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{{Short description|American television series}}
{{For|the 2008 version of the show|The Gong Show with Dave Attell}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}{{Use American English|date=December 2025}}
{{See Wiktionary|redirect=Gong show||gong show}}
{{Infobox television
| image        = The Gong Show logo.jpg
| creator      = [[Chris Bearde]]
| director     = John Dorsey<br />Terry Kyne
| producer     = Gene Banks<br />Diane Fell<br />Linda Howard
| presenter    = [[Chuck Barris]]<br />[[John Barbour (actor)|John Barbour]]<br />[[Gary Owens]]<br />[[Don Bleu]]<br />[[Dave Attell]]<br />[[Mike Myers]] as Tommy Maitland
| announcer    = [[Johnny Jacobs]]<br />[[Jack Clark (television personality)|Jack Clark]]<br />[[Charlie O'Donnell]]<br />[[Will Arnett]]
| country      = United States
| language     = English
| num_episodes = 500 (NBC)<ref>Slate as seen at the start of the master copy of the finale, recorded on June 24, 1978.</ref><br>156 (Syndicated 1976-80)<br />20 (ABC) 
| runtime      = 18 minutes (early NBC episodes)<br />23 minutes<br />42 minutes<!--runtimes don't include commercials-->
| location     = [[The Burbank Studios|NBC Studios]]<br />Burbank, California (1976–78)<br />[[Old Warner Bros. Studio|Golden West Broadcasting]]<br />Hollywood, California (1978–80)<br />[[CBS Television City]]<br />Hollywood, California (1988–89)<br />[[Sony Pictures Studios]]<br />Culver City, California (2017–18)
| company      = [[Barris Industries|Chuck Barris Productions]] (1976–80)<br />[[Chris Bearde|Chris Bearde Productions]] (1976–78, 1988–89)<br />[[Barris Industries|Barris Productions]] (1988–89)<br />[[Barris Industries]] (1988–89)<br />Den of Thieves (2017–2018)<br />[[Sony Pictures Television]] (2017–2018)
| network      = [[NBC]]
| network2     = [[broadcast syndication|Syndicated]]
| network4     = [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
| first_aired  = {{Start date|1976|06|14}}
| last_aired   = {{End date|1978|07|21}}
| first_aired2 = {{Start date|1976|09|}}
| last_aired2  = {{End date|1980|09|}}
| first_aired3 = {{Start date|1988|09|12}}
| last_aired3  = {{End date|1989|05|26}}
| first_aired4 = {{Start date|2017|06|22}}
| last_aired4  = {{End date|2018|08|30}}
}}
'''''The Gong Show''''' is an American amateur talent contest created by [[Chuck Barris]] in 1976 and franchised by [[Sony Pictures Television]] to many countries. Each performer was evaluated by a panel of three celebrity judges who could strike a [[gong]] to end a performance they disliked. A small cash prize has typically been awarded to each episode's winner. ''The Gong Show'' is known for its [[absurdist humor]], and often features amateurish, racy or questionable performers interspersed with more legitimate acts. The actual competition was typically secondary to the outlandish acts, and the series is also known for its free-form style which featured various interruptions, digressions and [[running joke]]s.

''The Gong Show'' was broadcast on [[NBC]]'s daytime schedule from June 14, 1976, through July 21, 1978, and in [[Broadcast syndication|first-run syndication]] from 1976 to 1980 and 1988 to 1989, briefly revived in 2008 hosted by [[Dave Attell]], and was revived in 2017 for broadcast on ABC. The show was created and originally produced by Barris, who also served as host for the NBC run and from 1977 to 1980 in syndication. Its most recent version was executive-produced by [[Will Arnett]] and hosted by Tommy Maitland, a fictional character performed by [[Mike Myers]] (uncredited in Season 1).

==Format==
Each show presented a competition of amateur performers of often dubious talent, with a panel of three celebrity judges. If any judge considered an act to be particularly bad, they could force it to stop by striking a large [[gong]], a trope adapted from the durable radio show ''[[Major Bowes Amateur Hour]]''<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cX90070bb7w Jamie Farr. "The Gong Show" Foundation Interviews. Emmy TV Legends.]</ref> of the 1930s and 1940s. The host would then ask the judges in question why they had gonged the act, usually receiving a facetious response. Judges had to let each act run for a set minimum length of time before they could gong it, and any act that ended before reaching this length would be automatically disqualified.

