see above for differences})

You Don't Know Jack
Aired July 18, 2001 (taped at Television City Studio 36); hosted by Paul Reubens as Troy Stevens

Given how downright-weird this show was, it's not really a surprise that they'd air the pilot (with a slightly different set and graphics) last.


 * July 18, 2001 (Pilot/Finale: Stewart/Vivicca/Terry {taped 12/00})

Unaired
For pilots and such that didn't air, despite the show itself selling. This could be due to a format change, a host change, or the pilot itself not being too good. Occasionally, though, pilot footage gets aired by the show or in a special (or, in one odd instance, as a semi-gag in a film).

100%
Taped 1998; series aired January - September?, 1999

Hosted by Mark Henning (Casey Kasem did the series, which was a waste of him and his talents). The British loved this show, making a franchise out of it. America, though...? Boredom. This is a pretty good example of how a straightforward quiz does in fact need something to prop it up.

And this isn't really relevant to anything, but this show was cheap in the States – they touted a $100,000 top prize, but the actual payout was $10 per right answer. A perfect score awarded an extra $99,000, and the closest anybody got in the British franchise was a 94.

Basically, it's like Family Feud since 2001 but with five times the top prize: you're winning either $100,000, or less than $1,000.


 * 1998 (Pitchfilm with clips of the pilot {Kevin/Dana/John}, some amusing claims {100% is more exciting than the internet? Seriously?}, outright admission of its own cheapness {the payout being $10 per answer}, and clips of far better game shows you could be watching instead of this; slightly blurry video)
 * [The pitch claims that 100% is "more game, less show". Okay, fair point and I'm all for more meatiness to my game shows, but there is such a thing as "too much game, not enough show". I really could tear apart this pitch's claims, they're that laughable.]

The $1,000,000 Chance of a Lifetime
Taped 1985; series aired January 6, 1986 - September 11, 1987

Different intro spiel, slightly different set, and different graphics. Clips were used in a couple of behind-the-scenes reports.


 * 1985 (Carey & Lauren Heck? vs. Heidi & Chuck Mahalick?; intro and tail end of bonus round, followed by a bunch of excerpts from an interview Jim did at one point)

All-Star Secrets
Taped August 6, 1978; series aired January 8 - August 10, 1979

Celebrity Secrets, with a slightly different set and a pretty different scoring system.


 * August 6, 1978 (Robert Reed, Dody Goodman, ARTHUR GODFREY?!, Lee Meriwether, Charles Nelson Reilly; Evelyn/Brooks/Joanie)

Bargain Hunters
Taped May 28, 1987 at ABC Television Center in Hollywood; series aired July 6 - September 4, 1987

Slightly different graphics, and Bargain Quiz has a Double Prices-esque format. (Games go in order of Bargain Quiz, Bargain Trap, Bargain Busters.)


 * May 28, 1987 (Lisa vs. Dorothy, Sully vs. Mart, Mary vs. Tammie {Part 3})

Beat the Clock (1979)
Taped September 4-5, 1979 (at least three pilots); series aired September 17, 1979 - February 1, 1980

Slightly different set and format, plus a slower intro.


 * September 4, 1979 (Pilot #1: Les & Mindy Solomon vs. Michael & Rhonda Gottsegen, with a format hole patched in Pilot #2; has slate! {alternate copy of intro})

Bedtime Stories
Taped March 9, 1979 at Metromedia Square in Hollywood; series aired June 18 - August, 1979

Hosted by Al Lohman & Roger Barkley, and pretty clearly played for laughs more than anything else. ...Actually, there's not much game here, with the pre-taped interviews with the couples taking up over half the show.

Still, the game format (once they get to it) is pretty interesting: stop a light for 1, 2, or 3 points, then get asked a poll question. Give the answer most of those surveyed gave, get the points; don't, your opponents get them. Whoever gets the points can spend them to mark off portions of various prizes: two points gets a brass bed, three for a hot tub, four for a video recorder or a trip to Paris, and five for a car. The first couple to mark off the rightmost segment of any prize gets it, and the first couple to get three prizes wins them.

Like I said, interesting format; I just wish the interviews didn't take up so much time.


 * March 9, 1979 (John & Nancy Caring vs. Janice & Joel Grace; has slate and a text-based sales pitch! {alternate copy of intro})
 * [The sales pitch notes that the show will be seen in the Fall; it aired for two months in the Summer instead.]

The Better Sex
Taped April 28, 1977 (at least three pilots); series aired July 18, 1977 - January 13, 1978

Seven-member teams, a 70-person audience consisting of both genders, and $7,000 on offer. The series knocked these down to six, 30 of the opposite gender, and $5,000 respectively.


 * April 28, 1977 (Pilot #3: Jeffrey/Bill/Jack/William/Chuck/Major/Jerry vs. Janet/Blanche/Glenda/Pat/Sharon/Dawn/Jerri)

The Big Showdown
Taped 1974; series aired December 23, 1974 - July 4, 1975

Called Showdown, with a slightly different set (most notably, the bonus game uses flip displays for the money rather than an Eggcrate one) and some different payouts. It's good, but got better for the series.

In probably a big kick to the pants in hindsight, a category in Round 2 is "Politics '74", which would be a great hint to when this was taped if the players didn't ignore it entirely.


 * 1974 (Nancy/Bob/Elaine)

Blackout
Taped November 8, 1986 at Television City (Studio 33); series aired January 4 - April 1, 1988

Hosted by Robb Weller, with a slightly different set.


