Results: Mt. Rushmore of TV Game Show Hosts -- Part 1 of 4
Published on 10/18/2025
Random thoughts were running through my mind the other day and somehow the topic of TV game show hosts popped into my head. If you had to come up with a "Mt. Rushmore" of TV game show hosts, which ones would you include? I came up with 12 for your consideration, and I will present 4 different ones in 3 separate surveys, then open it up to voting on the 4th survey. Please note that no modern-day hosts are included here.

QUESTIONS
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Comments
1.
1.
Bob Barker hosted "Truth or Consequences" from 1956 to 1975, but of course is better known for hosting "The Price Is Right" -- the longest running game show in North American television history -- from 1972 to 2007. Which of these game shows are you familiar with and/or did you watch?

I am familiar with/watched "Truth or Consequences" but not "The Price Is Right."
5%
97 votes
I am familiar with/watched "The Price Is Right" but not "Truth or Consequences."
31%
585 votes
I am familiar with/watched both game shows.
43%
814 votes
I am not familiar with/did not watch either game show, but I am familiar with Bob Barker.
5%
89 votes
I have never heard of Bob Barker.
3%
58 votes
Not Applicable
14%
257 votes
2.
2.
Jack Barry had a very interesting career both in front of the camera and behind the scenes in production. Teaming with his business partner Dan Enright, he launched "Tic-Tac-Dough" and "Twenty-One" in 1956. But he found himself in the midst of the famous quiz show scandal that the movie "Quiz Show" (directed and produced by the late Robert Redford) is based on. For years after the scandal, Barry dabbled in various radio and TV gigs. He even teamed up again with Dan Enright in 1966 to collaborate on small Canadian-produced quiz shows. Barry eventually returned to the US and made his major comeback in the late 1960s with "The Joker's Wild" as both producer and host. Are you familiar with this host and these famous game shows? I have heard of and/or watched at least one of these game shows.
34%
646 votes
I did not watch any of these game shows, but I am familiar with Jack Barry.
15%
280 votes
I have never heard of Jack Barry.
32%
599 votes
Not Applicable
20%
375 votes
3.
3.
Granted, Dick Clark is probably more well known for TV programs like "American Bandstand" and yearly specials like "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve." His early career was marked by gigs in both radio and television, even owning several radio stations throughout southern California. His game show hosting career began in 1963 but really came to prominence 10 years later when he hosted "The $10,000 Pyramid" (one of my all-time favorite game shows) which lasted 15 years (albeit under different names) and for which he won 4 Emmy awards as best game show host. A member of both the National Radio Hall of Fame and the Television Hall of Fame, Dick Clark certainly had a storied career in the entertainment industry. What is your level of familiarity with him?

I am familiar with much of his work, including the "$10,000 Pyramid," "American Bandstand" and/or "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve."
49%
933 votes
I am more familiar with him as host of "American Bandstand" and/or "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" but not as game show host.
24%
461 votes
I know him more as a game show host, but not his other TV programs and specials.
5%
86 votes
I know him more from his radio and/or TV production work rather than as hosting duties in front of the camera.
3%
53 votes
I have never heard of Dick Clark.
4%
84 votes
Not Applicable
15%
283 votes
4.
4.
Richard Dawson was an actor, comedian, and one of those rare individuals who served as both game show panelist and host. For the older generation of Tellwut members, you might remember his acting role on "Hogan's Heroes" from 1965 to 1971. Following the cancellation of that show, he got his start as a game show panelist on the lesser known "Can You Top This?." That propelled him to a regular gig on "Match Game" on which he became wildly popular and a fan favorite. That, in turn, led to hosting duties on "Family Feud" starting in 1976, a game show that became an instant hit. Dawson became known as "The Kissing Bandit" for his trademark kissing of female contestants (which he claimed was intended to be for good luck for those contestants). His "Family Feud" hosting duties concluded in 1985. His last well-known acting role was in the action-thriller "The Running Man" opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger. How familiar are you with Mr. Dawson?

I know him more for his TV acting role on "Hogan's Heroes" and less as a game show panelist/host
19%
361 votes
I know him more as a game show panelist/host and less as an actor
16%
307 votes
I know him from all of the above!
33%
631 votes
I've heard of him but never watched him on TV or in the movies
5%
101 votes
I've never heard of him before
11%
208 votes
Not Applicable
15%
292 votes
COMMENTS