Any act that survived without being gonged was given a score by each of the three judges on a scale of 0 to 10, for a maximum possible score of 30. On the NBC series, the contestant who achieved the highest combined score won the grand prize: a check for $516.32 (a "highly unusual amount", in Barris's words; reportedly the [[Screen Actors Guild]]'s minimum pay for a day's work at the time) and a "Golden Gong" trophy. In the show's opening monologue, Barris would describe the amount as "five hundred and sixteen big ones, and thirty-two little ones". The syndicated series' top prize was originally $712.05 (the first episode was $996.83) and later increased to $716.32.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Gong Show|url=http://www.tvparty.com/recgong.html|publisher=TVparty|access-date=6 July 2015}}</ref> In the event of a tie, three different tiebreakers were used at various times during the show's run. Originally the studio audience determined the winner by applause, but this was later changed to a decision by the producers, and later by the celebrity judges. On a few, rare occasions, both winning acts each received a check and a trophy. No prize was awarded if all of the acts on a particular episode were gonged, which occurred at least twice. Runners-up received various prizes; [[Maureen Orth]], on her February 24, 1977, appearance, reported receiving a [[clothes iron]] valued at $33.95 for her second-place finish.<ref name=maureenorth>{{cite web|url=https://maureenorth.com/1977/02/gong-show-contestant/|title=Gong Show Contestant |website=maureenorth.com |first=Maureen|last=Orth|date=February 24, 2019|access-date=February 24, 2019}}</ref>

The original program's regular judges included [[Jamie Farr]], [[Jaye P. Morgan]], [[Arte Johnson]], [[Patty Andrews]], [[Steve Garvey]], [[Anson Williams]], [[Rex Reed]], [[Pat McCormick (actor)|Pat McCormick]], [[Rip Taylor]], [[Phyllis Diller]], [[Charlie Brill]] and [[Mitzi McCall]]. Throughout the program's run, several other celebrities occasionally appeared as judges including [[David Letterman]], [[Steve Martin]], [[Mort Sahl]], [[Pat Paulsen]], [[Chuck Woolery]], [[Allen Ludden]], [[David Sheiner]], [[Carl Ballantine]], [[Louis Nye]], [[Wayland Flowers]], [[Dick Shawn]], [[Pat Harrington Jr.]], [[Abbe Lane]], [[Gary Mule Deer]], [[Ruth Buzzi]], [[Joanne Worley]], [[Michele Lee]], [[Candy Clark]], [[Clifton Davis]], [[Ken Berry]], [[Soupy Sales]], [[Henny Youngman]], [[Sarah Vaughn]], [[Pearl Bailey]], [[Della Reese]], [[Paul Williams]], [[Sandy Duncan]], [[Eva Gabor]], [[Peter Lawford]], [[Avery Schreiber]], [[Ronnie Schell]], [[Ed Bernard]], [[Pamela Mason]], [[Charlotte Rae]], [[Milt Kamen]], [[Fred Travalena]], [[Johnny Paycheck]], [[Mabel King]], [[Liz Torres]] and [[Willie Bobo]].

When Barris announced the final score, actor [[Jerry Maren]] (a [[Dwarfism|little person]]) ran onstage in top hat and tails, throwing confetti while balloons dropped from overhead.

The daily ''Gong Show'' also gave out a "Worst Act of the Week" award (later changed to the "Most Outrageous Act of the Week"), selected by the producers and each week's judges. The winner of this award was announced following the trophy presentation on the Friday show, and the performer received a dirty [[tube sock]] and a check for $516.32.

===Legitimate talent===
Several legitimate performers received early exposure via ''The Gong Show''. Twelve-year-old [[Andrea McArdle]] appeared on an early episode in 1976, shortly before she won the leading role in the hit [[Broadway musical]] ''[[Annie (musical)|Annie]]''. Following [[Cheryl Lynn]]'s ''Gong Show'' appearance in 1976, she received a recording contract with [[Columbia Records]] and recorded the [[Top 40]] [[disco]] hit "[[Got To Be Real]]", released in 1978. Actress-singer [[Mare Winningham]] sang the [[Beatles]] song "[[Here, There, and Everywhere]]" on the program in 1976, which led to her being signed to an acting contract.

Among the other legitimate talents that appeared on the show were country singer [[Boxcar Willie]]; actor [[Kevin Peter Hall]] who later appeared as the original ''[[Predator (film)|Predator]]'' in the 1987 film and as Harry in ''[[Harry and the Hendersons]]''; comics and actors [[Paul Reubens]] and [[John Paragon]] (best known as [[Pee Wee Herman]] and [[Jambi the Genie]]); [[Joey D'Auria]] ("Dr. Flameo", later [[WGN-TV|WGN]]'s second ''[[Bozo the Clown]]''); impressionist/comic [[Michael Winslow]]; novelty rock band [[Green Jellÿ]];<ref>{{cite web|title=Green Jello on the Gong Show| date=8 April 2011 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4b8MbN8oXE |via=YouTube |publisher=greenjello333|access-date=2011-04-08}}{{cbignore}} Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/R4b8MbN8oXE Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20141109141826/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4b8MbN8oXE Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}</ref> and an unknown band called [[The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo]] which evolved into [[Oingo Boingo]], led by [[Danny Elfman]] who later found fame as a composer of film music. 

