Gameshow Marathon
Ricki Lake, host
Genre	Game show
Running time	60 minutes
Starring	Host: Ricki Lake Announcer: Rich Fields Prize delivery host: Todd Newton Contestants: Lance Bass, Paige Davis, Tim Meadows, Kathy Najimy, Leslie Nielsen, Brande Roderick Panelists: Adam Carolla, Adrianne Curry, George Foreman, Kathy Griffin, Bruce Vilanch, Betty White
Country of origin	UK
Original channel	CBS, with simultaneous substitution on CTV in Canada
Original run	May 31, 2006–June 29, 2006
No. of episodes	7
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Gameshow Marathon is an American television program. The show was a retro-themed/celebrity game miniseries that debuted on American television network CBS and Canadian television network CTV on May 31, 2006 as a television special that aired through the entire month of June. The program is produced by FremantleMedia North America and Granada America and is based on Ant & Dec's Gameshow Marathon, which aired in 2005 on the UK's ITV as part of the network's 50th anniversary. The series is hosted by Ricki Lake, and the announcer is Rich Fields. Also, Todd Newton hosts the "Prize Delivery" segments, in which he appeared at the homes of the play-at-home winners. Image File history File links Gameshow_Marathon. ... Ricki Lake Ricki Pamela Lake (born September 21, 1968 in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York) is a Jewish-American actress and tabloid talk show host, best known for her long-running Ricki Lake talk show. ... A game show involves members of the public or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, playing a game, perhaps involving answering quiz questions, for points or prizes. ... Ricki Lake Ricki Pamela Lake (born September 21, 1968 in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York) is a Jewish-American actress and tabloid talk show host, best known for her long-running Ricki Lake talk show. ... Official CBS photo April 4, 2004 Rich Fields (born November 30, 1960, in Bay Village, Ohio), is an Emmy award winning broadcaster best known for being the announcer of the American television game show The Price Is Right (as of April 4, 2004). ... Todd Newton is the host of Hollywood Showdown and Whammy! The All-New Press Your Luck, both on GSN; and Coming Attractions on E!, as well as occasional episodes of that channels infamous Wild On. ... Lance Bass Lance Bass (born James Lance Bass on May 4, 1979, in Clinton, Mississippi)[1] is an American singer and actor best known as the former bass singer for the American pop group N Sync. ... Mindy Paige Davis (born October 15, 1969 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American actress and theater arts performer living in Manhattan. ... Tim Meadows (born February 5, 1961 in Highland Park, Michigan) is an American actor. ... Kathy Najimy Kathy Ann Najimy (born 6 February 1957) is an American actress, best known as Olive Massery on the television series Veronica’s Closet and the voice of Peggy Hill on the animated television series King of the Hill. ... Canadian actor Leslie Nielsen has portrayed the character of Frank Drebin in three feature films and a television series. ... Brande Nicole Roderick (b. ... Adam Lakers Carolla (b. ... Adrianne Marie Curry (born August 6, 1982 in Joliet, Illinois) is an American fashion model and reality television contestant. ... George Edward Foreman (b. ... Kathy Griffin, 2005 Kathleen Kathy Griffin (born November 4, 1961) is an Emmy nominated American stand-up comedian whose career took off in the early 1990s. ... Comedian Bruce Vilanch in The Aristocrats Bruce Vilanch (born November 23, 1948) is an American gag writer who turned into a celebrity after becoming a wisecracking regular on the revamped Hollywood Squares game show, next to Whoopi Goldberg in the left center square. ... Betty Marion White (born January 17, 1922 in Oak Park, Illinois) was an Emmy Award-winning television actress with a career spanning 60 years, often referred to as The first lady of Television and Americas Sweetheart. She also appeared in radio programs, in movies and the theater, and was... CBS (an abbreviation for Columbia Broadcasting System, its former legal name) is one of the largest television networks, and formerly one of the largest radio networks, in the United States. ... Simultaneous substitution or simsub, in Canadian broadcasting, is the practice by which cable, direct broadcast satellite and multichannel multipoint distribution service television distribution companies substitute the local Canadian signal over a non-Canadian or non-local signal, when two or more stations are airing the same programming at the same... CTV is Canadas largest privately-owned English language television network. ... May 31 is the 151st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (152nd in leap years), with 214 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... June 29 is the 180th day of the year (181st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 185 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A television network is a distribution network for television content whereby a central operation provides programming for many television stations. ... CBS (an abbreviation for Columbia Broadcasting System, its former legal name) is one of the largest television networks, and formerly one of the largest radio networks, in the United States. ... CTV is Canadas largest privately-owned English language television network. ... May 31 is the 151st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (152nd in leap years), with 214 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... FremantleMedia (formerly All-American Television and Pearson Television) is a division of RTL Group which holds the rights to the Goodson/Todman game show library which includes such classic game shows as The Price is Right, Match Game, Ive Got a Secret, and Family Feud, as well as non... Granada Productions UK is one of Europe’s leading commercial television production and distribution companies. ... Ant & Decs Gameshow Marathon was a seven-episode special event aired in 2005 on Britains ITV1, as part of a celebration of ITVs 50th Anniversary. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... ITV (Independent Television) is the name popularly given to the original network of British commercial television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority (ITA) to provide competition to the BBC. In England, Wales and southern Scotland, the network has been rebranded to ITV1 by ITV plc, the owners of... Ricki Lake Ricki Pamela Lake (born September 21, 1968 in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York) is a Jewish-American actress and tabloid talk show host, best known for her long-running Ricki Lake talk show. ... Official CBS photo April 4, 2004 Rich Fields (born November 30, 1960, in Bay Village, Ohio), is an Emmy award winning broadcaster best known for being the announcer of the American television game show The Price Is Right (as of April 4, 2004). ... Todd Newton is the host of Hollywood Showdown and Whammy! The All-New Press Your Luck, both on GSN; and Coming Attractions on E!, as well as occasional episodes of that channels infamous Wild On. ...

