Second Guess - Dick Clark Game Show Pilot

Bob Stewart tried this game show. Dick does a great job, but rumor has it that during the production Dick said to Bob, "Why aren't we just doing Pyramid again?" Good question. This didn't sell and thankfully, Pyramid came back.
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[@armorybrunotjr.3204]

The theme music is from "Your Number's Up". The countdown time music is from the "Pyramid" games.

[@usa02]

This was taped at ABC Television Center (now The Prospect Studios) in Hollywood where Dick Clark (RIP) hosted "American Bandstand" for many years, there were some sound effects that were also used on "Family Feud".

[@cartoongameshowman]

Yeah and Second Guess wasn't even a Mark Goodson-Bill Todman production.

[@kensingletary5694]

And a few staff members listed from American Bandstand and Family Feud.........

[@andrewschroy6368]

@@cartoongameshowman But consider how many game shows on or for ABC used many Feud sounds-- (Celebrity) Double Talk also used Feud sounds. And that was also from Bob Stewart.

[@jeffreystreger2026]

Wow! I had never heard of this unsold pilot before today. It was fun to watch and Dick Clark was his usual smooth and professional self. The format was very familiar for sure and it had a lot of typical Bob Stewart elements on it. Never the less, I believe what others have said. It would not surprise me one bit if Dick asked Bob Stewart to just bring back “Pyramid” instead. A few months later…they did just that.

[@ajk]

From what I read, he did.....he asked why they weren't just redoing Pyramid.....and not long after this.....they did. The rest is history.

[@Quartzquiz333]

I always loved how blunt Dick Clark was as a host. No candy coating with him, if he thought the contestant didn't have a chance he'll be sure to let you know!

[@kingporter67]

Second Guess is a super awesome 1982 game show and the late, great Dick Clark hosted it!!

[@sparklecanada0112]

I loved Dick Clark, I loved Pyramid. But, Unlike a lot of posts, I really liked this pilot. I'm sad that this was not picked up. It is a really fun premise for a game show. It sure beats the garbage game shows they have going right now.

[@rbrucewilliams2924]

Rumor has it following the taping, Dick Clark said the game is fine, but why aren’t we just doing more Pyramid? That’s what they did.

[@JayTemple]

I knew he had said that while taping a pilot around this time. When I saw the date, I figured this must be it.

[@millenniumman75]

Yep, 1982.

[@richardhernandez4490]

...and it turned out Dick was right. Pyramid became a bigger hit. Especially the $100,000 pyramid, the nighttime version in the 80s.

[@JohnathanWilliamson849]

@@richardhernandez4490 That show only lasted 3 years though, and mostly aired on independent stations.

[@2005dave]

Dick Clark was probably delighted to have many members of his crew from American Bandstand involved with this pilot, which was shot (like Bandstand) at ABC in Hollywood.

[@kensingletary5694]

A few AB & Family Feud staffers are listed.......

[@KrakenMan5853]

I liked this game. It was entertaining and fun. Another Bob Stewart creation that he tried to improve on previous attempts. Wink, I would like to see the full pilots of some more Stewart games: Strictly Confidential, Famous Last Words, and Eye Q. Famous Last Words was on KZbin, but the poster pulled it and I'd like to see it again.

[@chapter7thomas]

It's amazing that this show was not picked up way back then. Most interesting I thought. I would think that Wheels are the same as Tires. I loved the clock sound effect...obviously reminded me of the Pyramid game show.

[@QHMCQ]

This is a little clunky but the concept isn't bad. Some tweaking could have made this sell. With that said, yes, just bring back Pyramid! One of the greatest game shows in history! Thanks for the upload, sir!

[@JohnathanWilliamson849]

I've always viewed Pyramid to be a massively overrated game show that people only praise because of the money it was giving away as opposed to the actual game and gameplay itself. Same thing with Who wants to be a Millionaire. Pyramid as a whole is just Password but instead of being limited to one word you're put on a time limit.

