Most of the game shows television audiences enjoy these days have been on the air for a long, long time. From Jeopardy! to Card Sharks to The Dating Game, these classic forms of entertainment have redefined themselves over the years. Such shows are perfect access points into the styles and fashions that were prominent in each era, both good and bad.
Game show contestants and hosts have fun with their attire. Whether they’re suits, sweaters, shorts, or scarves, the outfits highlighted in this list pay tribute to all the kitsch, glam, and theatricality that characterize these productions. While it’s safe to say, with the exception of one world-famous rock star featured in this article, none of these folks are trendsetters, their threads are still worth remembering.
Sam On Body Language
This short-lived game show, which aired from 1984 to 1986, is an amped-up form of charades. In Body Language, two contestants are each matched with a celebrity guest. These two teams compete against each other by solving word puzzles that involve physically acting out different clues.
Needless to say, the results are often hilarious and result in plenty of people embarrassing themselves on national television. This contestant above avoided tainting his reputation by wearing a nearly sleeveless white shirt that shows off his buff physique. Well done, Sam.
Vanna And Pat On Wheel Of Fortune
Wheel of Fortune debuted in 1975, with household names Pat Sajak and Vanna White hosting since the early ’80s. They’ve seen a lot of contestants, many word phrases, and tons of wardrobe changes.
The show remains insanely popular, and this photo from its classic era, likely taken sometime in the latter half of the 1980s, is full of big hair vibes, showy attire, and smiles. Vanna White’s showgirl dresses have become a staple of the show, and she’s been cultivating the look since day one.
All Of David Ruprecht’s Sweaters On Supermarket Sweep
Supermarket Sweep represents American consumer culture at its most ridiculous. It originally aired on ABC from 1965 to 1967, but its heyday was its Lifetime revival from 1990 to 1995. Host David Ruprecht’s enthusiasm over contestants running through a fake studio grocery store knew no bounds.
Ruprecht’s ultimate expression of early 1990s fashion was his collection of sweaters. Half of the pleasure in watching Supermarket Sweep, it seems, lies in anticipating what kind of outlandish sweater Ruprecht will rock.
Betty White’s Classy Duds On Password
Betty White has been on television for a long, long time. It’s common practice for stars to serve as celebrity guests on game shows, and she’s been on quite a few. Here, she’s featured on the classic game show Password, another world puzzle game. White’s draped sleeveless dress, pearl earrings, and perfectly volumed hair are stunning here.
The show’s host, Allen Ludden (to White’s right in the picture) went on to marry her in 1963. They remained together until Ludden died from stomach cancer in 1981. White never remarried.
Alex Trebek’s Suit On Double Dare
Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek hosted a handful of game shows before a permanent fixture on the quiz show. One such show was Double Dare, which only aired in 1976. It has a strange premise: two contestants remain in isolation booths while they compete to identify a person, place, or thing based on short clues.
What’s more exciting than the gameplay, though, is Trebek’s 1970s stylings on the show. With his grown-out hair, full mustache, pin-striped suit, and wide black tie marked with a floral pattern, he screams stud. He definitely gives Tom Selleck a run for his money.
Kirk Fogg’s Expedition Shorts On Legends Of The Hidden Temple
Who can forget Legends of the Hidden Temple? While this Nickelodeon game show designed for children, which aired between 1993 and 1995, survives off appropriating symbols and beliefs from the ancient Olmec culture in Mesoamerica, it was well-received and has since gained a cult status.
Watching kids run through obstacle courses in search of artifacts while a colossal animatronic head bestows clues and wisdom to them wouldn’t be the same without host Kirk Fogg dressing like an archaeologist in order to fit into the set.
Prince On The Gong Show
Iconic game show host Chuck Barris, the focus of George Clooney’s Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, is seen as a television auteur whose career reached its absurd peak with The Gong Show, a variety game show that gave amateur artists in the late 1970s a platform to showcase their talents.
If a contestant doesn’t make the cut, their performance is cut short when Barris bangs a gong, literally. One guest on the show, believe it or not, was the future pop music god, Prince. Even then, he knew how to dress.
These Suited Studs On The Dating Game
Chuck Barris is also responsible for the widely loved The Dating Game, a romantic game shows first launched in 1965. In it, a contestant is given the opportunity to choose a date between three potential mates. The show has spawned innumerable copycats and an entire genre of reality television. Its impact on popular culture is undeniable.
In its early days, participants dressed to the nines in order to impress audiences and their possible dates. The three young men in this photo all don different suit styles. Whether dark or light gray, open or buttoned blazer, patterned or solid tie, they all look good.
Charles Nelson Reilly On Match Game
Match Game is a cheeky panel game show that involves a group of celebrity judges who try to match a contestant’s answer to a fill-in-the-blank prompt. Usually, these prompts have sexual or subversive undertones.
A regular on Match Game during its heyday was Charles Nelson Reilly, an actor and comedian known for his humor, style, and smoking pipe. Much later in his career, Reilly came out of the closet, and he’s since become a queer icon for game show lovers. The charming purple dotted button-up, matching scarf, and large glasses in the photo above are representative of his convivial approach to dressing up.
The Card Revealers On Card Sharks
Card Sharks is a singular game show that attempts to combine Vegas sensibilities with entertaining television. The results are mixed. The gameplay involves contestants answering questions about statistics and ratios in order to gain control of a board filled with over-sized cards.
The winning contestant then gets to progress through the board by guessing whether the next card up is smaller or larger in value than the current one. If it seems a bit complicated, it is, but the show is worth checking out just to glimpse the ridiculous casino-inspired costumes the female card revealers must wear.