Premise

Gameshow Marathon is a seven-episode game show tournament featuring celebrity contestants Leslie Nielsen, Tim Meadows, Lance Bass, Kathy Najimy, Paige Davis and Brande Roderick. The celebrities played The Price Is Right, Let's Make a Deal, Beat the Clock, Press Your Luck, Card Sharks, Match Game and Family Feud (in that order). The Match Game episode featured Betty White, George Foreman, Kathy Griffin, Bruce Vilanch, Adam Carolla and Adrianne Curry as panelists. "Barker's Beauties" from The Price Is Right also played a role in some of the episodes. A game show involves members of the public or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, playing a game, perhaps involving answering quiz questions, for points or prizes. ... Canadian actor Leslie Nielsen has portrayed the character of Frank Drebin in three feature films and a television series. ... Tim Meadows (born February 5, 1961 in Highland Park, Michigan) is an American actor. ... Lance Bass Lance Bass (born James Lance Bass on May 4, 1979, in Clinton, Mississippi)[1] is an American singer and actor best known as the former bass singer for the American pop group N Sync. ... Kathy Najimy Kathy Ann Najimy (born 6 February 1957) is an American actress, best known as Olive Massery on the television series Veronica’s Closet and the voice of Peggy Hill on the animated television series King of the Hill. ... Mindy Paige Davis (born October 15, 1969 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American actress and theater arts performer living in Manhattan. ... Brande Nicole Roderick (b. ... The Price Is Right is a popular American game show based on contestants guessing the retail prices of featured prizes and other promotional products. ... Lets Make a Deal is a television game show aired in the United States. ... Beat the Clock was a Goodson-Todman Productions game show which originally ran on CBS from 1950 to 1958 and ABC from 1958 to 1961, with later revivals. ... Press Your Luck was a popular American television game show during the 1980s where contestants collected spins by answering trivia questions, and then used the spins on an 18-space gameboard full of cash and prizes. ... Card Sharks was an American television game show in which contestants guessed whether a playing card was higher or lower than the card that preceded it. ... The Match Game was a long-running American television game show, most often hosted by Gene Rayburn. ... This article is becoming very long. ... Betty Marion White (born January 17, 1922 in Oak Park, Illinois) was an Emmy Award-winning television actress with a career spanning 60 years, often referred to as The first lady of Television and Americas Sweetheart. She also appeared in radio programs, in movies and the theater, and was... George Edward Foreman (b. ... Kathy Griffin, 2005 Kathleen Kathy Griffin (born November 4, 1961) is an Emmy nominated American stand-up comedian whose career took off in the early 1990s. ... Comedian Bruce Vilanch in The Aristocrats Bruce Vilanch (born November 23, 1948) is an American gag writer who turned into a celebrity after becoming a wisecracking regular on the revamped Hollywood Squares game show, next to Whoopi Goldberg in the left center square. ... Adam Lakers Carolla (b. ... Adrianne Marie Curry (born August 6, 1982 in Joliet, Illinois) is an American fashion model and reality television contestant. ... Barkers Beauties is a term, coined by Mark Goodson, referring to the models on the American game show The Price Is Right. ...

