“The Host Was A Jerk”: 30 People Who Have Been On Game Shows Expose Off-Screen Secrets
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A lot of work goes into making our favorite TV game shows as interesting as they are. We as viewers don't see a lot of behind-the-scenes that make the show entertaining: how audience members get picked, what the selection process to be a contestant is, and whether the host really smells as nice as he looks.
One avid game show enthusiast wanted to know what goes on behind the curtain, so they decided to ask: "People who have been on game shows, what are some things that watchers don't know?" Netizens came through with all sorts of answers. From stories from the contestants on The Price Is Right and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire to exposing how true the show Survivor really is, people shared some interesting game show secrets. Check out people's answers below!
Bored Panda got in touch with the author of this thread, u/Meme_Lord4522. They kindly agreed to tell us more about what gave them the idea to post this question. The Redditor also opened up about their favorite game shows and which one they'd want to participate in one day. Read our conversation below!
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I won the Showcase Showdown on The Price Is Right back in 2012. The day is LONG. Started standing in line around 6am, then you’re put through quick interviews. They ask what’s your name, where you’re from, and what do you do (work). I have no idea why they picked me because my answers were pretty unenthusiastic as I was just happy to be in the audience. My guess was that I was an young 23 year old woman with okay legs.
You truly do not know if you will be called to “come on down” until the moment of. Yes, the wheel is heavy. After the show, you’re pulled into a back room to discuss prize acceptance, paperwork, and taxes. You also sign an NDA declaring you will not tell others the outcome of your episode, which airs 3 months after filming.
The prizes are truly nice and high quality! I won 3 international trips in the Showcase and the locations and accommodations were incredible.
I had to wait 10 months before my episode of Pointless aired. It's a long time when one is keen to tell everyone that one has won.
I was on a show where someone in the audience blurted out the answer before I could. They stopped production, removed the audience member, took me off stage, reset the *entire round* and started over. The kicker is I knew the answer anyway, and the new round had a category I knew absolutely nothing about. Audience member cost me $30k.
Ugh, it’s like those classmates who shout out the answer and don’t let the person who was picked even say a word (except 100x worse and 100x more expensive).
Not me, but an acquaintance was taped for "Are you Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?"
He was definitely smarter than a fifth grader. That doesn't make for good television. It never went to air.
The Redditor who posted this question is an avid fan of television game shows. One of them was what prompted u/Meme_Lord4522 to start this thread. "I was watching Jeopardy and was wondering how long it actually takes to make an episode, including filming, costumes, makeup, etc.," they told Bored Panda. "I first did some light Googling but then decided to turn to Reddit and make it a much more open-ended question."
The netizen says that Jeopardy! is their favorite game show. "Additionally, I've always wanted to be on Deal or No Deal," they tell us. It was nice then to find several answers about those two shows. The Redditor says they're glad that many people took the time out of their day to respond. "I really appreciated reading everyone's responses and finding out a lot about different game shows."
My mother won the first microwave that The Price Is Right gave as a prize. I was about 14 years old, and I cooked everything in that monster.
As a phone-a-friend on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, there is no rule against googling. Instead of studying, I practiced googling all kinds of esoteric subjects for a few weeks. I helped my friend win $50K.
Fairly sure that's not possible in the UK these days... According to Broadcast: “A small team was put in place to oversee and deploy fully-briefed security officers to each person’s home to ensure fair play.” https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/this-is-how-cheating-is-prevented-during-phone-a-friend-on-who-wants-to-be-a-millionaire_uk_663b89c8e4b0ce3aef5195d2
I was on The Price is Right. The stage is much smaller and the colors (including Bob’s makeup) were much brighter than what you see on TV. They took my SSN in case I was picked for tax purposes. Everyone said to act enthusiastically to get picked, but I couldn’t fake it- not my personality. Despite that, I got picked. I must have been wearing a good outfit for TV or something. I ended up winning a lot of $ on Plinko.
Yes, the spinning wheel is heavy!
Edit - I did NOT kiss Bob. They kinda suggested you do it, but no way I was going to. I just wanted to get off that stage and call my Mom.
The Redditor says they haven't been on any game shows yet. But reading people's comments about the behind-the-scenes secrets made them want to participate even more. "I learned that it can be fun behind the scenes as well as the fun the audience sees. There were some off-putting stories, but most were pretty positive," u/Meme_Lord4522 adds.