 * November 8, 1986 (Markie Post & Charlie Siebert; partial intro, spotted during the opening of the 1994 ABC TV-movie The Stand)

Blankety Blanks
Taped February 10, 1975 at ABC Television Center in New York (at least three pilots); series aired April 21 - June 27, 1975

The front game uses letters instead of numbers (meaning the blue bars are solely dividers rather than denoting each clue), the device Bill sticks the cards into is a solid red piece rather than the much more complimentary white with black or dark-blue lines, and the "main" score displays have no dollar signs.


 * February 10, 1975 (Pilot #3: Anita Gilette & Soupy Sales; Sue vs. Candy, with Jim playing later {alternate copy of intro, with slate})

Body Language
Taped October 9, 1983 at Television City Studio 33 (three pilots); series aired June 4, 1984 - January 3, 1986

Different theme, the set and logo are green compared to the mostly-blue of the series, the scoring system is even more busted, and the bonus round is completely different.

Clips appeared in a debut promo, and Mike Burger has a review of Pilots #1 and #3 here.


 * October 9, 1983 (Pilot #2: Jenilee Harrison & Jon Bauman; ANNE-MARIE JOHNSON vs. Sam; Buzzr broadcast)
 * May? 1984 (Debut promo, with clips of a pilot)

Born Lucky
Taped December 1991 at the Sherman Oaks Galleria in Los Angeles; series aired October 5, 1992 - April 2, 1993/July 5 - December 31, 1993

Hosted by Mark Sweet, with a far more basic logo and the theme from FOX's Fun House. It's also played for real money, although since this is a pilot I suspect it's worth even less than the "Mall Money" the series had.

Speaking of the series, this has nothing that made it interesting, although the mall (which is decorated for Christmas in several shots) looks nice. :)


 * December 1991 (Players: Joe, Carlease {I swear that's what it looks like}, Nora; montage including intro, four stunts, and close)

Break the Bank (1976, daytime)
Taped March 23, 1976; series aired April 12 - July 23, 1976

Has some dome-ish backings behind the celebs; a pilot for the syndicated version had no numbers on the boxes. Clips were shown in a series-debut promo.


 * April 12, 1976 (Debut promo, with clips of the pilot {alternate copy})

Bruce Forsyth's Hot Streak
Taped October 19, 1984 (at least three pilots); series aired January 6 - April 4, 1986

Very different set, Rod Roddy announcing, and a more generous bonus round.


 * October 19, 1984 (Pilot #2: Jini/Susan/Karen/Becky/Wanda {$2,500} vs. Jack/Scott/Peter/Patrick/Peter {alternate copy, lower quality})
 * October 19, 1984 (Pilot #3: Wanda/Martha/Landa?/Jini/Kathy {$2,500} vs. Lance/Bryan/Bob/Peter/Jack; has slate!)

Bullseye
Taped November 1979; series aired September 29, 1980 - June 25, 1982

Used "Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" as the theme (the series used a similar-sounding piece), and Bonus Island used just Bullseyes and Lightning: stop a small display on Bonus Island itself to determine how many spins you get (3, 4, 5, or Bullseye), spin three Bullseyes to double your main-game winnings, and possibly take out over $1,000,000.


 * November 1979 (Gale {$13,000} vs. Scott, with Kei playing later)

Caesars Challenge
Taped 1992 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas; series aired June 14, 1993 - January 14, 1994

Has an odd betting format. Ryan Rinkerman notes in his collection "Notice the last word that comes up in the audience game." – it's PILOT.


 * 1992 (Laurel/Scott {Day 3 - $50,000+!}/Leanna {Car: Lincoln Mark VIII} {Part 3}, with a really obvious sign that the bonus game was played twice)
 * [The Instant Jackpot begins at $2,000, carried over from the previous show. Probably for the best that this was removed for the series, since a day-to-day rolling jackpot could swing the game pretty hard if it goes on long enough.]

Card Sharks (1978)
Taped March 17, 1978 (two pilots); series aired April 24, 1978 - October 23, 1981

Set's a bit different (particularly the contestant area), and the intro was recycled wholesale into the series. Clips appeared during CBS' Gameshow Marathon in 2006.


 * March 17, 1978 (Pilot #1: JACK CAMPION {$4,200} vs. Pam; has slate!)
 * March 17, 1978 (Pilot #2: Judith {$4,200} vs. Johnny; has slate!)

Celebrity Sweepstakes
Taped January 23, 1974 (two pilots); series aired April 1, 1974 - October 1, 1976

Set and format are slightly different, but that's pretty much it.


 * January 23, 1974 (Pilot #2: John Astin, Lucie Arnaz, Ted Knight, Dean Jones, Patty Duke-Astin, Jane Withers; Sandi {$12,850}/Cy/Jackie)

Chain Reaction (1980)
Taped October 28, 1979; series aired January 14 - June 20, 1980

Married couples played (albeit with the husbands and wives alternating), the front-game board looked different (no Eggcrate displays), and Instant Reaction offered up to $100,000! (The payout structure was one red cent-shiny dime-dullar-tenner-Franklin-grand-Grand Game-One Hundred Thousand Damn Dollars.)


 * October 28, 1979 (Nipsey Russell & Joyce Bulifant; Lynn & Allen vs. Bob & Judy, with Joan & Dan playing later; has slate, average quality)

The Challengers
Taped September 15, 1989; series aired August 31, 1990 - August 2 [30], 1991

Has different (and smaller) contestant podiums, plus different graphics for the video wall and a different way of showing the date on the screen behind Dick Clark.

Clips were shown in a preview promo.


 * 1990 (Preview promo voiced by Ernie Anderson, with clips of the pilot {David/Rodger/Ursula}; taped from WNBC)

Child's Play
Taped May 11, 1982 (two pilots); series aired September 20, 1982 - September 16, 1983

Has a better game, although I'm not sure whether that's a good thing. Also notable for being the last new show credited as a Goodson-Todman production; the series used the Mark Goodson Productions credit.


