History Series / TheNewlywedGame

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: In 1966, an era where virtually every new network show was debuting in color, the very earliest episodes of ''The Newlywed Game'' aired in black-and-white. Also, a different theme was used for those first few weeks of episodes: "Summertime Guy" by Eddie Rambeau. Also, ABC staff announcer Scott Beach was the first announcer. The latter two changed by the start of August 1966: A different theme, based on "Summertime Guy" but reminiscent of a Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass song, and the introduction of Johnny Jacobs as announcer. As no videos from those earliest shows exist, it is hard to say what other differences there were or what couples got away with.

Carnie Wilson was the original host of the current ''Newlywed Game'' on Creator/{{GSN}}, which debuted in 2009 and reduced the competing couples to three; she was replaced by ''The View''[='s=] Sherri Shepherd in 2010. It was announced in September 2009 that the show would start featuring same-sex couples. Among its roster have been celebrities such as Creator/GeorgeTakei of ''Franchise/StarTrek'', Davy Jones of ''Series/TheMonkees'', and Christopher Knight of ''Series/TheBradyBunch''.

** To give an example, any question about the wife's body shape, which one of her family members the husband would want to have an affair with, which of her friends he'd most like to disappear, etc. On the other end, a Sherry-era question asked wives through pizza euphemism to describe their husband's [[BiggusDickus endowment]]: medium mushroom, large pepperoni, or extra-large sausage. Naturally all the husbands said extra-large sausage, and two of them got it right, but one wife said "medium mushroom" because [[ComicallyMissingThePoint "We don't allow]] [[AccidentalInnuendo pork]] [[ComicallyMissingThePoint in our house."]]

* RearrangeTheSong: The Bob Eubanks-hosted revivals from the '80s and '90s (excepting the last season of the latter) had new arrangements of the original theme, as did the first four seasons of the GSN version. The latter two arrangements were pretty close to the original, while the '80s version was more noticably different.

GameShow that sent Bob Eubanks to stardom. This Creator/ChuckBarris production debuted in 1966 on Creator/{{ABC}}, coinciding with a pre-emption of Creator/{{CBS}}' then-popular ''Series/{{Password}}''. Four couples, all married for less than two years, answered questions that bordered on the bawdy. In the first round, the wives predicted their husbands' answers, and the second round reversed the roles.

* DarkHorseVictory: The 1979 episode featuring (amongst three other couples) Charlie and Pat Berg, whose mannerisms, voices, appearances, and infighting gave them the lasting label of being the real life [[Series/AllInTheFamily Archie and Edith Bunker]]. The couple were hilariously bad at matching one another, and failed to score a single match during the first and second rounds of the game; they were quickly relegated to a role of reliable comic relief. However, in the bonus round, the Bergs were the ''only'' couple to match on the 25 point bonus question...allowing them to win the overall game by 5 points.

* GameShowHost: Bob Eubanks is the best known. Jim Lange hosted a week-long attempt in 1984, Paul Rodriguez for part of the 1988-89 season, and Gary Kroeger for the 1996-97 season. Carnie Wilson was the original host of the current version, followed by Sherri Shepherd.

!!GameShow Tropes in use:

* DoubleTheDollars: In a way with Round 2, where questions were worth 10 points
* Personnel:
** TheAnnouncer: Scott Beach announced on the earliest episodes, followed by Johnny Jacobs, and finally Tony [=McClay=]. Rod Roddy announced on the 1984 version, followed by Bob Hilton for part of the 1985-89 version and Charlie O'Donnell for at least the latter part of the same era. Los Angeles DJ "Ellen K." announced the 1996 version, followed by John Cramer from 1997-99. The 2000s version was announced by Brad Aldous, then Randy West, then Gary Kroeger.
** GameShowHost: Bob Eubanks is the best known. Jim Lange hosted a week-long attempt in 1984, Paul Rodriguez for part of the 1988-89 season, and Gary Kroeger for the 1996-97 season. Carnie Wilson was the original host of the current version, followed by Sherri Shepherd.
** StudioAudience
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!!This show provides examples of:

Carnie Wilson was the original host of the current ''Newlywed Game'' on Creator/{{GSN}}, which debuted in 2009; she was replaced by ''The View''[='s=] Sherri Shepherd in 2010. It was announced in September 2009 that the show would start featuring same-sex couples. Among its roster have been celebrities such as Creator/GeorgeTakei of ''Franchise/StarTrek'', Davy Jones of ''Series/TheMonkees'', and Christopher Knight of ''Series/TheBradyBunch''.

