Best TV game shows of all time
Audiences have long been drawn to the participatory aspect of a good game show鈥攃ompeting at home alongside friends and loved ones, or dreaming of one day auditioning. There's even an entire cable channel dedicated to game shows.
麻豆原创 set out find which ones were the best of the best in U.S. history, pulling user data from IMDb to find the list of the top 50. Each show was (or is) broadcast in English and had more than 800 votes on the database website as of Dec. 20, 2018. Ties were broken by shows with the higher number of votes.
Covering everything from the general premise of each game, to the hosts and prizes, this list breaks down what makes audiences want to root for these game shows. Some of the top programs鈥攕uch as "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" and "Family Feud"鈥攁re on the list multiple times thanks to multiple iterations of the game.
ALSO:
#50. I Love Money
IMDb user rating: 6.3
Year(s): 2008鈥2010
Contestants who failed to find love on VH1 shows 鈥淔lavor of Love,鈥 鈥淚 Love New York,鈥 or 鈥淩ock of Love鈥 reappeared on 鈥.鈥 The contestants competed in challenges both physical and mental in order to win a $250,000 cash prize.
#49. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
IMDb user rating: 6.4
Year(s): 1999鈥損resent
In this show, contestants answer increasingly harder questions to earn more and more money, with the goal of reaching reaching $1 million. The show is still on the air, as the latest in a line-up of other hosts. In order, they are Regis Philbin (1999-2002), Meredith Vieira (2002-2013), Cedric the Entertainer (2013-2014), Terry Crews (2014-2015), and Chris Harrison (2015-present).
#48. Family Feud
IMDb user rating: 6.6
Year(s): 1988鈥1995
鈥淔amily Feud,鈥 where families compete in a quiz game, has a stretching back to 1976 with just a couple of breaks in between. The series ran 1976鈥1985, then 1988鈥1993, and finally 1999鈥損resent. Hosts have included Richard Dawson (1976鈥1985 and 1994鈥1995), Ray Combs (1988鈥1994), Louie Anderson (1999鈥2002), Richard Karn (2002鈥2006), John O'Hurley (2006鈥2010), and Steve Harvey (2010鈥損resent).
#47. Win Ben Stein's Money
IMDb user rating: 6.6
Year(s): 1997鈥2002
In a unique twist, one of the hosts of this show鈥擝en Stein鈥 the game, too. The goal was to win his money; each game started with a $5,000 pot. In rounds two and three of the game, contestants played against Ben Stein.
#46. American Gladiators
IMDb user rating: 6.6
Year(s): 1989鈥1997
"American Gladiators" was the for '90s kids, running from 1989 to 1997 and starting up again in 2008 for two more seasons. Contestants played against a group of "gladiators" to win different events in a tournament setting.
#45. Wipeout
IMDb user rating: 6.6
Year(s): 2008鈥2014
One giant obstacle course, a handful of contestants, and a $50,000 prize for whomever made it through the fastest鈥斺淲ipeout鈥 was a while it was on the air. The show had several hosts throughout the years: John Henson, John Anderson, Jill Wagner, and Vanessa Lachey.
#44. The Voice
IMDb user rating: 6.6
Year(s): 2011鈥損resent
鈥淭he Voice,鈥 a vocal competition show, features as-yet-unknown talent going through a series of performances, with the best singer winning a recording contract at the end of the season. The current hosts and judges are vocal powerhouses Adam Levine, Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, and Blake Shelton. The show has won .
#43. MasterChef Junior
IMDb user rating: 6.7
Year(s): 2013鈥損resent
This is the of popular cooking show 鈥淢asterChef.鈥 Here, children aged 8 to 13 participate in cooking challenges for a $100,000 prize. Through the season, contestants are coached by chef Gordon Ramsay, pastry chef Christina Tosi, and restaurateur Joe Bastianich.
#42. Wheel of Fortune
IMDb user rating: 6.8
Year(s): 1975鈥損resent
鈥溾 has been on the air since 1975, and for more than 30 years, Pat Sajak has hosted. The game involves spinning a wheel that allows you to guess letters in a word puzzle, Hangman-style. Co-host Vanna White joined the show in 1982.