[@Chainsawslots]

Dumb concept. The celebrity and their partner dont work together in the main game

[@AdamJ617]

We can now add this to the list of unsold Bob Stewart pilots where Mimi was a contestant. Two others are Caught in the Act (1979) and Twisters (1982).

[@stedco75]

When I saw the title I thought maybe it was an earlier attempt at the “Second Guess” pilot hosted by Alex Trebek a few years later, but this is a completely different game.

[@briansmith2990]

This is somewhat similar to "Talk About" which was on for (2 years?).

[@SigmaRho2922]

If the show made it to air the player who won more money in the bonus round would return as champion for up to 5 days or until they reached $50,000 whichever came first. If both players won the same they would both return.

[@MountainHawkPYL]

I can see where giving a bad clue in the front game can be a strategy. Another strategy is wait until the last second and stick the other player with no time to answer.

[@unknown-kh7dg]

Great find Wink. I never knew of this game show pilot "Second Guess" from Bob Stewart Productions and hosted by Dick Clark whom you beat out to host "Gambit" for CBS in 1972.

[@bryanloveseighties]

Second Guess is basically "reverse Pyramid". Dick gives a contestant the subject and the contestant would have to think of some good things associated with it rather than the contestant's teammate giving him clues about that subject and he would have to guess it.

[@bananaspartan2234]

Wink, your channel is awesome and thanks so much for posting. I was 2 days away from turning 14 when this pilot premiered. What cracks me up (makes me sad) is that we probably couldn't talk about Christmas in this content these days. The Miss America Pageant probably would be off limits too. One thing I liked is when the contestants are in the booth trying to second guess, how they sort of work together, even though they're supposed to oppose each other. It was a vibe similar to Pyramid, although in Pyramid the contestant needed to connect with his partner to get answers right. There was something about how Dick Clark hosted the show that made the contestants focus on each other. Wink, you hosted several game shows and did a good job. Do you think Dick Clark had a special ability to connect with his contestants, as I mentioned above? Pyramid is my all time favorite game show and it's because it's not about raw intelligence, but about deeply connecting with another person. Frankly, it's an aspect that's missing in today's society.

[@chapter7thomas]

The Pyramid game show is also my most favorite game show of all time.

[@terracottapie]

This show was fun, and Dick Clark is always great, but there's one big flaw in this game, that it shares with Match Game: the contestants are totally at the mercy of the celebrities and how smart or dumb their answers are. In this show, all it takes is one really dumb answer you can never get ("Christmas Eve"), and the contestant who happens to go last is screwed. The best shows are the ones where the more skilled players win. Maybe a little bit of luck element is okay (like Wheel of Fortune), but they shouldn't be totally beholden to the lowest common denominator of the celebrity partners.

[@sha11235]

Not bad as a pilot. Interesting that both contestants got a chance at the bonus.

[@bmasters1981]

True that-- would have loved to see what happened if a main game board was cleared of all 6 clues for a particular subject (would have loved to see the players split the $1000).

[@JFD62780]

With the victory dings and buzzer from Family Feud, I suspect this was supposed to air on ABC if it went past Pilot status... Fortunately, Pyramid won out, to the point where the Michael Strahan version still airs to date! :D (Not that this pilot _wasn't_ great, it's just, the title said it all; _would_ this go beyond 13 weeks?)

[@SP84Fanatic]

Very interesting word game. The front game reminds me a bit of Pass the Buck and Talk About. It was interesting to see the teams stretch their minds for what are the most obvious clues related to the subject. Overall, the front game sounds a bit wonky on paper, but it works out decently enough in practice. It's like a game of Hot Potato (not the Barry & Enright one) or musical chairs. The bonus round is interesting in how there's an element of skill involved in leaving enough time left for the other person to guess the subjects at each monitor. The neon zeros determining the winnings also gave me Chain Reaction vibes. Also, trying to guess the subject requires some degree of ESP; you have to consider what your partner would have said in order to clear each subject. This is a much better execution of the Fast Bucks bonus round from Pass the Buck, as it doesn't seem arbitrary. The structure of the celebrities and contestants, and how they switch is very Pyramid-esque, too. Overall, this wasn't bad, but could have used some work. However, I'm glad we supposedly got what's arguably the best era of Pyramid as a result of this pilot.

