History Main / GameShowHost

* A close second might be Alex Trebek of ''{{Jeopardy}}'', HighRollers, ''[[{{Concentration}} Classic Concentration]]'' and ''DoubleDare1976''.

* John Daly of ''WhatsMyLine''.

* Jim Lange of ''The Dating Game'', ''BullseyeUS'', and ''NameThatTune''.

* The [[SuperMarioBros Mario]] series has a few of these including Chuck Quizmo in ''VideoGame/PaperMario'' and Game Guy in ''MarioParty 3''.

Game Show Hosts are [[AcceptableTargets popular butts of jokes]] in fiction. This may have something to do with their need to maintain a jovial atmosphere as previously stated, even when contestants are losing, which might make them seem aloof; or maybe they just come across as slimy and slick, like common depictions of a [[HonestJohnsDealership used car salesman]]. For whatever reason, fictional game show hosts are often presented as smarmy, obnoxious, untrustworthy opportunists who seem to revel in the misfortune of contestants (a DeadUnicornTrope of course). Also, since quiz show hosts know, by necessity, the answer to each question, they tend to come off as condescending — perhaps unintentionally, but nonetheless. They also tend to be almost [[AlwaysMale exclusively male]]; women on a game show's staff are more likely to be TheVanna.

* Gruntilda plays the part of one in the game show–like sections of ''{{Banjo-Kazooie}}'' and ''{{Banjo-Tooie}}'', respectively Grunty's Furnace Fun and the Tower of Tragedy.

Game Show Hosts are [[AcceptableTargets popular butts of jokes]] in fiction. This may have something to do with their need to maintain a jovial atmosphere as previously stated, even when contestants are losing, which might make them seem aloof; or maybe they just come across as slimy and slick, like common depictions of a [[HonestJohnsDealership used car salesman]]. For whatever reason, fictional game show hosts are often presented as smarmy, obnoxious, untrustworthy opportunists who seem to revel in the misfortune of contestants (a DeadUnicornTrope of course). Also, since quiz show hosts know, by necessity, the answer to each question, they tend to come off as condescending — perhaps unintentionally, but nonetheless. They also tend to be almost [[AlwaysMale exclusively male]]; women on a game show's staff are more likely to be TheVanna.

* A close second might be Alex Trebek of ''{{Jeopardy}}'', ''[[{{Concentration}} Classic Concentration]]'' and ''DoubleDare1976''.

* Gruntilda plays the part of one in the game show–like sections of ''{{Banjo-Kazooie}}'' and ''{{Banjo-Tooie}}'', respectively Grunty's Furnace Fun and the Tower of Tragedy.

-->--'''Father Time''' as this trope on a game show sketch, ''{{Histeria}}!''

Game Show Hosts are [[AcceptableTargets popular butts of jokes]] in fiction. This may have something to do with their need to maintain a jovial atmosphere as previously stated, even when contestants are losing, which might make them seem aloof; or maybe they just come across as slimy and slick, like common depictions of a [[HonestJohnsDealership used car salesman]]. For whatever reason, fictional game show hosts are often presented as smarmy, obnoxious, untrustworthy opportunists who seem to revel in the misfortune of contestants (a DeadUnicornTrope of course). Also, since quiz show hosts know, by necessity, the answer to each question, they tend to come off as condescending -- perhaps unintentionally, but nonetheless. They also tend to be almost [[AlwaysMale exclusively male]]; women on a game show's staff are more likely to be TheVanna.

* BillCullen, the original host of ''ThePriceIsRight'', ''{{Blockbusters}}'' and many other shows

* BruceForsyth, the British host who gives a new meaning to the term "Brucie Bonus"
* Gene Rayburn of ''MatchGame''
* Richard Dawson, from the original ''Series/FamilyFeud''

* Chuck Woolery, original host of ''WheelOfFortune'' and ''LoveConnection''; also ''Series/{{Scrabble}}'', ''TheDatingGame'' and ''{{Lingo}}''
* Pat Sajak of ''Wheel of Fortune''
* Monty Hall of ''LetsMakeADeal''
* Wink Martindale of ''TicTacDough''
* Bob Eubanks of ''TheNewlywedGame'' and the 1980s version of ''CardSharks''
* Bert Convy of ''{{Tattletales}}'' and ''[[{{Password}} Super Password]]''
* Peter Tomarken of ''PressYourLuck''
* Peter Marshall, original host of ''TheHollywoodSquares''
** Also John Davidson, Jon "Bowzer" Bauman and Tom Bergeron for the various revivals.
*** Although if you consider "notable" to mean "good", only Marshall and Bergeron qualify.
* Regis Philbin of ''WhoWantsToBeAMillionaire'' (the American version) and ''[[{{Password}} Million Dollar Password]]''
* Drew Carey of ''The Price Is Right'', ''Power of Ten'' and ''WhoseLineIsItAnyway''

