Top 10 Biggest Game Show Cheaters Ever.!

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These folks did not deserve to come on down. For this list, we’ll be looking at contestants on game shows who gamed the system to win big—or just outright cheated. Our countdown includes game shows like "The Price Is Right," "Millionaire Hot Seat," "Twenty-One," and more! Did you happen to see any of these live? Let us know in the comments below!  10. The Price Is Right Contestant Cheating Scandal (2008) In 2008, "The Price Is Right" was rocked by a scandal when it was revealed that a contestant had manipulated the game by collaborating with a former contestant who had insider knowledge. The case led to changes in how the show manages its gameplay and contestant interactions.  9. Millionaire Hot Seat’s $1 Million Winning Controversy (2015) On "Millionaire Hot Seat," a contestant's $1 million win was marred by controversy when it was revealed that the contestant may have used external help to answer the final question. Although no definitive proof of cheating was found, the situation raised questions about the integrity of the win.  8. "Twenty-One" Game Show Scandal (1950s) The "Twenty-One" scandal is one of the most infamous game show controversies. Contestants were secretly given answers and coached to ensure high ratings and drama. The scandal was exposed in a series of investigations, leading to the show’s cancellation and significant changes in game show regulations.  7. The Price Is Right Contestant Conspiracy (2012) In 2012, a controversy emerged on "The Price Is Right" when a contestant was accused of colluding with an insider to obtain knowledge about product prices. The situation led to a review of the show’s security measures and contestant vetting processes.  6. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? “Phone-a-Friend” Scandal (2001) In the early 2000s, "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" faced backlash when it was discovered that some contestants had used their “Phone-a-Friend” lifeline to get answers from coaches or experts, which was against the rules. The scandal prompted changes in how the lifeline was monitored.

Transcript

00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 10 game show cheaters

00:12of all time.

00:21For this list we'll be looking at contestants on game shows who gamed the system to win

00:25big or just outright cheated.

00:28Did you happen to see any of these live?

00:30Let us know in the comments below.

00:33Number 10.

00:35Ted Slauson For many, The Price is Right brings back

00:38memories of staying home from school and perusing the cozy channels of daytime TV.

00:44For Ted Slauson, The Price is Right was a way of life.

00:48Slauson loved the show and memorized the exact prices of its prizes, which were often featured

00:53more than once.

01:09When he started showing up in the studio for tapings, Slauson would yell out the correct

01:13prices to contestants thereby helping them win.

01:17This famously came to a head in 2008 when contestant Terry Neese correctly guessed the

01:21exact amount of the final double showcase.

01:30The event was quite famous and it forced the producers to acknowledge their complacency

01:35and diversify the pricing system.

01:38Slauson's story was later told in the documentary, Perfect Bid, the contestant who knew too much.

01:47Number 9.

01:55The Flip-Flop Cheater In The Price is Right's game of flip-flop,

02:00contestants must alter the first two numbers, the last two numbers, or all four numbers

02:04to correctly guess the price.

02:16A man named Bretton is told how to play the game, and he even gestures to the crowd to

02:20help him out.

02:21But rather than flipping or flopping, Bretton presses the button that reveals the correct

02:25answer.

02:34To be honest, we don't know if this is cheating or just an honest mistake, either way it resulted

02:40in one heck of a payout.

02:41In an incredible act of charity, Barker gives Bretton the prize in the end.

02:55Still Bob Barker panic yelling no and walking off stage has to be one of the funniest moments

03:00on the show.

03:02Number 8.

03:03Khalid El-Katatayni We don't know if Khalid El-Katatayni plays

03:07poker but if he doesn't, then he totally should.

03:11This 19-year-old man appeared on the game show Millionaire Hot Seat, which is essentially

03:15the Australian version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.

03:20El-Katatayni made for a very entertaining guest, often playing dumb and constantly plugging

03:25his own Instagram accounts.

03:27Regardless, he walked away with the top prize of $100,000.

03:43And how did he do it?

03:44By apparently reading the body language of host and question asker, Eddie McGuire.

03:48He observed McGuire's subtle tell whenever the correct answer was read aloud and went

03:53with it.

04:00As he later told the media, I didn't play the game, I played the man.

04:05Number 7.

04:07Rick Rockwell This is a different kind of cheater.

04:11On February 15, 2000, Fox aired a two-hour special called Who Wants To Marry A Multi-Millionaire.

04:17The show saw 50 women competing to marry a mysterious millionaire.

04:27Over 20 million people tuned in to watch winner Darva Conger marry who was eventually revealed

04:33to be Rick Rockwell.