In 1979, street gang leader [[Stanley Tookie Williams]] appeared on the show as a bodybuilder shortly before his arrest and subsequent conviction for murder. Dancer [[Danny Lockin]], who had played Barnaby in the film ''[[Hello, Dolly! (film)#Principal cast|Hello Dolly!]]'', was murdered hours after winning the show taped August 21, 1977.<ref>{{cite web|title=Danny's Death: A Travesty of Justice|url=http://www.dannylockin.com/death.htm |website=dannylockin.com |access-date=6 July 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150707222356/http://www.dannylockin.com/death.htm |archive-date= Jul 7, 2015 }}</ref> Performer [[Rhonda Shear]] appeared on the program in 1979. Journalist [[Maureen Orth]], then writing for ''[[Newsweek]]'', won second-place on a 1977 show, appearing as "The World's Oldest Cheerleader."<ref name=maureenorth/>

Longtime urban legend, and some news sources, claimed that football player and coach [[Brian Billick]] made an appearance performing a routine known as the "spider monkey", but Billick has confirmed this is untrue.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Fatsis |first1=Stefan |title=How A Campy 1970s Game Show Became Part Of Canada's National Lexicon |url=https://defector.com/how-a-campy-1970s-game-show-became-part-of-canadas-national-lexicon?giftLink=f5b3e13c65f220649cca372f06cc81d9 |date=November 26, 2025 |website=Defector |access-date=26 November 2025}}</ref>

==Personnel==
===Barris as emcee===
[[File:The Gong Show Chuck Barris 1976.jpg|thumb|right|Chuck Barris on the ''Gong Show'' set, 1977]]
An established [[game show]] producer (''[[The Dating Game]]'', ''[[The Newlywed Game]]''), Barris was originally creator and co-producer of ''The Gong Show'' and had no intention of  hosting the show himself. Barris was a last minute replacement for original host [[John Barbour (actor)|John Barbour]], who left the show after objecting to its satirical concept and pressing for more of a legitimate amateur-hour format.
Barbour would eventually serve as producer and co-host of the hit NBC [[reality television|Reality TV]] series, ''[[Real People (TV program)|Real People]]'' (1979–84) 
Barris initially appeared somewhat nervous and uneasy as host, but before long he was working so loosely on camera that many viewers assumed that he was under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. In a videotaped interview with the [[Archive of American Television]], Barris recounted that he was never intoxicated on camera and forbade the use of drugs by anyone in his production company.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Archive of American Television|title=Chuck Barris Interview|url=http://www.emmytvlegends.org/interviews/people/chuck-barris|access-date=July 22, 2017}}</ref>

Co-Producer Chris Bearde, formerly of ''[[Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In]]'' and ''[[The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour]]'', soon clashed with Barris over the program's content, favoring more scripted comedy over chaotic nonsense. (Bearde's "new talent" segments on ''[[Laugh-In]]'' had featured oddball performers, the most celebrated being [[Tiny Tim (musician)|Tiny Tim]].) After a heated argument between Barris and Bearde over the future direction of the show turned violent with the throwing of chairs and other objects and finally came to blows, Bearde resigned, leaving Barris fully in charge of ''The Gong Show''.

===Musical direction===
[[Milton DeLugg]] was a popular musician and bandleader during the 1940s and 1950s. He got the ''Gong Show'' job by default; as the longtime music director of NBC, he was responsible for any network project that required special music (like the annual telecasts of the [[Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade]]). Although DeLugg had previously arranged the theme for ''The Newlywed Game'', Barris initially regarded him as "an anachronism"; however, Barris was soon pleased to discover that DeLugg's sense of humor was very much kindred to the facetious tone of the show and he appeared alongside Barris in recurring comedy skits as various characters including bad-joke perveyor, "Naso Literatus" and the aged philosopher, "Old Drool".

Veteran composer [[Joey Carbone]] provided musical arrangements for the late 1980s revival with his own lineup of studio musicians, known as "The Gong Show Guys".

===Announcers===
[[Johnny Jacobs]], who had worked for years as announcer for other Barris game shows, served as the main announcer on the ''Gong Show'' from 1976 to 1980. When Jacobs was sidelined with an extended illness, [[Jack Clark (television)|Jack Clark]] substituted from October 3 through December 23, 1977. [[Charlie O'Donnell]] served as announcer for the late 1980s revival.

===Hostesses and regulars===
Hostesses included Siv Åberg (a former [[Miss Sweden]], model and actress who also appeared on Barris' syndicated ''[[The New Treasure Hunt|New Treasure Hunt]]''), actresses [[Marlene Clark|Marlena Clark]] and [[Markie Post]], porn star [[Carol Connors (actress)|Carol Connors]] and Barris' teenage daughter, Della. Some episodes would also have a special guest introduce Barris, ranging from celebrities such as [[Dick Van Dyke]], [[Carol Burnett]] and [[Kate Jackson]] to show staffers and their relatives, including Jerry Maren's wife Elizabeth and Barris' own grandmother.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Nedeff |first=Adam |title=Gong This Book! The Uncensored History of Television's Wildest Talent Show |publisher=BearManor Media |year=2024 |isbn=979-8-88771-364-9 |location=Las Vegas, Nevada |pages=174-175 |language=English}}</ref>

The ''Gong Show'' featured several regular performers, the most popular being [[Gene Gene the Dancing Machine]] (Gene Patton), an NBC stagehand who impressed Barris with his energetic dancing and [[The Unknown Comic]], the [[alter ego]] of comedian [[Murray Langston]] who told intentionally bad jokes while dressed in frowsy attire and wearing a brown paper bag over his head.