 * May 11, 1982 (Pilot #2: Glenn {Champ} vs. Dautie; Buzzr broadcast)
 * [Matches the pictures on Adam Nedeff's page for the pilots, which includes the slate for "P-#2".]

The Diamond Head Game
Taped 1974; series aired January 6 - July 4, 1975

Not sure what was different, actually...


 * 1974 (Brief clip; B/W video)
 * 1974 (KNBC debut promo; B/W video)

Dirty Rotten Cheater
Taped 2002; series aired January 6 - April 14, 2003

Cheaters, taped for NBC on the Weakest Link set (hence the much higher dollar values).


 * 2002 (Alysha/Kevin/Dennis/Tricia/Matt/Mann; ends after Round 1)

Don Adams' Screen Test
Taped May 16, 1975; series aired September 7, 1975 - February 21 [September 18], 1976

Runs an hour, and was financed by Adams himself (this was his idea, serving as executive producer and host along with directing the various scenes) with Universal footing the bill for the other 24 shows that were made (which, from what I can tell, ran a half-hour each). The pilot may or may not have aired during the run, though.

And hey, Charlie O'Donnell announces!


 * May 16, 1975 (First 12 minutes, with James Cann appearing for Game 1)

[Note that I'm not sure whether the below are from the pilot, although given how rare this show is I might as well put these somewhere.]
 * 1975 (Clips of Pamela Rodriguez's screen test with Doug McClure)
 * [The uploader (N.Ellen Sonnabend) worked on the show, and has a lot of insightful comments on what turned out to be a one-season syndicated obscurity. S/he also tried to get Universal to release the series on DVD at the same time they were putting out Get Smart, but the company isn't interested.]
 * 1975-76? (Various bloopers {including some with Mel Brooks!} from the 1984 special Foul-Ups, Bleeps and Blunders)

Double Dare (1976)
Taped November 1976 at Television City (Studio 33); series aired December 13, 1976 - April 29, 1977

Some audiovisual differences, but the main thing is that the Spoilers round has ten clues, with five Passes and five Gives.


 * November 1976 (Pilot #1: Amy {$500} vs. Rowland, with Mike playing later; Buzzr broadcast)

Dream House (1983)
Taped February 2, 1983 (at least three pilots); series aired April 4, 1983 - June 29, 1984

Slightly different set and format, with Rod Roddy announcing. Clips were shown in a series-debut promo.


 * February 2, 1983 (Pilot #3: Peggy & Tim {Day 3 - $14,000+} vs. Ron & Nancy)
 * March 28-April 3, 1983 (Debut promo, with clips of Pilot #3)

The Face is Familiar
''Taped September? 1965; series aired May 7 - September 3, 1966''

Hosted by Jack Clark, with a somewhat different set and slightly different format (each game's winner got $200, and winning the bonus game awarded an extra $500).


 * September? 1965 (Betsy Palmer & BILL CULLEN; Nathan vs. Phyllis and Andy vs. Jill, with Game 2 lasting forever {alternate copy uploaded by me, cleaner video but low audio and missing the first second or so})

Family Feud (1976)
Taped 1975; series aired July 12, 1976 - June 14, 1985

A goofy-looking set, different Strike symbols, and a lot of other oddities. Clips appeared in a debut promo, plus the intro and Finale of CBS' Gameshow Marathon.


 * 1975 (Speir vs. Madvig {Parts 3, 4, and 5}; low audio, stilted video, and Windows Media Player borders)
 * July 1976 (Debut promo)

Family Feud (1988)
Taped August 1987 at Television City Studio 33 (at least two pilots); series aired September 19, 1988 - May 26, 1995

Yes, the syndicated version was developed first. The set's clearly a "halfway point" between how it was in 1985 and what it became when the CBS version began taping in June 1988. Oh, and Fast Money has a little wrinkle that should be on the show now: losing awards $10 per point.


 * August 1987 (Pilot A: Perry vs. Mandic; montage including intro, Fast Money, and credits)
 * 1987? ("Spotlight" profile of host Ray Combs, with clips of other pilots {which have a slightly different set from Pilot A})

Family Feud Challenge
Taped early 1992 at Television City Studio 33 (at least three pilots); series aired June 15, 1992 - March 26 [September 10], 1993

The foundation of the hour-long format is here, but boy is it played differently. It also finally explains why the top-center display was expanded to four digits...and it has zero to do with Bullseye.


 * Early 1992 (Pilot #3: Del Campo vs. Campbell, with Kakadelas {$12,500} playing later; Buzzr broadcast, with commercials)

Fun House
Taped February 6-7, 1988 (at least two pilots); series aired September 5, 1988 - April 13, 1991

Slightly different set, no Tiny (Brian Cummings is the announcer here), and finding the right tag in the House awarded over $25,000 in cash and prizes!


 * February 6, 1988 (Jaimie & Daniel vs. Rachael & Douglas {alternate copies: #1, #2})
 * [Douglas Emerson would later star on Beverly Hills 90210, and came back to this show in late 1990.]

The Generation Gap
Taped late 1968; series aired February 7 - May 23, 1969

Not too different, from what I've heard, although the logo is more basic.


 * Late 1968 (Mrs. Murray/Mr. Gallagher/Mrs. Poliakin vs. Nancy/Jonathan/Reeta, with special guests The Turtles and Kenny Delmar {Part 2, Part 3})
 * [One question is about the new Peter Sellers film I Love You, Alice B. Toklas (released 10/7/68). Another is about the newest Ambassador to the United Nations, James Russell Wiggins (who held the office from 10/68-1/69). The Turtles play "Elenore", released 9/68.]

The Great Getaway Game
Taped 1989 in New York City; series aired June 1 - July 25, 1990

Hosted by Jim Caldwell, with a different logo and slightly different set.


