Match Game/Match Game In Popular Culture

Match Game was depicted in a 2012 episode of the Nickelodeon sitcom Victorious called “April Fools Blank”. Here, it was called Match Play. The title character Tori Vega (Victoria Justice) ran onto the set of this parodied game show to which Sikowitz (Eric Lange) was the host and Tori's friends was the panel. Like Match Game the host read a statement with a blank at the end or near the end and the contestant must then fill in that blank with a word or phrase he/she thought any of the celebrities would say. If the contestant's answer matched any of the panelists, he/she won $5000. However, each time there was no match, the Dancing Lobster appeared and attacked the contestant down to the ground. On this playing, the question was: "Dumb Debbie (as opposed to Dumb Dora) was so dumb (HOW DUMB WAS SHE?!) she didn't realize April First was April Fools __________." Tori's answer was "Day" (the obvious one), but due to the crazy nature of that episode, none of the panelists said “Day”, causing Tori to be attacked by the lobster all six times minus two (explanation later) and losing $5000 because of it. The answers the panel gave were as follows: ▪ Andre (Leon Thomas III): "Lobster" ▪ Jade (Elizabeth Gillies): "Berry" ▪ Robbie (Matt Bennett): "Foot" ▪ Cat (Ariana Grande): "Blank" (The Dancing Lobster was not brought out for that, because Cat misunderstood the question.) ▪ Beck (Avan Jogia): "Onion Rings" ▪ Trina (Daniella Monet): "Cut to the Next Scene" (Which [truth in advertising] sent Tori & Trina to their living room for the next scene and the remainder of the episode)

In the 1994 episode of The Simpsons called "Bart Gets Famous", it is implied that the set of Match Game 2034 would be similar to the post-modern atmosphere of The Jetsons. The panelists that appeared on the episode were Billy Cyrstal, Farrah Fawcett-Majors-O'Neil-Varney, The I Didn't Do It Boy, ventriloquist Loni Anderson, Spike Lee and the lovely and vivacious head of Kitty Carlisle. (NOTE: This also was a reference to Marcia Wallace, who was a semi-regular on the 1970's Rayburn version of Match Game.) In the 2010 episode called "Elementary School Musical", Bart and Homer search for evidence on the Internet that can release Krusty the Clown from the International Court of Justice. They find a clip on MyTube (obviously a parody of YouTube) of him appearing on Match Game PM where he confesses to "self-mutilation".

In the 2001 Family Guy episode called "Mr. Saturday Knight", Chris is seen watching reruns of Match Game (called The Match Game in the episode) with Gene Rayburn reading a question to the panel: "Forgetful Freddy was so forgetful, every time he tried to remember someone's name he drew a _____.”

Homestar Runner referenced Match Game not once but twice: the first was in the 2003 episode called "Email The Show", used as a commercial bumper music is partially lifted from the show's theme music, and in the 2006 episode called "Email 4 branches", where The Show was renamed to The Show AM alluding to Match Game’s rebranded title as Match Game PM. Saturday Night Live referenced Match Game in a parody of Inside The Actor's Studio, featuring future host of the 2016 ABC revival Alec Baldwin as Charles Nelson Reilly. In 2001, Will Ferrell as James Lipton raves about the show in flowery terms, making up a word scrumtrilescent to describe its brilliance.[3] On a later episode, the show was parodied as a faux-70's show called It's A Match. In the skit, the game wasn't played because the host had been murdered, and a detective came out instead to question the panel about their whereabouts. In true fashion, the panel responded by writing their answers on the response cards and revealing them as called on.[4] An episode of Will & Grace showed the main characters watching eight back-to-back episodes of Match Game '73 with Karen Walker (played by Megan Mullally) humming the theme song and remarking how she loved the Game Show Network. Mystery Science Theater 3000 made references to the show while watching movie segments and in one of the sketches, Crow T. Robot does a one-man show (Give 'em Hell Blank) about Match Game, playing as Gene Rayburn as well as all six of the panelists including Nipsey Russell and Charles Nelson Reilly. He closes with an unusually somber monologue (as Rayburn) about growing old.

In January 2001, TV Guide listed Match Game as #10 as one of The 50 Greatest Game Shows of All-Time.

In December 2005, TV Guide and TV Land joined forces and created a television special which counted down a list of the 100 most unexpected TV moments. Match Game '77 “School Riot” episode is one of them, in which Debralee Scott and Richard Dawson revolt when the judges did not accept “Finishing School” as a match for “School” was ranked as #82 on the list.

In 2006, GSN ranked Match Game #1 as one of The 50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time; the special series itself was hosted by Bil Dwyer.

In July 2006, it was mentioned as a topic in VH1's nostalgic miniseries I Love The 70's Volume II’s 1973 episode.

Match Game is a recurring segment on radio programs such as The Don and Mike Show and The Dan Patrick Show, as well as on local morning shows across the country. Vicki Lawrence has made multiple appearances on Match Game. She was in the pilot and she also made an appearance when The Carol Burnett Show cast made a visit to the show. She was also a semi-regular on the 1990's ABC, 1998 Syndicated and 2003 WMS Gaming slot machine versions.

A modified version of Match Game would occasionally be played on MTV's Remote Control. Host Ken Ober's questions would generally be raunchier than Match Game standards, and the contestants scored points for matching either co-hosts Colin Quinn, Kari Wuhrer or musician Steve Treccase. In 2006, GSN listed Match Game #1 of The 50 Greatest Game Shows of All-Time. The special was hosted by Bil Dwyer. Match Game was referenced once on The Price is Right as one of their Showcase themes on the December 12, 2007 episode. The music from Match Game was played in the April 1, 2009 episode of Price as an April Fools joke.

Match Game is mentioned numerous times in Charles Nelson Reilly's 2006 documentary film The Life of Reilly.

The reality series RuPaul's Drag Race has played a version of Match Game, called "Snatch Game", since season two. The queens imitate their favorite celebrities and sit on the panel, while two celebrity contestants, usually the special guest judges for that episode, try to fill in the blanks and match the queens.