Carnie Wilson was the original host of the current ''Newlywed Game'' on Creator/{{GSN}}, which debuted in 2009; she was replaced by ''The View''[='s=] Sherri Shepherd in 2010. It was announced in September 2009 that the show would start featuring same-sex couples. Among its roster have been celebrities such as Creator/GeorgeTakei of ''Franchise/StarTrek'' (NobodyOver50IsGay, indeed!), Davy Jones of ''Series/TheMonkees'', and Christopher Knight of ''Series/TheBradyBunch''.

* DarkHorseVictory: The 1979 episode featuring (amongst three other couples) Charlie and Pat Berg, whose mannerisms, voices, appearances, and infighting gave them the lasting label of being the real life [[AllInTheFamily Archie and Edith Bunker]]. The couple were hilariously bad at matching one another, and failed to score a single match during the first and second rounds of the game. By the bonus round, they had been relegated to a role of reliable comic relief. However, in the bonus round, the Bergs were the ''only'' couple to match on the 25 point bonus question...allowing them to win the overall game by 5 points.

** TheAnnouncer: Scott Beach announced on the earliest episodes, followed by Johnny Jacobs, and finally Tony [=McClay=]. Rod Roddy announced on the 1984 version, followed by Bob Hilton for part of the 1985-89 version and Charlie O'Donnell for at least the latter part of the same era. Los Angeles DJ "Ellen K." announced the 1996 version. The 2000s version was announced by Brad Aldous, then Randy West, then Gary Kroeger.

* RearrangeTheSong: The Bob Eubanks-hosted revivals from the '80s and '90s (excepting the last season of the latter) had new arrangements of the original theme, as did the first four seasons of the GSN version. The latter two arrangements were pretty close to the original, while the '80s version was more noticably different.
* ReplacedTheThemeTune: The Rodriguez version, as mentioned right above. The Gary Kroeger version, the second '90s Eubanks season, and Sherri Shepherd's latter two seasons also had completely different theme songs.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: While numerous "damns" and "hells" were uttered throughout the show's history, probably the most famous instance of profanity was bleeped ... and it also provided the most famous answer in the show's history. The question: "What's the weirdest place you've ever had the urge to make whoopie?" to which a husband named Hank responded, "On the freeway" (which got laughs and remarks from Bob). No one was prepared for what Hank's wife, Olga, would answer: "In the ass" (with the profanity bleeped). Cue the uproarious laughter and Bob trying to clarify the question (a ''location'', not a body part), but Olga persisted wth her answer.
** For years, Bob (as well as producer Chuck Barris) denied that the incident had occurred, leading to speculation that it was all an UrbanLegend, and others insisting that a wildly different version of the incident (the answer always involving a synonym or euphemism for sodomy) had taken place, and had either aired or never made it to air (the offending question replaced and the second round re-taped). Finally, during a 2002 game show bloopers special, Bob finally admitted that the incident took place and provided the footage. Incidentally, the episode featuring the "in the ass" response -- a "maternity day" episode -- had aired several times on Game Show Network (GSN). (And for what it's worth -- Hank and Olga ''won'' the episode, and took home nursery furniture, a set of encyclopedias and a washer-dryer.)

** RearrangeTheSong: The Bob Eubanks-hosted revivals from the '80s and '90s (excepting the last season of the latter) had new arrangements of the original theme, as did the first four seasons of the GSN version. The latter two arrangements were pretty close to the original, while the '80s version was more noticably different.
** RealSongThemeTune: As mentioned above, the original theme is an instrumental arrangement of Eddie Rambeau's "Summertime Guy".
*** The Paul Rodriguez version used "The Book of Love" as its ThemeTune from the second episode onward, complete with SynchroVox applied to pictures of early 20th-century married couples.
** ReplacedTheThemeTune: The Rodriguez version, as mentioned right above. The Gary Kroeger version, the second '90s Eubanks season, and Sherri Shepherd's latter two seasons also had completely different theme songs.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: While numerous "damns" and "hells" were uttered throughout the show's history, probably the most famous instance of profanity was bleeped ... and it also provided the most famous answer in the show's history. The question: "What's the weirdest place you've ever had the urge to make whoopie?" to which a husband named Hank responded, "On the freeway" (which got laughs and remarks from Bob). No one was prepared for what Hank's wife, Olga would answer: "In the ass" (with the profanity bleeped). Cue the uproarious laughter and Bob trying to clarify the question (a ''location'', not a body part), but Olga persisted wth her answer.

