ABC Carnival '74
Across the Board
Baloney
Bamboozle
Be What You Want
Beat The Genius
Beat The Odds (1962)
Beat The Odds (1975)
Bedtime Stories
The Better Sex
The Big Money
The Big Payoff
Big Spenders
Blank Check
Body Language
Body Talk
The Buck Stops Here
Bullseye
Call My Bluff
Card Sharks (1996)
Casino
Caught in the Act
Celebrity Billiards
Celebrity Doubletalk
Celebrity Secrets
Celebrity Sweepstakes
Chain Letter (1964)
The Challengers (1974)
Change Partners
Child's Play
The Choice Is Yours
Combination Lock (1996)
Comedy Club
Concentration (1985)
The Confidence Game
Cop Out
Countdown (1974)
Countdown (1990)
The Couples Race
Crossword
Decisions, Decisions
Dollar a Second
Duel in the Daytime
The Fashion Show
Fast Friends
$50,000 a Minute
Finish Line (1975)
Finish Line (1990)
Get Rich Quick
Going, Going, Gone!
Head of the Class
High Rollers
Hollywood Squares (1965)
Hollywood Squares (1985)
The Honeymoon Game
Hot Numbers
Hot Potato
House to House
How Do You Like Your Eggs?
Jackpot (1984)
Jeopardy (1977)
Jokers Wild
Jumble
Key Witness
Keynotes (1986)
King of the Hill
Let's Make a Deal (1963)
Let's Make a Deal (1990)
The Love Experts
M'ama Non M'ama
Match Game (1962)
Match Game (1973)
Match Game (1990)
Match Game (1996)
MatchGame (2008)
Mindreaders
Missing Links
Monday Night QB
Money Words
Money in the Blank
Moneymaze
Monopoly (1987)
Nothing But the Truth
Now You See It (1986)
Oddball
100%
PDQ
Party Line
People On TV
Play For Keeps
Play Your Hunch
The Plot Thickens
Pot O' Gold
Pressure Point
The Price Is Right (1972)
Pyramid (1996)
Pyramid (1997)
A Question of Scruples
Quick as a Flash
Razzle Dazzle
Riddlers
Run For The Money
Says Who?
Scrabble (1990)
Second Guessers
Second Honeymoon
Sharaize
Shoot for the Stars
Shoot the Works
Shopping Spree
Show Me
Showoffs
Simon Says
$64,000 Question (2000)
Smart Alecks
Smart Money
Spellbinders
Spin-Off
Split Decision
Star Cluster
Star Play
Strictly Confidential
TKO
Talking Pictures (1968)
Talking Pictures (1976)
Tell It to Groucho
Temptation (1981)
$10,000 Sweep
Three of a Kind
Tic Tac Dough
Tie-Up
Top Secret
Twenty One (1982)
Twenty Questions
Twisters
Up and Over
The Waiting Game
We've Got Your Number
What Do You Want?
What's On Your Mind
Wheel of Fortune
Whew!
Whodunit
Whose Baby
Wipeout
Word Grabbers
Write Your Own Ticket
You Bet Your Life (1988)
You Bet Your Life (1991)
You're Putting Me On
Show a Random Pilot
Show Unreviewed Pilots
Bob Stewart Flow Chart
How Do You Like Your Eggs?
Producer: Warner QUBE
Host: Bill Cullen
Announcer/Street Interviewer: Tom Weebill
Airing Info: March 23, 1977 (it was live)
Other Pilots: 3 others
Made it to Air: The four pilots did air to 204 customers who were testing the QUBE system.
Availability: It's on the trading circuit.
As cable television was beginning to penetrate the nation's homes in the 70's, the idea of two-way or interactive television was considered the next wave in television. Time/Warner set up a cable system called QUBE and made Columbus, Ohio their test market. And, what would work great in interactive TV, how about game shows? So, Bill Cullen was probably paid a billion dollars to host this pilot, shot in the studio at the cable company in Columbus.
The game involved a series of questions where five choices were possible, such as "How do you like your eggs?". The question was posted, and viewers at home were encouraged to give their answer via their two-way cable boxes. While the results were being tabulated, person on the street interviews were shown to give the staff time to tabulate and post the results. Even though the game was using the latest in interactive cable technology, everything on the show, such as the questions and displays, were still on art cards and manual number displays.
Teams, made up of a man and a woman, alternated guessing what was the most popular response to the questions and received one point per correct guess. If both players on a team answered correctly, they were given a chance at a bonus point by guessing the one that was picked the least. If they were correct, they stole a point from the other team, otherwise the non-playing team stole the point.
And this went on. And on. And since there were many technical difficulties with this locally produced show, Bill had to vamp. And vamp. And vamp some more. Finally, once a team reached five points, there was a winner, and they won a Atari Super Pong 10 system (darn, I only had the Super Pong 4). Plus, they went on to the bonus game (known as "The Perfector Round"), which involved now ranking a question based on their audience responses from highest to lowest. If they got all five, they would have won a great 13-inch color TV. If they didn't get all five, the team receives $10 per correct placement.
Three decades later, we still don't have steady interactive games, but not for the efforts of Game Show Network. And it's not because this pilot was terrible. Someday, TV executives will learn that it is a passive medium, it is popular because you don't have to do anything to watch.
 I like them scrambled. |
 Did they have some bad pictures or incriminating evidence, Bill? Holding your dog hostage? |
 Couple #1 |
 Couple #2 |
 A sample question. |
 While the votes are being tabulated on the Warner Communications abacuses, street interviews are shown. |
 The winning couple tries the bonus game. |
This pilot has been viewed 304 times since October 6, 2008 and was last modified on Dec 12, 2009 14:46 ET
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