#41. So You Think You Can Dance
IMDb user rating: 6.8
Year(s): 2005鈥損resent
It's like "American Idol," but for dance. "So You Think You Can Dance" brings together incredibly talented dancers between to participate in a series of dance-inspired challenges. The show has earned 16 Emmy Awards and 64 nods, including nominations for host Cat Deeley.
#40. Family Feud
IMDb user rating: 6.9
Year(s): 1999鈥損resent
Occupying three spots on this list for the various iterations of the show, 鈥淔amily Feud鈥 has also become a treasured part of the pop culture zeitgeist. The contestants sometimes say ridiculous things under pressure, and those moments are videos鈥攕uch as responding to 鈥渘ame something that follows the word 鈥榩ork'" with the answer "upine.鈥
#39. American Ninja Warrior
IMDb user rating: 6.9
Year(s): 2009鈥損resent
鈥淎merican Ninja Warrior鈥 is similar to 鈥淲ipeout,鈥 but without the water. Contestants run through a series of in order to compete in the national finals, with the winner taking home $1 million鈥攂ut only if they successfully finish the course, which only two people have done in the history of the show.
#38. Project Runway All Stars
IMDb user rating: 7.0
Year(s): 2012鈥損resent
As a spinoff of the popular 鈥淧roject Runway,鈥 鈥溾 pulls competitors in from past seasons of the former show. Alyssa Milano hosts, but 2019 will be her and the show's last year.
#37. Hell's Kitchen
IMDb user rating: 7.1
Year(s): 2005鈥損resent
Chef Gordon Ramsay isn't always in his own kitchen鈥攈e's also in a annually, hosting the cooking show 鈥淗ell's Kitchen.鈥 The current season sees old contestants facing a group of newbies, all vying for $250,000 and a head chef job at the Las Vegas Hell's Kitchen restaurant.
#36. Survivor
IMDb user rating: 7.1
Year(s): 2000鈥損resent
Heading for the most recent season, "Survivor" puts 20 contestants on an island in an effort to see who can鈥攜ou guessed it鈥攕urvive the longest. Jeff Probst hosts. Many of the contestants have competed multiple times and with other contestants.
#35. Figure It Out
IMDb user rating: 7.2
Year(s): 1997鈥1999
鈥淔igure It Out鈥 was a in which four Nick celebrities would attempt to guess a contestant's secret talent or achievement. The show originally aired from 1997 to 1999, but was later revived from 2012 through 2013.
#34. Cutthroat Kitchen
IMDb user rating: 7.2
Year(s): 2013鈥2017
Food Network favorite Alton Brown hosted this cooking show, where four contestants got to sabotage the other competitors throughout the course of the competition. If they won, they got to keep the money left in their stash.
#33. Iron Chef America
IMDb user rating: 7.2
Year(s): 2005鈥損resent
Based on the Japanese version, 鈥淚ron Chef America鈥 has a group of celebrity chefs compete against working chefs using a secret ingredient. Alton Brown hosts, and Bobby Flay, Mario Batali, Masaharu Morimoto, Cat Cora, Jose Garces, Michael Symon, Marc Forgione, and Geoffrey Zakarian.
#32. Family Feud
IMDb user rating: 7.2
Year(s): 1976鈥1985
鈥淔amily Feud鈥 is persistent, and it continuously shows up on this list as one of the best game shows of all time. From 1976 to 1985, Richard Dawson hosted, signing off with a when the first run of the show ended.
#31. Cash Cab
IMDb user rating: 7.2
Year(s): 2005鈥2012
What starts out as a normal taxi ride quickly becomes a brightly lit for people entering the "Cash Cab." The contestants get the length of their cab ride to answer questions with prizes ranging from $25 to $400 each. Ben Bailey has been both the host and the cab driver for the length of the show, which was revived in 2017.
#30. Ultimate Beastmaster
IMDb user rating: 7.3
Year(s): 2017鈥損resent
This series is an obstacle course challenge, similar to 鈥淣inja Warrior.鈥 Terry Crews and Charissa Thompson host, and the winner receives $50,000.