** ForgottenThemeTuneLyrics: It's an instrumental arrangement of "Summertime Guy". Eddie Rambeau was to have sung it on ''AmericanBandstand'' but was told he couldn't because Barris was then working for ABC.

* FreudianSlip: At least twice, Bob said "25 point boner question" instead of "bonus".
* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: While numerous "damns" and "hells" were uttered throughout the show's history, probably the most famous instance of profanity was bleeped ... and it also provided the most famous answer in the show's history. The question: "What's the wierdest place you've ever had the urge to make whoopie?" to which a husband named Hank responded, "On the freeway" (which got laughs and remarks from Bob). No one was prepared for what Hank's wife, Olga would answer: "In the ass" (with the profanity bleeped). Cue the uproarious laughter and Bob trying to clarify the question (a ''location'', not a body part), but Olga persisted wth her answer.

* BonusRound: The 25-point Bonus Question during the classic Eubanks years (originally 35 points). There was also a bonus round for Season 1 of the GSN version, where the winning couple faced off against a "Goldywed" couple for an extra prize.

** The Paul Rodriguez version used "The Book of Love" as its ThemeTune from the second episode onward, complete with SynchroVox applied to pictures of early 20th-century married couples.

At the end of the show, the couple with the most points won a prize that had been selected just for them. In truth, each ''Newlywed Game'' couple declared in advance which prize they wanted to win, and each episode featured four couples who had chosen the same prize.

* RealSongThemeTune: It's an instrumental arrangement of "Summertime Guy". Eddie Rambeau was to have sung it on ''AmericanBandstand'' but was told he couldn't because Barris, who composed the song, was then working for ABC.

Carnie Wilson was the original host of the current ''Newlywed Game'' on {{GSN}}, which debuted in 2009; she was replaced by ''The View''[='s=] Sherri Shepherd in 2010. It was announced in September 2009 that the show would start featuring same-sex couples. Among its roster have been celebrities such as GeorgeTakei of ''Franchise/StarTrek'' (NobodyOver50IsGay, indeed!), Davy Jones of ''TheMonkees'', and Christopher Knight of ''TheBradyBunch''.

* {{Crossover}}: Crossed over with ''TheDatingGame'' in the 1990s.

** The {{ESPN}} game ''Teammates'' was ''The Newlywed Game'' for professional athletes.
** And ''The Neighbors'' was ''The Newlywed Game'' for... neighbors.

** For years, Bob (as well as producer Chuck Barris) denied that the incident had occurred, leading to speculation that it was all an UrbanLegend, and others insisting that a wildly different version of the incident (the answer always involving a synonym or euphanism for sodomy) had taken place, and had either aired or had never made it to air (the offending question replaced and the second round re-taped). Finally, during a 2002 game show bloopers special, Bob finally admitted that the incident took place and provided the footage. Incidentally, the episode featuring the "in the ass" response -- a "maternity day" episode -- had aired several times on Game Show Network (GSN). (And for what it's worth -- Hank and Olga ''won'' the episode, and took home nursery furniture, a set of encyclopedias and a washer-dryer.)
* HaveAGayOldTime: A question asked of the women in the "Bunker" episode was "My husband is a closet ____". Made even better when Pat Berg — a sedate, conservative lady in her 50s who looked a whole lot like [[AllInTheFamily Edith Bunker]] — replied "queen".

* ShoutOut: When he appeared on ''TheHollywoodSquares'' in 2003, Eubanks was given the question "Married couples spend an average of 800 hours doing what?" and answered with "I was going to say making [[StealthPun whoopie]], but [[WhoopiGoldberg she's]] no longer on the show, is she?"

* ADayInTheLimelight: Played with on a 1978 episode where announcer Tony [=McClay=] walked out [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmrcgY68_AA at the top of the show]] and began to carry on with the show as if Bob were absent — until Bob walked out and tapped Tony on the shoulder.

* PornStache: See above — Tony [=McClay=] had a pretty serious one.

GameShow that sent Bob Eubanks to stardom. This Creator/ChuckBarris production debuted in 1966 on Creator/{{ABC}}, coinciding with a pre-emption of Creator/{{CBS}}' then-popular ''{{Password}}''. Four couples, all married for less than two years, answered questions that bordered on the bawdy. In the first round, the wives predicted their husbands' answers, and the second round reversed the roles.