Best Gameshow in a world without Jeopardy

[SeaBreeze341]

It would come as no surprise that several may consider TPIR as the GOAT in terms of Gameshows even in a world of Jeopardy.  I left that out intentionally but the option is there to go with it if you want.

IMO, Jeopardy is tops and it's not even close when it comes to gameshows.  From the competitive nature of it to a nice tournament format, and from an unlimited championship appearance to just pure fun, it's really that damn good.

Jeopardy is unique because it's a competitive show that gets talked about a ton by casuals & everyone else.  It's been featured in TV and movies a lot.  I can't say the same for many others.  They have, but not to Jeopardy's extent.

Someone asked this elsewhere, and I thought it was a great question.  What would be the best gameshow and/or your favorite without Jeopardy?  I actually would go with Pyramid in terms of competition, and Wheel of Fortune in terms of fun and excitement.

FWIW, Jeopardy seems so classy, but Pyramid $25K / $100K with Clark was that show back in the day before Jeopardy became top notch.  JMO, but ever has their own opinions on what's the best or greatest of all time

[Casey]

I've been on a binge lately of 80s Sale of the Century and I think as a trivia game with excitement built in, it gives Jeopardy a run for its money. 

In the early days with the shopping round, players had to risk a lot to get the lot and those days where they were close to a big prize or all of the prizes made for exciting matches.  They, too, had a tournament of champions format that worked well and pitted the best players against each other.  And Jim Perry was perfection on this show.

It also was produced with an era of class and elegance that most shows did not have at that time.  So that's my vote.

[ooboh]

While TPIR is my favorite show nowadays, historically, TPIR isn't my favorite game, nor is it Jeopardy!

Believe it or not, my all-time favorite game show is Press Your Luck. I know it seems silly and brainless in comparison to Jeopardy! or even Price, but Press Your Luck is probably the most aesthetically pleasing show in game show history in my opinion. It's certainly more "show" than "game," yet it plays out like a real-life video game at the same time. The Whammies are absolutely iconic, Peter Tomarken (God rest his soul) was a fantastic host, and the show gave out more cash and prizes per episode in 1984 than pretty much any GSN show in 2023. The current revival on ABC is great too, though I have only minor quibbles with it.

TPIR follows second, and Jeopardy! is third.

[pannoni1]

I voted for Wheel of Fortune. Even though its far from its overall heyday in the '80s and '90s, when done best, it's certainly a fun show to watch, even if it requires less thought than Jeopardy! It is striving to slowly recapture the magic over the last couple seasons as elements such as special themed weeks from past contestants, teams, celebrities, and even the classic theme song are reworked. It was THE #1 game show in syndication for two decades until Ken Jennings really energized J! You can't forget the 1994-95 intro with the late Charlie O'Donnell's opening spiel, proclaiming it as "America's most popular game show, and now, the world('s)!". Over a million people still try out for Wheel every year, meaning that there's still no shortage of fine contestants to select, even if the majority of the Wheel is $500-$700 spaces and tossups eat up a bit more playtime. It may not be my favorite show nowadays (see TPIR and J!), but there's always that "comfort food" factor that's basically been with me as long as I've been around for nearly four decades.

[RatRace10]

Why does everyone act like it's a "fact" that Jeopardy is the best game show ever? What's wrong with Wheel of Fortune or TPIR or Family Feud being your favorite game show?

I've always liked Wheel of Fortune the most, with TPIR a close second, and have never really liked Jeopardy all that much. Yes, it's classy, and it's smart, but IMO, it's not fun like other game shows. It's overrated and annoying that everyone puts it on such a high horse especially when comparing it to WOF.

[Punchboard91]

 I agree with RatRace - this is kind of a biased question, implying first of all that The Price is Right is tops, and then Jeopardy is second.

If you want to leave out TPIR because this is a fansite, fine. But I do not consider Jeopardy the greatest game show ever, and I think this question should basically be, besides Price, what do you think is the greatest game show ever?

[GRWHAMMY the 2nd]

a lot of Jeopardy's recent popularity was due to the goodwill towards Trebek after the cancer diagnosis/announcement

[Game Girl]

out of the list let's make a deal definitely but weirdly enough when I thought about it (and look at a list to jog my memory.) seven keys. (A game show based on chutes and ladders) sadly we are limited to what was saved and I know it is complicated to judge a show by around 6 random episode.but it had it had a mix of trivia, prices and randomness (basically the most popular elements of let's make a deal, Press your luck and Sale of the Century). basically all the aspects of the many of the other ones listed here that are loved even though no one really knows about seven keys and I honestly went across it from either TV tropes of all places (or possibly a post from one of the gameshow forums which I found information from TV tropes it was a while ago.) when I made this I did make sure not to just choose my "favourite game show" but one based on certain merit that I see is liked by other people. (I love don't and that style game show like Family Game Night (and I mean adore it) but most seem to say they do not like the 'risk style' it has.) and briefly considered smarter than a fifth grader before realizing that was a 'generational thing' rather than being the "best of the best". I also took out One season ones like Downfall.