==Broadcast history==
===NBC===
NBC first broadcast the show at 12:30&nbsp;p.m. (11:30&nbsp;a.m. [[Central Time Zone|Central]] and [[Pacific Time Zone|Pacific]]). This was the network's least important time slot, as programs running at that time had to share the half-hour with a five-minute NBC newscast anchored by [[Edwin Newman]]. As a result, the first six-plus months of ''The Gong Show'' featured approximately twenty minutes of program content in a twenty-five-minute episode.

Many NBC affiliates in some larger markets opted not to run network programming during the noon hour at all, preferring to broadcast local news and talk shows instead. Thus ''The Gong Show'' made its debut mainly on medium-market and smaller stations or on large-market rival stations that had picked up the program from the NBC affiliate that had rejected it. For example, in [[Boston]], then-NBC affiliate [[WBZ-TV]] did not run the series, allowing local UHF independent outlet [[WSBK-TV]] to broadcast it.

''The Gong Show's'' time slot was given to a new soap opera, ''[[Lovers and Friends]]'', on January 3, 1977, and the show replaced the cancelled ''[[Another World (TV series)|Another World]]'' spinoff ''[[Somerset (TV series)|Somerset]]'' at 4:00&nbsp;p.m. The time change allowed ''The Gong Show'' to expand to a full half-hour.

NBC broadcast a one-hour prime-time ''Gong Show'' special on April 26, 1977, featuring in-studio special guests [[Tony Randall]], [[Alice Cooper]] and [[Harry James]] and His Orchestra. The winning act on this special was The Bait Brothers, and the panelists were Jaye P. Morgan, Jamie Farr and Arte Johnson.<ref>{{IMDb title|1193452|The All-Star Gong Show Special}}</ref>

===="Popsicle Twins" incident====
During ''The Gong Show'''s run, Barris became well known for his clashes with the network censors, intentionally bringing in risque acts as a diversion to allow some of the less racy acts to slip by. On the September 20, 1977 episode, one of these bait acts, called "Have You Got a Nickel?", made it onto the show. The act consisted of two teenage girls, both clad in shorts, sitting cross-legged on the stage floor and silently eating [[ice pop|popsicles]] in a manner that suggested they were performing [[fellatio]] on the frozen treats. The nature of their act led to the two girls being referred to as the "Popsicle Twins".

While the girls were able to complete their act without being gonged, they were given low scores by two of the judges. [[Phyllis Diller]] gave them a zero (the only zero an act ever received), while [[Jamie Farr]] followed with a marginally better 2. [[Jaye P. Morgan]] awarded them a 10, quipping, "Do you know that's the way I started (in show business)?" and proceeded to eat one of the girls' popsicles.<ref name="Inde770921">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/104764429/a-popsicle-act-gets-gong-show-in-trouble/|date=September 21, 1977|page=33|agency=Chicago Sun-Times|title=A popsicle act gets Gong Show in trouble|newspaper=The Independent-Record|location=Helena, Montana|via=Newspapers.com|access-date=July 1, 2022}}</ref>

The girls' act was approved by the NBC censors, who apparently did not see anything wrong with it during the rehearsals. However, after the episode was shown in the Eastern Time Zone, NBC cut the act from the later tape delay broadcast for western time zones.<ref name=have-you-got-a-nickel-1>{{cite web|last=Kaufman|first=King|title=Chuck Barris|url=http://www.salon.com/2001/03/06/chuck_barris/|work=[[Salon (website)|Salon]]|date=March 6, 2001}}</ref> [[KNBC]] in Los Angeles, alerted to the content, was able to preempt it.{{r|Inde770921}} The act was not cut from all the tapes, and the "Popsicle Twins" incident has been seen in reruns and retrospectives. Barris said in a 2001 interview with [[Salon (website)|''Salon'']] that this particular act began making him reconsider his career.<ref name=have-you-got-a-nickel-1/>

====Cancellation====
Despite its popularity and respectable ratings for a non-soap-opera midday show, NBC cancelled ''The Gong Show'', with its final episode broadcast on July 21, 1978. At the time, there was much speculation as to the network's true motivations for dumping the popular show. Barris has commented that he heard that NBC's official reason was because of both "lower than expected ratings" and a desire by the network to "re-tailor the morning shows to fit the standard morning demographics" (the move coincided with the arrival of new NBC president [[Fred Silverman]], who was well known for such programming overhauls and was reported to have disliked ''The Gong Show''). ''[[America Alive!]]'', a magazine-style variety program hosted by [[Art Linkletter]]'s son [[Jack Linkletter|Jack]], replaced ''Gong''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/07/25/archives/new-jersey-pages-tv-america-alive-makes-debut-on-nbc.html|title=TV: 'America Alive' Makes Debut on NBC|newspaper=The New York Times|date=25 July 1978}}</ref>

Following the cancellation, many critics and industry analysts – including [[Gene Shalit]] and [[Rona Barrett]] – reported having heard comments from within the NBC programming department from "sources preferring anonymity" that the true reason behind the cancellation was Barris's refusal to tone down the increasingly risqué nature of the show. According to the sources, after the "Popsicle Twins" incident<ref name="have-you-got-a-nickel-1" /> and an episode in which Jaye P. Morgan spontaneously exposed her breasts on air during a [[Gene Gene the Dancing Machine]] segment, Barris had been given an ultimatum by the network's [[Standards and Practices]] department to deliver less racy shows for his audience, which included many younger viewers, or NBC would cancel the program.

