The Newlywed Game
| Company type | Television game show |
|---|---|
| Industry | Entertainment, Television |
| Founded | 1966 |
| Founder | Robert "Nick" Nicholson and E. Roger Muir |
Key people | Chuck Barris (producer), Bob Eubanks (original host) |
| Products | Television game show |
The Newlywed Game is a classic American game show featuring newlywed couples who answer revealing questions designed to assess their knowledge of one another. Conceived by Robert "Nick" Nicholson and E. Roger Muir and produced by Chuck Barris, the program first aired in 1966 and has been revived in various formats over the years. It became well-known for sparking disputes due to incorrect responses, sometimes even leading to divorces.
A recurring theme involved references to "making whoopee", a discreet term for sexual intercourse used to circumvent broadcast censorship. Original host Bob Eubanks popularized this phrase, which remained a hallmark throughout subsequent versions, even as content restrictions eased.
In 2013, TV Guide placed The Newlywed Game at number 10 on its list of the 60 greatest game shows of all time.
Broadcast history
The Newlywed Game debuted on ABC on July 11, 1966, airing at 2 p.m. Eastern Time. On its premiere day, CBS postponed its hit show Password for a Defense Secretary press briefing, giving The Newlywed Game a slight ratings edge. This initial momentum boosted its audience, contributing to the decline and eventual cancellation of Password fourteen months later.
NBC’s soap opera Days of Our Lives, which launched in late 1965 in the same time slot, initially struggled but by the early 1970s consistently outperformed both The Newlywed Game and CBS's Guiding Light. After nearly eight and a half years, ABC canceled The Newlywed Game on December 20, 1974, making it ABC's longest-running daytime game show until Family Feud surpassed it in 1985. Its replacement was The Money Maze, hosted by Nick Clooney, which lasted only half a year.
From 1977 to 1980, a syndicated version aired that preserved the original format but featured more adult-oriented content. The show's cancellation was partly due to backlash from creator Chuck Barris's controversial 1979 series 3's a Crowd, which tarnished his reputation and led stations to drop his programs—including The Newlywed Game—to avoid boycotts and advertising losses.
ABC presented a Valentine's Day week-long special in February 1984—the final network airing—using a set later reused for Bob Eubanks' syndicated revival titled The New Newlywed Game, which began in 1985. Later versions continued in syndication, including the runs from 1985–1989 and from 1996–1999 (the latter combined with a revival of The Dating Game). The series made a comeback on GSN in 2009.
Hosts and announcers
Original host Bob Eubanks became the youngest game show emcee at age 28 when he launched The Newlywed Game in 1966. He hosted both the ABC daytime edition and the initial syndicated series before returning for the 1985 revival, The New Newlywed Game. Jim Lange, known for hosting The Dating Game, filled in for one week of specials in 1984, making him unique as the only host to lead both shows.
In December 1988, Eubanks departed and comedian Paul Rodriguez took over hosting duties. The program was renamed The Newlywed Game Starring Paul Rodriguez for its final season (1988–89) before cancellation.
The first season of the 1996 revival featured former Saturday Night Live cast member Gary Kroeger under an updated format. After weak ratings, Eubanks returned to restore the traditional style. His tenure spans six decades, highlighting his enduring connection with the franchise.
During the GSN revival from 2009 to 2012, Carnie Wilson served as host for three seasons before being succeeded by Sherri Shepherd in 2010. Shepherd also took on narration duties starting with season five. Throughout this period, Eubanks occasionally hosted special episodes including celebrity editions.
Announcers changed alongside hosts over time. Early voices included Scott Beach and Johnny Jacobs, followed by Tony McClay and Rod Roddy. The 1985 revival featured announcers Bob Hilton and later Charlie O'Donnell, who left after the Paul Rodriguez season to join Wheel of Fortune. The 1996 revival employed announcers Ellen K and John Cramer. The GSN version began with Brad Aldous, then switched to Randy West; former host Gary Kroeger announced season four. From season five onward, host Shepherd also handled announcing responsibilities.
