The Newlywed Game

The Newlywed Game is the hilariously, long-running game show where unpredictable recently married couples (newlyweds) spill their guts (talk about themselves) in order to win a grand prize or a second honeymoon.

Best Known Rules
Four newlyweds (sometimes three) all of whom were married under two years competed each day, and the game was played in two rounds. In each round, one member of each couple (all of the same sex) was isolated while the other members were asked questions about themselves, their hobbies, likes, dislikes, what they do, what they don't do, and maybe reveal a dirty little secret at times. Many of the questions focused on having sex or as familiarly known as "makin' whoopee". When the isolated spouses returned, they were asked the same questions, and the answers given by the first set of spouses were written on blue cards which were all placed flat on their laps or in front of them. Each time a couple matched their answers they earn points; but each time a couple don't match, they get no points and they would usually argue over their answers.

Round 1
The wives were secluded off-stage while the husbands predicted what their wives will say when they come back. Each match was worth 5 points. Three questions were asked this round.

Round 2
The husbands were secluded off-stage while the wives predicted what their husbands will say when they come back. Each match was worth 10 points. Three questions (later two) were asked this round, and after the second/third question, a bonus question was asked, and that question was worth 25 points. The maximum total score was 70 points (achieved on rare occasions). When the second round questions were reduced to two, the maximum total score was 60 points.

The couple with the most points won the game and from 1966 to 1989, they won a grand prize chosen just for them (in actuality, the couples had requested a certain prize and competed with other couples that had requested the same prize); starting in 1996, the grand prize was always a second honeymoon (a trip).

Prior to the show, each of the day's couples predicted what their final total score would be. Whenever a tie occurred, the tied couples showed their predictions and the couple who was the closest without going over the actual final total won the game. If all of the tied couples' predictions exceed their final total, then the couple who was the closest was declared the winners. Most often there would be two way ties, less often there would be three way ties, very rarely there would be a four way tie.

Format Changes
When the show started, the gameplay was slightly different. The wives predicted what their husbands would say in round one, while in round two The husbands wives predicted what their wives would say in round two. Each round had four questions with the final question worth 35 points, for a maximum total of 95 points.

In 1988, the couples no longer played for points, they played for cash. In round one each match was worth $25 (with that amount given at the start), and in round two only two questions were asked with each question worth $50. The bonus question was a betting question, for they could risk any or all of their current money total. A correct match added the wager while an incorrect match deducted the wager. The couple with the most money kept the cash (with a maximum of $400), and won the grand prize.

When Paul Rodriguez took over as host in December of '88, the old scoring format returned, but the number of couples was reduced to three.

1996-1997 version
When Gary Kroeger took over in Fall 1996 the show was overhauled with a new format.

Round 1
Each spouse was shown a videotape of their mates who gave a statement mostly about their spouse. The tape was paused near the end which gave the spouse in control a chance predict how his/her mate completed the statement. Then the tape played again, and a correct answer earned 10 points. First the husbands tapes were shown & the wives took a guess, then it went the opposite direction.

Round 2
Host Kroeger asked the couples a multiple-choice question in which one half of the couples had given answers in advance, and the other must guess what they chose. Each match again earns 10 points. First the wives predicted what their husbands said, then the process was reversed.

Round 3
In this round before the show, either the wives or the husbands gave some very weird facts about themselves. Host Kroeger gave the facts to the other halves of the couples, whom were equipped with heart-shaped signs that say "That's My Wife/Man!" If they recognized that fact, all they had to do was to raise the sign which then lit up and yell out "THAT'S MY WIFE/MAN!" If correct, they win 10 points for their team, but if wrong they lose 10 points for the team. Only the first person to raise the sign can win or lose. Seven facts were played.

Round 4
In this final round of the game, host Kroeger read a series of two choices (ex: Candy or Potato Chips, Rocket Scientist or Space Cadet, Ketchup or Mustard, etc.) and the wives held cards with one of the choices on it. Then the husbands chose one of the two things that most applies to them. Each match earns points, they were seven questions and each question was worth 10 points more than the previous question with the last question worth even more.


 * Question 1 - 10 points
 * Question 2 - 20 points
 * Question 3 - 30 points
 * Question 4 - 40 points
 * Question 5 - 50 points
 * Question 6 - 60 points
 * Question 7 - 100 points

So 310 points were possible for any couple who can answer all seven questions correctly in this round.

The couple with the most points wins the game and wins a second honeymoon trip.

This format was mostly disliked by fans of the original show so the next year they switched it back to its original format and theme with original host Bob Eubanks back at the helm.

2009-2013 Version
The current version with new host Carnie Wilson and sponsored by eHarmony.com was exactly the same as the classic format except three couples played the game, and a new bonus game was added featuring couples from the previous versions now dubbed "Goldyweds". Other differences were that the wives predicted first, and the husbands predicted second. The final question of the game was dubbed the eHarmony.com Compatibility Dimension Question; it wasn't played on shows where the couples that day met through eHarmony.com.

