Truth or Consequences

I remember watching Truth or Consequences a number of times over the years and I always thought that the show was fixed. When Ralph Edwards created this show in the 40s and it aired on radio, he initially intended the show to be a serious quiz. But when he felt the contestants wanted to pay the consequences, he changed the form of the questions into jokes that no one could answer correctly. That's why I always felt the show was fixed.

On the brighter side of things, T or C was the show that made Bob Barker a household name, long before his biggest success The Price is Right. Edwards discovered him one day on his car radio and the rest is history. The one thing I remember about this show was the reunions of long-lost relatives. It was so sentimental. I also remember the opening when announcer Charles Lyon said "Hello there! We've been waiting for you! It's time to play Truth (buzzer sound) or Consequences!" There were other versions of T or C I remember watching, including the late 70s incarnation that was hosted by future game show announcer Bob Hilton and the last one from the late 80s where Larry Anderson hosted. None of them were successful and didn't last long. But in the early days back when Edwards and barker hosted, our consequences were happy ones.

There was once a time on Television when game shows were not about average people winning tons of money but about entertaining the viewing audience and just plain fun. TorC was one of those shows. Contestants never knew what was really in store for them on this show. At times they would be held back stage awaiting their turn and what appeared to be a caged Gorilla (actually an actor in an Ape suit) would escape and the reactions of the contestants was caught by a hidden camera which the studio audience and the Television viewer would watch. Surprise family reunions were held. Strange tests of skill and endurance were undertaken by contestants some time lasting several weeks and the progress of the contestant was monitored and followed each episode. In addition the Stunts and Gags sometimes didn't go according to plan which often times made things more zany. TorC is long gone from the airwaves which is too bad because it like Candid Camera caught people in the act of being themselves.