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Hosts
Bob Eubanks (1966–1980, 1985–1988, 1997–1999; sub, 2009/2010)
Tony McClay (sub, 1978)
Jim Lange (1984)
Paul Rodriguez (1988–1989)
Gary Kroeger (1996–1997)
Carnie Wilson (2009–2010)
Sherri Shepherd (2010–2013)
Announcers
Scott Beach (1966)
Johnny Jacobs (1966–1980)
Tony McClay (sub, 1980)
David M. Greenfield (sub, 1980)
Rod Roddy (1984)
Bob Hilton (1985–1987)
Charlie O'Donnell (1987–1989)
Ellen K. (1996–1997)
John Cramer (1997–1999)
Brad Aldous (2009)
Randy West (2009–2010)
Broadcast
200px-Newlywedgame1966
The Newlywed Game 1969
The Newlywed Game
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ABC Daytime: 7/11/1966 – 12/20/1974
ABC Primetime: 1/7/1967 – 8/30/1971
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Syndication (Daily): 9/12/1977 – 5/23/1980 (reruns aired until 9/1980)
The New Newlywed Game 1984
ABC Daytime (Specials): 2/13-17/1984
The New Newlywed Game 1985
The New Newlywed Game 1987
The Newlywed Game 1989
Syndication (Daily): 9/16/1985 – 5/26/1989 (reruns aired until 9/8/1989)
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The Newlywed Game 1998
The Newlywed Game 99
Syndication (Daily): 9/16/1996 – 5/28/1999 (reruns aired until 9/8/2000)
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GSN: 4/6/2009 – 2/14/2013
Packagers
Chuck Barris (Enterprises) Productions/Barris (Industries) Productions (1966–1989)
Columbia TriStar Television (1996–1999)
Embassy Row/Sony Pictures Television (2009–2013)
Distributors
Worldvision Enterprises (1977–1980)
Bel-Air Program Sales/Barris Program Sales (1985–1989)
Columbia TriStar Television (1996–1999)

The Newlywed Game is the hilarious, 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.

In the 1980s, the show was also known as The New Newlywed Game and The Newlywed Game Starring Paul Rodriguez, respectively. In the 2009-10 era, this version was formerly known as The Newlywed Game Presented by eHarmony.com.

Gameplay[]

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 would earn points; but each time a couple didn't match, they scored no points and would usually argue over their answers.

Round 1[]

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

Round 2[]

The husbands were secluded off-stage while the wives predicted what their husbands would say when they came 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 would show their predictions and the couple whose prediction was the closest without going over their actual final total won the game. If all of the tied couples' predictions exceeded their final total, the couple whose prediction was the closest were declared the winners. Most often there would be two-way ties, less often there would be three-way ties, and 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 1, and the husbands predicted what their wives would say in Round 2. 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 1 each match was worth $25 (with that amount given at the start), and in Round 2 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 match added the wager while a mismatch deducted the wager. The couple in the lead at the end of the game still won the grand prize, but any money that the other three couples won was theirs to keep.

When Paul Rodriguez took over as host in December of 1988, 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 to 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, and then it went the opposite direction.

Alternative Version[]

Kroeger would read a series of questions to the wives who stood behind podiums and are equipped with buzzers. They could be anything like: "Your High School", "Your kid brother's name" or "Favorite TV Show". When a question was read, one of the wives would buzz-in and say "He'd better know that!" To prove it, the appropriate husband seated behind her stood up and answered the question. A correct answer scored five points but an incorrect answer lost five.

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 had to guess what he/she chose. Each match again earned 10 points. First the wives predicted what their husbands said, and 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, who were equipped with heart-shaped signs that said "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 he/she was correct, the couple scored 10 points; if, however, he/she was wrong, the couple lost 10 points. Only the first person to raise the sign could win or lose. Seven facts were played.

Round 4[]

In the 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/husbands held cards with one of the choices on it. Then the husbands/wives chose one of the two things that most applied to them. Each match scored points; they were seven questions and each question was worth 10 points more than the previous question with the last question worth even more as follows:

  1. 10 points
  2. 20 points
  3. 30 points
  4. 40 points
  5. 50 points
  6. 60 points
  7. 100 points

Thus, 310 points were possible for any couple who could answer all seven questions correctly in this round.

The couple with the most points won the game and the second honeymoon trip. If the game ended in a tie, a standard Newlywed Game question was asked and the wives/husbands wrote down their answers on blank cards. The husband/wife who's team caused the tie had a chance to answer first, then the opponent got to answer. Play continued until one of them mismatched, causing the opposing couple to win the 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.

