Game shows have enjoyed a splashy decade -- winnings multiplied, contestants' camera skills improved, and hi-tech advancements made sets even shinier and slicker than before. Movieline honors the 2000s by numbering its greatest game show moments, the times when common plebeians became righteous gods, and sometimes monsters. Join us on a decade trek where the only recession in sight is Chuck Woolery's forehead.
10. The Weakest Link debuts on American soil
Anne Robinson's 2001 debut as host of The Weakest Link pivoted game shows in America, as the show served both acerbic one-liners and big paychecks. Though the U.S. iteration survived only until July, 2002 (or 2003, if you count the syndicated version), the U.K. originator still airs new episodes today with Robinson at the helm.
9. Kevin Olmstead wins $2.18 million on Who Wants to be a Millionaire? and (momentarily) makes TV history.
Who Wants to be a Millionaire's streak of million-dollar winners began with IRS agent John Carpenter in 1999, continued with a few more working-class heroes, and culminated with Kevin Olmstead, who won $2.18 million during the episodes when Millionaire increased its big prize for each time a new contestant didn't win it. Strangely, Olmstead's question is not very hard, and he solves it within 30 seconds.
8. Wheel of Fortune contestant makes an enormous mistake
No dalmatian statuary for you! During a themed "Casino Week," a contestant on Wheel of Fortune racked up close to $40,000 in earnings before misreading the puzzle. When you have to ask Pat Sajak to give you a hug, you've had a rough day.
7. Pat Sajak reveals he's "bald"
Wheel of Fortune has a history of strange April Fools gags, but this was the gnarliest. During their usual send-off, Pat Sajak claimed he wanted to come clean with America and asked Vanna White to remove his "hairpiece." The result is disturbing, hilarious, and a showcase for Vanna's acting chops.
6. Deal or No Deal's first millionaire
Like most game show fanatics, I hate Deal or No Deal. It seems like a Shirley Jackson short story where the punchline is our continued stupidity. Anyway, biases be damned, Howie Mandel's briefcase bacchanal was a huge hit in the '00s, and when producers altered the gameboard enough to make a million-dollar win feasible, red lights flashed and confetti fell. Take that, shadowy man upstairs.
5. Meredith Vieira hits on a contestant for three straight minutes
Meredith Vieira is an excellent (and Emmy-winning) game show host, so this moment of unadulterated horniness seems like a strange anomaly in the onetime newswoman's clip file. That's right, she said, "You can stick it wherever you want."
4. Greed steals Who Wants to be a Millionaire's "Richest Game Show Contestant Ever" Status
Following Who Wants to Be a Millionaire's meteoric ascent on ABC, several knockoffs appeared on competing networks. While NBC's Twenty-One and CBS's Winning Lines died instantaneously (but not before Twenty-One also served up a couple multimillion dollar winners), Fox's Greed gave us a grand-champion moment with unforgettable contestant Curtis Warren. Looking like Phil Spector's stockbroker brother-in-law, Warren answered one easy question about movie adaptations that garnered him a million. For futher Warren viewing, please see this clip from the Jim Perry version of Sale of the Century where the man won $50,000.
3. Brad Rutter wins Jeopardy!'s Ultimate Tournament of Champions, becoming the highest-earning game show contestant in history.
Jeopardy! brought back its brightest players with 2005's mammoth, multi-month Ultimate Tournament of Champions, where two surviving veterans went on to play feared champion Ken Jennings for $2 million. In a three-episode run, Brad Rutter, Ken Jennings, and Jerome Vered competed for the prize, and Rutter trounced his competition soundly. In Rutter's 20+ episodes of Jeopardy!, he has never lost a single game. It should be noted that, thanks to an appearance on Are You Smarter Than a Fifth-Grader?, Jennings has gone on to reclaim the title of biggest game show earner ever.
2. The Price is Right's perfect bid
This moment's nonchalance makes it surreal. After what was reportedly a 45-minute dispute among producers who needed to make sure cheating hadn't occurred, host Drew Carey revealed that contestant Terry had, in fact, guessed the exact price of his prize showcase: $23,743. Too incredible to be true? Carey's monotone delivery seems to indicate that he was either skeptical or tired of waiting to finish the episode. At any rate, Terry won both showcases.
1. Nancy Zerg defeats 74-time Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings
Ken Jennings was a polarizing figure. The Salt Lake City computer programmer was both smart and smart-alecky, clean-cut and down-and-dirty, speedy and generally polite. Moreover, he was so unstoppable as a 74-time Jeopardy! winner that some viewers wondered if he'd ever lose. But of course, he did, and it happened thanks to a "Final Jeopardy!" question that is likely beneath his towering acumen. His slayer? Mild-mannered contestant Nancy Zerg -- who would lose during her second Jeopardy! appearance. More shocking than Jennings' loss, however, is the fact that his streak has never come close to recurring. David Madden, the closest challenger to approach Jennings' streak, won 19 times. We may never see the likes of Jennings' impact again, but we can continue to glean his knowledge with his two books and his as-yet-unreleased third tome.