Game shows are always a mixed bag. Some are instant hits with audiences, be it through a personable and charismatic host or through fun gameplay that allows viewers to play along at home. However, some are instant duds, mainly because those aforementioned factors just didn't pan out.
Every decade is filled with hits and failures when it comes to game shows, and the 2000s are no different. Some were hits that became classics, others instantly bombed and faded away into obscurity. Either way, they certainly left some kind of impression. These are five game shows from the 2000s we fondly, and five we don't.
Fondly: Who Wants To Be A Millionaire (1999-)
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire was a monumental hit for ABC in the early 2000s. The most famous iteration of the show was hosted by Regis Philbin, who hosted from the show from 1999 to 2002. Despite being a game show, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire was must-watch TV for the time, thanks in large part to Philbin's personable hosting and the show's captivating questions. This was a game show for adults, and it captivated a nation.
Not Fondly: Dog Eat Dog (2002-03)
Dog Eat Dog ran on NBC between 2002 and 2003. It was hosted by Brooke Burns and saw contestants competing in a variety of stunts and games. These include walking a balance beam in heels, identifying celebrities through distorted photos, playing trivia against a child prodigy, and riding in the Vomit Comet while answering questions.
The show never really took off, and it even faced a lawsuit when a contestant claimed that a stunt had given him brain damage.
Fondly: Hollywood Squares (1966-2004)
Hollywood Squares had been running since the mid-60s with host Peter Marshall overseeing the program from 1966 to 1981. The show came to an end in 1989 before it was revived in syndication in 1998. Tom Bergeron became the show's fourth host and remained in the seat until 2004. This iteration saw many classic ists, including center square Whoopi Goldberg, Martin Mull, Caroline Rhea, Jeffrey Tambor, and Gilbert Gottfried.
Not Fondly: Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? (2007-)
The concept behind Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader is relatively solid: people answer simple questions that a literal child should know in order to win money.
Be "smarter" than your average fifth-grader, and you win a million dollars. Unfortunately, the show was let down by a middling host who was both unfunny and condescending, and the show had a gross air of superiority about it that was hard to shake. It should have been called "Let's Laugh at These Dumb Adults Who Can't Even Answer Simple Kids' Questions!"
Fondly: Fear Factor (2001-18)
Long before Joe Rogan was a podcaster extraordinaire, he was the host of NBC's disgusting tasks like flying suspended from a helicopter or eating disgusting animal parts. It was like a Hollywood blockbuster in game show form, and it was glorious.
Not Fondly: 1 Vs. 100 (2006-11)
1 vs. 100 has a great concept: one sole person has to beat one hundred others in a trivia match. If they answer the question right, they "eliminate" the of the mob who got it wrong. The winnings are based entirely on how many people they managed to eliminate. But, what let the show down were the brain-dead questions. These are the questions that belonged on Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader, because they were often insultingly easy.
Fondly: The Amazing Race (2001-)
The Amazing Race is perhaps the most ambitious and extraordinarily-produced game show ever made.
Expertly toeing the line between reality competition and game show, various tasks and visiting notable landmarks. The show is still on, but it peaked in the 2000s. It was unlike anything audiences had seen before, and its stellar production deserves to be endlessly praised.
Not Fondly: Wipeout (2008-14)
Wipeout had a lot of potential that just never materialized. It saw people running through an elaborate obstacle course and trying desperately not to "commentated by John Henson and John Anderson. The show was often compared to Most Extreme Elimination Challenge, but it wasn't nearly as fun or as funny as that show. It was a softer and more cornier version of MXC, and the jokes weren't nearly as funny.
Fondly: Deal Or No Deal (2005-)
Deal or No Deal is one of those game shows that just strikes a chord with general audiences. It's not impeccably produced like The Amazing Race, it doesn't contain blockbuster stunts like Fear Factor, and it didn't star notable movie and TV stars like Hollywood Squares. It was just a well-oiled game show with a solid concept and a great host in Howie Mandel. It took the nation by storm through sheer gameplay and charisma.
Not Fondly: Beat The Geeks (2001-02)
Beat the Geeks was short-lived on Comedy Central. Hosted by J. Keith van Straaten in season one and Blaine Capatch in season two, Beat the Geeks saw a contestant attempting to beat a of "geeks" who were well-versed in various subjects.
It was essentially Are You Smarter Than 5th Grader, only with adults instead of children. Unfortunately, it shared the same problems, including obtuse questions and an underwhelming host.