On Jeopardy, there are tiny lights surrounding the game board that aren’t visible on camera. You can’t ring in until the lights flash and if you try before the lights flash, you get locked out for a couple of seconds. That’s why you see people rapidly clicking the signaling device.
I was on Cash Cab. They actually select and prescreen people under the guise of a separate show. They use this to gauge your knowledge and tailor the questions to your ability. As an example one of my questions was " What large archipelago is made of over 15,000 islands? Another team on the same episode got What social media platform has a blue "F" as part of their logo? When you show up for the other show - they tell you there is an issue with the location and you need to take a cab to another site. Up pulls the cab and blamo!
I wasn’t on a game show, but I went to a taping of Wheel of Fortune. They taped 3 shows and I was absolutely exhausted by the end of it. You never realize just how much the audience has to clap during that show until you have to do it.
In the early 80s a friend’s family got to be on Family Feud and I got invited to be in the audience. Among many revelations (to a kid who had been raised on the TV) Richard Dawson was way more creepy in-person than he appears on TV and he had to stand behind the set pieces and chain-smoke in-between takes. It was so odd to see how he could just turn himself ‘on’ and ‘off’ like that. On camera, a totally different person, warm and friendly, off camera, sullen and hungover looking. He did not look like a happy man. What a trip that was.
How many women did Dawson kiss (on the lips, no less) who didn't want to be kissed?
Tried out for Who Wants to be a Millionaire years ago. Had to be in Manhattan first thing in the morning to take a test in a room of maybe 50 people. They quickly grade the test while asking who had the longest drive in, who’s the youngest/ oldest. Results come in and probably 35 people are out the door not scoring high enough. Myself and everyone who stayed back are told we would meet with the producers of the show, pretty sure they were just interns, and our pictures were taken. During the interview I talk about being a veteran and try to sound interesting lol. I mention the only question I struggled with was what cosmetic company is Halle Berry a spokesperson for? We wrap it up and I’m told I would be notified if I would be put in the contestant pool. A week later I get the no thank you card. Oh and on my way to the train station every other picture is Halle Barry and f*****g Revlon.
I dated a guy who was on Chopped. He said it's not as rushed. That they are allowed to have sips of alcohol if they're using it in the food.
The one that bothered him was that they were super encouraged to take swipes at each other and he's a really nice guy.
Wife and I tried out for Supermarket Sweep in 2021. We did a zoom call with the casting people but didn't get the call. I think:
1. We got too many answers right.
2. We weren't "enthusiastic" enough. They really went hard on this, like jump up and down and scream, give us more, MORE! MOOOORE!! It was exhausting.
Jump up and down and scream? No thank you, I do have some level of dignity.
I was on Jeopardy a looong time ago and two of my BTS memories are: the production team was so supportive and kind, and I had to stand on a box. I won the last two games of the day, returned a couple weeks later after a tournament, and tanked hard.
I was on The Price is Right. Never expected to be picked and ended up winning the showcase. There is no trading your prizes for cash, it's take it or leave it, and you have to pay sales/income tax on the winnings.
That was an important detail left out of Oprah‘s infamous “everyone gets a car” show. Everybody was also stuck with a $7000 bill since it was called a prize and not a gift.
My wife and I were on "Let's Make a Deal" a few years ago. Here are a few interesting things:
1) It looked like Wayne Brady picked us from the audience at random to be contestants in a game, but it wasn't random. Before the show, when all the "audience" is waiting in line outside, they interview everybody. They're looking for people who are enthusiastic, fun, and have great costumes. (If you've seen the show, you know.) My wife and I were enthusiastic, fun, and dressed up like mad scientists, so they picked during the show (seemingly at random).
2) People who come to the show, but don't have costumes, are given costumes from the wardrobe department. They never get picked to be contestants.
3) We won $500. Wayne Brady handed us five $100 bills. At the end of the show, they took them back! Apparently they reuse them for each show. I'm not sure if it was real money or not, but it looked really real. After the show, we went to a little office and they told us we'd receive a check in the mail after the show had aired.
