THE NEWLYWED GAME
VITAL STATS
Lifespan: July 1966 - December 1974; September 1977 - September 1980; February 1984; September 1985 - September 1989; September 1996 - September 1999
Hosts: Bob Eubanks, Jim Lange, Paul Rodriguez, Gary Kroeger
Announcer: Nick Nicholson, Roger Muir, Rod Roddy, Bob Hilton, Charlie O'Donnell, John Kramer
Produced by: Chuck Barris Productions (1966-80); Barris Enterprises (1985-9); Columbia-Tristar Pictures (1996-9)
Front Game Rules (1966-89 & '97-9 versions)
| Depending on the version, either four or three married couples competed. In the first round, the wives were isolated offstage while host Eubanks asked each couple a question. The husbands were instructed to give the answer they believed their wives would give when asked the same question. A total of three questions were asked to the men, then the wives returned. If the wives fave the same answer as their husbands, they scored 5 points.
In the second round, the roles were reversed: now the men were taken offstage while the women were asked questions. Three 10-point questions were asked, along with one 25-point "bonus" question. (When Rodriguez hosted the show in '88-9, each couple wagered a portion of their score on the last question.) The couple with the highest score won the game. In the event of a tie, the couple that made the closest prediction to what their score would be at game's end won the game.
Front Game Rules ('96-7 version)
| Three couples competed. The rules were drastically changed in this version: In the first round, the wives were shown a video clip of their husband making an statement (Ex.: "I always get embarrassed when my wife...") If the wife could correctly guess how the husband completes the statement, they earn 10 points. Then, the process was repeated with the husbands guessing how their wives finished their statements.
In the second round, host Kroeger would ask each wife a multiple-choice question. a correct answer earned them 10 points. After each wife got a question, Kroeger would ask a question to each of the husbands.
In the third round, Kroeger read a series of statements about one of the three wives. If the husband thinks that statement pertains to his wife, he lifts up a sign a yells, "That's my wife!!" If correct, the couple wins 10 points; if wrong, the couple loses 10 points. Only the first husband to raise his sign has a chance to gain or lose points.
In the fourth and final round, the wives made a series of either/or claims on their husbands (Ex.: "Computer Genius or Technically Inept?"), and the husbands must now guess which choice the wife made (which each wife now displays behind her husband). The first six claims are worth 10-60 points, while the seventh is worth 100. The team with the highest score at the end of the round wins a second honeymoon.
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Loogaroo Looks it Over
I dunno, the whole concept of guessing how your spouse answered a particular question just strikes me as kinda mundane. Bob Eubanks is a fantastic host, and plays the part of imp to a T in this show, but the gameplay is just too slow for me to watch. Hard to believe that I like the short-lived multi-round version of the show more than the traditional format, but at least that one had a little more variety in the gameplay, although Gary Kroeger is not the best host in the world.
The Newlywed Game ('96-7 version)
Gameplay: 1 pt.
Host: 3 pts.
Presentation: 1 pt.
Execution: 1 pt.
Total Score: 6 pts.
The Newlywed Game ('97-9 version)
Gameplay: 2 pts.
Host: 1 pt.
Presentation: 1 pt.
Execution: 2 pts.
Total Score: 6 pts.
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