[@AnErrorOccurred]

Not a bad game, sort of a mix of Talkabout and Pass the Buck with Bill Cullen. What is the theme song a variation of “your numbers up“ with Nipsey Russell? I got that hint.

[@mikeskumanick9538]

This reminds me of the format of the jack Clark caught in the act pilot

[@jamesstein6727]

I really liked and enjoyed this game. Wink, thank you so much for sharing.

[@briansmith2990]

There's a potential problem with the situation in the booth. A contestant might intentionally wait until there's 1 second remaining before giving an answer (that he/she believes has a strong probability of being on the list), so that the opponent wouldn't have a reasonable amount of time to give an answer that is on the list.

[@herestoyoudoc]

yeah it would've been better to use a chess-clock type approach like "Grand Slam". Give them 15 seconds each or something.

[@marcpower4167]

That or, you must answer with x seconds.

[@markstevens9249]

Basically the Pyramid concept flipped, no wonder they asked Clark to host the pilot.

[@scootover7]

This was interesting, I wouldn't have mind seeing this sell.

[@spiceman7982]

Both Mark and Mimi were both on the Game Show pilot called "Twisters"

[@Corwin1141]

I can see why they got Dick Clark to do this. The _Pyramid_ elements.

[@pem1974]

I recognize that music from "Your Number's Up"

[@AdamJ617]

Right, but it actually got its start on the NBC tank job that was Supertrain.

[@someguy23475]

Front game is essentially the unsold Caught in the Act (Jack Clark version), which is the bonus round of Pass the Buck. In typical Bob Stewart fashion, he needed two celebrities. Bonus round is the “guess what your partner will say” which has been done many times, only this time you have The Moneymaze type scoring, where you need that 1 otherwise you win a bunch of zeroes. Bob Cobert gets more use out of his Supertrain sound track. It’s a decent game, but it has 13 weeks all over it. The judging has potential to be awkward, as “flower shop” was not accepted for “flower”. Pass the Buck had the same issues. Dick Clark is Dick Clark, which is a good thing, but even the legendary Bill Cullen couldn’t get more than 13 out of Pass the Buck. Passing on this for a revival of Pyramid turned out to be the right move.

[@RedStrikerBeetleborg]

a fun little game, similar to the bonus to Hot Streak

[@bruce415]

I just saw this for the first time. Fun show!🙂🙂

[@Uzumakipavel]

You know what? I like the concept of the bonus round

[@LittleRockElevators]

It's similar to the first bonus round from the 80s chain reaction and also the grand game from the price is right.

[@marcellosilva7137]

It's more like "Talk About"

[@neumannsod]

The name isn’t right. When you second guess someone, you disagree with them as in the Alex Trebek pilot with similar name. You don’t predict what they’ll say. Still, while it’s no Pyramid, I think it’s fun. Cool set. I’d love to have seen Vicki Lawrence as a guest. Dick got a little aggressive with his remarks, and in such close proximity, she’d have taken a swing at him.

[@nicolerm]

I agree. I was confused about the name as well. It seemed opposite of what they were trying to do.

[@LittleRockElevators]

With those red and blue neon lights, it gave me Super Password vibes.

[@petermatkowski7067]

Was thinking the same thing.

[@TerrickTerran]

Nice show but I think bringing Pyramid back was better for sure.

[@chriswilliams41]

The theme sounds like a slower version of the show, Your Number's Up. Thank you, Wink, for keeping these game shows coming. I love this.

[@ronflatter1235]

Going first is a huge advantage.

[@ksonchannel5261]

The Theme Music will later be recycled to Your Numbers Up with Nipsey Russell.

