Top 10 Dumbest Game Show Ideas

How did the dumbest game show ideas ever make it onto the airwaves? We're looking at the most outrageous, insane and poorly thought out game shows that ever made it to television. Not every gameshow can be a winner. WatchMojo ranks the dumbest game show ideas. What do you think is the dumbest game show idea? Let us know in the comments!
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[@bruceturnbull4219]

Hey Hole in the Wall shouldn’t even be an honorable mention, that show was hilarious

[@glsweeney721]

BorezU they also said that Japanese game shows wouldn’t be considered and that is a Japanese show

[@kylahyoutube8726]

Ok that's true

[@SchwarzeWitwe2]

I'm with you! That show was a ton of fun.

[@bruceturnbull4219]

Grace Sweeney To be fair it was remade in America

[@princesy2927]

I never felt bored after watching hundreds of hundreds of episodes

[@kayalandry2249]

One might say Identity is a dumb idea for a game show. *Stan Lee cameos* But this... does put a smile on my face.

[@arthas640]

Personally i prefer to think that Stan Lee was a little bit senile and spent his time randomly wandering onto studio sets and everyone loved him so much they just stuck him in to whatever they were filming, at least until he wandered onto the Avengers set where he stole Mjolnir and used it to beat up the Hulk.

[@arthas640]

@@electricspider2267 I can just picture him walking in front of a camera randomly and saying a couple one liners before saying "just edit me into whatever scenes work best in post, I've gotta be in 7 more movies before lunch

[@adb95]

One might say it is a dumb idea, yes. Until italian TV makes it an early night hit for over a decade now on the first national channel. And yes, I do think that version sucks too, but for some reason people like it. It is slightly better than its american counterpart, but it still feels like blind guessing bs. By the way, we also had Distraction for like one season, which I absolutely loved.

[@johnanderson9765]

I enjoyed Identity, but it just didn't last long enough.

[@rocketman9363]

Damn hole in the wall shouldn't have been mentioned, that's a classic

[@JamesDavy2009]

"It's time to face the wall!"

[@Crispyconcerto]

I remember on the lie detector show, that woman lost when the question was "do you think you're a good person?" And she said yes

[@jimb.7523]

That showed called out the next possible female Hitler! Gawd bless you "Moment of Truth!"

[@melissacooper4482]

I thought it was the kind of question a street preacher would ask a random person to show them what sinners they are.

[@BABOONOFDOOM]

I work with her!!!! 😂😂😂😂

[@bluebear1985]

Prior to the episode, the host had an added disclaimer that there was a long discussion berforehand on whether to air the episode, and that it wouldn't have aired if it were up to him. He claimed that this particular episode was the most uncomfortable he's ever been on television.

[@johnanderson9765]

Yeah, I remember that episode too. It aired on a special night and time, separate from its regular time slot.

[@saimanno4078]

That hospital one... I was pondering what administration at the hospital green lit that.

[@avalasialove]

Saiman No They probably met with the couple ahead of time and pretended it was a surprise.

[@edoo.dribeiro]

"it's hard to keep invested when the contestant and the guests are on the verge of a breakdown" I'm actually very interested, thank you very much

[@smorphous8928]

Stan lee was in a game show nice

[@gusstabithc]

HOLE IN THE WALL IS A MASTERPIECE IN GAME SHOW TELEVISION

[@clararose]

Is that Stan Lee cameo?

[@stevenmattrell3448]

Clara Venia (Starts crying) Too soon WatchMojo 😭

[@stitchlover4381]

@@stevenmattrell3448 i wasnt sure of it really was him

[@jimb.7523]

6:20 - Have a closer look.

[@stitchlover4381]

@@jimb.7523 yeah it was

[@WinderBlitz]

WM: we're excluding japanese gameshows also WM: hole in the wall is an honorable mention

[@johnanderson9765]

I thought it was Japanese, too. Maybe it began in Japan but came to the United States, like so many other programs.

