The Southern Ontario/WNY Radio-TV Forum » The Worst TV Game Shows Of All Time

RadioActive · April 17, 2026 9:52 am

I've heard of some of these -"You're In The Picture" is legendary and because it involved Jackie Gleason, it has continued to echo through the footsteps of TV time - the only time a star apologized for detonating a proverbial bomb on North American television.

And Queen For A Day was one of the most pathetic attempts at publicly humiliating women that has possibly ever been shown. Was it worth all that to be given a dishwasher or a new washer/dryer?

But a few of the others were all new to me and I'm frankly glad I never got the chance to see any of them.

Here's a look at some of the worst - and most bizarre - game shows ever seen on TV.

What Are the Worst Game Shows of All Time?

Radiowiz · April 17, 2026 10:19 am

Quite a few years ago, on Game Show Network (GSN USA) Elvira was the host of an evening of the worst ever game shows.
It aired on Halloween night. SCARY! lol

Then there's Fox.
You know what's really sad? When Television ratings are more important than the health of an individual.
That Hot/cold chamber gameshow made the contestant sign a form before going into the chamber.
It basically said that the contestant understands what they are getting themselves into and the network is not responsible for what happens to them. CRAZY!

One gameshow that seems to be missing is Baggage. I actually liked that gameshow, but I sure wouldn't want to be one of those people having to admit any baggage on television. What a bizzare gameshow that was!

Last edited by Radiowiz (April 17, 2026 1:17 pm)

Paul Jeffries · April 17, 2026 12:00 pm

Not sure if this would qualify as the worst, but one of the most boring game shows I remember was one from 1980 called Play the Percentages.

I had high hopes for this show as it was produced by Barry & Enright Productions, the same guys behind The Joker's Wild and Tic Tac Dough (and later on in the year, Bullseye).

I don't remember much about it, other than the fact that it was very drab, and lacked the excitement of the above mentioned shows. They overhauled the format after a couple of months, but all that did was make it drab in a slightly different format.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Play_the_Percentages

It lasted less than a year, from January to September of that year. Fortunately, Barry & Enright came up with Bullseye, about a couple of weeks after PTP's cancellation, and I remember it having around the same excitement level of their two classic shows. Bullseye lasted about two years.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullseye (1980_American_game_show)

PJ

JackofAll · April 17, 2026 1:05 pm

This really isn't a game show in the traditional sense of game shows but I have been watching Impractical Jokers for many years but the last few seasons have become unwatchable. The "gags" are no longer funny and much of the content is based on inside jokes. I don't think it has anything to do with Joe leaving the show some years back.

Radiowiz · April 17, 2026 1:27 pm

Paul Jeffries wrote:
Bullseye lasted about two years.

In the UK, reruns of Bullseye UK are still airing on Challenge today.
Perhaps Challenge sees the success of it more than GSN or any other American source.

RadioActive · April 17, 2026 2:28 pm

It wouldn't be on the list because it was Canadian, but one of my least favourite game shows aired on Global. It was called "Bumper Stumpers" and it involved identifying a phrase or a profession hidden in a personalized licence plate. I could never solve any of them, the prizes were tiny and boy, was it ever dull!

It was co-produced with USA Network in the states and they actually revived the show several years after it went off the air. It was awful both times.

MJ Vancouver · April 17, 2026 4:29 pm

RadioActive wrote:
It wouldn't be on the list because it was Canadian, but one of my least favourite game shows aired on Global. It was called "Bumper Stumpers" and it involved identifying a phrase or a profession hidden in a personalized licence plate. I could never solve any of them, the prizes were tiny and boy, was it ever dull!

It was co-produced with USA Network in the states and they actually revived the show several years after it went off the air. It was awful both times.

I loved Bumper Stumpers. The host was Al Dubois, who was also a weatherman on The Weather Network.

scrand · April 17, 2026 10:02 pm

OMG....How can any game show be worse than CTV/CFTO's "Just Like Mom" with creepy Fergie Olver snatching kisses from 11 year olds......if you haven't seen the video....google it.

mace · April 18, 2026 9:56 am

Queen For A Day may have been a hideous game show by today's standards, but in its nine year run it averaged 13M viewers daily. During its NBC run from 1956-60 the show was almost immediately expanded from 30-45 minutes. NBC was charging $4000 per ad minute. The series actually began on NBC Radio in 1945.

UnSub · April 18, 2026 3:45 pm

My vote for worst game show is The Mad Dash

Saul · April 18, 2026 4:12 pm

scrand wrote:
OMG....How can any game show be worse than CTV/CFTO's "Just Like Mom" with creepy Fergie Olver snatching kisses from 11 year olds......if you haven't seen the video....google it.

Ughhh! Just watched a couple You Tube links. Beyond gross. Even by the "standards" of days gone by. Criminal? There clearly was 'No!', and one kiss was forced.