* Brit host Chris Tarrant has hosted at least 16 different game shows, but is most associated with ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?''.
* Speechwriter/actor Ben Stein of ''WinBenSteinsMoney''

* Dick Clark of the various ''{{Pyramid}}'' shows
* Jim Lange of ''The Dating Game'', ''BullseyeUS'' and ''NameThatTune''
* Tom Kennedy of ''You Don't Say!'', ''Series/SplitSecond'', ''Name That Tune'' and ''Series/BodyLanguage''
* His brother, Jack Narz, of ''NowYouSeeIt'' and the syndicated ''{{Concentration}}''
* Howie Mandel on ''DealOrNoDeal''

* JackBarry on ''TwentyOne'' and ''TheJokersWild''
* Allen Ludden on ''General Electric College Bowl'' and ''{{Password}}''
* Jeff Probst of ''{{Survivor}}''
* Joe Rogan of ''FearFactor''

* Geoff Edwards of ''TreasureHuntUS''
* Art James of ''The Who, What or Where Game''
* John Daly of ''WhatsMyLine''
* Jim Perry of the 1970s iteration of ''Card Sharks'' and the 1980s American version of ''SaleOfTheCentury''
* Phil Keoghan of ''TheAmazingRace''

* Damon Killian, host of ''TheRunningMan'' in the 1987 film, played by Richard Dawson! (In the original Stephen King book, his name is Dan Killian, and he is the producer rather than the host. In the movie, he is not only the host, but also the creator of the game.)

Game Show Hosts are [[AcceptableTargets popular butts of jokes]] in fiction. This may have something to do with their need to maintain a jovial atmosphere as previously stated, even when contestants are losing, which might make them seem aloof; or maybe they just come across as slimy and slick, like common depictions of a [[HonestJohnsDealership used car salesman]]. For whatever reason, fictional game show hosts are often presented as smarmy, obnoxious, untrustworthy opportunists who seem to revel in the misfortune of contestants. Also, since quiz show hosts know, by necessity, the answer to each question, they tend to come off as condescending -- perhaps unintentionally, but nonetheless. They also tend to be almost [[AlwaysMale exclusively male]] -- women on a game show's staff are more likely to be TheVanna.

There has been a recent (not new) trend, at least for high-profile American programs, to cast [[strike:has-been D-listers]] established celebrities as Game Show Hosts.

* The [[SuperMarioBros Mario]] series has a few of these including Chuck Quizmo in ''PaperMario'' and Game Guy in ''MarioParty 3''.

* Bob Barker of ''TruthOrConsequences'' and ''ThePriceIsRight'', probably the most famous game show host in history.
* A close second might be Alex Trebek of ''[[{{Jeopardy}} Jeopardy!]]'' (as well as ''[[{{Concentration}} Classic Concentration]]'' and ''DoubleDare1976'').

* Gene Rayburn of ''{{MatchGame}}''

* Pat Sajak of ''WheelOfFortune''
* Monty Hall of ''[[{{LetsMakeADeal}} Let's Make A Deal]]''

* Bob Eubanks of ''TheNewlywedGame'' and the 80s version of ''CardSharks''
* Bert Convy of ''{{Tattletales}}'' and [[{{Password}} Super Password]]

* Regis Philbin of ''WhoWantsToBeAMillionaire?'' (the American version) and ''[[{{Password}} Million Dollar Password]]''
* Drew Carey of ''ThePriceIsRight'', ''Power of Ten'' and ''WhoseLineIsItAnyway?''

* Brit host Chris Tarrant has hosted at least sixteen different game shows, but is most associated with ''WhoWantsToBeAMillionaire?''.
* Speechwriter/actor Ben Stein of ''[[{{WinBenSteinsMoney}} Win Ben Stein's Money]]''

* The various sarcastic voice-over hosts of the ''[[{{YouDontKnowJack}} You Don't Know Jack]]'' series, most notably Cookie.

* Jim Lange of ''TheDatingGame'', ''BullseyeUS'' and ''NameThatTune''
* Tom Kennedy of ''You Don't Say!'', ''Series/SplitSecond'', ''NameThatTune'' and ''Series/BodyLanguage''

* JackBarry on ''TwentyOne'' and ''[[{{TheJokersWild}} The Joker's Wild]]''

* John Daly of ''[[WhatsMyLine What's My Line?]]''
* Jim Perry of the 70s iteration of ''CardSharks'' and the 80s American version of ''SaleOfTheCentury''

* Guy Smiley, a Muppet performed by JimHenson on ''SesameStreet''.

* Mr Wink, the host of the Japanese game show in ''TheSimpsons'' episode "Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo".

* The many hosts of the ''YouDontKnowJack'' games, including [[EnsambleDarkhorse fan favorite]] Cookie Masterson.

