Former Contestants Reveal The Dirty Secrets Behind Your Favorite Game Shows

13) A $25,000 Fortune

In 1976 when “Family Feud” first aired, families were only allowed to win up to $25,000. Even though that doesn’t sound like a lot nowadays, considering the prices of cars, houses, mortgages, and food have skyrocketed, that was a lot several decades ago. The average annual income was $16,000. Even if that was the monetary limit you could win now, it would still be a great prize. Any money is good money if it’s enough to pay off student loans or credit card debt (via Just Starz).

12) The Weakest Six-Hour Link

‘The Weakest Link’ is a British game show where contestants compete to answer general knowledge questions. A former contestant revealed the show’s dirty secrets, including the fact that it took six hours to film one episode. They said, “there are so many starts, stops, and podium removals when people are voted off, and it’s really tiring. Anne Robinson doesn’t make small talk with any contestants, but she did congratulate me on winning.” Apparently, contestants even get lower quality water, while the stars of the show get to drink expensive water. The contestant said, “she (Anne) stood there drinking her Evian while we drank bottles of ASDA Smart Price water from a straw, so we didn’t dribble down ourselves.” (via Buzzfeed).

11) Change Of Clothes

You’d think that every episode of Jeopardy! was filmed on a different day considering the contestants wear different clothes for each episode. Well, you’d be very wrong. In fact, one of the show’s biggest dirty secrets is that five episodes are filmed on the same day. This means that each contestant brings five different outfits with them and changes them throughout the day to make it look like it’s on a different day. That must be one of the longest days ever. Also, some episodes aren’t aired for three months. Imagine winning and then having to keep it a secret (via Just Starz).

10) The Actors Of House Hunters

“House Hunters” seems like a thrilling reality TV show. Couples fight, live in hotel rooms and seem to go through the depths of hell to find a house. “House Hunters” also has several secrets. Former contestant Elizabeth Newcamp revealed that she and her husband faked living in a hotel for the sake of the show. That, and she also admitted that she and her husband had fake arguments to make the show seem more dramatic. Additionally, most of the houses on the show aren’t for sale, and the couple already owns the house. This is seriously a letdown. This seems more like a staged show with actors, as opposed to reality TV (via Just Starz).

9) Bridal Bootcamp

‘Bridal Bootcamp’ is a show where brides-to-be compete to lose weight before their wedding. They’re split into groups and put on “Marital Missions,” to try and win the wedding of their dreams. A former contestant on the show revealed some of Bridal Bootcamp’s dirty secrets to her friend on Reddit.

They said, “a girlfriend of mine was on Bridal Bootcamp and won. I was a bridesmaid, and they brought the camera crew to EVERYTHING, but we had to reshoot our ‘genuine’ emotions time and time again. The kicker? She won her ‘dream’ wedding at an expensive hotel with all the works, but game show winnings are taxed at 33%. The IRS bill was twice as much as the original budget for this couple in their mid-20s.” (via Buzzfeed).

8) Banned Jeopardy! Numbers

Apparently, ‘Jeopardy!’ has tons of secrets, with banned numbers included. Competitors must not only answer some questions backward, but must also remember not to bet certain numbers, like $666, the number of the Devil, and $1488, $88, and $14. The number $1488 is banned because it’s used by white supremacists as a secret code to identify themselves. It seems like a lot of pressure to remember you’re not supposed to say these specific numbers, especially when you’re under a lot of stress. We wonder what happens if you accidentally say these numbers (via Just Starz)

7) Before They Were Famous

Tons of famous actors and faces appeared on “Match Game” and “The Dating Game,” dating shows from the 1960s and 1970s. Kirstie Alley, Tom Selleck, Farrah Fawcett, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Sally Field all appeared on the shows before they were famous. Also, Lady Gaga appeared on ‘Boiling Points!’ when she was only 19 years old. Simon Cowell appeared on ‘Sale of the Century’ in 1987, which was probably a bridge towards his fame (via Just Starz).

6) American Ninja Warrior

Since 2009, we’ve watched unofficial Olympians sprint and climb through a series of obstacle courses, to win one million dollars, on ‘American Ninja Warrior.’ Well, there’s more to it than we realize. ANW is full of dirty secrets. The participants train for up to a year before the show. Also, the interviews are scripted. Even though it’s not completely authentic, the winners are not predetermined and are chosen by who completes the final obstacle course (via Just Starz).

5) Big Brother Canada

In the show “Big Brother Canada,” 15 people all live together in an isolated home, as they try to not get evicted by their housemates. It feels like it’d be an uncomfortable show to watch. Someone on Reddit told us some dirty secrets about the show. Firstly, in the audience, there’s the “hot row,” where people who are most aesthetically pleasing are chosen to sit.

Also, they said, “I had a friend who worked in production for Big Brother Canada who got a group of us tickets to a live eviction. The live eviction is not actually live and took probably a good two to three hours to film. None of what we saw from the contestants was re-filmed, but there were moments that we had to redo if we didn’t cheer/clap loud enough after commercial breaks.” (via Buzzfeed).

4) Game Show Prizes

If you’re a contestant on a game show, you can win anything from a lifetime supply of WD-40 to millions of dollars. These prizes range in quality. Most of the time, we’d wish for tons of cash even though that’s usually not the case. Some game shows are full of dirty secrets and give away ridiculous prizes. On “High Rollers, “a game show from the 70s, a contestant won a $10,000 fishbowl. Another time, a woman in a wheelchair won a treadmill on “The Price is Right.” That seems like a cruel joke. On another game show, someone won a lifetime supply of Butterfinger candy, which was two big cases. Sometimes, it doesn’t even seem worth being on television for these ridiculous prizes (via Just Starz).

3) Dirty Secrets Of Legends Of The Hidden Temple

In the 1990s, one of the most popular kid’s game shows was ‘Legends of the Hidden Temple.’ Kids used swimming moats, ropes, and different teams to retrieve a hidden artifact. It was extremely fun to watch as a kid, especially since it was full of spontaneous twists and turns. They had to do a variety of physical stunts and answer several trivia questions. As the kids performed on stage, the audience roared and applauded – an audience we never actually saw. There was no audience, only speakers and sound effects that made it seem like there was one (via Just Starz)

2) Too Hard To Pronounce

If your name is too hard to pronounce, then good luck getting on a game show. A former contestant told us about this dirty secret behind ‘The Price is Right.’ They said, “I went to a taping of The Price Is Right, and during the interview process, they ask you how you pronounce your first and last name. Unfortunately, if you have a first or a last name that is difficult to pronounce, your chances of being chosen to ‘come on down’ are basically 0%! Same thing if you happen to have the exact same first and last name as another contestant in the audience.” (via Buzzfeed).

1. Family Feud Moves

Steve Harvey is known for his role on ‘Family Feud.’ It wouldn’t be ‘Family Feud’ without him. At one point, he was too busy filming his morning show in Atlanta, so Family Feud moved their studio from California to Florida so Harvey could easily commute to work. Then, since Harvey didn’t want to commute to the next state, he convinced the studio to move to Atlanta, so he’d have an even easier commute. He’s certainly a powerful figure on ‘Family Feud’ (via Just Starz).