Games People Play (TV series)

Games People Play is an NBC reality television series that ran from 1980 to 1981, hosted by Bryant Gumbel, with celebrity and athlete co-hosts such as Cyndy Garvey, Mike Adamle, and Johnny Bench.[1] The format centers on unusual sports competitions, including guzzling beer,[2] a belly flop contest and a taxicab demolition derby. Celebrities of film, TV, and sports were frequent guest participants on the show as well. Originally previewed in April 1980 as The Sunday Games, the format was inspired by another NBC show Real People, which had recurring segments featuring similar competitions and displays of unusual skills.[1]

Games People Play
GenreSport
Directed byJim Cross
Tom Munshower
Presented byMike Adamle
Bryant Gumbel
Country of originUSA
Original languageEnglish
Production
Running time60 minutes
Release
Original networkNBC
Original release21 August 1980 (1980-08-21) –
24 September 1981 (1981-09-24)

The series is noted for popularizing Mr. T, who won the "America's Best Bouncer" (sometimes reported as "World's Toughest Bouncer")[3] competition twice on the show, donating his $3000 prize to charity.[4] Mr. T was subsequently cast by Sylvester Stallone as Clubber Lang, the villain in Rocky III.[3][1]

The title of the show is a play on the title of Games People Play, a popular psychology book from the 1960s about mind games and interactions within relationships.

Reception

Critical reception was negative, described as ranging "from dismissive to disdainful".[1] People contributor Scott Veale described Games People Play as "NBC's laughable 'trashsport' show".[5]

Nielsen ratings for the show were moderately high when the season began, attributed to a delay in scripted television production due to a 1980 Hollywood actor's strike which put the show against a number of reruns and made-for-TV movies. The show's ratings fell quickly though after new shows returned, leading to its cancellation announcement in December 1980.[1]

References
  1. McKenna, Michael (2015). "2. Branding a Genre: Nonfiction, Actuality, Reality! 1980-1981". Real People and the Rise of Reality Television. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 48–50. ISBN 9781442250543. LCCN 2015002439. Retrieved 4 February 2019 – via Google Books.
  2. Cohn, Lowell (August 18, 1980). "It's Gumbel, Not Mumble Or Bumble". Sports Illustrated. Vol. 53 no. 8. p. 36. ISSN 0038-822X – via EBSCOhost MasterFILE Complete. Gumbel will host an NBC prime-time series called Games People Play, a trash-sport production featuring beer-guzzling, car-crashing and barroom-bouncing contests.
  3. Otfinoski, Steven (2010). "Mr. T". African Americans in the Performing Arts (Revised ed.). Infobase Publishing. p. 164. ISBN 9781438128559. LCCN 2009012400. Retrieved 4 February 2019 – via Google Books.
  4. "Is Your Body Worth $500 A Day? This Man Will Guard It". Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. 59 (18). January 15, 1981. ISSN 0021-5996. Retrieved 4 February 2019 – via Google Books.
  5. Veale, Scott (July 5, 1982). "In An Uphill Ratings Battle, Bryant Gumbel Is Today's Man Of The Earlier Hour". People. 18 (1): 43. ISSN 0093-7673 – via EBSCOhost MasterFILE Complete. He also hosted NBC's laughable "trashsport" show, Games People Play.


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