4) When we were playing the game (picking a number 1-7) we took a LOOOONG time to decide which number we wanted. When the show aired, it looked like we only took 3-4 seconds. They cut out our indecisiveness.
5) By the end of the hour, nobody in the audience is cheering anymore, because they aren't going to pick any more contestants from the audience. If you watch the show you'll notice they don't really show the tired audience in the last 5-10 minutes.
6) They shoot it pretty much in real-time, meaning that they'll shoot a segment where they pick an audience member to play a game, and then give them money, and then when a commercial should be happening the video-ing pauses for just 2 minutes -- long enough for the real commercials to be inserted later. They don't wait 10 minutes between segments or something. During that time, they play loud party music to keep the audience's energy up.
7) I just remembered there is a TON of leg room in the audience bleachers. That's because audience members have to stand and run down to the stage, and they don't want anyone tripping on someone else's feet.
They may also need room if they're wearing a big costume, I would imagine.
I was in the audience for Deal or No Deal once. There were a couple running gags that didn't make the TV cut.
They also took the secrecy of the briefcase contents very seriously. One of the briefcases got dropped and it opened. I don't think anyone saw the number inside but that was enough for every one of them to be taken back behind the stage and re randomized.
I've been on six game shows from 1983 until around 1997. They mostly shot five episodes each day. So it's a long day. They start with reviewing rules, your wardrobe, and signing contracts etc. Eventually you play practice games on the actual set. Food is provided all day long. Generally episodes were shot three months before airing and I didn't receive any money or prizes until one month after airing. Of course you pay taxes on any prizes or cash. You can refuse any well. I refused a trip to Australia. Most travel prizes are for off-season and the window was only two months. My wife would have been eight and nine months pregnant in that window so she did not fell like being on such a long flight.
Not what you asked but other times I've posted this on Reddit I got asked what shows I was on. I'll only mention the three where I won: Catch Phrase, Now You See It, The Weakest Link (daytime version).
I was once in the audience of a well liked quiz show on Flemish television. Sitting there I realised I wasn't allowed to shout out the answer like I did at home. I had to shut up which was quite difficult 😄
No one hails the cash cab. It’s all a setup Though the contestants don’t necessarily know they’re about to be one cash cab. They also pull you out of the cab after the initial scheme, set everything up then send you on your way. You also get a cheque, not the actual cash.
I was on Slime Time Live as a kid in the early 2000s, back when they filmed it at Universal Studios Florida. They picked the contestants that are going to play in advance and then put us in the crowd and announced us on air and told us to act surprised. The host was a jerk and wouldn't talk to the contestants off air. The two cohosts were a lot nicer though. Also the slime is cold and takes multiple washings to get out of your hair.
I was on Love Connection decades ago. They did keep us separated from the guys we dated before we revealed if we wanted a second date. They choose three guys and you have to pick one to go on the date. Plus they give you a long list of things you can’t do on the date, like go to the movies. They want you to interact. They give you notes on what to say based off of what you told them after the date. Chuck Woollery had cue cards. And it appeared he was looking at you but he was only looking at the cue cards.
The screening process infamously missed serial k¡ller Rodney Alcala. Rodney_Alc...d39149.jpg 
I had a cousin win my country’s version of survivor. He finished the final competition about 45 min before everyone else but the producers cut it in a way that made it seem like he barely won with just a few inches ahead of second place. But I guess that’s to be expected with reality tv.
Another fun fact - the host of the show tried to get all of the women to gang up and get my cousin voted out, and it was so bad that the producers had to step in and tell him to stop (that part didn’t get aired ofc).
Also the host of the show, who was a “respected” tv host in my country at the time, was a raging alcoholic during the whole trip
Edit: another thing I remembered was that they had to halt the shooting of the show and get the contestants into hotels on the mainland for around 2 months because a lot of the people got hit by some kind of virus or bacteria that made a lot of them extremely sick.
Closet I've come was on a radio competition, I was about 8. Yes, no game (not allowed to answer yes or no)
Host: what's your name?
Me: Neil
Host: Neil?
Me: Yes.
I was on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire 17-ish years ago. There was a lot of interesting stuff told to us by the show workers.
One thing they told us was to use the Ask The Audience lifeline early. They said pretty much everyone on the audience tried out for the show, but didn't make it. As such, they told us we probably know more than them, so if it's a high level question and we aren't sure, the audience probably doesn't know either.