 * 1989 (Cary vs. Dan)

High Rollers (1987)
Taped December (October 21?) 1986 at ABC Television Center in Hollywood; series aired September 14, 1987 - June 10, 1988

Has a bluescreen behind the players, but that's about the only difference. Based on a ticket for the taping (or possibly a different one?), it was shot for ABC.


 * Late 1986 (Carol vs. John; includes a pitchfilm with a game never used on the series!)

Hit Man
Taped 1982 (at least two pilots); series aired January 3 - April 1, 1983

Different theme, more Hit Men in Round 2 (a publicity shot had noticeable black splotches on the Hit Men that were removed between pilot and series), and a far different pacing. Clips were used in a debut promo.

Also, the music is very different: the main theme is an instrumental remix of "Worlds Away" by Pablo Cruise, the win music for Round 1 is "Rock That! (instrumental)" by Earth, Wind & Fire from their 1979 album I Am, and the Triple Crown board reset cue is "Genius of Love" by Tom Tom Club.

From what I remember reading many years ago, Jay Wolpert himself hosted the first pilot, to which Brandon Tartikoff (then-president of NBC) asked him to lose 20 pounds and wear a toupee for the series...at which point Jay declined and Peter Tomarken came into the picture.


 * 1982 (Pilot #2: Melissa/Skip/Valerie, with returning champ David {Subjects: Gone With the Wind and Harry Houdini}; montage including intro and Triple Crown)
 * Late December 1982 (Debut promo, with clips of the pilot)

The Hollywood Game
Taped May 14, 1991 at Television City (Studio 33); series aired June 19 - July 10, 1992

Slightly different set, randomized categories, and Peter Allen hosting.

Oddly, the official Television City website lists another pilot taping in September 1991 (presumably hosted by Bob Goen) and one that doesn't have "pilot" in October (possibly the series?).


 * May 14, 1991 (Julie & Don vs. Jim & Sharon {Part 3})

Hollywood Squares (1966)
Taped April 21, 1965 at Television City (Studio 33); series aired October 17, 1966 - June 20, 1980

Hosted by Bert Parks, with a pretty different contestant area and celebrity nameplates...and, generally, a feel that this is from the 1950s. Clips were shown during the week of November 3, 1975.

Oddly, the official Television City website lists four pilots: July, August, September, and November.


 * April 21, 1965 (Wally Cox, Rose Marie, Morey Amsterdam, Gisele MacKenzie, ROBERT Q. LEWIS!, Vera Miles, Charley Weaver, Abby Dalton, Jim Backus {center square}; Pam vs. John, with Fern playing later {Part 2})

Hot Potato
Taped December 1, 1983; series aired January 23 - June 29, 1984

Has different music (from Play the Percentages), a slightly different set, and a somewhat different format: each main-game round is worth $500, while the bonus game used a slightly more intricate structure.

Mike Burger has a review here, while Adam Nedeff has a look with screengrabs here. A clip appeared in Bill's CBS obituary file, a set of clips that CBS News sent out to local affiliates who wanted to do their own packages on his death.


 * December 1, 1983 (Franciscans vs. Teachers; partial intro)

Hot Seat
Taped January 17, 1976 at ABC Television Center in Hollywood; series aired July 12 - October 22, 1976

Slight graphical differences, and the bonus round was played like the front game with a twist I'd expect from Barris rather than Heatter-Quigley: the husband saw three prizes (a washer/dryer combo, an expensive sports car, and a cheap iron with ironing board) and said "No, I would not like that prize." for each; after the third reaction, the wife chose which prize they'd win.

Per Randy Amasia many years ago, the twist was that the third prize was modeled by a young lady in a bikini, and the lie detector shot to the far end of the scale; the wife chose that, and she screamed in agony at what the show had pulled (not to mention her husband being a pig).

Clips aired in a series-debut promo.


 * July 12, 1976 (Debut promo, with clips of the pilot)

How Do You Like Your Eggs?
Taped 1976 at Warner Communications HQ; hosted by Howard Blumenthal

Listed as "EGGS PILOT" by the uploader, and certainly qualifies as more of one than the aired episodes do.

The presentation is more basic, as you'd expect from an office runthrough like this, but the format is pretty much the same as the first two episodes; the only really noteworthy differences are that 1) instead of eggs, the score tally is multiple cutout images of a cartoon guy running while holding a huge egg and 2) the Perfector Round is played for an Atari Super Pong unit, whereas the series gave that for winning the front game and an RCA color TV for winning the Perfector Round.

Oh, and kudos for having actually recorded "man-on-the-street" answers for the front-game questions. That was in the series, too, but given they could've easily gone the more basic route for this and just interviewed people in Warner's offices I think it's worth noting.


 * 1976 (Barbara & Carl vs. Mary & Mike; montage including intro through part of first question and full Perfector Round)

How's Your Mother-In-Law?
Taped 1967; series aired December 4, 1967 - March 1, 1968

Called Here Come the Mother-in-Laws, with a slightly different set.


 * 1967 (Louis Nye, RICHARD DAWSON!, Sandy Baron; Florence Shapiro/Ridad? Grafiti?/Dorothy Brown; montage including intro and signoffs)
 * [Richard is currently on Hogan's Heroes, while Sandy recently starred on The Dean Martin Summer Show; per IMDB, Sandy was on the third, sixth, and seventh episodes of the show's 1967 season (aired July 6, July 27, and August 3, 1967).]

Jeopardy!
Taped March 5, 1964 in New York; series aired March 30, 1964 - January 3, 1975

The beginning of a classic, with an initial emphasis on humor and way too strict on phrasing. A clip appeared during the Trebek version's 4,000th episode in 2002 as part of its trip to New York for the Million-Dollar Masters Tournament.


