GSN Hosts First-Ever Game Show Awards
By Mike Reynolds 15 April 2009
GSN is going the awards show route.
The network will host the inaugural awards show devoted to celebrating the genre, with The Game Show Awards premiering on June 6 at 8 p.m. (ET). The two-and-half hour show, to be held at the Wilshire Theatre in Beverly Hills, will pay special tribute to Bob Barker (The Price is Right), Monty Hall (Let's Make a Deal) and game show producer Mark Goodson (Password, Family Feud, Match Game).
As with much of GSN's original programming, The Game Show Awards will deliver a participatory experience for both viewers and those in the studio audience. Prior to the June 6 premiere, viewers will have the opportunity to visit GSN.com to vote for their favorite nominees in more than a dozen award categories. In addition, during the premiere telecast, at-home viewers will be encouraged to go online, where they can answer award show-related trivia for the chance to win cash and other prizes.
Awards categories run the gamut from best game show, best host, favorite classic game show to the tongue-in-cheek, with favorite game show sound effect, most outrageous game show contestant and favorite parting gift. Non-traditional game shows will also get their props with contests for best reality competition show, favorite dating or relationship show, as do celebrity guests, via favorite celebrity player and favorite celebrity team categories.
Nominees include game show stalwarts such as Jeopardy!, The Price is Right, Wheel of Fortune, Hollywood Squares, Match Game, Name that Tune, The Newlywed Game, Pat Sajak, Vanna White, Howie Mandel, Betty White and Regis Philbin, as well as unexpected nominees, including Neil Patrick Harris, Serena Williams, the cast of The Office, Rice-A-Roni, Turtle Wax, the "Barking Contestant," and the gong from The Gong Show.
"This will be a different kind of awards show-and the first-ever awards show dedicated exclusively to the world of game shows," said Kelly Goode, GSN's senior vice president of programming, in a statement. "The Game Show Awards will be a lighthearted, humorous homage to the talented people who make game shows a perennial favorite. We will also include exciting participatory elements that offer our at-home fans and in-studio audience the chance to play a role in the show."
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