They also said we should listen to the audience reactions, though. Since there was no time limit on answering questions, we should talk through the options. If we said something like "I'm kinda thinking the answer might be C" and a bunch of audience members gasp, at least rethink that option.
That is exactly what happened to me. I was asked "Which actor did not portray Al Capone?" and made a verbal remark and heard someone do a sudden intake of breath. So I changed to 'Ask the Audience' and got it right. I was on the first season of the American version of 'Who Want to be a Millionaire?' and you can watch it on YouTube under my BP username. images-665...e6554.jpeg 
Was on Let's Make a Deal.
1. The camera lenses tend to make the studio look larger than it is in real life, I was surprised how much smaller it felt sitting in the audience
2. They do a group interview thing before the show starts to help pick people and weed out the ones that won't make for good TV
3. They have costumes there you can pick from but if you bring your own you're more likely to get picked. They'll make you ride a bus to the studio though so make sure your costume can fit in the seat (I learned that the hard way)
4. They tell everyone to stay smiling/hyped the whole time because if they picked you from the interview process, they can change their mind at the last minute before Wayne calls you if they think the cameras will pan to you and you look like a sour puss. This makes everyone there stay really energetic the whole time which I thought was clever.
5. Lastly, I know this makes me sound like a psycho but Wayne Brady smells *amazing* 👏.
Not exactly a game show, but those House Hunters shows (my family's old property was featured on a spinoff) feature people who've already selected a property weeks or months before production started. These shows just feature people d*cking around making up complaints about houses and then going "I guess we'll go with this one we already own!".
Not only that. I know people who rented their house for taping House Hunters and such (they were featured in no less than three similar shows, and the house is routinely rented for taping serials, advertising and even movies). They have obviously no intention to sell the house or even to do any kind of modification to it. The production team comes in advance and dresses up (or down) the place, then the participants come and debate about "buying" and "renovating" the place. They make decent money (like a couple thousand € per day), but on the other hand they have to keep the house very clean and uncluttered, keep minimal furniture, be ready to move to a hotel with a few weeks notice and they have to routinely make repairs to fix any wear and tear because the filming crews are always rushed and not very careful around other people's property.
I was on Jeopardy in 2021 then again in 2023. It was literally the most fun of my life, plus I got lucky and won over $50k. When they asked me back in 2023 I had to turn them down because I won't cross a picket line, and it broke my heart. Fortunately I got The Text again after the strike was over, but that time I lost. Before I went, my self talk was "Don't worry about winning; all things equal, you will lose. Just don't bring shame upon your family by betting or answering stupid." My one idiot moment came from leaving the verb out of an FJ answer and asking "Who Nathaniel Hawthorne?" I took quite a bit of s**t for that.
Not me on the show, but my dad
In the early days of Countdown (UK show) during the Richard Whiteley era (so mid 1980s), if the numbers game was a particularly tricky one they weren’t solved by Carol Vordermann immediately at the end of the round as portrayed on tv, rather, she would work on it as the programme continued and would record her solve later which would then be edited in to make it look like she had solved it there and then.
If it was a really difficult one, then Carol didn’t solve it at all, it was a behind-the-scenes guy called Michael Wylie that worked it out and then Carol would present it as though she had solved it herself.
Don't think the 8 out of 10 cats version does this nowadays. They are quite blatant about it when Rachel needs a bit of time, or can"t do it. COME ON RACHEL, IT'S YOUR ONLY JOB! Rachel is awesome.
I was on Ink Master, which not exactly a game show for human canvases, involves a prize so I’m posting lol.
The show was set in NYC and even had city backdrops in the opener, but it was filmed in a studio in NJ. The artists all had personas to play, selected by the producers, and did their best to abide. Most of the judges barely stuck around set; they’d film their stuff in quick succession then left, and they edited to make it seem like they were always there. The art was real, obviously, but there was much more time than depicted spent on deciding. I remember it taking FOREVER to film the skull picks though, because we had to be given the skills with the name on the bottom, film that, wait, then read the names slowly. It took two days to film a 30 minute episode. All in all it was an amazing experience!