 * March 5, 1964 (Brief clip)

Taped September 18, 1983/January or February 1984; series aired September 17, 1984 - Present

Pilot #1 is the '78 set upgraded to the "personal computer" craze of the era. Pilot #2 has things looking way more like the series, although not quite there yet.


 * September 18, 1983 (Pilot #1: Karen Muranaka {who was a champ in '78!}/JACK CAMPION/Cynthia Grove)
 * January-February 1984 (Pilot #2: JACK CAMPION/Cynthia {same as before!}/Michael {Part 3, Part 4}; really low audio)

The Last Word
Taped 1989 at ABC Television Center in Hollywood; series aired September 18 - December 15, 1989

Pretty much the same as the series, except with Jana White as hostess, Burton Richardson announcing, and each word simply being worth $100.


 * 1989 (Leeann Hunley & Michael Corbett; Tony vs. Linda)

Let's Make A Deal!
Taped May 25, 1963; series aired December 30, 1963 - July 9, 1976

Way more sedate, with a Zonk in the Big Deal and some quirky deals that must have influenced the current version.


 * May 25, 1963 (First trader is Maggie {Big Deal: $2,005}; taped from GSN and includes the "In Living Color" 11-feathered NBC Peacock ID)

Love Me, Love Me Not
Taped December 20, 1985 at CBS Studio 52 in New York; series aired September 29, 1986 - September 11, 1987

Has a different color scheme for the logo, plus an extra panelist and more cash.


 * December 20, 1985 (Peter vs. Bob; Panel: Sally, Elisa, Katina, Teresa)

The Match Game (1962)
Taped December 5, 1962 in New York City; series aired December 31, 1962 - September 26, 1969

Slightly different set, a different version of "A Surfin' Safari" (the show's original theme), and a different scoring system. The pilot had been circulating for years before GSN aired it on December 25, 2012, kicking off a 50th-Anniversary marathon/salute to the franchise.


 * December 5, 1962 (Arthur/Peggy Cass/Ronni vs. Rick/Peter Lind Hayes/Mary; has commercials, amusingly {alternate copy, better quality but no commercials})

Match Game (1973)
Taped May 19, 1973 at Television City Studio 33 (at least two pilots); series aired July 2, 1973 - April 20, 1979

"The 1973 edition", with a slightly different set and Super-Match called "Jackpot Match". Pilot A had been circulating for years before GSN aired it during the aforementioned marathon.


 * May 19, 1973 (Pilot A: Bert Convy, Arlene Francis, Jack Klugman, Jo Anne Pflug, Richard Dawson, Betty White; Susan vs. Wendy, with Stewart playing later; taped from GSN {alternate copy from the studio master with slate, "pan-and-scan"-type video})
 * [I don't normally like to copy long YouTube comments, but given Stewart commented on the GSN copy I think it's appropriate: "I had been a contestant on Password the week before [...] and the same producer asked a number of us (6 as I recall) to work as "contestants" on the new incarnation of ["Match Game"]. I don't remember the other guys, but one was a Coca Cola tester from Atlanta. He drove around the country testing whether or not Coke served at fountains and restaurants was, indeed, legit Coca Cola. We were paid a few hundred dollars for the day's work and went thru a number of iterations as some bugs were worked out of the show. Originally, the big prize was supposed to be a one-on-one match with someone picked at random via phone, but that was problematic. At the last minute they tried the "celebrity match" and it worked."]


 * May 19, 1973 (Pilot B: Bert Convy, Arlene Francis, Jack Klugman, Jo Anne Pflug, Richard Dawson, Betty White; Carol vs. Susan {same one as before, winnings and all!}; montage including slate, intro, and close)

Match Game (1990)
Taped October 1, 1989 (five pilots); series aired July 16, 1990 - July 12, 1991

Bert Convy hosts, the intro uses a circular version of the classic 1973-82 flipping-box one, and there's no Match-Ups; instead, all six celebs play in each round, with Round 3 worth two points per match. GSN aired Pilot #3 to conclude their aforementioned marathon.


 * October 1, 1989 (Pilot #3: Brad Garrett, Marsha Warfield, Charles Nelson Reilly, Khrystyne Haje, Jerry Van Dyke, Teri Copley; Michelle vs. Harley; taped from GSN)
 * October 1, 1989 (Pilot #5: Brad Garrett, Marsha Warfield, Charles Nelson Reilly, Khrystyne Haje, Jerry Van Dyke, Teri Copley; Yo Yo {wha?} vs. LISA STAHL!; has slate!)

Match Game (1998)
Taped 1998; series aired September 21, 1998 - May 21, 1999﻿

A pitchfilm concentrating on host Michael Burger's career and showing man-on-the-street clips plus footage of the 1973-82 era. Probably not the best idea given the changes made for the 1998-99 series...


 * 1998 (Pitchfilm)

The Moneymaze
Taped 1974; series aired December 23, 1974 - June 27, 1975

Has Chet Gould announcing (Alan Kalter did the series), and from the few series clips I've seen this has a slightly more basic set.


 * 1974 (George & Joyce vs. Bernard & Helen {alternate copy, about 15 seconds shorter})

Monopoly
Taped September 28, 1987/1989 (two pilots); series aired June 16 - September 1, 1990

Talk about shooting yourself in the foot! Sure, Pilot #1 wasn't the greatest (although props for the game board and idea of randomly getting a set of properties from one of several envelopes), while Pilot #2 had a better host and format than what eventually aired but got shot down by most stations due to the presence of Patty Maloney as Rich Uncle Pennybags.

In the end, what we got was a 12-episode flop hosted by Mike Reilly that managed to do very slightly better as a regional show in the UK.


