10 great game shows

When I was in elementary school, I would walk over to my aunt's house after every half day, and watch the Game Show Network. We didn't have it at home (and still don't (Mom, take note)), so it was always awesome when I got to see some of my favorite shows. Back then, it was just something to have on the TV and relax to, but now, game shows are all about the competition and being right. I think there are many people out there (like me) who yell at the contestants because they don't know the obvious answer, or because they're playing the strategy horribly wrong. Alas, here are some of my favorite game shows - old, new, and everything in between.

1. Lingo. Lingo is a combination of Bingo, Mastermind, and the English language. Teams of two must solve a five-letter word give only the first letter. When they guess a word, they will be shown which letters are in exactly the right spot, or are in the word, but need to go somewhere else. If they guess the word correctly, they get two squares on a Bingo board, and win mad money if they get a Bingo. This might be on the higher end of intelligence as far as game shows go, but it's still really fun to watch and yell at people that have no idea what they're doing.

2. $100,000 Pyramid. This is as close as you can get to Catch Phrase, except that, you know, you can win $100,000. And get really excited when it happens. What was cool about this show is that they always had a celebrity on. What wasn't cool about it is that I never knew who the celebrity was. Something about the 1980s...

3. Dog Eat Dog. I'm actually not sure why I watched this. Maybe because it seems like the adult version of Nickelodeon GUTS? I dunno...it definitely seems like something that belongs on MTV now. I'm blaming this as the trendsetter for reality TV game shows that you never intend on watching, but end up watching the entire episode anyway.

4. Friend or Foe? We ended up doing something exactly like this in AP Psych, and I remember rallying my team to take everyone else's money. The premise of this game is that two partners can choose either friend or foe. If they both choose friend, they split the money they've earned in the trivia round. If they both choose foe, neither of them gets anything. If one chooses foe, and one friend, then the foe receives all the money. Exactly how awesome is that? Try it at home. (Go to 2:30 for the friend/foe decision.)

5. Press Your Luck. This was one of my favorite games to watch, because the contestants got extremely invested in random chance. Or was it random chance? One contestant figured out the system to the board that awarded money and free spins, which led to more money and free spins, which ultimately led to the most money won in a single game show. It was really interesting to read about, and even cooler to watch. Yes, it's 80 minutes long, but watch the first few minutes. You might get hooked.

6. Weakest Link. This game show surprisingly drew you in within minutes of watching it. There was a lot going on during the question round, and you always seemed to root for a favorite to win the game. Questions were asked to a panel of contestants, who could at any time bank the amount of money the group has received from correct responses. After the round was over, the group voted off one "weakest link." But the best part about this show was the host. Ice in her veins.

7. 1 vs. 100. Definitely my favorite game. As much as I've talked up the other games, there was nothing as cool as this game. Maybe because it had the numbers, the trivia, the celebrities, the excitement...although I suppose most game shows do. Maybe it was Bob Saget. Maybe it was because everyone seemed to yell louder on this show than others. All I know is that it's awesome.

8. Supermarket Sweep. After watching this video, I'm not really sure why I ever watched this show. Nothing made sense, but it was surprisingly incredibly exciting. Come on, I was ten.

9. Family Feud. I was going to hold off on putting this on the list because it's still aired today with new episodes, but I'm talking about the Family Feud on the Game Show Network with awesome hosts. No Steve Harvey. Family Feud was the ultimate "yell at the contestants because they are wrong" game, as well as the ultimate "watch and play against someone else to prove your superiority over them" game. And then there's this.

10. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? The classic. The one with Regis. The way it should be. None of this double dip lifeline nonsense, none of this Meredith nonsense, none of this timed answers nonsense. That one note that the strings played the entire time. So much excitement and intensity. SO MUCH.