#29. MasterChef
IMDb user rating: 7.3
Year(s): 2010鈥損resent
Chef Gordon Ramsay and restaurateur Joe Bastianich are joined by chef Aar贸n S谩nchez to host and judge the adult version of the . Home cooks run through a series of elimination rounds, and the winner gets $250,000.
#28. Double Dare
IMDb user rating: 7.4
Year(s): 1986鈥1988
鈥淒ouble Dare鈥 was a . Contestants ranged in age from 9 to 13 years old and had to answer questions and complete various messy physical stunts. Marc Summers hosted this iteration of the show, which inspired the spin-offs "Family Double Dare" and "Super Sloppy Double Dare." It was revived in the new millennium as "Double Dare 2000" and yet again with host Liza Koshy in 2018.
#27. Hollywood Game Night
IMDb user rating: 7.4
Year(s): 2013鈥損resent
Forget typical game nights with your friends鈥斺溾 pulls two normal people into a celebrity-infused gathering to play party games. Jane Lynch hosts, and the winner can get up to $25,000.
#26. Project Runway
IMDb user rating: 7.4
Year(s): 2004鈥損resent
"Project Runway," the long-running fashion design competition show, recently shuffled networks. Lifetime dropped the series after its producer Harvey Weinstein's , but it has since been renewed and is moving back to its original network, Bravo. Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn are out, and Karlie Kloss and Christian Siriano are in.
#25. The Mole
IMDb user rating: 7.5
Year(s): 2001鈥2008
Anderson Cooper was the , which was essentially a series of challenges in locations across the world completed by different teams. The twist of the show? One of the members of each team was a mole. The contestants could win up to $1 million.
#24. The Challenge
IMDb user rating: 7.5
Year(s): 1998鈥損resent
鈥淭he Real World鈥 and 鈥淩oad Rules鈥 were fixtures of MTV's glory years. 鈥溾 mashes the two series together as contestants from both series compete for up to $1 million in prize money.
#23. @midnight
IMDb user rating: 7.5
Year(s): 2013鈥2017
, hosted by Chris Hardwick, had three comedian competitors on each episode completing social media-themed challenges. There wasn't really a prize, though鈥攖he winner symbolically 鈥渨on the internet.鈥
#22. Guts
IMDb user rating: 7.5
Year(s): 1992鈥1995
For four seasons, . Three kids competed in sports-related activities, culminating in a fake mountain climb. Winners received a trophy meant to look like part of the mountain.
#21. Billy on the Street with Billy Eichner
IMDb user rating: 7.6
Year(s): 2011鈥損resent
Comedian Billy Eichner hosts this on the streets of New York City. He stops people walking by and gives them a chance to win cash by answering themed questions. Eichner was nominated for an Emmy for the show.
#20. Deadliest Warrior
IMDb user rating: 7.6
Year(s): 2009鈥2011
鈥淒eadliest Warrior鈥 was a in the style of 鈥淢ythBusters.鈥 Essentially, in each episode the hosts and special guests recreated two of the deadliest warriors in history to see who would win in a battle.
#19. Top Chef
IMDb user rating: 7.6
Year(s): 2006鈥損resent
This cooking competition takes chefs and puts them in the real world, cooking for celebrities and local people. Padma Lakshmi hosts, and the winner gets $125,000.
#18. The Amazing Race
IMDb user rating: 7.6
Year(s): 2001鈥損resent
Emmy-nominated host Phil Keoghan sends 11 teams of competitors on a around the world. Each team has to complete challenges at each location to obtain clues of where they'll be heading next. The winners get a $1 million prize.
#17. Never Mind the Buzzcocks
IMDb user rating: 7.7
Year(s): 2002鈥2002
鈥淣ever Mind the Buzzcocks鈥 was a wildly popular U.K. panelist show based around pop music. When Marc Maron attempted to recreate the show in the United States, it before getting cancelled 鈥 though it earned strong ratings on IMDb.
#16. The Price Is Right
IMDb user rating: 7.7
Year(s): 1972鈥損resent
This is the game show that made Bob Barker famous, asking contestants to "" to compete in a series of challenges based on consumer goods pricing. Drew Carey hosts now. Contestants can win cash and prizes such as cars, vacations, and home goods.