Formats

The format of each individual show is largely unchanged, though modifications were made due to time issues (each episode is 60 minutes long, compared to the usual 30-minute format of the component shows) and in order to conform with the overall game format of Gameshow Marathon.

The overall tournament format is as follows: All six player celebrities participate in the first game (in this case, The Price Is Right). The player who wins this game wins one of four seats in "Finalists' Row" and moves on to the next round of play. The remaining players after each game's play then participate in the next game (5 for Let's Make a Deal, 4 for Beat the Clock, and 3 for Press Your Luck) to win one of the remaining seats. After the fourth game, the remaining two players are eliminated.

The four players in "Finalists' Row" are then paired in a knockout competition--first against third and second against fourth--to play the fifth and sixth games (Card Sharks and Match Game, respectively). The winners of these two games then proceed to the "Championship Game", Family Feud.

For the finals, each celebrity has to assemble a 5-player team of family and friends to play Family Feud in the 1979 format, with the charity of the winning "family" receiving US$100,000. ISO 4217 Code USD User(s) the United States, the British Virgin Islands, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Panama, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the insular areas of the United States Inflation 3. ...

The series uses replicas of the original sets from six of the seven gameshows with the exception of The Price Is Right, which used parts of the actual game set from Series 34 (2005-06), which was transported from Studio 33 to Studio 46. The Family Feud set featured a video screen instead of the huge trilon on the game board, similar to the present version. Much of the 1979 set's designs were included in the 2006 set of Feud.

Each episode begins with Rich Fields' narration of the night's featured show. He gives a short overview of the best-known versions of each show, complete with rules and highlights.

Home Viewers' Sweepstakes (US)

CBS is also sponsoring a Home Viewers' Sweepstakes in conjunction with series co-sponsor Harrah's Entertainment. During the first-run airing of each game episode, a multiple-choice trivia question will be asked relating to that episode's game. Viewers can submit their choice of what they think is the correct of the three given answers either by (a) text messaging their choice via their cell phone, or (b) registering on the CBS.com website and using the online entry form. Those entrants who answer correctly will be put into a random draw pot, from which the winner will be chosen. For the first six episodes, said winner wins the same prizes won by that evening's winning celebrity player, plus a "Harrah's VIP Vacation Package" trip. (Each of these prize packages is worth at least US$50,000.) The winner of the seventh night's drawing wins a flat US$50,000 cash, but no trip. Harrahs Entertainment, Inc. ...

Winners of the sweepstakes are featured in the "Prize Delivery" segments, where Todd Newton introduces a semi-trailer truck, emblazoned with the Gameshow Marathon logo, delivering the prizes won by the lucky winners.

Further details on the rules of this sweepstakes can be found here.

CTV aired the same viewer sweepstakes promotions as CBS despite the fact that Canadians were ineligible for the sweepstakes. No separate contest was held. CTV is a TLA that may stand for: CTV Television Network - a Canadian English language television network Channel Television - the main television broadcaster in the Channel Islands Chukyo TV. Broadcasting - a Japanese TV station in Nagoya This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that... CBS (an abbreviation for Columbia Broadcasting System, its former legal name) is one of the largest television networks, and formerly one of the largest radio networks, in the United States. ...

Tournament recap

• On The Price Is Right, Brande Roderick had the best bid in the Showcase and advanced to the semifinals.
• Lance Bass became the next semifinalist on Let's Make a Deal.
• Paige Davis won the Beat the Clock segment.
• Kathy Najimy won the last semifinal slot on Press Your Luck. Tim Meadows and Leslie Nielsen were eliminated.
• In the first semifinal, Roderick defeated Davis on Card Sharks.
• In the second semifinal, Najimy defeated Bass on Match Game.
• Najimy and her family then beat Roderick and her family on Family Feud to capture the top prize. (Each had played the game before: Najimy with other relatives on a regular game in 1981; Roderick as part of the cast of Baywatch: Hawaii in 2000.)