[@wildone4324]

Seeing Stan Lee brought a tear to my eye

[@jimb.7523]

*Anyone else get reminded of "Greg the Bunny" at #9?*

[@birdwell2427]

the best part about this list was seeing Stan Lee

[@waggsmith5889]

Downfall: The Game Show That Shares A Name With The 2008 Hitler Movie That Became One Of The Greatest Memes Of All Time.

[@anthonyrausch5708]

#10. Novel Idea - Bad Execution #9. Jim Henson would be rolling in his grave!! #8. Wantless and Needless Destruction? Sound's fun, just take the game show part out and I am in!! #7. The only way you win money is if your heart stops beating!! #6. Why? Just Say No!! #5. Novel Idea - For a radio trivia show maybe instead of TV? #4. Not Enough Information.. THE GAME SHOW!! #3. Personal Drama: THE GAME SHOW!! #2. BARF: THE GAME!! setting looks like a college frat party, they got the atmosphere right at least!! #1. Even the Glory day's of Game Show's where not devoid of controversy!!

[@lucadynamo3758]

Hole In The Wall was great in the U.K., and how dare you bash Don’t Scare The Hare

[@debbiegreen9514]

"The moment of truth" was intense! It was painful to watch. I'm sure there were a lot of divorces. I always wondered how many or if there were law suits there were because of it. It didn't stay on TV for very long.

[@drewzuhosky6826]

Lauren Cleri's (the most polarizing contestant in the show's brief run) marriage did end in divorce. Not long after her episode aired (FOX almost didn't air it due to its controversial content), she and husband Frank Cleri went through a separation, with Frank divorcing his wife because of persistent infidelity. Lauren would sometimes cheat on him with multiple men simultaneously. Yep, she _deserved_ to lose her $100,000. Why was she so ruthless? A number of contestants who reached the $100,000 plateau stopped right there.

[@drewzuhosky6826]

Secondly, all contestants who appeared on _The Moment of Truth_ signed a waiver confirming that they accepted the determinations from the lie detector, meaning that the contestants couldn't sue the show.

[@JamieMurphy25]

You'll be surprised who fronted the UK version (which airs on pay TV network, Sky One) of this... US talk show king, Jerry Springer.

[@drewzuhosky6826]

@@JamieMurphy25 I knew that. I actually saw clips of his version of the program on KZbin when I was looking for footage from the American version years ago.

[@debbiegreen9514]

@@JamieMurphy25 Why does that not surprise me?

[@mlggamer5296]

The only two I've heard of is Hole in the Wall and Awake and believe me I don't even remember where I heard about Awake. I heard about Hole in the Wall thanks to Cartoon network cuz on their site they had a Hole in the Wall game. I don't personally think it should have been a dishonourable mention cuz I think it was pretty hilarious them trying to figure out how to position themselves. As funny as Wipeout actually. Also The Moment of Truth is so terrible why would I watch people break relationships for money?! Also when you guys reached Hurl no joke I was eating breakfast. Thank God I am not easily grossed out. Also the only way I think Identity would work is if they gave hints about them or gave celebrities that people should know

[@TheDwarfShortage]

How the Hell was Justin Lee Collins' Head Or Tails not on the list?

[@MKMK-bj2sk]

*How about Celebrity President USA version?*

[@adamcharleshovey7105]

Still better than Hilary Clinton

[@Cybeldar]

Upside of Hilary Clinton is she could have riden Epsteins plane and saved taxpayer miney.

[@christiancountryboyilovejesus]

In Downfall the prizes dropped where replicas. God bless :-)

[@marinoblocker]

All of these game shows had one thing in common: they were hosted by out of work actors and entertainers😀

[@arthas640]

They should have started the first episode with the host apologizing and explaining they either had to host this or start suckin d*ck behind the studio to pay the bills.

[@marinoblocker]

@@arthas640 LMAO!!!!

[@johnanderson9765]

Not entirely true. John McEnroe was a tennis commentator at the time, and still is. Mark L. Wahlberg (not Marky Mark) was hosting the Antiques Road show at at about the same time.