====Finale====
NBC allowed Barris to continue the show for the rest of his contract, and Barris made no perceptible change in preparation for the July 21, 1978 finale. The celebrity judges for the final NBC episode of '' The Gong Show'' were Jamie Farr, Patty Andrews and Carl Ballantine; staff member Larry Gotterer appeared as "Fenwick Gotterer" to host after Barris began the final show with a "Chuckie's Fables" sketch. The rest of the final episode tried to explain the life of the show and its cancellation. Barris managed to have the last word on the show's demise, appearing as a contestant. Playing in a country music band called "The Hollywood Cowboys" with the house band's rhythm section, Barris sang a slightly modified version of [[Johnny Paycheck]]'s "[[Take This Job and Shove It]]", giving NBC [[finger (gesture)|the finger]] during the song to accentuate his point. NBC censored the gesture, with the word "OOPS!" superimposed over a still shot of the set. Barris was gonged by Jamie Farr, who quipped, "Because that little fella's been saying that I've been long of nose, I'm also long of gong, fella."

The last act on the show, the group "Lobster Repair", performed [[Harry Belafonte]]'s song "[[Day-O]]" and won the final $516.32 and trophy of the NBC era. Gotterer presented the award and Barris closed the show by thanking the crew and introducing Gene, Gene the Dancing Machine, along with Jaye P. Morgan, whom NBC had banned from appearing on the show after exposing her breasts.

===Syndication (1976–80)===
Immediately after taping the final NBC episode, Barris was evicted from NBC's Burbank studios and  ''The Gong Show'' set was moved to the studios of [[Golden West Broadcasters]] (now [[Sunset Bronson Studios]]) in Hollywood. Production of the syndicated nighttime/weekend version of ''The Gong Show'' continued there for two years. The entire syndicated run from September 1976 to September 1980 was distributed by Firestone Program Services. While the series eventually met its demise in syndication as it had on NBC, according to Barris, the problem did not lie with any outrageous acts, but instead the controversy and public outcry over another series he had produced.

In September 1979, Barris launched the game show ''[[Three's a Crowd (game show)|Three's a Crowd]]'', which was a spin-off of ''The Newlywed Game''. Instead of recently married couples trying to match answers, the wives and secretaries of married men would compete to show who knew the men better. Religious activists and feminist groups protested against ''Three's a Crowd'' and its ratings eventually forced the show's cancellation during the middle of the season.

In Barris's autobiography ''The Game Show King'', he wrote that "the public backlash from ''Three's a Crowd'' not only caused the program to be canceled, but it took three other TV shows of mine with it. I went to my house in Malibu and stayed there for a year." ''The Gong Show'' was one of those shows to be canceled, and Barris never hosted another series. The trauma from the ''Three's a Crowd's'' backlash was so severe, in the last several weeks of ''The Gong Show'', Barris reportedly had "a small nervous breakdown" on-air, because he was "bored to death" with broadcasting.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.yahoo.com/music/chuck-barris-wacky-host-creator-gong-show-dies-050605615.html|title=Chuck Barris, Wacky Host and Creator of 'The Gong Show,' Dies at 87|date=22 March 2017 }}</ref> His next two series, revivals of the 1960s game show ''Camouflage'' (the replacement for ''Three's a Crowd'') and his 1973–77 series ''[[Treasure Hunt (U.S. game show)|Treasure Hunt]]'' (in which Barris had practically no involvement, according to host [[Geoff Edwards]]), both failed to find audiences and Barris went further into his self-imposed exile from television. Barris would not have another hit series until the 1985 syndication revival of ''The Newlywed Game''.

Reruns of the NBC ''Gong Show'' began in syndication during the autumn of 1979. In the 1980s, the NBC and syndicated episodes were rerun on the [[USA Network]] and later, the [[Game Show Network]], although by the time GSN picked up the series, many episodes had to be edited or were not broadcast due to musical performance clearance issues. No episodes from the first syndicated season of ''The Gong Show'', hosted by [[Gary Owens]], have been seen since their original broadcast.

===Later incarnations===
A syndicated weekday revival of ''The Gong Show'', hosted by San Francisco disc jockey [[Don Bleu]], ran during the 1988–89 season from September 12, 1988, to May 26, 1989, with reruns airing through September 15. Each winner was paid $701.
The last show of the Don Bleu's revival is dedicated for a long-week tribute to France.

