Some contestants refused to play nice, twisting the rules and blowing past boundaries like crafty magicians.
1. Charles Ingram
In 2001, former British army major Charles Ingram became the third person ever to win the top prize on the British “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” However, producers felt his game seemed erratic and suspicious, so they launched an investigation. It turned out his wife and another friend were coughing as hints in the audience. He was forced to pay £115,000 in fines, and was sentenced to prison for deception along with his two accomplices.
2. Twenty-One
One of the biggest game show scandals in history happened in 1956, when producers Al Freedman, Jack Barry, and Dan Enright of “Twenty-One” colluded with contestants Herb Stempel and Van Doren to fix the show for ratings. When Stempel leaked the plot in 1957, the subsequent fallout led to congressional hearings, and the cancellation of many other shows.
3. Khaled El-Katateny
In 2014, 19-year-old Khaled El-Katateny won $100,000 on Australia’s “Millionaire Hot Seat.” After winning however, he admitted that he had used an interesting technique. Instead of knowing the trivia, he instead claimed that he’d “played” and “worked” the show’s host Eddie McGuire. Despite the controversy, he was ultimately allowed to keep his winnings as no concrete proof of cheating was ever found.
4. Marie Winn
In 1958, a popular show called “Dotto” was pulled after reigning champion contestant Marie Winn was seen studying answers backstage to questions she had yet to be asked. It turns out that the show itself was a setup, with producers selecting who they wanted to win. Host Jack Narz claimed and testified that he never knew about the ruse.
5. Michael Larson
When Michael Larson won $110,000 on “Press Your Luck” in 1984, it was immediately suspicious. Namely, because pressing buttons on the game’s board was considered luck, and Larson’s run of “luck” was exceedingly improbable. However, it was eventually revealed that Larson had spotted a pattern in the board through meticulous studying, and he took advantage. Despite the controversy, Larson was allowed to keep his winnings.
6. Kerry Ketchum
When a man named Patrick Quinn won over $58,000 on “Super Password,” there were no questions about the validity of his game play… but there were questions about his identity. The man was quickly revealed to be wanted criminal Kerry Dee Ketchum, who was promptly arrested for mail fraud. Cheating your way onto a show is still cheating.
7. Nick from Golden Ball
In Golden Ball, the two contestants are put in a prisoner’s dilemma for the cash prize, where they can split, or steal the money. But if both contestants try to steal, nobody gets anything. Nick breaks the game by telling his fellow contestant Ibrahim that he is going to steal no matter what, and split the money with him after the show. Thus, Ibrahim has no choice but to press split, and trust Nick. In the end, Nick split anyway, but his technique, while not technically cheating, completely broke the show.
8. Ted Slauson
Ted Slauson wasn’t so much a cheater, but an expert. Having watched and memorized countless episodes of “The Price is Right,” he was able to correctly “guess” prices when items were repeated. He also attended shows to help participants from the audience. When a man named Terry Kniess correctly guessed $23,743 to the dollar with Slauson in attendance, the situation came to a head. However, Kniess kept his winnings, and no “cheating” was ever proven.
9. Adriana Abenia
Most game show contestants know that they’re not supposed to cheat, but apparently that was not the case for Spanish model Adriana Abenia. While appearing on “Pasapalabra,” it quickly became apparent that she was using her phone to look up answers. While she claimed she was never informed that she couldn’t use her phone, she also poorly attempted to hide it throughout filming.
10. Frank Cleri and Lauren Cleri
This couple seemingly revealed marriage ending truths on live television in exchange for cash on 2008’s “The Moment of Truth.” However, this dramatic episode of the polygraph-powered show was ruined when the couple revealed they had discussed answers beforehand, and were simply looking to split the show’s cash payout. Although they walked away penniless for a different mistake, their seemingly odd relationship would have broken the show.
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