Top 10 Game Show Hosts

private joker · #1 12-02-2005, 10:20 AM

I don't know why I thought of this, but I decided to list the best game show hosts of all time. The criteria I used were: ability to control the game; intelligence; personality (which includes sense of humor, likability, and attitude).

1. Richard Dawson
2. Alex Trebek
3. Chuck Woolery
4. Bert Convy
5. Gene Rayburn
6. Dick Clark
7. Jimmy Kimmel/Ben Stein
8. Monty Hall
9. Bob Eubanks
10. Jeff Probst

Say what you will about Dawson's creepy affinity for making out with every single female contestant ever to grace the stage, but he was the wittiest and most dominant host you could imagine for a show like Family Feud. And he wasn't afraid to make fun of people for stupid answers. Also, he was clever when a guest on shows like Match Game.

Trebek has been rock solid for years, and despite his pretentious pronunciation of foreign-language words, he's always sharp and on point. Same goes for Woolery, who seems to be the most likable pal for the contestants; always on their side. I liked Convy's sense of humor on Password and Win, Lose, or Draw.

Bob Barker, Wink Martindale, and Regis Philbin aren't on here because they suck. Pat Sajak gets honorable mention at #11, but he's too plain and charmless to make the list.

niss · #2 12-02-2005, 10:24 AM

I don't know how you can have a list that doesn't include Jack Barry from the Joker's Wild.

swede123 · #3 12-02-2005, 10:27 AM

I have to object to your exclusion of Barker. Whether you personally like him or not the guy is a freakin' cornerstone of the foundation of game shows. He easily deserves a top five spot in any list like this. This is even more true if you actually would put Sajak down as an honorable mention. Seriously man, Barker kicks so much Sajak ass it's not even funny.

Swede

private joker · #4 12-02-2005, 10:29 AM

I've never liked Barker. I don't think he connects with the contestants at all -- he asks them questions then ignores their answers; he shoves them around on stage like cattle; he often forgets what he's saying (this is probably more true in the last 10 years as he's reached the senility of most 97 year-olds); and he has absolutely no brain for improvisation at all. The guy is a moron and makes the show very annoying. I don't care how long he's been doing it and what his ratings are. He is not one of my favorite hosts by any stretch.

Los Feliz Slim · #5 12-02-2005, 10:36 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Pat Sajak gets honorable mention at #11, but he's too plain and charmless to make the list.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hey, [censored] you!

I kid. But I love Sajak. I used to watch "Wheel" when I stayed home sick from school, so hearing/seeing him makes me think of being cozy in bed with soup being brought by my Mom. In this topsy-turvy world of ours, we could all use a little more Sajak.

Hornacek · #6 12-02-2005, 10:43 AM

I'd put Trebek at #1. He used to do pretty well as the host of Classic Concentration as well.

CrazyEyez · #7 12-02-2005, 11:03 AM

I like Barker because he's so condescending to a lot of the contestants. He calls them out for making stupid decisions. This is humorous.

Also, I don't know where he fits in but I'd just like to mention Peter Tamarkin.

ericd · #8 12-02-2005, 11:16 AM

I agree. Pat Sajak is my favorite.

eviljeff · #9 12-02-2005, 11:22 AM

Bob Barker is actually hilarious during the commercial breaks. I bet if you went to see TPIR live you'd change your mind. even if you don't find him funny, you'll laugh your ass off at all the TPIR fanatics who got custom t-shirts and flew 1000 miles "just to see Bob".

RunDownHouse · #10 12-02-2005, 11:29 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Pat Sajak gets honorable mention at #11, but he's too plain and charmless to make the list.

[/ QUOTE ]
Yeah, because Trebek is such a bubbling fountain of personality.

Kimmel/Stein get my #1 vote for humor, but I don't think they can really compete with the big guns in terms of "best ever." Their run was too short and too obscure (relatively).