These Are the 5 Best Game Show Moments of All Time

There’s just something about a game show that gets our blood pumping. Maybe it’s the sound of the buzzer, maybe it’s the studio audience, or maybe it’s the distinct possibility that someone says something so outrageous we’ll be watching it back for years to come. Probably that one.

So let’s take a look at some of the best game show moments ever. Some are funny, some are impressive, but all of them have made us imagine how we’d do on that stage.

Pork…Huh?!

Right off the bat, let’s go with my favorite game show moment of all time. Nothing is funnier than Steve Harvey’s reactions to a bad Family Feud answer, and I’m surprised his mustache hasn’t just completely turned white by now with some of them. But one contestant’s creative answer to “Something That Follows Pork” became one for the ages as he confidently responded “Upine.” It took the befuddled host a minute to realize the original porcupine reference, and while this Family Feuder stayed strong in his convictions, it wasn’t long before he got the answer to his big swing — a big miss.

A Bold Final Jeopardy Response

Sometimes that willingness to take a risk pays off, or at least it did for Leonard Cooper, whose bold Final Jeopardy answer managed to still win him $75,000 — and a big ol’ laugh from Alex Trebek.

Going to Cooper for the Final Jeopardy response “Dwight David Eisenhower,” Trebek noted the contestant was “looking pretty happy,” asking him if he had come up with a game-winning answer. Well, yes…and no. Cooper’s response was hilariously enough, “Some guy in Norbit but I just won $75,000″ as he predicted his $0 wager would win him the whole game — and he was right! Even Trebek was amused by the daring move!

She’s Got a Good Feeling About This!

Caitlin Burke was one Wheel of Fortune player whose hutzpah paid off in a big way as she shocked even Pat Sajak with this truly impressive one-letter solve. Faced with just an “L” and an apostrophe in a seven-word phrase, Burke shocked Sajak into silence as she asked to solve, and he was doubly shocked when she correctly guessed, “I’ve Got a Good Feeling About This” as the correct answer. Now she certainly did have a good feeling about that puzzle!

We Love You, Alex!

Some of these iconic moments have nothing to do with gameplay at all. Like this Jeopardy! moment that came after the now-late Alex Trebek came forward to share he’d been fighting pancreatic cancer. During Final Jeopardy, contestant Dhruv Gaur made it clear how much support the host had behind him, responding, “What is, we love you Alex.” Even the stoic Trebek got choked up as he read the answer, responding, “That’s very kind, thank you.”

Oh my God. Where are my tissues? That was such a sweet gesture of support, and you could tell that Alex really appreciated it.

A Million-Dollar Call

I’m going to help us pull it back together and end on a high note here with possibly the most hardcore game show moment of all time on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

Facing the million-dollar question, “Which of these U.S. presidents appeared on the television series ‘Laugh-In,’” contestant John Carpenter asked to phone his parents before giving his answer. The call wasn’t what host Regis Philbin expected, however, as Carpenter told his father, “I don’t really need your help, but I just wanted to let you know that I’m going to win the million dollars. Because the U.S. President [who] appeared on ‘Laugh-In’ is Richard Nixon. That’s my final answer.”

Cold. Blooded. Screw pump-up music, just show athletes this clip in the locker room because I am amped watching him win.

If there’s anything better than winning a game show, it’s definitely going viral on the game show. And clearly, you don’t have to be good at the game to actually do that. So keep that in mind for if Steve Harvey comes knocking — and he will.