Last edited by Saul (April 18, 2026 4:13 pm)

ckg927 · April 18, 2026 4:55 pm

Paul Jeffries wrote:
Not sure if this would qualify as the worst, but one of the most boring game shows I remember was one from 1980 called Play the Percentages.

I had high hopes for this show as it was produced by Barry & Enright Productions, the same guys behind The Joker's Wild and Tic Tac Dough (and later on in the year, Bullseye).

I don't remember much about it, other than the fact that it was very drab, and lacked the excitement of the above mentioned shows. They overhauled the format after a couple of months, but all that did was make it drab in a slightly different format.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Play_the_Percentages

It lasted less than a year, from January to September of that year. Fortunately, Barry & Enright came up with Bullseye, about a couple of weeks after PTP's cancellation, and I remember it having around the same excitement level of their two classic shows. Bullseye lasted about two years.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullseye (1980_American_game_show)

PJ

Would I be wrong if I said that Bullseye was just a reworking of The Joker's Wild?

Paul Jeffries · April 18, 2026 6:51 pm

ckg927 wrote:
Would I be wrong if I said that Bullseye was just a reworking of The Joker's Wild?

I kind of thought that, too. Even Tic Tac Dough had its similarities, too.

I think maybe the reason Play the Percentages fell flat is because it tried to deviate from that formula, but unfortunately the "fresh" concept didn't seem to generate much excitement.

PJ

RadioActive · April 19, 2026 6:39 pm

They're the worst game shows of all time and yet, also the best!

bmaudioworks · April 20, 2026 2:00 pm

RadioActive wrote:
It wouldn't be on the list because it was Canadian, but one of my least favourite game shows aired on Global. It was called "Bumper Stumpers" and it involved identifying a phrase or a profession hidden in a personalized licence plate. I could never solve any of them, the prizes were tiny and boy, was it ever dull!

It was co-produced with USA Network in the states and they actually revived the show several years after it went off the air. It was awful both times.

Barry & Enright, previously mentioned in this thread, were also involved with Bumper Stumpers, as were Wink Martindale's company, and Mark Maxwell-Smith, who was behind the Vancouver-produced CBC game "Talk About" with Wayne Cox. Cox also hosted the Blair Murdoch charades show "Acting Crazy", produced at CKVU and seen on Global in our neck of the woods.

Another bad one was Global's "Food For Thought" from the early '90s... pretty much a 30-minute ad for Loblaw brands, with a no-name (pun intended) host. If I had to choose between that and CHCH's version of "Supermarket Sweep", I'd take the latter... more watchable than FFT, plus two radio guys - K-W's Tino Monte hosting, and Hamilton's Dave King (CKOC?) - on announcing duty.

RadioActive · April 20, 2026 2:07 pm

Didn't CTV have a game show called "It's Your Move?" I think it was based on charades. It ran a long time, so somebody liked it and watched it. I was not one of them! I think Paul Hanover was the host.

RadioActive · April 20, 2026 2:08 pm

By the way, if you loved (or loathed) Canadian game shows, this site is defiintely for you!

Canadian Game Show Wiki

Paul Jeffries · April 20, 2026 6:59 pm

RadioActive wrote:
Didn't CTV have a game show called "It's Your Move?" I think it was based on charades. It ran a long time, so somebody liked it and watched it. I was not one of them! I think Paul Hanover was the host.

It was indeed Paul Hanover.

PJ

RadioActive · April 20, 2026 7:22 pm

Wasn't he with CHML? Or am I thinking of someone else?

Paul Jeffries · April 20, 2026 7:34 pm

RadioActive wrote:
Wasn't he with CHML? Or am I thinking of someone else?

Yes, CHML's Mayor of the Morning, from (I think) 1945 to 1982. He got pushed off of mornings in '82 and did some promotional work for the station as well as some evening on-air shifts for the next four years.

When Armadale Communications (CKOC's owner at the time) gained their license to start an FM station in 1986, CKLH, they lured him over to do mornings, which he spent most of his next five years at the station doing before retiring.

PJ

Last edited by Paul Jeffries (April 20, 2026 7:36 pm)

mace · April 21, 2026 7:47 am

RadioActive wrote:
Didn't CTV have a game show called "It's Your Move?" I think it was based on charades. It ran a long time, so somebody liked it and watched it. I was not one of them! I think Paul Hanover was the host.

It ran from Sept 1964-Sept 1968 on CTV afternoons M-F. The show was briefly syndicated in the U.S. in 1967. That version was hosted by Jim Perry

Shorty Wave · April 21, 2026 7:59 am

RadioActive wrote:
By the way, if you loved (or loathed) Canadian game shows, this site is defiintely for you!

Canadian Game Show Wiki

I took a look at this site, thanks RA. I noticed that The Bachelor/Bachelorette Canada and Big Brother Canada are on this list, but are they game shows or reality shows? I guess reality shows are a form of a game show, just more cut throat, still…

Hansa · April 22, 2026 1:18 pm

Last edited by Hansa (April 22, 2026 1:18 pm)