 * September 28, 1987 (Pilot #1: Claire/Larry/Isie {Champ}, hosted by Marc Summers with Don Morrow announcing...and HARRY FRIEDMAN as Rich Uncle Pennybags?!; montage including intro and close)

The Neighbors
Taped 1975; series aired December 29, 1975 - April 9, 1976

Has a far more basic set, a late-ABC-era Newlywed Game-esque intro, and a very annoying theme that I originally thought was nonsense meant to sound like words but is actually "Pick A Little, Talk A Little".


 * 1975 (Gale vs. Sharon; Neighbors: Sara, Linda, Susan {Part 3})

Nick Arcade
Taped 1991; series aired January 4 - November 6, 1992 (taped 1991-92)

The pilot that aired closely resembles the show as it was for Season 1, but this?

Different set (using elements from Get the Picture), logo, theme (recycled from Nick's variety show Outta Here!), logo, graphics, host (Niels Schuurmans), and announcer (Fran Gauchi?), along with a slightly different format (for one, Time Bomb is a hazard and can actually be won)...it really feels primitive.

Oddly, many of the prize shots are on the Get the Picture set – most notably the first and last bonus round prizes, where the logo's actually visible!


 * 1991 (Pilot #1: Brooke & Keith vs. Jody {a guy!} & Meadow; Games: Double Dragon III: The Sacred Stones, Ski or Die, Super Mario Bros. 3, Sonic the Hedgehog, Michael Jackson's Moonwalker, Magician Lord, Aero Blasters)
 * [A faux newspaper is seen at 26:15, but I can't quite tell what the date is (appears to be April 1991). Interestingly, Sonic 1 has the "PRESS START BUTTON" graphic.]

PDQ
Taped 1965; series aired September 6, 1965 - September 26, 1969

Has a different logo and slightly different set, from what I've heard. Intended for a primetime slot (Dennis specifically says to tune in "next week"), but sold into daily syndication.


 * 1965 (Stubby Kaye & Dick Patterson vs. Gisele Mackenzie & Jerry)

The New Price Is Right (1972)
Taped February 16, 1972; series aired September 10, 1972 - September 13, 1980

Much like the Family Feud revival 15 years later, when Goodson-Todman wanted to revive Price they were thinking of syndication.

Done shortly after talks with Bill Cullen to come back fell through and Mark picked Dennis James, the pitchfilm is little more than sharing a bunch of ideas they had at this point, some of which would get retooled (the pricing games are pretty much early versions of Take Two and Ten Chances) and others which would be disposed of over the next six months (having kids play for their parents in a Kids Say the Darndest Things-esque "How do kids think about what things cost?" way), and showing Dennis' abilities with a clip of him hosting Let's Make A Deal.


 * February 16, 1972 (Pitchfilm, with slate!)

The $25,000 Pyramid (1974)
Taped around May 1974 in New York; series aired September 9, 1974 - September 9, 1979

A pitchfilm that doesn't try to sell stations on the format, instead preferring to have an intro and close by Bill sandwiching a bunch of $10,000 wins (including, interestingly, the one Television City episode GSN's never aired of the 15 that were taped there in '73). It worked.


 * May? 1974 (Pitchfilm with ten $10,000 wins!)

Quick as a Flash (1953)
Taped 1952 at the International Theatre in New York City; series aired March 12 - July 2, 1953

Shot for NBC with Bill Cullen hosting (he had previously done the last 18 months of the radio version), but went to air on ABC with Bobby Sherwood as emcee...who was replaced two months in by Bud Collyer.


 * 1952 (Boris Karloff & Margo vs. Wendy Barrie & John; no audio during intro)

Rhyme and Reason
Taped 1975 (at least two pilots); series aired July 7, 1975 - July 9, 1976

Slightly different from the series, from what I can tell. The intro of the below shows a clip from another pilot with a different panel and no nameplates.


 * 1975 (Pilot #2: Nipsey Russell, Lee Meriwether, Richard Dawson, Jaye P. Morgan, Jack Cassidy, Adrienne Barbeau {Part 3}; Patrick vs. Yensin)

Sale of the Century (1983)
Taped 1982; series aired January 3, 1983 - March 24, 1989

Not too different from the series, from what I can tell. Clips were used in a series-debut promo.


 * Late December 1982 (Debut promo, with clips of the pilot {?/Susan/JACK CAMPION}; glitchy video pretty much throughout, but still very watchable)

Temptation (2007)
''Taped November? 2006 in Australia (two pilots); series aired September 5/10, 2007 - May 23, 2008''

Oh, boy...taped on the set of the Australian version with a bad host, a different final round, a pitchfilm so focused on "ooh shopping" that the whole "quiz" element was an afterthought, and pre-debut promos that showed they had the crappy format changes from the start.

Apparently, the pilots were offered on eBay at one point, so someone has them.


 * November 4, 2006 (Pitchfilm with clips of both pilots {Pauletta/Chris/Tina and Helen/Caitlin/Vi; yes, only one male}, plus an attempt to use the Aussie version as proof the American one will do well; there's just two problems with that – one, that version had good hosts and two, one of the clips is of the legit Fame Game)

Scattergories
Taped Fall 1992; series aired January 18 - June 11, 1993

The set's pretty basic and the graphics are a bit less fancy, but that's about it.


 * Fall 1992 (Anne-Marie Johnson, Wolfgang Puck & Barbara Lazaroth?, CHUCK WOOLERY, Lori "Ice" Fetrick, Brett Butler {Part 3}; Diana/Laura/Elaine/Dawn {$6,500} vs. Jeff/Todd/Steve/Dan {Jackpot: $4,000})

Scrabble (1984)
Taped March 8, 1984; series aired July 2, 1984 - March 23, 1990

Has different graphics for the most part (most notably in the Sprint), no logo-sign hanging over Chuck's head (what's shown is actually a graphic), no numbers on the tiles, and the format is...really, really weird – they're clearly going for a "best Sprint time of the week gets a $25,000 bonus" element, but how in that case can you have a returning champ and yet act like she hasn't played the Sprint before? Probably the biggest oddity is that the show runs just over 17 minutes!