[@megamanj2004X]

On top of The Chamber being so horrible it was not only an embarrassing sh*t stain on the legacy of Dick Clark and his production company Dick Clark Productions (who produced this show) but more importantly there was a lawsuit that happened due to one of the contestants actually suffering from hypothermia afterwards.

[@stone1andonly]

"Who do you trust?" might have been a bad idea for a game show, but that host was going places in another couple years.

[@scarletphoenix6158]

Hole in the wall was a great game show

[@frankiemermaid2027]

awake is a pretty interesting premise, but the "challenges" are just weird. they should do things that are actually challenging like do physical activities. like "wipeout" but they're all tired

[@darkknight5541]

They probably didn't because they were afraid the contestants would seriously injure themselves or get themselves killed.

[@alyssawilson8781]

I personally like Hole in the Wall. It had team work, creativity and no drama.

[@Kim.Garian]

If Identity used celebrities (like Stan Lee as seen in this video), and the categories were movie/television roles or other things that made them famous (like creating Spider-Man also in this video), I think I'd find that entertaining.

[@jamesmiller7228]

I agree especially for older shows and movies where they disappeared off the radar afterwards

[@Kim.Garian]

@@jamesmiller7228 That, and maybe just some "I didn't know they did that character" sort of things.

[@demh7823]

That host of "Do You Trust Your Wife/Who Do You Trust" was Johnny Carson.

[@l.salisbury1253]

How come "You're In the Picture" (1961) didn't make the cut- even as a dishonorable mention? (It has popped up on other Mojo lists.) Remember that show bombed so bad that the host Jackie Gleason spend the entire second episode apologizing for the first!

[@shaliseshaw9385]

9:46 I thought Hole In The Wall 🕳️💸📺🇯🇵 was a Japanese Game Show.

[@frostymcchill6542]

originally then the U.S brought it over for like a season or 2

[@LesterLaoagan]

Hall in the wall is an international game show it was also present here in the Philippines

[@AdderTude]

It was actually a segment within another show (The Tunnels' Thanks to Everyone).

[@chrisrj9871]

It was actually adapted for the US on FOX, and then moved to Cartoon Network (even though it had nothing to do with cartoons).

[@kenterminateddq5311]

If this list was based on Japanese Game Shows, the list would expand to Top 30.

[@jimb.7523]

*"#2 - Hurl!"* *Skip!* **ding!**

[@bluebear1985]

I guess "Do You Trust Your Wife?" was bad, but not enough to be #1. It wasn't bad enough to destroy the host's career, or the announcer's for that matter. Both Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon would leave the show in 1962 to work on "The Tonight Show", where they would both remain for the next 30 years.

[@blind_t2]

Was thinking the same thing, if there was ever a good news story to come out of that show, was that it gave us 2 legends.

[@TheCatAteMyShoe]

Some of those are dangerous. Damn.

[@arthas640]

There's a fine line between game show and blood sport.

[@CameronMetrejean]

I loved Identity when it came out. I was kinda sad when Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader overshadowed its release

[@dimidrugg9592]

Whoever came up with 'Downfall' is going straight to hell. When people can't afford such expensive items and you destroy them in front of their very eyes you are not human. Btw, I remember watching 'Moment Of Truth' when it was adapted in my country. I wish I could unwatch that show.

[@anotheryoutubeaccount5259]

HAHAHAHHAHAH cry

[@the_black_belt_drummer]

Here’s what I’ve learned from each of these moronic game shows: #10: Some things are worth pulling an all nighter. A million dollars is not one of those things. #9: Never trust a puppet to help you get rich. #8: Gravity always wins, even on game shows #7: Next time you go out to eat, make sure your chair is inanimate and not designed to measure your heart rate #6 Family and/or are better suited to keep expectant mothers entertained in the maternity ward #5: Memories and trivia don’t mix #4: If you wanna use stereotypes on a game show, you’re probably better off on “Deal Or No Deal”. #3: Honesty’s overrated. #2: Barf jokes are always funny, but even they have to draw a line somewhere. #1: It takes one to ruin someone’s relationship with their spouse

[@megamanj2004X]

Years before Awake, there was another sleep depriving game show called Cram that aired on GSN in 2003 except they had to study from a bunch of magazine articles and the top prize was just $10,000.