Each round had three questions with the round one questions worth 5 points, the first two round two questions are worth 10 points, and the final question is worth 20 points, for maximum total of 55 points (achieved on a few occasions).

The couple with the most points won the game, a second honeymoon, and the right to play the bonus round. The losing couples won consolation prizes.

In the bonus round, the winning "Newlyweds" faced-off against the "Goldyweds". To start, the wives were asked five questions during the final commercial break. When the break was done, the husbands were asked those same questions while standing in front of the stage with their wives sitting in chairs in back with cards on their laps. Each question is worth an increasing point value starting with 1 and ending with 5. The couple with the most points won a bonus prize.

If there's a tie at the end of the main game and/or bonus round, the classic Newlywed Game tie-breaker came into effect.

Second Season Changes
Though most of the format remained the same, there were a few changes to the show:


 * The Goldywed Game bonus round was eliminated. However, there are shows in which the Goldyweds played the game themselves for a second honeymoon of their own.
 * Process went back to the way it was (husbands predicted first, and wives went second).
 * The eHarmony Compatibility Dimension Question was no longer the last question of the game; plus, its score was the same as the first two questions of the 2nd round. The sponsor was dropped after season two.
 * The real final question was a two-part question where each match is worth 15 points; so there will be a possibility of adding 30 points to any couple's score. During the sixth season, the classic bonus question format was revived.
 * With those changes, the new maximum total score is 75 points (later 70).
 * "Celebrity" couples play on occasion, with the winning team's charity winning $10,000.
 * Carnie Wilson left the show after the third season and was replaced by comedienne & The View co-hostess Sherri Shepherd.

Trivia
At the time, former host Carnie Wilson starred in her very own short-lived, six episode only reality show that aired on the same network as this version called Carnie Wilson: Unstapled in 2010. In addition, original host Bob Eubanks made an appearance in one episode of the show.

Despite what many people think, not all couples' marriages ended in divorce. Several Newlywed Game couples (even the ones who lost) continued being together after their tapings.

Hasbro (1967-1969)
Hasbro made three editions based on the show since 1967-1969.

Chuck Barris Production (1979)
In size and style, this rare 1979 version in red is similar to that of the Hasbro versions. It even uses the same book of questions as the original. Still, there's no Hasbro print, but the only copyright on the box is for Chuck Barris Productions.

Pressman (1986)
Pressman released a "new"  version based on the 1985 version in 1986.

Endless Games (1998-)
Endless Games currently makes board & DVD games based on the show since 1998.

Book
Pocket Books published a beginners' cookbook in 1971, it was complied by Jody Cameron Malis and featues a picture of Bob Eubanks' head on the cover of the book.

Interactive Game
An Interactive game based on the classic version where you can play along while watching the show was once released thru GSN's very own website.

Slot Machine Game
A video slot machine game based on the show was released by IGT in 2004. (NOTE: due to Bob Eubanks' unavailability, Jim Lange (who hosted the show as a one-time ABC special in 1984) provided his animated appearance and vocal talents for the game)

