The $10,000 Pyramid

...I used to love watching this while on summer vacation, always waiting for my favorite actress to star, Loretta Swit. But that wasn't the only reason.

Back then, the game was much more suspenseful and unpredictable. The music was much more hip (especially from 1973 to 1976), and Dick Clark the greatest host. Non-scripted and unrehearsed.

The show jumped the shark when it jumped to $100,000 - and then really got so unfunny and almost predictable when Donny Osmond hosted, much like Louie Anderson and Steve Harvey have done to Family Feud.

The only reason I give this an 8 of 10 is because Bill Cullen brought no excitement like Clark did. Having nothing against Cullen, it was just too wild with Clark.

To bring this back again...

First off, I must say that this was a fun game show. Also, I haven't seen every episode. However, I do know the show very well. I still watch it in reruns on the Game Show Network. Every time I've watched it, I had a lot of fun playing along and watching. When I was growing up, this made me long to be a contestant. The thing I like most about it are the questions. Despite the fact that I don't know all the answers, I still have fun playing along. I hope the Game Show Network keeps it on so I can play along and watch for years to come. If that happens, I will be really happy. Before I wrap this up, I'd like to say that I'll always remember this show in my memory forever. Now, in conclusion, I hope that you catch it one day before it goes off the air for good.

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.

This was the perfect type of game show for the person coming home from work at the end of a long day. While it was a challenging game for the contestants, the viewer could just sit & watch & be mind numb when necessary.

Dick Clark made his first move from being America's teenager into being Americas game show host with this show. Actually he is pretty good at it as he would always keep things moving along at a brisk pace.

Each program would have two contestants & two celebrities teamed against each other & competing for the right to get into the winners circle. The team that got to the winners circle (after winning some cash for winning the game) would have a chance to climb a 6 subject pyramid in 60 seconds & win $10,000 (later 20, 25, 50 & then 100). The rules were more stringent on the pyramid than during the regular game.

Certain celebrities were excellent at playing the game. Some were not, which in a way was telling as the celebrities were exactly the same as the contestants. To me, it was always exciting watching a team win the 60 second round. Think the best ever done was around 25 seconds which was amazing.

This game was word association, & actually took the concept from a previous game, Password, only put it into hyper speed by trying to do everything in 30 second or 60 second bites. It worked really well considering it ran non-stop pretty much for 19 seasons & recently has been revived with new syndicated versions again & again.

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