[@GeraldCole17]

I only remember "The Chair". I've never seen any of these other ones. Although Moment of Truth looks awesome! I love dirt on people. haha

[@igorkopacynski8906]

I'm surprised to not see Kid Nation here. It was a game show about 40 children of ages 8-15 getting dropped of on a desert and getting 40 days to bring a dead town back to life. Fun fact: the town was a set often used in old western movies

[@aclstudios]

That was a reality show.

[@mikek6543]

Im glad you are back Rebecca Im a fan She has the right voice. I love the show ok

[@darreljones8645]

If Who Do You Trust? had been such a horrible game-show idea, then why did it last five years? And establish the career of host Johnny Carson?

[@syvyn11]

While Distraction isn't in itself a good show, what made it fun was it's host Jimmy Carr. Perfect British sarcasm.

[@DTheCritical]

Its entertaining af watching prizes get destroyed

[@KaleidoSTARPH]

I really like Identity and its ridiculous difficulty on the game, of course its a guessing game in much harder way. BTW, I still remember one episode where a contestant won the game and his last guess is the Lady Jail Warden.

[@Gunman610]

There was a show called TV Party, where they showed that particular episode of "Moment of Truth" and it made me cry. The contestant seems like a perfectly normal woman who struggles with her life the way everyone else does, but her father straight up hates her for seemingly no reason. As sad as the whole episode was, the thing that made me burst into tears was the last question, "Do you think you're a good person?" and she struggled until she finally answered yes. And she lost because that turned out to be a lie. Remember, the question wasn't "are you a good person," but "do you THINK you are a good person." It was a horrible ending to a horrible show.

[@johnanderson9765]

One other problem with that show is that the show runners are betting that the audience doesn't know that lie detector results are inconclusive, not 100% accurate. If they were foolproof, they would be used in all police interrogations and court testifying.

[@anotheryoutubeaccount5259]

What if she is

[@raymondhopwood9393]

Another Dishonorable Mention..."The Home Shopping Game". Most ridiculous game show idea I've ever seen! Was that Johnny Carson hosting "Do You Trust Your Wife"?

[@stevenirons8564]

That's Johnny Carson at number 1!

[@DokkaChapman]

Not gonna lie, 'Distraction' was awesome! Perfect late night student television lol.

[@DTheCritical]

It just was not a fun show to be on

[@TheDeadskinmask23]

Distraction was great. I liked when they had birds above them pooping on their heads

[@DTheCritical]

@@TheDeadskinmask23 Yeah probably the only game show made for the almost total amusement of the audience they outta remake it

[@jamesmiller7228]

My favorite was double dare on Nick back in the 90's

[@syvyn11]

Jimmy Carr was great as a host.

[@alexadanielahernandez3476]

I've actually seen an episode of Labor Games 😂 Also it's Stan Lee my forever hero. Rip, we love you 😍

[@verenasonar1698]

i actually loved hole in the wall, it was great in my opinion

[@phl6716]

I remember seeing clips of Distraction on one of those game show moments shows. The things the contestants had to do on Distraction were weird. For example, one episode had them answering questions by buzzing in on buzzers surrounded by cacti. Another episode had contestants stuff lamb’s testicles in their mouths every time they got a question right. And of course, the clip shown here, peeing to set off the buzzer.

[@Momijido11]

Kinda surprised Flinch isn’t on the list. The contestant has to do something that requires concentration while the hosts try to jumpscare them. If the contestant flinches they get shocked. Or doused in water.

[@jonathankruger6356]

I've seen a few episodes of Moment of Truth And to me it looks like the sort of gameshow that would end up ruining your life for a pathetic amount of cash. Unless the '''friends and family''' are acting just for the drama

[@chrisrj9871]

The man and woman on that episode of the show ended up divorcing, so perhaps not acting?