''Extreme Gong'', a later incarnation of ''The Gong Show'' on the [[Game Show Network]] had viewers vote on its acts by telephone. It was hosted by [[George Gray (television personality)|George Gray]] and ran from October 5, 1998, to August 27, 1999,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://lasvegassun.com/news/1999/aug/27/going-going-gong/|title=Going... Going... GONG!, Las Vegas Sun talks about Extreme Gong's cancellation, August 26th 1999.|date=27 August 1999}}</ref> with reruns continuing to air up until Fall of 2000. Winners received $317.69. This version was well known for two known incidents: one episode featuring "Cody the Talking Dog" for which he tried to say things like "I love you" and "ice cream" but did not succeed in talking, and another featuring a [[Village People]] parody as ''The Village Little People'' where they sang a cover of "[[Y.M.C.A. (song)|YMCA]]". Orange County comedy punk band [[the Radioactive Chicken Heads]] (then called Joe & the Chicken Heads) made their national television debut on ''Extreme Gong'', though they were gonged midway through their performance. Near the end of the show's run, an hour-long "Tournament of Talent" special was aired in August 1999, with twelve previous winning acts (chosen by viewers via a phone-in poll) competing for a payoff of $10,000.

[[Comedy Central]] debuted a new incarnation called ''[[The Gong Show with Dave Attell]]'', which lasted for eight weeks in the summer of 2008.<ref>{{cite web|title=New 'Gong Show' Coming to Comedy Central|url=http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/05/new_gong_show_coming_to_comedy.php|publisher=TV Week|access-date=6 July 2015}}</ref> The show's format was similar to the original, but its scoring was based on a scale of 0 to 500, and winning acts received $600. The $600 was shown as paid in cash on the spot, rather than being paid by check as in earlier versions, but in reality (because of contestant eligibility regulations by Sony) was paid as a check from Sony Pictures. In place of a typical trophy, winners were awarded a belt in the style of boxing championship belts.

A live stage version of ''The Gong Show'' took place at B.B. King's Blues Club, in the [[Times Square]] district of [[New York City]] on August 12, 2010.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Dollar|first1=Steve|title=Flocking to Meet (and Avoid) the Gong|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704164904575421400783784196?mod=googlenews_wsj|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=6 July 2015}}</ref> It was produced by [[The Radio Chick]], and is the Sony authorized stage production. This production went into development in 2011–12 and now runs regularly in New York City, with engagements in other U.S. cities.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Gong Show Live|url=http://www.gongshowlive.net|access-date=6 July 2015}}</ref>

====2017 revival====
On October 3, 2016, ABC and Sony Pictures announced a 10-episode summer 2017 revival of ''The Gong Show'' executive produced by [[Will Arnett]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=O'Neill|first1=Natalie|title=ABC bringing back oddball game show 'The Gong Show'|url=https://nypost.com/2016/10/03/abc-bringing-back-oddball-game-show-the-gong-show/|newspaper=The New York Post|access-date=2016-12-09}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-et-st-gong-show-return-20161003-snap-story.html|title=Will Arnett and ABC are reviving the '70s quasi-talent show 'The Gong Show'|website=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=3 October 2016|access-date=2016-10-04}}</ref>

The broadcast of the 2017 revival premiered on ABC on June 22, 2017,<ref>{{cite magazine | last=Gettell | first=Oliver | date=June 7, 2017 | magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] | title=Mike Myers gets cheeky in The Gong Show trailer | url=http://ew.com/tv/2017/06/07/gong-show-trailer-mike-meyers/ | access-date=2017-06-12}}</ref> hosted by previously unknown "British comedian" Tommy Maitland. Maitland was, in fact, a character portrayed by [[Mike Myers]], although neither ABC nor Myers confirmed this and ABC officially credited Maitland as host and executive producer.<ref>{{cite magazine | last=Romano | first=Nick | date=May 3, 2017 | magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] | title=Mike Myers debuts new character, ''Gong Show'' host Tommy Maitland | url=http://ew.com/tv/2017/05/03/mike-myers-tommy-maitland-will-arnett-gong-show/ | access-date=2017-06-12}}</ref> Maitland's catchphrase was "Who's a cheeky monkey?"<ref>{{cite news|url=http://etcanada.com/news/231829/mike-myers-is-a-cheeky-monkey-in-first-look-at-gong-show-reboot/|title=Mike Myers Is A 'Cheeky Monkey' In First Look At 'Gong Show' Reboot|last=Furdyk|first=Brent|work=[[Entertainment Tonight Canada|ET Canada]]|date=2017-06-07|access-date=2017-08-15|archive-date=2017-08-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816005745/http://etcanada.com/news/231829/mike-myers-is-a-cheeky-monkey-in-first-look-at-gong-show-reboot/|url-status=dead}}</ref> He also periodically used Barris's "back with more stuff" catchphrase to lead into commercials.

