The $10,000 Pyramid

Since Bob Stewart left Goodson-Todman in the mid 60s to form his own production company, he has had successes such as Eye Guess, Personality and Three on a Match. But in 1973, he had the biggest hit of his career with The $10,000 Pyramid.

Derived from Password, Stewart loosened up the main game by allowing a player descriptive clues to get their partner to guess the word without revealing part of the answer. The winning team goes to The Winner's Circle where the clue giver faces the giant pyramid and gives clues to their partner so they can identify six subjects in 60 seconds. This is what makes Pyramid one of TV's greatest game shows. It is the best bonus round of any game show ever invented because it's 60 seconds of drama and suspense, two important elements needed for a successful game show.

Another element that made Pyramid a hit was host Dick Clark. The American Bandstand host brought to the proceedings something no other host has done. If a contestant loses the big money, he would give clues that would have helped the contestant win. He was the type of host who cared about the players and wanted them to win. Also hosting the various versions were Bill Cullen, John Davidson, Donny Osmond and Mike Richards. They did a really good job as hosts.

Also, there were many celebrities who were outstanding at the game. Some of the best Pyramid players were Soupy Sales, Anita Gillette, Betty White, Nipsey Russell and Henry Polic II.

Since its debut in 1973, the top prize has risen to 25, 50 and 100 thousand and there was also a version simply titled Pyramid and also The Pyramid. It's TV's most durable word game and it will put you in The Winner's Circle.

My earliest memory of seeing this dynamic game show were when I was a child and saw the $20,000 version on ABC. I've always thought of it as being one of my personal favorite game shows ever made because it was always filled with such fun and excitement. I always thought that Dick Clark did such a dynamic job as the host and I also liked seeing the clips before the show of people making it to the top of the pyramid and winning the big money. My personal opinion is that this is one game show that should never have been cancelled.

"Pyramid" is one of those quiz-show perennials, with a simple format that's held up over time. And its bonus round is one of the most exciting in TV history.

Bob Stewart, creator of the Goodson classics "Password" (as well as "To Tell the Truth" and "The Price Is Right"), reworked his "Password" concept to have celebrities and civilians guess either words or phrases within a preset time limit. In the process, "Pyramid" became one of the few celebrity game shows that didn't dumb down its product -- and has won nine Emmys for Best Game Show as a result.

The basic premise of the game has stayed the same since 1973. The main round prompts one member of a team to have his/her partner guess six words or phrases in a category within a 20-second time limit (the original was eight words in 30 seconds, shrunk to seven in the mid-1970s).

The celebrity/civilian team with the biggest total after six categories heads to the Winner's Circle, where one player has to convey a subject to his/her partner in 60 seconds for his partner to win the jackpot.

Apart from its value as a game, "Pyramid" gave its first and longest-running host, Dick Clark, a new audience beyond his "American Bandstand" constituency. Clark ran the program efficiently and made sure it stayed a serious game show. Bill Cullen, John Davidson and current host Donny Osmond have also been effective emcees of the syndicated edition.

Television has produced many kinds of "The (insert big amount here) Pyramid," but the most notable version of all is the one that had given away $100,000, and that had taken place from 1985 to 1988 with "The $100,000 Pyramid," hosted by Dick Clark (there was also a 1991 version with a different host). Anyways, there were two teams, each consisting of an Average Joe or Plain Jane contestant alongside a celebrity (most of them have already used up their 10 seconds of fame; LOL). It's almost like "Password," except there are six categories, each having word clues that one must read out while the other tries to guess!!!!! The winner with the most points goes on to the "Winner's Circle," for a chance at 100 grand!!!!!

GSN shows this Monday through Friday at 10:30 in the morning. Despite those stupid split screens, you can see the original 10 second commercials retained!!!!! And now, to close, a funny moment from the show:

Dick Clark: "We're playing for a 1958 Chevrolet Chevette!!!!!"

Man in back: "85! 85!"

(Dick Clark dies of laughter) LOL

10/10

I guess this is the place to comment on The (New) $25,000 Pyramid. I think this is a neat game and I like seeing all the panelists and alot of them are from the old reruns that I like to watch! I have never seen a listing for the $10,000 Pyramid on Game Show Network but have seen listings for $25,000 and $100,000 Pyramids and I think both of those are neat games to watch.