[@DionysusAlS]

Scare the Hare looks awesome. I wish I had seen it.

[@josephmendy883]

Just noticed something. Whilst talking about The Chair, the narrator said ABC's the chair, however we're seeing footage of the UK version of the same name which aired on BBC One. The original version is the one in New Zealand.

[@BobSmith-uc5js]

What, no mention of Release the Hounds from the UK? Contestants have to solve weird puzzles in groups of three to shorten the distance one runs at the end. That end part? One contestant has to run a distance and cross a finish line before a group of hounds drags his or her to the ground. It was just weird and then some...

[@KodieTheAussieBrony94]

Release The Hounds I didn't really mind. I first saw it on TV at work when I was on my break with a co-worker and it looked interesting

[@encycl07pedia-]

"You Snooze, You Win." -Kevin Dorfman, *Monk*

[@boisegameshowguy]

2) Do not chum shark-infested waters when people swim. This is very dangerous.🦈 - “Billy Hammer is evil”

[@BlackwoodCompany]

The Chamber should have been #1 on the list. Watch and you will see why.

[@CaffeineCat85]

Didn't a Brazillian version of 'The Moment of Truth' have a contestant that was murdered after the airing or am I thinking of something else?

[@jamesmiller7228]

Not sure but the dating game did have a contestant that actually won turn out to be a serial rapists and murder

[@JamieMurphy25]

@@jamesmiller7228 And true crime network, Investigation Discovery, even did a TV movie about it.

[@KingsNerdCave]

Terrible position to be in, but Moment of Truth sounds interesting.

[@LaineMann]

I thought it WAS interesting

[@sjtimmer7]

"Let's play Bamboozle!"

[@heidifedor]

RIP Stan Lee

[@user-yh6us2jk8t]

The honorable mentions were weird but we’re quite fun to watch tbh except for set for life

[@sunnydaze905]

I would've thrown hands if Silent Library was on here

[@robbiebrewer6153]

Silent Library was actually pretty funny

[@JollyRancherGeno]

It was a Japanese show initially, so it couldn't make the list. The American version was really dumb though.

[@cultclassicdeadinside9862]

Surprised Silent Library wasn't mentioned 😂 miss that show

[@aclstudios]

It wasn't dumb, it had actual purpose and was funny.

[@cultclassicdeadinside9862]

@@aclstudios just because it's dumb doesn't mean it wasn't entertaining🤷It was funny but doubt it had a purpose besides not being loud 🤣 it's like trying to find the meaning of life in watching Jersey Shore 😆

[@liloiax22]

10:30 - tell me that mechanical rabbit 🐇 *ISN'T* going to be in your nightmares tonight?!?!? hahahaha *...and the way it moves plus how its eyes change colors individually and shit!!! lol*

[@bennywark3103]

I like hole in the wall

[@edgyraccoon6395]

Don't scare the hare was like an out of body unexplainable experience and when it was cancelled I was so upset

[@jimb.7523]

*Where's "Who Poop Last?!"*

[@chrisrj9871]

*rast

[@luukeegdeman3187]

Am I a bad person for actually loving the Moment of Truth😅

[@SchwarzeWitwe2]

For the heartbeat ones, the Brits had one called 1000 Heartbeats that was pretty good.

[@melissacooper4482]

I vaguely remember The Chair. But I wasn't disappointed when it got cancelled.

[@BigDook81]

I'm shocked candy crush didn't make this list... or even an honorable mention...

[@ThePurringNinja]

Candy Crush isn't a game show, it's just a game. Unless you're trying to be funny.

[@tristinhambrick4617]

They made a game show version if I'm correct. Should've switch places with Hole in the Wall. (For Cartoon Network)

[@BigDook81]

@@ThePurringNinja it was a short lived game show hosted by Mario Lopez...

[@ThePurringNinja]

@@BigDook81 Oh I had no clue about that, thanks for the info.