Celebrity guest judges for the 2017 revival included Arnett,  [[Zach Galifianakis]], [[Alison Brie]], [[Andy Samberg]], [[Elizabeth Banks]], [[Tracee Ellis Ross]], [[Joel McHale]], [[Megan Fox]], [[Courteney Cox]],  [[Dana Carvey]], [[Will Forte]], [[Jack Black]], [[Jennifer Aniston]], [[Ken Jeong]], [[Fred Armisen]], [[Maya Rudolph]] and [[Anthony Anderson]].<ref>{{cite magazine | last=Rose | first=Lacey | date=April 28, 2017 | magazine=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] | title=ABC's 'Gong Show' Reboot Taps One Very Interesting Host  | url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/abcs-gong-show-reboot-taps-one-very-interesting-host-998339 | access-date=2017-06-12}}</ref> Among the more notable acts featured on the revival are [[the Radioactive Chicken Heads]], making their second appearance on a ''Gong Show'' incarnation since ''Extreme Gong'' in 1998. The first season of this version also features a regular segment featuring a staff performer leading the audience in a sing-along of the [[novelty song]] [[Shaving Cream (song)|"Shaving Cream"]], reminiscent of the recurring gag acts on the earlier version.

The winner of each show received a gong trophy and an oversized check in the amount of US$2,000.17, later increased by a penny the following year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-et-st-boyband-review-20170622-story.html|title='The Gong Show' reboots and 'Boy Band' dances to distract in a new era of tumult|first=Lorraine|last=Ali|website=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=22 June 2017}}</ref> The final episode of the first season featured a memorial to Barris, who died prior to the series' premiere in 2017.

On January 8, 2018, ABC announced that the revival would be picked up for a second season, officially confirmed Myers as the portrayer of Maitland and crediting Myers as an executive producer by name.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.buzzerblog.com/2018/01/08/abc-renews-the-gong-show-for-a-second-season/|title=ABC Renews The Gong Show for a Second Season|date=8 January 2018}}</ref> The second (and final) season premiered on June 21, 2018.<ref name="auto">{{Cite news|url=https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/gong-show-season-two-mike-myers-game-show-return-set-abc/|title=The Gong Show: Season Two; Mike Myers Game Show Return Set by ABC – canceled TV shows – TV Series Finale|date=2018-04-19|work=canceled TV shows – TV Series Finale|access-date=2018-08-22|language=en-US}}{{better source needed|reason=[[WP:NOTRS]]|date=August 2019}}</ref> Celebrity guest judges for season 2 included [[Jimmy Kimmel]], [[Jason Sudeikis]], [[Brad Paisley]], [[Dana Carvey]], [[Alyson Hannigan]], [[Ken Jeong]], [[Kristen Schaal]], and [[Rob Riggle]].<ref name="auto"/> However, the series was not renewed for a third season and was quietly cancelled.

===Film===
In May, 1980, [[Universal Pictures]] released ''[[The Gong Show Movie]]'' to scathing reviews and such poor box office performance, the film was withdrawn from general release within one week. Advertising proclaimed it as "''The Gong Show'' That Got Gonged by the Censor". It was seen periodically on cable TV, but was never released on home video<ref>{{cite news|title=The Gong Show Movie (1980)|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/93553/The-Gong-Show-Movie/overview|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071214060722/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/93553/The-Gong-Show-Movie/overview|url-status=dead|archive-date=14 December 2007|department=Movies & TV Dept.|work=[[The New York Times]]|author=Sandra Brennan|date=2007|access-date=6 July 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The Gong Show Movie (1980)|url=http://www.shockcinemamagazine.com/gong.html|publisher=Shock Cinema|access-date=6 July 2015}}</ref> until March 29, 2016, after the film, which achieved [[cult film|cult]] status<ref name="Tasho">{{cite web |last1=Tasho |first1=Ken |title=The Gong Show Movie | url=https://www.edgemedianetwork.com/story/194255 |website=EDGE Media Network |access-date=11 September 2024 |language=en}}</ref> was released on [[Blu-ray]] by [[Shout! Factory]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://insidepulse.com/2016/03/08/the-gong-show-movie-bangs-blu-ray-in-march/|title=The Gong Show Movie bangs Blu-ray in March – Inside Pulse|date=9 March 2016 }}</ref>

''[[Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (film)|Confessions of a Dangerous Mind]]'', a film directed by [[George Clooney]] and written by [[Charlie Kaufman]], was based on the semi-fictional autobiography of the same name by Chuck Barris. Part of the film chronicles the making of ''The Gong Show'', and features several clips from the original series.

Following the success of the print and screen versions of ''Confessions'', GSN produced a documentary called ''The Chuck Barris Story: My Life on the Edge'', which included rare footage from the Gary Owens pilot.