[@SyncopateTheShot]

I can see where this is a good idea as a pilot, but the key difference is the magic moment when the contestant wins the bonus game. When the celebrity and the contestant play their game separately, and the contestant wins, the reaction is not as exciting. With Pyramid, there was a synergistic energy between the celebrity and the contestant and genuine excitement when they climbed to the top of the pyramid. The old phrase..." If it ain't broke, don't fix it" applies here. They were smart to stay with Pyramid.

[@ajk]

Didn't think of that, but you're right. You had an element of it (see: tires on a bicycle) but not exactly the same.

[@wjburgess64]

Was this taped in LA or NYC? I know at some point Bob Stewart moved most (if not all) of his operations West. Jack Clark announcing makes me think LA (although his work could have been inserted later). I noticed Mike Garguilo directed, as he did most Stewart shows. Was Garguilo still primarily NYC-based at the time of taping?

[@ronflatter1235]

The contestants are rivals, and then they are partners?

[@tyrese3745]

23:38 Dick Clark's famous "goodbye greeting".

[@trekadam30]

An embryonic-stage version of Talk About. It wasn't bad.

[@SweepingDeveloper]

Ah, two Clarks working on the same show.

[@devares2006]

They also worked for the first 3 years on the $25,000 Pyramid.

[@CTDisqoTeck78]

Outstanding video post, thank you for sharing.

[@James-mdnght]

I’m aware this is a pilot, but how many shows did this man need to host?! 😅

[@chapter7thomas]

As many as Ryan Seacrest hosted...game shows or not.

[@MrRight80]

Even during the countdown they used it during the winner circle on Pyramid

[@mshroye2]

Wonder what happens when the cleared the board how would they score?

[@petermatkowski7067]

The person that cleared the last clue would get the point.

[@williambone5678]

Love Dick Clark!

[@slickdude401]

Mimi was also on the pilot for "Twisters"

[@vpin2000]

Does anyone know where I can get the full theme to this pilot?

[@WinkMartindaleGames]

disk.yandex.com/d/5Yb47mbm-xDvAw

[@WinkMartindaleGames]

I'll leave this up for a week or so, if any guys have a better place to make it available to download after that, go for it. Wink

[@thewhammy83]

Isn't this a version of "Super, Supertrain"? kzbin.info/www/bejne/rn-0eZecl8ikZqMfeature=shared

[@petercolbeysgameshowmania7176]

@@WinkMartindaleGamesWink, is it just me, or does the theme to this remind me of that to Chain Reaction?

[@LittleRockElevators]

​@@petercolbeysgameshowmania7176it's from the super train soundtrack

[@ronflatter1235]

7:46 Who is that crawling?

[@RadioDon1]

Of all the Bob/Sande Stewart properties Sony owns, this one is perfect for GSN. The only change is you can eliminate one of the five podiums and turn the $1 to $5 to (a)save time and (b) keep the top winnings at the GSN standard $10k (2 bonus games at $5k). Or just go with $10 per bonus anyway...$ony has the money. Also, no need for celebrities...related teams would do.

[@marcomacias3960]

this is like Scattergories which Dick Clark hosted.

[@njadakaboles9999]

go go Winker

[@poppopw5305]

I like this. Kind of a mix of "Pyramid" and "Go"

[@scottvasquez1401]

Also Talk About.

[@PREGO1966]

More a predecessor of Talk About, than any other show. No resemblance to Go whatsoever.

[@LittleRockElevators]

Talk about and hot streak pretty much.

[@alfonsogreen2722]

I was getting ready 2 say that

[@MrMatteNWk]

12:00 "The Eye G-" was there another Stewart revival pilot he was previously involved with?? (and don't tell Don Lipp that Stewart took "The all-important one" for his own bonus game)

[@marcpower4167]

There was a pilot for an eye guess remake called Eye Q hosted by Henry Polic II, not aware of another one. Similar to Chain Reaction's first bonus game pay structure where they start with $1 and add a half zero for each answer.

[@jasejj]

This isn't a million miles away from the later Talkabout.

[@Huuudge25]

The music sounds like Chain Reaction...

