What are the key ingredients to a great game show host?

The key ingredients to a great game show host are as follows:

1. Charisma, or more specifically empathy, the ablitly to put people who are nervious in front of cameras and anxious about the game at ease.

2. Audience Acknowledgment, the ablity to engage the in-studio, and at home watchers so they feel as if they are participating in the game.

3. Humor, uncomfortable situations, loss of the game and everything in between should be met with nonconfrontational humor that can be enjoyed by the contestants and the audiences.

4. Pacing...keep the game and the contestants moving along at a pace that the audience can easly keep up with, yet is not so slow as to invite boredom.

Good luck, Bill and nice horses!

Now your commercials were so so, but because you're William Shatner people watched them, and because you'll be hosting this game show people will at first watch you. But if you're not interesting to your audience, forget it! No matter how great the game show, if the audience thinks you're uninteresting (i.e., boring), you're history. How do you become interesting? First, and above all else, if there's no humor on your part, people will tune you out. Second, know your material. Alex Travek [sic?] of Jeopardy every now and then includes an interesting bit of trivia after the contestent reveals the answer (or even if he/she can't) which gives the audience the impression that this guy really knows his stuff (although the answer was probably provided by the research staff). The audience wants a smart host. Third, and finally, don't remind the audience who you are. They already know who you are. Good luck. May the show live long and prosper!

William Shatner would do ok as a game show host. He is animated enough. He can adlib ok on the talk shows too.

The secrete to being a good game show host is to have a good game show. Then you got to stick to it.

William Shatner has had three successful series. One is a cult classic which will be around a long time after he is gone. Game show hosts can not command the same amount of money as that old boy does.

I think he would get board doing a game show though. Which is something a game show host can not do from the view point of the producer. A truly successful game show is longevity.

Wheel Of Fortune, Jeopardy, and The Price Is Right are long time runners. Those game shows actually have different hosts in different countries. A game show specific to William Shatner would have a hard time playing around the world.

People would tune in. If the game show had a great gimmick, it would be successful with or without William Shatner. Family Feud is an example of that type of game show as it has had many different hosts. If it be a great game show, Shatner most certainly could host it.

I would say that the key ingredient for the host himself or herself is the ability to get both the contestants and the audience to be participants in the show's theme, which depends on the type of game involved. Some game shows act as cliffhangers, with the thrill of the show resting on the dramatic aspects of the game. In this case, the host has to make the show play as a drama. In others, the game show acts as a participation game, where the viewers play along with the game, shouting answers at the TV. In those instances, the host acts like a forum leader of the like, bringing out the game aspect in the players, both on screen and off.

Being a good game show host is about who you are, what you are, what you do, what you aren't, and what you don't do. Here some of what I think those key ingredients are:

1) Good contacts

2) Good representation

3) It helps to be famous (in a good way) already.

4) The ability to look as though you are genuinely happy and enjoy who you are with no matter how much of an idiot the person is.

5) The ability to do number 4 on a regular basis without going insane.

6) Being on a good game show will help the host look better.

7) Charisma

8) A good look for the camera

9) A good public speaking voice

10) The ability to smooth out problems or surprises immediately and to make the best of them.

11) To be perky and sympathetic to the losers at the same time without doing too much or too little or one or both.

12) To have a sidekick or assistant that compliments the host and the show.

13) When the host does other spots in movies or TV that he or she only picks spots that will compliment or enhance his or her image as the game show host.

14) To not mess up in real life and get arrested or something like that.

15) The game shows host should have all of his or her own hair.

16) White teeth.

Shatner, I'd love to see you host a game show. The trouble is, if you are considering taking over TPiR, I do not believe it would bode well. Although it is true that if I had to choose someone to take over, it would be you, I do not believe it will ever be the same and therefore does not matter what you do there. Bob Barker has made himself as much, if not more, a part of TPiR than the games themselves. Hosting it after Barker will be a disaster for the fool who tries. Your ideal host spot for TPiR will be the place after Barker's successor makes a blazing failure of himself. Hold out, I say.

If this inquiry is in regards to a new game show, it's true, a quirky host can make a game show (think Weakest Link or Deal or No Deal), but those games do have a certain watchability. The appeal of shows like Inquisition are based almost completely on the eerie voice of the Inquisitor; without him, the show is a random question multiple choice quiz.

As to what REALLY makes a game show host, Shatner? The only man who could tell you is Chuck Woolery. The man has hosted more game shows than the total shows hosted by Tom Bergeon. No, wait, that might not be true. Bergeron is a media whore. He's like the Paris Hilton of television hosts without all the intrigue and wonder about the next time he'll get naked.

How about this? Send me one of the game show ideas you've been throwing around, and I'll tell you if you can fly it.

I haven't studied this carefully, and I am not a great game show watcher, so my advice is pretty generic.

