History Trivia / TheChallengers

* JustForPun: Question topics would often set up a RuleOfThree joke, generally with a pun as the punchline.
** "They Have Pockets" had questions on Pool Tables, Baseball Gloves, and Series/CaptainKangaroo (all three contestants picked the Captain, but couldn't quite pronounce his real last name close enough to suit the Judge).
** "Wise Guys" had questions on Creator/{{Socrates}}, Creator/{{Plato}}, and Creator/DonRickles.
** "Wonders of Nature" had questions on March Storms, April Showers, and Creator/MaeWest.
** "Chilli Dogs" had questions on St. Bernards, Alaskan Huskies, and Mexican Hairless.
** "It Ain't Over Till..." had questions on Nell Carter, Cass Elliot, and Roseanne Barr.
** "Things That Fall" had questions on the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Stock Market, and UsefulNotes/GeraldFord.
** "Jack Nicklaus's Favorite Movies" had questions on ''Theatre/DrivingMissDaisy'', ''Theatre/ByeByeBirdie'', and ''Ironweed''.
** "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" had questions on ''The Good Mother'', ''Film/TheBadNewsBears'', and ''Literature/TheUglyAmerican''.
** "Take a Stab at It" had questions on olives, pickles, and UsefulNotes/JuliusCaesar.
--->'''Creator/DickClark:''' It was a sick, sick man that came up with that one.\\
'''The Judge:''' Thank you.
** "It Makes Scents" had questions on perfumes, flowers, and skunks.
** "Ready... Aim..." had questions on firearms, fireworks, and fire science.
** "They Hold Their Liquor" had questions about bottles, barrels, and [[Series/{{SCTV}} Bob & Doug McKenzie]].
** "They're All Ears" gave questions on WesternAnimation/{{Dumbo}}, [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Mr. Spock]], and Creator/ClarkGable.
** The category "Ventriloquist Dummies" gave questions on Charlie [=McCarthy=], Lambchop, and [[TakeThat Milli Vanilli]].
** "Dining with Shakespeare" gave us [[Theatre/JuliusCaesar Julius Caesar Salad]], [[Theatre/TheMerchantOfVenice The Merchant of Venison]], and [[Theatre/{{Hamlet}} Omelette]].
--->'''The Judge''' (''after both Clark and the StudioAudience start to loudly groan at the puns''): I proudly stand behind my writers...very ''far'' behind them.
** "Food at the Firehouse" has smoked salmon, barbecued steak, and [[StealthPun chard]].
** For "Great Greeks": You get Creator/{{Socrates}}, Creator/{{Sophocles}}, and [[Series/{{Kojak}} Savalas]].
** "Call Me Al": [[Series/MarriedWithChildren Al Bundy]], (sports announcer) Al Michaels, and Albatross.
** "The Sounds of Silence": "Silence Is Golden", ''Literature/TheSilenceOfTheLambs'', and [[Creator/MarxBrothers Harpo Marx]].
** "Strange Mammals": We have the platypus, the sloth, and [[Creator/PaulReubens Pee-Wee Herman]]. The last one prompts Dick to give an AsideGlance to the camera as the audience breaks out into laughter. [[spoiler:All three contestants go for the Pee-Wee Herman question!]]
---> '''Dick:''' [[spoiler:Pee-Wee]] wins the race!
** For "Ladykillers", there's Creator/BruceWillis, Music/GeorgeMichael, and [[{{Corpsing}} (as Dick stifles his laughter)]] UsefulNotes/HenryVIII.
---> '''Dick:''' There's a lady killer if ever there was one!
** "Have a Ball" with baseball, football, or Creator/LucilleBall.
** "Our Favorite Carols"? There's Creator/CarolBurnett, [[Theatre/HelloDolly Carol Channing]], and "Good King Winceslas".
** "Immortal Immortals": Zeus, Hercules, and Creator/GeorgeBurns.
** "Feats of Clay": Building Clay, Ceramic Clay, and [[UsefulNotes/MuhammadAli Cassius Clay]].

* TalkingToHimself: A very odd example. The HomeParticipationSweepstakes featured questions that a recorded Dick Clark asks when the viewer calls the 900-number given on the show. During one promo for the contest, Clark admitted to calling the number himself to see what it was like, concluding with, "It was a very odd experience to talk to myself."