Clips were shown in a debut promo, alongside audience testimonies.


 * March 8, 1984 (Friday: LAURA CHAMBERS {Champ - $2,400} vs. Bill {Current Sprint Record: Larry, at 49.8 seconds})
 * June 29, 1984 (Debut promo with pilot clips and audience testimony!)

Second Chance (1977)
Taped November 9, 1976 (three pilots); series aired March 7 - July 15, 1977

More money on offer, with a single 64-square pattern and the Devils on lights behind the players. ABC evidently didn't like the first two pilots, given the post-slate message in #3.


 * November 9, 1976 (Pilot #3: Maggie Brown/JACK CAMPION/Lyn Kline {alternate copy of intro, with slate})
 * [After the slate, a set of three slides pops up: "There was a FIRST CHANCE" "And then a SECOND CHANCE" "Now this is our LAST CHANCE". At the third, announcer Joe Seiter laughs and says "Yes, our last chance."]

Press Your Luck (1983)
Taped May 18, 1983; series aired September 19, 1983 - September 26, 1986

Slightly different Big Board, somewhat different theme ("Flash" by Keith Mansfield), and only one Whammy animation (which was redrawn for the series).


 * May 18, 1983 (JACK CAMPION/MAGGIE BROWN/Matt Dorf; pretty low audio)

Whammy!
Taped February 13, 2002 (two pilots) at Sony Pictures Studios; series aired April 15, 2002 - July 26, 2003

Had a slightly different contestant area (using "Whammy lights" and tiny score displays), and there was a Whammy Guard if a player managed to get 12 spins in a Question Round. Peter Tomarken hosted Pilot #1, with Todd Newton hosting #2.

Clips of Pilot #2 are on Brad Francini's website, albeit in RealPlayer format. But then in May 2015, something interesting happened...


 * February 13, 2002 (Pilot #1: Vickie/Barry/Michelle)
 * [For whatever reason, the editing job on this (back then) is...kinda sucky, to be honest. Was Peter ever even seriously being considered, or was this just their way of humoring one of GSN's first on-camera hosts, or what? In any case, Peter himself hasn't really lost a step, even signing off as he did in the 1980s.]

Shop 'Til You Drop
Taped 1991; series aired July 8, 1991 - September 30, 1994

Hosted by Scott Herriott, with a lot of differences from the series including a way more basic set, a contestant area I'm pretty sure is from Fun House, a hostess(!), and a bonus round cash display that counts downward.

Probably the only thing that didn't change for the series is Mark L. Walberg being the announcer.


 * 1991 (Curt & Debbie vs. Pam & Mel; montage including full first segment and most of bonus round, prefaced by intros from Wink Martindale and Pat Finn {link is timecoded to skip those})

Showoffs
Taped May 24, 1975; series aired June 30 - December 26, 1975

Format's a bit different, as is the logo, but the big difference is that Larry Blyden's hosting. This was his last game show, and very likely his last television-related appearance, prior to his death in an auto accident on June 6.


 * May 24, 1975 (Elaine Joyce, Ron Masak, Linda Kaye Henning, Dick Gautier; intro and clip seen on Game Show Moments Gone Bananas)

Split Personality
Taped 1959; series aired September 28, 1959 - February 5, 1960

Not sure if there were any differences.


 * 1959 (Intro)

Split Second (1972)
Taped October 27, 1971 (at least two pilots); series aired March 20, 1972 - June 27, 1975

Different logo, a more basic set that evidently wasn't painted yet, and a different theme that sounds like the '72 one is being played upside-down.


 * October 27, 1971 (#SPS-43 {Pilot #2}: Maggie {Day 3 - $580}/Shirley/Tom {Jackpot: $3,000}; montage including slate, intro, and close)

Supermarket Sweep (1990)
Taped late 1989; series aired February 5, 1990 - June 16, 1995

Somewhat of a cross between the 1960s and 1990s formats, taped at an actual supermarket, with two major differences – a unique twist on the "Who's got the [product]?" method of picking the teams (David hits a buzzer at his podium to stop a flashing light on a small board of products), and giving a wrong answer in a non-"price this" game subtracts 10 seconds.

And hey, Johnny Gilbert's announcing, so what's not to love?


 * Late 1989 (Kim & Lisa/Lorrie & Bill/Julie & Kevin; preceded by an intro by David {link is timecoded to skip it}, low audio at times)
 * [First Bonus Sweep clue refers to the winner of "this year's Emmy", putting this sometime after 9/17/89.]

Tic-Tac-Dough (1990)
Taped 1990; series aired September 10, 1990 - March 8, 1991

Slightly different intro spiel, a very different method of Patrick Wayne making his entrance, and a worse bonus round (pick a box, stop the flasher and get X or O; no Dragon).


 * 1990 (Intro)

Time Machine
Taped 1984; series aired January 7 - April 26, 1985

Set and props are a bit different, with 3 In A Row called Name Your Poison. Clips appeared in a promo.


 * Early January 1985 (Debut promo)

To Say the Least
Taped 1977; series aired October 3, 1977 - April 21, 1978

Different intro, and a bunch of yellow on the set (blue for the series).


 * 1977 (Intro)

To Tell the Truth (1956)
Taped November 1956; series aired December 18, 1956 - September 25, 1966

Nothing But the Truth, with a different logo, slightly different set, and Mike Wallace as the first host of something like 20 when all the subs are taken into account (and boy, there's a lot of those).