[@ProWrestlingWeekly]

I was looking for it in the credits and didn’t see it, but I’d (second) guess that the theme was written by Bob Cobert, who also did the theme to Chain Reaction (which was a remake of the theme from the NBC bust show Supertrain), as well as the classic 80s Pyramid theme, among many others.

[@PREGO1966]

Mimi was on another lost pilot this same year, Twisters with Jim Perry

[@marcomacias3960]

did they use the countdown beep from Pyramid which Dick Clark ironically hosted?

[@bmasters1981]

Yes, that was there in all rounds, main and bonus.

[@WolfpackEntertainmentYT]

this show feels a little like Pyramid. If I had been the creator of this show id make it where they have to guess the topic instead of the clues. That part feels backwards.

[@glennstarkey7087]

So was the neon recycled for super password or what lol

[@jeopardy60611]

It's an interesting concept for a game show. It's too bad that it didn't take off.

[@jimmysouders5640]

I don't remember this show I like it

[@petermatkowski7067]

The reason you don’t remember it is because it never aired.

[@JLewis95]

Instead of sharing time they should each have their own clock like on The Floor or Grand Slam.

[@ronflatter1235]

22:04 How did he know he was right?

[@DBR00]

Probably an editing flub.

[@thewhammy83]

I think you can hear a click or he noticed something moving.

[@DanielKing-dk5nr]

That actor looks like a young Sam Neil.

[@emanueljackson1728]

@3:26 Superman DOES have a power called super breath.

[@keithprivett3878]

Inconsistent judging: "is a flower" should have been covered by "is the state flower of Texas" if "sold in a flower shop" wasn't. Enough

[@marcpower4167]

This is just a remake of Caught in the act...Dick was right, they were better off just reviving pyramid.

[@MrMatteNWk]

Dick: "You got caught!" ... in the act.

[@GCBlues45]

Y no one wanted to pick this game up. It looked good for CBS or NBC. The theme sounded like a different version of Chain Reaction theme

[@nextbarker2702]

I wonder if CBS did a $25,000 Pyramid pilot,

[@williambone5678]

Bo-o-o-o-ring!

[@tommyhoffman969]

what year was this?

[@NotoriousBJD]

1982. The slate showed 5-6-82: May 6, 1982.

[@stedco75]

1982

[@williambone5678]

Got enough neon on that set?

[@jeprice08]

Okay, why didn't this sell?

[@ebrenner5059]

This show may have been similar to Talkabout

[@MTCesquire]

Mark Goodson saw this pilot and stole the set for Super Password 😆 Just kidding, guys, jk....

[@AdamJ617]

I think that Mark, just like Mimi , was on the Twisters pilot.

[@amywilson3593]

Gerry Wilson this was just pyramid under a different title still liked it as I'm a big dick Clark fan

[@jessyleppert2]

This was supposed to air on CBS I believe.

[@AdamJ617]

Actually, it might’ve been for abc as I’m hearing the abc sound effects package here.

[@AutismSingsHD]

He has super breath???!!!

[@robertcarter9383]

The show is pretty good, but all that flashing neon gave me a headache.

[@andyleclerc3600]

Am I imagining things, or ws this an attempt to retool the Jack Clark CAUGHT IN THE ACT pilot? And, what was Bob's obsession with olde tyme piano all about? I found it a distraction...

[@IvoryM1986]

This should've been part of GSN's Game Show Turkeys marathon, or even Elvira's Raise The Dead marathon where it was dedicated to unsold pilots like this one. Be happy this went unsold.

[@nextbarker2702]

Not a bad pilot, but Pyramid returned to CBS 4 mos. later

[@semplenyc]

I like it but Talk About is better.

[@LudoRex]

Fine Bob Stewart production. I have see better; I have seen much worse.

[@AdamJ617]

Honestly, I would’ve been better off mingling this theme with Chain Reaction, instead of the old time piano song.

[@wschmrdr]

Fun to play, boring to watch. Good thing they did Pyramid instead.

[@bmasters1981]

And the $10K bonus game is reminiscent of The Moneymaze w/Nick Clooney (get the 1 and the 0s after, all the way to $10K).