[[ThatMitchellAndWebbLook http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/NumberwangHost_5400.png]]
[[caption-width:350:"[[{{Calvinball}} That's Numberwang!]]"]]

* Richard Dawson, from the original ''FamilyFeud''

* Damon Killian, host of ''TheRunningMan'' in the 1987 film, played by [[Series/FamilyFeud Richard Dawson]]! (In the original Stephen King book, his name is Dan Killian, and he is the producer rather than the host. In the movie, he is not only the host, but also the creator of the game.)

* Richard Dawson, from the original ''Series/FamilyFeud''

* Damon Killian, host of ''TheRunningMan'' in the 1987 film, played by [[Series/FamilyFeud Richard Dawson]]! (In the original book, his name is Dan Killian, and he is the producer rather than the host. In the movie, he is not only the host, but also the creator of the game.)

* Gene Rayburn of ''[[{{MatchGame}} Match Game '7x]]''

* Regis Philbin of ''WhoWantsToBeAMillionaire?'' (the American version) and ''Million Dollar {{Password}}''

* Jim Lange of ''The Dating Game'', ''BullseyeUS'' and ''NameThatTune''

* JackBarry on ''TwentyOne'' and ''[=~The Joker's Wild~=]''

* Bob Barker of ''TruthOrConsequences'' and ''The Price Is Right'', probably the most famous game show host in history.
* A close second might be Alex Trebek of ''[=~Jeopardy!~=]''

* Gene Rayburn of ''The MatchGame''

* Chuck Woolery, original host of ''WheelOfFortune'' and ''LoveConnection''; also ''Series/{{Scrabble}}'' and ''TheDatingGame''
* Pat Sajak of ''Wheel of Fortune''
* Monty Hall of ''[=~Let's Make a Deal~=]''

* Bob Eubanks of ''TheNewlywedGame''
* Bert Convy of ''{{Tattletales}}''

* Drew Carey of ''The Price Is Right'', ''Power of Ten'' and ''WhoseLineIsItAnyway?''

* Speechwriter/actor Ben Stein of ''WinBenSteinsMoney''

* The various sarcastic voice-over hosts of the ''YouDontKnowJack'' series, most notably Cookie.

* Jim Lange of ''The Dating Game'' and ''BullseyeUS''
* Tom Kennedy of ''You Don't Say!'' and ''Series/SplitSecond''

* Allen Ludden on ''General Electric College Bowl'' and ''Password''

Game Show Hosts are [[AcceptableTargets popular butts of jokes]] in fiction. This may have something to do with their need to maintain a jovial atmosphere as previously stated, even when contestants are losing, which might make them seem aloof; or maybe they just come across as slimy and slick, like common depictions of a [[HonestJohnsDealership used car salesman]]. For whatever reason, fictional game show hosts are often presented as smarmy, obnoxoius, untrustworthy opportunists who seem to revel in the misfortune of contestants. Also, since quiz show hosts know, by necessity, the answer to each question, they tend to come off as condescending -- perhaps unintentionally, but nonetheless. They also tend to be almost exclusively male - women on game show staff are more likely to be The Vanna.

* Regis Philbin of ''WhoWantsToBeAMillionaire?'' and ''Million Dollar {{Password}}''

* Pat Sajak of ''WheelOfFortune''
* Monty Hall of ''LetsMakeADeal''

** Also John Davidson, Jon "Bowser" Bauman and Tom Bergeron for the various revivals.
* Regis Philbin of ''WhoWantsToBeAMillionaire'' and ''Million Dollar {{Password}}''

* The ''Buzz!'' series of party video games feature Jason Donovan as a stereotypical Game Show Host.

** The short-lived live-action game show version on {{ABC}} featured Paul Reubens as Troy Steven, a parody of a normal Game Show Host.

* Jim Lange of ''TheDatingGame'' and ''BullseyeUS''

* Lynne Thigpen on ''WhereInTheWorldIsCarmenSandiego?'', though she wasn't the quizmaster
* JackBarry on ''TwentyOne'' and ''TheJokersWild''
* Allen Ludden on ''General Electric College Bowl'' and ''Password''.

* The [[SuperMarioBros Mario]] series has a few of these including Chuck Quizmo in Paper Mario and Game Guy in Mario Party 3.
* Gruntilda plays the part of one in Kazooie and Tooie's game show-like sections Grunty's Furnace Fun and the Tower of Tragedy.

* Damon Killian, host of ''TheRunningMan'' in the 1987 film, played by [[FamilyFeud Richard Dawson]]! (In the original book, his name is Dan Killian, and he is the producer rather than the host. In the movie, he is not only the host, but also the creator of the game.)

* Damon Killian, host of ''TheRunningMan'' in the 1987 film. (In the original book, his name is Dan Killian, and he is the producer rather than the host. In the movie, he is not only the host, but also the creator of the game.)