In Popular Culture
NOTE: former Newlywed Game Host Bob Eubanks appears in the episode as the host of The Honeymoon's Over.
 * The Newlywed Game was featured in the short-lived sitcom The Brady Brides, a spin-off of The Brady Bunch. It all started when Bob Eubanks had car trouble and he ended up parking in front of Marcia, Jan and their husbands Phillip & Wally's house. He went in and asks them to use their phone. Pleased by their kindness and hospitality, Bob invited the couples to play The Newlywed Game; Phillip hoped to win a new aquarium for his guppies. But when they got to the show and played the game, things were unpleasant, unreliable & uneasy, not to mention embarrassing, but very hilarious. Both couples ended up losing the game but they did manage to make up when they returned home.
 * The Newlywed Game was spoofed in the ABC sitcom, Full House. The show was called "The Perfect Couple" and Joey "Joe Stone" Gladstone (played by Dave Coulier) was the host. Instead of their answers on cards, the couples' answers were shown via video screen which is kind of Tattletales-ish. And instead of 3 married couples, there was a dating couple (DJ (Candice Cameron-Bure) and Steve (Scott Weinger), an engaged couple (Danny and Vicki (Vicki was late, so some woman named Estelle took her place), and a married couple (Jesse and Becky). The game was kind of funny. DJ thought that Steve doesn't know anything about her. Danny knew that he would never get a match because he never even met Estelle. And Becky knows that she'll get a match because she thinks that Jesse's predictable, and when they learned a lesson, they kissed and left the stage. Danny and Estelle won the game and a trip to Cabo San Lucas. When Vicki finally came, she told Danny that she has a job as an anchor in New York. Danny thought the whole long distance relationship wouldn't work, so they broke up.
 * A 90s episode of the formerly-popular FOX sketch comedy series In Living Color also spoofed The Newlywed Game with Jim Carrey as Bob Eubanks.
 * A Newlywed Game-like spoof appeared in a 1999 episode of the formerly popular Nickelodeon sitcom Kenan & Kel called "The Honeymoon's Over" (for which in turn is also the name of the game show their spoofing) where Kenan Rockmore (played by Kenan Thompson) dances half-naked in his living room, his mom's book club comes over. This prompts Kenan to try to get a bachelor pad for Kel Kimbel (played by Kel Mitchell) and himself. While Kel is watching the show on TV, Kenan gets the idea of going on the show by having Kel dressing up as his wife named Kellie Rockerferstein. However, they lost at the end of the episode.
 * The show was also spoofed on The Suite Life on Deck. It was part of a project in school. The game was called "Couples Challenge". The host was a teacher named Emma Tutweiler. The couples were Cody and Bailey, Woody and Addison, and London and Zach. To make things funny, no one ever matched. Both of the spouses wrote their answers on cards. On Cody and Bailey's question, "Who wears the pants in the family?", Bailey angrily wrote, "Not Cody" as an insult and Cody just used his smart talk to explain. On Woody and Addison's question, "How many children do you want?", Addison's answer was really wordy and Woody said none which caused a mad Marcus from the audience say, "I love you too, Dad!" On Zach and London's question (actually questions since they didn't understand the first one), London just drew a picture of her holding bags of money while Zach (dressed like a clown) threw a bucket of shredded paper at Emma as a part of his clown jokes. Some parts of Bailey and Cody's second question caused Cody to have the urge to pee. While Bailey tells him to just go to the bathroom (knowing he has broken legs) Cody insults her and the game turned into a full pillow fight.
 * As with Pyramid, Comcast did a spoof The Newlywed Game as a commercial for Game Show Network featuring Bob Eubanks as the host along with two former GSN stars Todd Newton (Hollywood Showdown/Whammy!) and Kennedy (Friend or Foe?) fame all dressed up in their tacky 1970s attire. The commercial stars with Eubanks asking "Alright, couple number #3 for 25 points. Kennedy, What's the one thing your husband said he couldn't live without?" Then Kennedy responded, "Oh, Bob, I'm sure Todd said he couldn't live without me." Bob said, "What you say, Todd?" as Todd shows his answer written on a big white card ("Comcast Digital Cable") he says, "Sorry, honey, I said that I couldn't live without with my Comcast digital cable." Kennedy (in shock) screamed "WHAT? You rather have 250 channels over me?" as she hit Todd with the big white card while cursing at him (along with a "cuckoo" noise in the background) by saying "Dumb, ****** ******" as Eubanks says, "As he sorts this out, here's an offer that was chosen especially for you." The old Game Show Network announcer says, "Watch Game Show Network on Comcast. get three months of digital cable for only $19.95 a month, call 1-800-Comcast now." Kennedy continues to punch Todd in his stomach which made Bob (in front of the camera) feel a little squeamish in the end.

Other cast members in the film includes:
 * The Wives:
 * Penny Pax as Rebecca
 * Samantha Ryan as Ginny
 * Adrianna Luna as Meredith
 * Abby Cross as Lucy
 * The Husbands:
 * Prince Yahshua as Leon
 * Seth Gamble as Rico
 * Tyler Nixon as John
 * Danny Wylde as Adam

Music
1966-1980 - Lee Ringuette, Lyn Barris, Frank Jaffe

1984-1988 - Milton DeLugg

1988-1989 - "The Book of Love" by The Monotones

1996-1997 - Jim Latham

1997-1999 - Steve Kaplan, Barry Coffing, John Blaylock

2009-2013 - Lewis Flynn

Inventors
Nick Nicholson & Roger Muir

Similar Shows

 * The Family Game/2nd Honeymoon/I Can't Believe You Said That!
 * He Said She Said/TattleTales
 * 3's A Crowd/All New 3's a Crowd
 * Perfect Match (2)
 * Matchmates
 * I'm Telling!
 * Swaps
 * Burt Luddin's Love Buffet
 * Who Knows You Best?
 * Teammates
 * Marital Blitz
 * The Game of Life (one of the rounds plays similar to The Newlywed Game but with family members instead of married couples)

Links
Official Website (Kroeger era/via Internet Archive)

Official Website (Eubanks era/via Internet Archive)

Josh Rebich's Newlywed Game Rules Page

Rules for The Newlywed Game @ Loogslair.net

Mike's Classic TV Games Site: The Newlywed Game

Official Site of GSN's Newlywed Game

YouTube Links
A rare four way tie!

Here are some YouTube videos of one couple who played The Newlywed Game and lived together & stayed together to tell about it.

Video #1

Video #2

Video #3