I vaguely remember reading that this may have been the Premiere; I'm not 100% sure on that.


 * November 1956 (Polly Bergen, John Cameron Swayze, Hildy Parks, Dick Van Dyke; Subjects: Tony/Toni Costello {sang backup for Frank Sinatra}, Thomas W. Sheridan {World War II veteran} {alternate copy})

Treasure Hunt (1973)
Taped 1972; series aired September 10, 1973 - September 11, 1977

Different set, different music, different presentation (including a "mystery celebrity guest" element, in this case James Brolin)... There's even a quiz-based qualifying round with men participating!

Adam Nedeff has a look at the pilot here.


 * 1972 (Intro and a few other clips)

Triple Threat (1988)
''Taped November? 1987; series aired October 8, 1988 - October 1, 1989''

Different set, logo, and visuals. Hosted by Sam Riddle (probably better known as the announcer on Star Search), who does pretty well here.


 * November? 1987 (Ben Vereen/Naja/Si vs. Scott Baio/Rose/Melissa)
 * [Per the uploader, Naja Vereen died in an auto accident on December 2, shortly after this was done. :(]

Trivial Pursuit (1993)
Taped 1992; series aired June 7 - September 3, 1993

Shot for syndication, but led into the Family Channel run (with a slimmed-down format and set) instead. Photos from this pilot were used for the box of the Trivial Pursuit: Game Show board game.


 * 1992 (Deborah/Jeff/Jennifer; montage)

Trivial Pursuit: America Plays
Taped 2007; series aired September 22, 2008 - April 10 [September 18], 2009

Hosted by Mark L. Walberg, with a better set and more money on offer.


 * 2007 (Sales Presentation, with clips of the pilot {Sarah/Brian/Cynthia})
 * [Interestingly, the contestant podiums more closely resemble their 1990s counterparts, rather than the video screens the series used.]

Trivia Trap
Taped 1984; series aired October 8, 1984 - April 5, 1985

Round 1 is complicated, and there's a bunch of cosmetic differences (probably the biggest being that the Seniors are green).


 * 1984 (Kathy/Tim/Alysen {Juniors} vs. Addie/John/Bonnie {Seniors} {Parts 2, 3, and 4})

Twenty One (1956)
Taped March 1956; series aired September 12, 1956 - October 16, 1958

Shot for CBS, with a different logo and "SPONSOR" where "Geritol" was in the series.


 * March 1956 (Marian Swintor vs. Maurice Pilabbey; pretty low audio)

Two for the Money
Taped 1952 in Hollywood, California; series aired September 30, 1952 - August 11, 1953

Hosted by Fred Allen, who filled in during the series. Herb Shriner hosted for most of the run.


 * 1952 (Begins with Georgia O'George & Ann Leevrit?; montage including intro and close, with a timecode that's constant rather than skipping alongside the footage)

Wheel of Fortune (1975)
Taped August 28, 1974 (two pilots); series aired January 6, 1975 - June 30, 1989

Hosted by Edd Byrnes, with a somewhat different set from the show as it debuted a few months later. Clips of Pilot #1 appeared during the ceremonial 3,000th nighttime episode in 1998, albeit with claims that it was the pilot.


 * August 28, 1974 (Pilot #1: Marge {Champ}/Gary/Roseanne)
 * August 28, 1974 (Pilot #2: Tanya {Champ}/Frank/Lois; ends during Round 2)

Whew!
Taped December 4, 1978 at Television City (at least three pilots); series aired April 23, 1979 - May 30, 1980

Most notable difference is that the bloopers have no underlined portions to denote what needs to be corrected. Clips aired in a debut promo.


 * April 1979 (Debut promo)

Whodunnit?
Taped 1978, likely in Los Angeles; series aired April 12 - May 17, 1979

Runs an hour, with a mystery in each half (presumably, this was two pilots that were bundled together), with two players competing for a trip to London whereas the series offered $10,000. Also notable is that this was produced by Stu Billett and directed by Joe Behar, both of whom were replaced for the series by Bill Carruthers.

Mike Burger has a review here.


 * 1978 ("Goodbye Dolly": Vincent Baggeta, Barbara Feldon, F. Lee Bailey; ends after panelist intros)

Wild & Crazy Kids
Taped 1989; series aired January 4, 1990 - December 1, 1992

Completely different logo, hosts, and audiovisuals. It's almost like a completely different show!


 * 1989 (Horse vs. BMX Race, Human Maze, Kung Fu House Demolition)

WinTuition
''Taped July? 2002; series aired December 9, 2002 - April 1, 2003''

Hosted by Marc Cohen, with a very different set and logo.


 * July 3, 2002 (Pitchfilm, with slate!)

Wipeout (1988)
Taped September 2, 1987 at Paramount Studios in Hollywood; series aired September 12, 1988 - June 9, 1989

Slightly different rules, very different everything else (set, theme, logo, the presence of a hostess and the usage of trilons...).


 * September 2, 1987 (La Dawn {$2,300}/Chuck/Nan {Car: Chevy Corvette}; has slate!)

Wordplay
Taped October 12, 1986; series aired December 29, 1986 - September 4, 1987

Hosted by Peter Tomarken, with Rod Roddy announcing and a different setup for the front-game board.


 * October 12, 1986 (Stuart Pankin, Betty White, PAT SAJAK!; Patrick vs. Luana {Bonus Round, not called Speedword, is at $5,000}; montage including slate, intro, and bonus round)

Yahtzee
Taped July 1, 1987; series aired January 11 - September, 1988

Different intro, and a somewhat different method of winning the $100,000. Clips were shown in a promo.


 * 1988 (Promo)