Theme music
Originally, the theme originated as a vocal track titled "Summertime Guy", penned by Chuck Barris for the artist Eddie Rambeau, who released it on a Swan label 45 rpm single. Prior to Rambeau’s 1962 appearance on American Bandstand, ABC prohibited him from performing this song due to Barris’ affiliation with ABC, leading Rambeau to sing the B-side instead.
To repurpose the tune, Barris later hired Milton DeLugg to create an instrumental rendition that became the inaugural theme for The Newlywed Game. This version, performed by the Trumpets Olé in a style reminiscent of Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, was included on their album "The Trumpets Olé Play Instrumentals." DeLugg incorporated a segment of Mendelssohn's Wedding March to complement the show's wedding theme.
Around 1973, Frank Jaffe and Michael Stewart produced a new recording of the theme, which appeared on the LP Chuck Barris Presents Themes from TV Game Shows and was adopted starting with the 1977 syndicated edition. DeLugg later refreshed the theme for The New Newlywed Game in 1984 as well as for early revivals hosted by Bob Eubanks.
When Paul Rodriguez took over hosting duties in 1988, the show adopted the 1950s doo-wop classic "Book of Love" by the Monotones, marking the only time a lyrical theme was used. During Gary Kroeger’s tenure, an entirely new theme was introduced; when Eubanks returned, an updated version of the classic theme arranged by Steve Kaplan and Jim Latham was initially reinstated but replaced in season three by a fresh composition from Barry Coffing and John Blaylock.
The GSN revival utilized a modernized looping variation of the traditional theme arranged by Lewis Flinn. In Shepherd’s second season, alterations to the logo, introduction sequence, and set design led to discontinuing the classic theme altogether.
Production companies
Chuck Barris Productions was responsible for producing all editions from 1966 through 1986. Subsequent versions from 1986 to 1989 were produced under Barris Productions. The revivals between 1996 and 1999 were produced and distributed by Columbia TriStar Television (CTT), which owns the Chuck Barris game show catalog. The Wilson- and Shepherd-hosted versions are produced by New York-based Embassy Row for CTT’s successor, Sony Pictures Television, which holds the formatting rights and acquired Embassy Row in 2009. These versions also aired on GSN.
Eligibility
Contestants were couples who had been married for no more than two years, typically younger adults. Occasionally, older pairs qualified as well, including widowed seniors or middle-aged individuals who had remarried following divorce.
Gameplay
During round one, wives exited the stage while husbands attempted to predict their wives’ responses to three questions. Upon returning, wives answered onstage while husbands revealed their earlier predictions displayed on blue cards. Each matching response earned 5 points.
In round two, roles were reversed: husbands left while wives answered four questions. The first three questions were valued at 10 points each; the final "25-point bonus question" awarded 25 points. The maximum attainable score was 70 points. The couple with the highest total received a personalized prize they had previously requested, competing against other couples who sought the same item—a practice discontinued by 1987.
Grand prizes did not include cash or automobiles but consisted of household appliances, furniture sets, entertainment equipment, trailers, motorcycles, or travel packages. In the 1997 revival, grand prizes were consistently trips promoted as "a fabulous second honeymoon."
Before taping began, couples predicted their total score. In case of ties, these predictions served as tiebreakers: the closest estimate without exceeding actual points won. Couples who predicted their scores exactly received special precision awards.
For part of the 1988–89 season’s first half, a cash-based scoring system was implemented: all four couples started with $25 each. Three questions paid $25 apiece; subsequent three questions paid $50 each for correct answers. The final question permitted wagering any amount; correct wagers increased totals while incorrect ones reduced them. The leading couple won the grand prize; others retained their accumulated cash up to a $500 cap.
This cash scoring format concluded when Paul Rodriguez assumed hosting in December 1988, reverting to original scoring rules and reducing competing couples to three.
1996–97 Edition
When Gary Kroeger assumed hosting duties in the autumn of 1996, the program underwent a format overhaul that introduced three couples competing across several stages.