Baywatch was a popular American television series about the Los Angeles County Lifeguards who patrol the crowded beaches of Los Angeles County, California. ...

Charities

The celebrities' charities are as follows:

• Paige Davis: Donate Life (an organ donation charity)
• Kathy Najimy: Girls' Best Friend (supports & empowers teen girls in their endeavors)
• Tim Meadows: The Chris Farley Foundation (educates youth on the negative aspects of drugs and alcohol)
• Lance Bass: Habitat for Humanity (specifically, to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina)
• Brande Roderick: City of Hope
• Leslie Nielsen: Foundation for Blind Children in Phoenix, Arizona

Mindy Paige Davis (born October 15, 1969 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American actress and theater arts performer living in Manhattan. ... Kathy Najimy Kathy Ann Najimy (born 6 February 1957) is an American actress, best known as Olive Massery on the television series Veronica’s Closet and the voice of Peggy Hill on the animated television series King of the Hill. ... Tim Meadows (born February 5, 1961 in Highland Park, Michigan) is an American actor. ... Lance Bass Lance Bass (born James Lance Bass on May 4, 1979, in Clinton, Mississippi)[1] is an American singer and actor best known as the former bass singer for the American pop group N Sync. ... Official Habitat for Humanity logo Habitat for Humanity is an international, Christian, non-governmental, non-profit organization devoted to building quality, low-cost, affordable housing. ... Lowest pressure 902 mbar (hPa; 26. ... Brande Nicole Roderick (b. ... City of Hope refers to many things. ... Canadian actor Leslie Nielsen has portrayed the character of Frank Drebin in three feature films and a television series. ...

US Marathon in the UK

ITV2 in the UK has plans to show the US version of Game Show Marathon, starting Thursday August 31, 2006 at 8PM. This would, more or less, be a rare glimpse into the world of American game shows for British viewers although some shows such as The Price Is Right (The Price Is Right (UK)), Card Sharks (Play Your Cards Right), Match Game (Blankety Blank) and Family Feud (Family Fortunes) have been successful in the UK.[1] Although it has to be said that many US gameshows have been and are based on UK versions. ITV2 is a free-to-air entertainment television channel in the United Kingdom owned by ITV plc. ... The Price Is Rights US 35th season logo. ... Bruce Forsyth, host of the 3rd version in the United Kingdom. ... Card Sharks was an American television game show in which contestants guessed whether a playing card was higher or lower than the card that preceded it. ... Play Your Cards Right was a British television game show based on the American show known as Card Sharks. ... The Match Game was a long-running American television game show, most often hosted by Gene Rayburn. ... Blankety Blank was a British game show based on the American game show Match Game. ... This article is becoming very long. ... Family Fortunes is a long-running British game show, based on the American game show Family Feud. ...

Trivia

• The only two game shows in the marathon that weren't previously Mark Goodson Productions were Let's Make a Deal and Press Your Luck. Both formats are now controlled by RTL Group, the successor to Goodson-Todman Productions, and the parent company of FremantleMedia.
• All of the shows in the marathon at one time or another were on CBS except for Let's Make a Deal.
• The shows used their most classic style of sets, rules, theme songs and sound effects, except for The Price Is Right, which used the current (Series 34, 2006) sets, rules, theme songs, and sound effects. The cash and prizes for all the shows were updated considerably for the marathon.
• Many people thought Kathy Najimy was only given one putt on the "Hole in One" segment during The Price Is Right episode. However, she was given two putts and since she missed both, they edited it to just show her miss once because of time constraints. Furthermore, the second putt was not added to the game until 1986.
• During the "Plinko" segment, a new rule was added for The Price Is Right episode, so that Paige Davis could win the last small prize (in this case, an MP3 player) for all non-celebrity audience members. She guessed the correct number in the price of the player, thus winning the prize for everyone in the audience, as well as the chip. The Plinko board's layout is the same one used on The Price Is Right's primetime specials.

RTL Group is Europes largest TV, radio and production company. ... FremantleMedia (formerly All-American Television and Pearson Television) is a division of RTL Group which holds the rights to the Goodson/Todman game show library which includes such classic game shows as The Price is Right, Match Game, Ive Got a Secret, and Family Feud, as well as non...

External links

• Official CBS.com Show Page
• Official CTV.ca Show Page
• FLASHGames² Involvement with Gameshow Marathon
• Variety article on Game Show Marathon details
• Video clip of the show's promo