That said: Look at the game shows that have consistently high ratings. Part of what results in that is the show itself. (e.g. Jeopardy). Part of it is the pretty assistants (e.g. Wheel of Fortune), and part of it is the host (Monty Hall, Bob Barker, Richard Dawson). A dog of a game show may not be helped if Governor Arnold is hosting in the nude, (but then again it might.)

Bill Shatner has significant recognition and would no doubt have some "draw power". The question is, how to package him. What type of game show would be a good fit, and does the show have the necessary hooks to draw a consistent audience.

If I were Mr. Shatner, I would try and get ahold of Richard Dawson and have a good long chat or two. After all he did the crossover between television actor, game show host and film star. He did the game show host so well they used him in the film "Running Man".

And so that is where I would go to find out whether and how I fit as a possible game show host if I were in Mr. Shatner's shoes.

If we look at two of the newer game shoes in the U.S., 1 vs. 100 & Deal or No Deal, we can see that Howie Mandel, a comedian, plays off of the situation while maintaining a fairly serious demeanor while Bob Saget from 1 vs. 100 more often then not makes jokes. Of the tree or four episodes of 1 vs. 100, I have seen several situations where a joke was either not laughed at or completely lost on the player. Also, I have net to hear anyone at work or out on the town talk about 1 vs. 100. On the other hand, Howie Mandel lets the player make most of the jokes and responds with humorous witticisms. The result: A festinating show that keeps people tuning in for more AND talking about it during the week. from your many varied roles you had to play in the original series Star Trek, and in the many wonderful films and not to mention the refreshingly good advertisements you made. The combination of the serious actor and the comedic actor is in such a subtle blend that it does leave one wondering up until the punchline or consummation of the scene whether or not you are in serious or comedic mold. I believe that this will take you in so many diverse directions on your new show that you will keep contestants and audiences in thrilled suspense to see what is going to happen next. I am most impressed by the ability you have to poke fun at your self and be the brunt of some of the jokes.

To begin, the keyword in the phrase "game show" is the word "show". Some of the audience will be more interested in the game aspect of the program, but most people will watch because it is a show. Some really good games do not succeed because of poor show quality, while some shows with games that have many flaws do quite well as it comes off rather well as a show.

Being that most game shows have as its cast the host, the contestants, and occasionally the audience, the quality of the show will rest primarily with them. An audience is almost impossible to control from a selection viewpoint. The contestants are selected by the show's producers, so there's a significant amount of casting that results from that. That leaves the role of the host to complete the casting, and as the host is the principal constant, the qualities for a long-running series rest on him or her.

I would say that the key ingredient for the host himself or herself is the ability to get both the contestants and the audience to be participants in the show's theme, which depends on the type of game involved. Some game shows act as cliffhangers, with the thrill of the show resting on the dramatic aspects of the game. In this case, the host has to make the show play as a drama. In others, the game show acts as a participation game, where the viewers play along with the game, shouting answers at the TV. In those instances, the host acts like a forum leader of the like, bringing out the game aspect in the players, both on screen and off.

For both kinds mentioned above, a host is like a conductor of and orchestra, and the great conductors can turn even sub-par contestants into decent actors within the game. Usually this is done by being able to read the personalities of the contestants and interact in a way that improves their performance. Also, the conductor appears to interact with the audience, both in the studio and on the television, having it appear as he or she knows them. Probably this is best summed up as a type of charisma or charm that appropriate to the show's format.

One other major ingredient that a great game show host has is the knowledge of the game itself. All of the charisma in the world will be useless if the host doesn't appear to understand the show itself. It's not difficult for a host to be knowledgeable of the show, but this means that the host cannot just show up and walk through the game. Preparation beforehand is important, even if it is just to know how the game will evolve over the course of a given episode.

Hope that helps.

Game show hosting is easy....just don't get too full of yourself, which you are very capable of doing and have done in the past. The greatest game show host ever was Bob Barker. He didn't stall the audience (like Regis in Who Want to Be a Millionare.....I don't need a story about why a particular question has relevence, just answer the damn question).

Too many game shows out now are VERY guilty of doing this, stalling the audience because networks are trying to fill an hour slot with a 30 minute game show. Don't stall. It's very annoying and it's definitely NOT building any suspense. You can interact with the audience and make jokes here and there, but once you turn on your patented Shatner-charm past 6 (on a scale from 1 to 10) chances are your game show will be great for 9 episodes, then audiences will become very bored with you, as every show show will be the same.

Mr. Shatner,

As a long time fan, I think you have the necessary ingredients from your many varied roles you had to play in the original series Star Trek, and in the many wonderful films and not to mention the refreshingly good advertisements you made. The combination of the serious actor and the comedic actor is in such a subtle blend that it does leave one wondering up until the punchline or consummation of the scene whether or not you are in serious or comedic mold. I believe that this will take you in so many diverse directions on your new show that you will keep contestants and audiences in thrilled suspense to see what is going to happen next. I am most impressed by the ability you have to poke fun at your self and be the brunt of some of the jokes. If we just had more people like you to be an example to the world, we might not be suffering from so much injured pride out there today. Fare Well and Prosper Long... :)