I was an extra on Tattoo Ink several years ago here in Reno, NV. Got paid like 40 bucks or so. But yeah, it was an ALL DAY thing. There were 3 artists and we pretty much just stood around and watched them tattoo their subjects. I was fortunate enough to see myself on TV checking out one of the artist's finished product when it aired. But man, it was hot and crowded b/c they filmed it in one of the local bars.
Wasn't quite a game show, but some friends and I did the Red Bull FlugTag in Tampa in 2008.
They had an audition / application phase, where you had to drop off your plans and what you were going to try to design to fly off the pier
they chose us, and about 30 other people. We had to agree to news interviews and promotions, that were setup by the marketing team. We were building our craft in my backyard, and the news came out to my home a couple times.
The day of the event blew my mind... there was hundreds of thousands people there... it was nuts. Hundreds of boats, people in the parking garages watching, the hotels all had people out on the balconies... It was absolutely insanity.
They lined us up around the block, like a parade, and everyone did their skit and went off the barge. It was a LOT higher up than I thought it was going to be. I think it was between 30-40 feet off the water, it was pretty high
They gave us all safety briefings, telling us how to tell the lifeguards on jet ski's that we were ok (or hurt)
They keep it quiet, but a lot of people got hurt. Tampa General Hospital was just across the water from where the event was (Tampa Convention Center). The ER had a quite a few people in it from the event, including my cousin (who was the pilot). Cousin shattered his nose, broke it big time
I don't think they do that event anymore, heard lots of people got hurt, one person broke their back too
Was super fun, I have some videos on Youtube from the event.
Can confirm, both the RedBull FlugTag and the Soapbox Races have a significant injury rate that is much overlooked in the promotion media. Most of them are treated onsite and are relatively minor (cuts, broken bones etc), but there have been a few more serious ones in the past. That said, the RB team at least try to approach safety in advance and provide excellent on track support, so their events are actually less dangerous than other similar ones independently organized.
Note: this post originally had 43 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
I've been on 3 - Fifteen-to-One, Countdown and Pointless. Three "green" rooms, not one of which was green. Countdown was unusual in that they told me at the end of the audition (which was just some letters and numbers games) that I was on, whereas the others are all "don't call us, we'll let you know" - possibly because they're only bothered about competence rather than personality or looks. On Pointless, we got there for 9.30, had our own ensuite room, and weren't filmed until 3pm, and were kept separate from the other contestants and the filming, so the surprise at the jackpot is genuine. There's a long gap between giving the answers and putting them on the board in the final round, and a longer pause than you see in the other rounds (maybe a couple of seconds, but if you're not sure your answer is right, it seems like an eternity). Generally though, a fascinating experience. Also, to counter what some believe - there is no collusion. There definitely was in the days of Hughie Green.
Not a gameshow, but you know how some radio presenters can be annoyingly silly and bubbly and wisecracking all the time? Well, sometimes you do get a message from the producer mid show saying: “I don’t like how serious this is getting, please bring it up again!” So even when you’re trying to discuss a more serious subject and talk some sense, you might be forced to get all silly and jokey instead. And the ‘personality’ you think the presenter has might not be their personality at all.
I've been on 3 - Fifteen-to-One, Countdown and Pointless. Three "green" rooms, not one of which was green. Countdown was unusual in that they told me at the end of the audition (which was just some letters and numbers games) that I was on, whereas the others are all "don't call us, we'll let you know" - possibly because they're only bothered about competence rather than personality or looks. On Pointless, we got there for 9.30, had our own ensuite room, and weren't filmed until 3pm, and were kept separate from the other contestants and the filming, so the surprise at the jackpot is genuine. There's a long gap between giving the answers and putting them on the board in the final round, and a longer pause than you see in the other rounds (maybe a couple of seconds, but if you're not sure your answer is right, it seems like an eternity). Generally though, a fascinating experience. Also, to counter what some believe - there is no collusion. There definitely was in the days of Hughie Green.
Not a gameshow, but you know how some radio presenters can be annoyingly silly and bubbly and wisecracking all the time? Well, sometimes you do get a message from the producer mid show saying: “I don’t like how serious this is getting, please bring it up again!” So even when you’re trying to discuss a more serious subject and talk some sense, you might be forced to get all silly and jokey instead. And the ‘personality’ you think the presenter has might not be their personality at all.
