Game show

:"Quiz show" redirects here; for the movie, see Quiz Show. For the scandals of that name, see Quiz show scandals

Types

There are several basic genres of game shows with a great deal of crossover between the different types.

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• The simplest form of game show is a quiz show whereby people compete against each other by answering quiz questions. Quiz shows usually involves members of the public, but sometimes special shows are aired in which celebrities take part and the prizes are given to charity. Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! are examples. Some quiz shows, such as the word games Password and Pyramid, pair celebrities and non notable citizens.
• A panel game usually involves a celebrity panel answering questions about a specialist field such as sport or music and is often played for laughs as much as points.
• The third kind of game show involves contestants completing stunts or playing a game that involves an element of chance or strategy in addition to, or instead of, a test of general knowledge.
• Reality game shows have become popular in recent years. In a reality show the competition usually lasts several days or even weeks and a competitor's progress through the game is based on some form of popularity contest, usually a kind of disapproval voting by their fellow competitors or members of the public. Game shows often reward players with prizes such as cash, or holidays and goods and services provided by the show's sponsors.
• Dating game shows, the original reality games, in which the prize is typically a well-funded dating opportunity that one can only pursue with the individual one has 'won' on the show. They are also a type of date auction where competitors compete for dates not with money but with seductive powers or attractiveness or the promise of an enjoyable date or even ultimately marriage.