First Round
Each partner watched a video clip of their spouse making a statement, which was paused near the conclusion to allow the viewer to predict how it ended. Successfully guessing earned 10 points. The sequence began with husbands’ videos followed by wives’ guesses, then reversed.
An alternative approach had wives respond to questions before the show and buzz in with the phrase, "He better know this." Matches awarded 5 points, while incorrect matches deducted 5 points.
Second Round
Kroeger posed multiple-choice questions where one partner had pre-selected answers, and the other attempted to guess them for a 10-point reward. Wives guessed husbands’ responses first, then roles switched.
Another variation involved isolation segments where one spouse answered "Way or No Way" queries alone; upon rejoining, the other tried to match those answers for 10 points.
Third Round
Prior to taping, one spouse submitted unusual personal facts. The other held heart-shaped signs labeled "That's My Wife/Man!" and raised them when recognizing a fact. Correct identifications earned 10 points; incorrect guesses cost 10 points. Only the first raised sign counted. Seven such facts were presented.
Fourth Round
In the concluding segment, Kroeger read paired options (e.g., Candy or Potato Chips). Wives displayed cards indicating one choice while husbands selected which applied to themselves. Each correct match earned increasing points over seven questions, starting at 10 and culminating at 100 points on the final question, allowing for a total of 310 points.
The couple with the highest total won the game along with a second honeymoon trip. Ties were broken through sudden-death questions until one pair answered correctly.
This revamped format failed to resonate with longtime viewers, prompting a return to the traditional style and host Eubanks in the subsequent season.
2009–2013 Revival
The initial season of GSN’s revival maintained the classic three-couple setup and added an endgame featuring returning champions known as the "Goldyweds."
During Round 1, wives responded to three questions while husbands attempted to match their answers for 5 points apiece. In Round 2, roles reversed with husbands answering two questions worth 10 points each. The last question, valued at 20 points, was called the "eHarmony.com Dimension Question," based on one of eHarmony’s "29 dimensions." Some episodes featuring eHarmony couples omitted direct references. The maximum attainable score was 55 points, and the top-scoring couple earned a second honeymoon vacation.
Winners then faced off in a Bonus Round against the Goldyweds—often former contestants from Eubanks’ earlier runs. During a commercial break, wives answered five questions offstage while husbands waited onstage. Question values increased from 1 to 5 points (maximum of 15). The higher-scoring team received an additional prize, typically Sony electronics.
In season two, gameplay shifted: husbands answered three initial questions for wives to guess (5 points each). Certain episodes included sponsored segments such as "Maybelline Beauty Questions" or "Ladies' Home Journal 'Can This Marriage Be Saved?'" focusing on relationship issues. Wives then answered four questions—the first three worth 10 points each (sometimes including the "eHarmony.com Dimension Question") and a two-part bonus question awarding 15 points per correct part, allowing up to 75 points per couple. The leading team won a second honeymoon trip; meanwhile, the Goldywed Bonus Round was discontinued but occasionally returned for special episodes. By season six, the fourth question reverted back to its original bonus value of 25 points.
Ties in either main or bonus rounds were settled using standard Newlywed Game tiebreaker methods based on prediction accuracy.
Same-sex couples
During the 2009–10 season, The Newlywed Game included its inaugural same-sex married pairs. The second episode featured Star Trek star George Takei alongside his spouse Brad Altman in a Celebrity Edition, competing against couples from The Biggest Loser and My Fair Brady. Takei and Altman secured a $10,000 donation for the Japanese American National Museum. The subsequent season marked the debut of the first non-celebrity same-sex couple, coinciding with the premiere of the third season on June 17, 2010.
The Newlywed Game: A Silver Anniversary of Love and Laughter
On April 18, 1998, The Newlywed Game: A Silver Anniversary of Love and Laughter was broadcast on Game Show Network (GSN), with Bob Eubanks hosting and Gene Wood serving as announcer. This special revisited couples from various eras of the show, spanning the 1960s through the 1980s.
Cover Story: The Newlywed Game - Most Outrageous Answers
GSN aired Cover Story: The Newlywed Game - Most Outrageous Answers on October 28, 2018. Hosted by Trish Suhr, this program highlighted some of the most remarkable and humorous moments drawn from multiple seasons.