[@BigDook81]

@@ThePurringNinja no doubt... it's all good... but don't watch it... it's pretty horrible 🤣🤣🤣

[@DionysusAlS]

What about 'Diving for Excrement?'

[@mOoNsHiNeWiZaRd]

WHOAH! STOP RIGHT THERE! HOLE IN THE WALL WAS GREAT

[@MajorG25]

Moment of Truth was great. I remember being sad it didn't last longer

[@josephblumenberg6574]

Hole in the Wall was honestly pretty amusing

[@SonRob01]

Don’t scare the hare was the weirdest ting I’m glad I forgot about

[@vonniedemers5683]

My ex husband and I loved Threes a Crowd, wives and secretaries, an interesting show.

[@bluebear1985]

The show actually ruined the producer of the show for a while. Due to the criticism from this show, Chuck Barris soon had "The Dating Game", "The Newlywed Game", and "The Gong Show" taken off the air as well.

[@scootover7]

Dang when I see this list, I look at it and think I can come up with games better than these, the question would be would executives go for them? I watched one episode of The Moment Of Truth and I nearly had a nervous breakdown watching it, glad I wasn't eating seeing Hurl who really thought Hurl was a good idea, a big majority of these were awful, I seen pilot episodes of gameshows that didn't sell that were better than these shows.

[@taylorg7079]

Thankfully, I only remember 3 of these.

[@snusnu4]

RIP G4TV

[@dryceraidfanficksyoutube]

Yeah,......I think they go by GINX TV, now........

[@user-oq8ch2nz4n]

I’m so glad that silence library is not here..

[@neonphilly3519]

I remember hole in the wall and I like it.

[@sommerssmith]

The Hurl shows a physical challenge type game show that you should never do before the challenges start....Luckily there were plenty of shows all over the world you could see why eating heavy was not recommended.

[@RadioLaPrincess]

I remember Amnesia, identity, and the chair and watched them for one episode. All were stupid, though with Identity they had famous people (Stan Lee and Eve Plum were two I remember).

[@liloiax22]

Who on this Earth wouldn't know what Stan Lee looks like and that he created Spider-Man?... Unless your so old that you forgot what you had for breakfast that morning or your so young that the only celebrities you know are drawn on the screen or dressed up in some crazy costume lol you know???

[@abigaila.gorelik6680]

Please do top 10 Netflix game show (first place nailed it)

[@joshmau4472]

2:19 Uh, yeah that sums up two of my biggest interests

[@potatomatop9326]

The game shows in xnxx are better than these

[@channitalksabout]

Moment of truth is ICONIC. It's Trash, but it's ICONIC trash lol

[@melissacooper4482]

Sounds like Late Night Liars was a satire of To Tell The Truth. I think it was a game show in the 1960s.

[@COMPFUNK2]

Identity is the only series on this entire list that I have ever even heard of.

[@Gabriel071293]

I mean with a few changes I could totally see Identity working out Like leave stereotypes and underlying racism aside and it could get interesting

[@shaliseshaw9385]

What happened to 101 Ways To Leave A Game Show, I Survived A Japanese Game Show, and other bad game shows that got low ratings? 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄📺

[@95mudshovel]

3:45 I would have loved to have seen Sam Harris on this show. dude is a friggin zen machine.

[@DecadeTheKarateBugman]

I'm Telling! was basically The Newlywed Game for siblings with a tacky looking bonus round.

[@AdderTude]

Opportunity Knocks was another short-lived game show. Some of the questions were tasks that sometimes made family members invade each other's personal privacy (the TV spot made the brother find his little sister's diary, which he was all-too-glad to do).

[@stephenchase7711]

Worst game show of all-time: The Moment of Truth.

[@philliefan94]

I’d love to know who in their right mind thought _that_ was a good idea for a show

[@liambradley7633]

Ey, how 'bout the Wii game Truth or Lies.

[@AllHailTheAnimeLover]

Damn I cried with Stan Lee

[@kennystewart7901]

Cringy, eh ?