==International versions==
{| class="wikitable" style="width:98%;"
|-
! Country !! Local name !! Host !! Network !! Year aired
|-
|Australia
|''The Gong Show''
|Tim Evans
|[[Network 10|Network Ten]]
|1976
|-
|Chile
|''¿Y usted qué hace?'' (Segment on ''[[Sábado Gigante|Sábados Gigantes]]'')
|[[Don Francisco (television host)|Don Francisco]]
|Canal 13
|1983
|-
|Germany<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2h470y | title=Die Gong Show - KOMPLETTE FOLGE mit Marco Ströhlein, Guido Cantz, Hugo Egon Balder & Co. (2003) - video Dailymotion | date=13 February 2015 | website=Dailymotion }}</ref>
|''Die Gong-Show''
|Paul Kuhn<br />Götz Alsmann<br />Marco Ströhlein
|[[Norddeutscher Rundfunk|NDR]]<br />[[RTL (German TV channel)|RTL]]<br />[[Sat.1]]
|1981<br />1992–93<br />2003
|-
|India
|''Sabse Badhkar Gong''
| ?
|Sony TV
|mid-1990s
|-
|rowspan=2 |Indonesia<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.instagram.com/gongshowindonesia/ | title=OFFICIAL ACOUNT GONG SHOW ID (@gongshowindonesia) • Instagram photos and videos | website=Instagram }}</ref>
|rowspan=1 |''Gong Show''
|{{ill|Arie Untung|id|vertical-align=sup}} and {{ill|Fenita Arie|id|vertical-align=sup}}
|[[Trans TV]]
|2006–12
|-
|''Gong Show Indonesia''
|[[Gracia Indri]]
|[[RCTI]]
|2019–20
|-
|New Zealand<ref>{{cite web | url=https://ngataonga.org.nz/collections/catalogue/catalogue-item?record_id=504194 | title=The Gong Show - the Gong Show Series 1 Programme 1 | website=ngataonga }}</ref>
|''The Gong Show''
|[[Jeremy Corbett]] and Nigel Corbett
|[[TVNZ 2|TV2]]
|August 9, 1997 – February 28, 1998
|-
|Thailand
|''ก็องโชว์''
|[[Shahkrit Yamnam]]
|[[iTV (Thailand)|iTV]]
|2003
|-
|United Kingdom
|''The Gong Show''
|[[Frankie Howerd]]
|[[Southern Television]]<br />[[Channel 4]]
|1977 (pilot)<br />December 9, 1985 (pilot)
|-
|rowspan=5 |United States (original format)<ref>[http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?date=07/02/08&id=20080702comedycentral01 The Futon Critic]</ref><ref>[http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/07/02/the-gong-show-announces-celebrity-judges/ TV Squad: "The Gong Show" announces celebrity judges]</ref>
|rowspan=2 |''The Gong Show''
|[[Chuck Barris]]
|[[NBC]]
|1976–78
|-
|[[Gary Owens]]<br />[[Chuck Barris]]<br />[[Don Bleu]]
|rowspan=1|[[Broadcast syndication|Syndication]]
|rowspan-1|1976–77<br />1977–80<br />1988–89
|-
|''Extreme Gong''
|[[George Gray (television personality)|George Gray]]
|[[Game Show Network|GSN]]
|1998–99
|-
|''[[The Gong Show with Dave Attell]]''
|[[Dave Attell]]
|[[Comedy Central]]
|July 17, 2008 – September 4, 2008
|-
|''The Gong Show''
|Tommy Maitland ([[Mike Myers]])
|[[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
|June 22, 2017 – August 30, 2018
|-
|}

==Spin-offs==
At the height of the ''Gong Show'''s popularity, NBC gave Barris a prime-time variety hour, ''The Chuck Barris Rah Rah Show''. This was played somewhat more seriously than the ''Gong Show'', with [[Jaye P. Morgan]] singing straight pop songs as in her nightclub and recording days, and bygone headliners like [[Slim Gaillard]] reprising their old hits for a studio audience. Other spinoffs include ''[[The $1.98 Beauty Show]]'' hosted by [[Rip Taylor]] and ''[[The Gong Show Movie]]''.

==See also==
* ''[[Minutes to Fame]]'', a similar Hong Kong talent show

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://abc.go.com/shows/the-gong-show ABC version]
* [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133303/ ''The Gong Show'' (1976-80) on IMDb]
* [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133304/ ''The Gong Show'' (1988-89) on IMDb]
* [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0290961/''Extreme Gong (1998-99)'' on IMDb]
* [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1229939/ ''The Gong Show with Dave Attell (2008)'' on IMDb]
* [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6128376/ ''The Gong Show'' (2017-18) on IMDb]
* {{The Interviews title|gong-show-the}}

{{The Gong Show|state=expanded}}
{{Summer Fun & Games}}
{{Game Show Network}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gong Show, The}}
[[Category:1970s American comedy game shows]]
[[Category:1976 American television series debuts]]
[[Category:1980 American television series endings]]
[[Category:1980s American comedy game shows]]
[[Category:1988 American television series debuts]]
[[Category:1989 American television series endings]]
[[Category:2010s American comedy game shows]]
[[Category:2017 American television series debuts]]
[[Category:2018 American television series endings]]
[[Category:American Broadcasting Company game shows]]
[[Category:American television series revived after cancellation]]
[[Category:American English-language television shows]]
[[Category:First-run syndicated game shows]]
[[Category:NBC game shows]]
[[Category:Talent shows]]
[[Category:Television series by Barris Industries]]
[[Category:Television series by Sony Pictures Television]]