Episode status
The majority of episodes from the original ABC daytime run are either missing or have suffered deterioration, though select installments, such as the 1974 finale, have been featured on GSN. The archival condition of the ABC nighttime version remains similarly unclear; however, a handful of episodes have been aired during GSN’s former "Game Show Saturday Night" programming block. Most syndicated versions have survived intact and continue to be rebroadcast on GSN.
In 2009, GSN revived The Newlywed Game, initially hosted by Carnie Wilson for three seasons before Sherri Shepherd assumed hosting duties starting November 1, 2010. Over six seasons, this revival produced a total of 430 episodes—170 hosted by Wilson and 260 by Shepherd.
GSN announced on March 21, 2012, that a sixth season would air featuring Shepherd during the 2012–13 cycle. This season premiered on October 25, 2012, with four new episodes airing weekly on Thursdays.
Beginning November 15, 2021, classic episodes hosted by Eubanks began airing on Buzzr, marking the series as the first Sony-owned property to be broadcast on that network. By February 2022, Buzzr had aired episodes from the 1997–98 season.
Licensed merchandise
During the ABC run in the late 1960s and early 1970s (1967–1969), Hasbro released three home game editions of The Newlywed Game. Prior to these releases, a scarce red box edition appeared in 1979 featuring identical questions but credited as "A Chuck Barris Production" rather than Hasbro. In 1986, Pressman launched a version inspired by the 1985 iteration of the show. Presently, Endless Games—known for producing board games based on popular TV game shows such as The Price Is Right and Million Dollar Password—offers multiple editions of The Newlywed Game: three standard versions including a "Classic" edition, a DVD edition, a travel-sized "Quick Picks" variant, and a "Deluxe Edition" that combines both the standard game and DVD.
In 1971, Pocket Books published The Newlywed Game Cook Book, compiled by Jody Cameron Malis and featuring Bob Eubanks prominently on its cover.
A video slot machine themed after The Newlywed Game was introduced by IGT in 2004; this version showcased animated host Jim Lange rather than Bob Eubanks.
The original theme music from the show has seen multiple releases over time, notably appearing on the GSN-endorsed Classic TV Game Show Themes CD issued by Varèse Sarabande.
International adaptations
| Country | Title in local language | Presenter(s) | Broadcasting channel | Broadcast period | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Marriage Game | John Bonney Malcolm Searle Garry Meadows Gordon Boyd |
Network Ten | 1966–1972 | ||||
| The Newlywed Game | Ian Turpie | Network Ten Nine Network |
1968 1987 | ||||
| Les Mariés de l'A2 | Patrice Laffont Georges Beller |
Antenne 2 | 1987–1992 | ||||
| Les Z'amours | Jean Luc Reichmann Patrice Laffont Tex Bruno Guillon |
France 2 | 1995–2021 | ||||
| Sie und Er im Kreuzverhör | Peter Frankenfeld | ZDF | 1971–1973 | ||||
| Wilde Ehen | Wolfgang Link | VOX | 1997–1998 | ||||
| Bulan Madu | SCTV | 1995 | |||||
| Tra moglie e marito | Marco Columbro | Canale 5 | 1987–1991 | ||||
| Cari genitori | Enrica Bonaccorti | 1988–1991 | |||||
| Sandra Milo | Rete 4 | 1991–1992 | |||||
| Io, tu e mammà | Corrado Tedeschi | 1992 | |||||
| D'amore e d'accordo | Katia Follesa | Real Time | 2021 | ||||
| Nowożeńcy | Jerzy Petersburski jr. | TVP1 | 1995–1997 | ||||
| Tylko Ty | Artur Andrus | TV Puls | 2007–2008 | ||||
| "Молодожёны" Molodozhyony |
"Медовый месяц Medovyy mesyats |
Vladimir Tishko |
2000–2003 |
See also
External links
- Kroeger era (US)
- Eubanks era (US)
- GSN (US)