GSN Attempt[]

Before the Wilson/Shepherd revival in 2009. In 2008, according to The Hollywood Reporter[1]the network taped comediennes Kim Coles (who previously hosted Pay it Off for BET) and Judy Gold respectively to host reboots of this show along with its sister show The Dating Game. They would've incorporated modern elements like online dating sites. In addition, Michael Davies would have executive-produced both shows through his overall deals at Sony Pictures Television. However, this never came to fruition.

2009–2013 Version[]

The most recent 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; however, it wasn't played on shows where the couples that day met through eHarmony.com.

Each round had three questions with the Round 1 questions worth 5 points, the first two questions in Round 2 were worth 10 points, and the final question was 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" competed 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 was worth an increasing point value starting with 1 and ending with 5. The couple with the most points won a bonus prize.

If there was 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 were 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 2. The real final question was a two-part question where each match was worth 15 points; so there was a possibility of adding 30 points to any couple's score. During the sixth season, the classic bonus question format was revived. With these changes, the new maximum total score was 75 points (later 70).
  • "Celebrity" couples would play on occasion, with the winning team's charity receiving $10,000.
  • Carnie Wilson left the show after the third season and was replaced by comedienne & The View co-hostess Sherri Shepherd.

Specials[]

NOTE: Both of these have aired on Game Show Network (a.k.a GSN).

The Newlywed Game: A Silver Anniversary of Love and Laughter[]

On April 18, 1998; a special called The Newlywed Game: A Silver Anniversary of Love and Laughter hosted by Bob Eubanks and was announced by Gene Wood (although he was never credited in the end) where it looks back at some of the couples who have appeared as contestants during the 1960s, 70s & 80s incarnations of the franchise.

NOTE: This was also the name of the board game released by Endless Games in the same year as this special.

Cover Story: The Newlywed Game – Most Outrageous Answers[]

On October 28, 2018 an episode of the series Cover Story called Cover Story: The Newlywed Game – Most Outrageous Answers hosted by Trish Suhr features the most outrageous and hilarious moments from the show spanning over many seasons.

Trivia[]

The collection begins with 1972. Only one ABC episode from August 1966, and a couple from 1969 are in Sony's archives. The rest were destroyed.

The 2009 version was not only the first to be hosted by woman, but was also the first to be hosted by a white woman (Wilson) then later a black woman (Shepherd) respectively.

At the time of the GSN series, 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.

In 2009 from the Wilson era, George Takei (Sulu from Star Trek) and his husband Brad Altman[2]were the first and only same-sex couple to appear on any incarnation of the series itself and won. Their episode aired on October 12, 2009.

Reruns of the Shepherd version can also be seen on Bounce TV.

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.

On April 16, 2021; according to Deadline, Sony was developing a new version of The Newlywed Game to ship out to the market.[3]

In October 2021, Buzzr announced classic episodes (mainly from the 90s) hosted by Eubanks would air starting November 15. This will be the first Sony-owned game show to air on Buzzr, as Game Show Network (a.k.a. GSN), which is owned by Sony, previously aired all of their game show owned properties including their own version hosted by Wilson and Shepherd respectively from 2009 until 2013.[4]In 2022, the network added the shorter-lived Kroeger[5]version which had not been seen in reruns for over 26 years. As of 2024, the Kroeger version episodes are still being shown.

International Versions[]

Countries that have done their own versions of The Newlywed Game include:

  • Australia
  • France
  • Germany
  • Indonesia
  • Italy
  • Poland
  • Spain
  • Tunisia
  • United Kingdom

Additional Pages[]

The Newlywed Game/Quotes & Catchphrases
The Newlywed Game/Merchandise
The Newlywed Game/Newlywed in Popular Culture
The Newlywed Game/Gallery

The Newlywed Game/Picture Gallery
The Newlywed Game/Video Gallery

Rating[]

72px-TV-14 icon svg

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
1997-1998 - Steve Kaplan
1998-1999 - John Blaylock & Barry Coffing
2009-2013 - Lewis Flynn

Studios[]

ABC Television Center, Los Angeles, CA (1966–1974)
Golden West Studios, Hollywood, CA (1977–1980)
Studio 7, Sunset Gower Studios, Los Angeles, CA (1985–1989, 1998-1999)
Hollywood Center Studios, Los Angeles, CA (1996–1998)

Inventors[]

Nick Nicholson & Roger Muir

Similar Shows[]

References[]

Links[]

Official Website (Kroeger era/via Internet Archive)
Official Website (Eubanks era/via Internet Archive)
Official site of GSN's Newlywed Game
The Newlywed Game @ Tim's TV Showcase
Rules for The Newlywed Game @ Loogslair.net
Mike's Classic TV Games Site: The Newlywed Game
The Newlywed Game (Rodriguez Version) @ Game Show Garbage

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.

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