#15. Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?
IMDb user rating: 7.8
Year(s): 1991鈥1996
鈥?鈥 had contestants solving geography puzzles and clues to find where a thief and her henchmen were hiding stolen loot. Greg Lee hosted the show cult hit, and the show featured an a capella theme that's become part of the '90s pop culture lexicon.
#14. Penn & Teller: Fool Us
IMDb user rating: 8.1
Year(s): 2011鈥損resent
Famous magicians this game show, where aspiring magicians compete to stump the duo. The goal is to keep how the trick was done a secret; if Penn and Teller can't figure it out, the contestant wins a spot on their Las Vegas show.
#13. Legends of the Hidden Temple
IMDb user rating: 8.2
Year(s): 1993鈥1995
Each episode of kids game show 鈥溾 started with six teams. They all competed in challenges, knocking out teams until only one was left鈥攁nd that team had to obtain a mysterious artifact from a temple, in the style of Indiana Jones.
#12. Jeopardy!
IMDb user rating: 8.2
Year(s): 1984鈥損resent
Alex Trebek has hosted this quiz game show since its inception, and he's in 2020. A panel of three contestants earn cash prizes by correctly answering increasingly difficult questions in different categories.
#11. Face Off
IMDb user rating: 8.2
Year(s): 2011鈥損resent
In each season of "," a new set of special effects makeup artists compete in challenges to beat elimination rounds and be crowned the best. The winner receives a cash prize and money toward work materials.
#10. TableTop
IMDb user rating: 8.3
Year(s): 2012鈥損resent
Wil Wheaton hosts this game show . He invites three celebrities on each show to play their favorite tabletop games, with the winner receiving a trophy
#9. Match Game
IMDb user rating: 8.3
Year(s): 1973鈥1982
The original iteration of 鈥淢atch Game,鈥 where contestants played to match fill-in-the-blank answers with celebrities, was hosted by Gene Rayburn. The show was recently rebooted and is now hosted by .
#8. Whose Line Is It Anyway?
IMDb user rating: 8.3
Year(s): 2013鈥損resent
In this , everything's made up and the points don't matter. Comedian Aisha Tyler hosts this reboot of the original show, which was also wildly popular.
#7. RuPaul's Drag Race
IMDb user rating: 8.3
Year(s): 2009鈥損resent
RuPaul hosts 鈥,鈥 a competition to find the best drag queen of them all. Each contestant competes in different challenges, and the winner walks away with a cash prize and other winnings designed to bolster their performance.
#6. Forged in Fire
IMDb user rating: 8.4
Year(s): 2015鈥損resent
This unique game show challenges a to use raw material to forge to recreate historical weapons. Weapons expert and veteran Wil Willis hosts. The winner receives $10,000.
#5. Brain Games
IMDb user rating: 8.4
Year(s): 2011鈥損resent
鈥淏rain Games鈥 isn't a traditional game show鈥攊t's more an introspective look into how our brains work, explained through illusions and challenges. Jason Silva hosts, and he explains why our brain processes and reacts the way it does.
#4. Whose Line Is It Anyway?
IMDb user rating: 8.5
Year(s): 1998鈥2007
The original version of 鈥?鈥 was hosted by Drew Carey, and it always featured Colin Mochrie, Ryan Stiles, Wayne Brady, and at least one other guest in improv challenges. The points weren't relevant and Carey decided who won each episode.
#3. What's My Line?
IMDb user rating: 8.6
Year(s): 1950鈥1967
This was a popular guessing game . Four panelists would ask yes or no questions to determine the jobs of each of the contestants and then guess the identity of a mystery guest.
#2. Most Extreme Elimination Challenge
IMDb user rating: 8.7
Year(s): 2003鈥2007
This popular show . The show used footage from a Japanese game show called 鈥淭akeshi's Castle,鈥 where contestants competed in weird physical challenges. In the U.S. version, the challenges were shown but with an English overdub.
#1. High Stakes Poker
IMDb user rating: 9.0
Year(s): 2006鈥2011
"" was exactly what it sounds like: a televised poker game. Except in this show, it was a real game and all the contestants used their own money.