04:35But as it turned out, Rockwell had, shall we say, embellished his image for the show.

04:48He lied about his work as a motivational speaker and had previously been the target of a restraining

04:53order filed by his previous partner.

04:56He also lived in a modest house and many questioned his status as a multi-millionaire.

05:01Winner Darva Conger claimed that she was duped by Rockwell and quickly had their marriage

05:05annulled.

05:06Number 6.

05:16Lauren and Frank Cleary The moment of truth was a short-lived game

05:21show that aired on Fox between 2008 and 2009.

05:28The procedure was as follows.

05:31Contestants are given a polygraph test prior to the game, and then they are re-asked the

05:35same personal questions in the studio in front of friends and family.

05:40If they can openly admit embarrassing truths about themselves, they are awarded money.

05:45One episode aired in which Lauren Cleary seemingly ended her marriage on national TV.

05:55In a later interview, however, the couple claimed that they had spoken about the answers

05:59before the show started and that they were only concerned about the money.

06:03Turns out these weren't dramatic secrets that Cleary was revealing for the first time.

06:07They were well-known, despite her husband's theatrical acting.

06:21Number 5.

06:22Michael Larson This man from Ohio made game show history

06:26in 1984 by winning over $110,000 in the CBS program, Press Your Luck.

06:46Larson was a big fan of the show, and like The Price is Right's Ted Slauson, he meticulously

06:51studied the gameplay.

06:53Larson had taped episodes and used the recordings to memorize the pattern of the game board.

06:57He then flew to Los Angeles and appeared on the show.

07:07Larson's intimate knowledge of the game board allowed him to go on a tear, and he

07:11ended up with historic winnings.

07:13CBS accused Larson of cheating and initially denied him the prize money.

07:18But because memorizing the board wasn't technically against the rules, the $110,000

07:22was grudgingly handed over.

07:34Number 4.

07:35Herb Stemple Here's a scandal that's actually in-house.

07:39Between 1956 and 1958, NBC aired a game show called 21, which saw two contestants duking

07:46it out in general knowledge trivia.

08:04Following a disastrous first episode, producer Dan Enright decided to rig the show and hired

08:09contestant Herb Stemple to act as an underdog champion.

08:13Stemple was provided with both the questions and answers beforehand and racked up quote

08:17unquote winnings of nearly $70,000.

08:28He was eventually quote unquote defeated by a man named Charles Van Doren.

08:33It's been reported that these weren't the only two contestants to be cast in a similar

08:37fashion to actors, and 21 became highly choreographed after its first broadcast.

08:43Number 3.

08:44Adriana Abenia Should cheating be taken as seriously if

08:48it's a celebrity contestant?

08:50That's the question at hand when it comes to Armani and Prada model Adriana Abenia.

08:56Spain has a popular game show called Pasapalabra, which itself is a remake of the British panel

09:02show The Alphabet Game.

09:04While appearing as a celebrity guest, Abenia secretly held her iPhone under the table and

09:08attempted to use the music-identifying app Shazam to cheat her way through a segment.

09:13However, she received a text at an inopportune time, and this was noticed by the host.

09:18He called her out, and Abenia playfully acknowledged that yes, that was her phone, and yes, she

09:24was indeed cheating.

09:25So there's that.

09:27Number 2.

09:28Charles Van Doren We return to the scandal of 21 with Charles

09:33Van Doren.

09:34The man who finally dethroned rigged champion Herb Stemple in front of 15 million viewers.

09:43Van Doren's reign on 21 made him a national celebrity, and even appeared on the cover

09:47of Time.

09:48Well, as you probably won't be very shocked to learn, Van Doren was in on the whole scam

09:54too.

10:03Following his dive, Herb Stemple became a whistleblower and exposed the fraudulent nature

10:07of not only 21, but many other game shows of the time.

10:11The case went all the way to Congress, and former rivals Stemple and Van Doren teamed

10:15up to expose the deception.

10:17Congress subsequently made a law expressly prohibiting producer intervention and predetermined

10:23game show winners.

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10:47Number 1.

10:48Charles Ingram British Army Major Charles Ingram appeared

10:51on the British Who Wants To Be A Millionaire in 2001 and became just the third person to

10:56win the top prize.

11:03However, producers were suspicious of Ingram's performance, as he played erratically, didn't

11:12seem confident, and often doubled back on incorrect answers.

11:16As a result, they withheld his earnings and launched an investigation.

11:31After studying the tape, they concluded that Ingram had been cheating with the help of

11:34a man named Tequan Wittuck and his own wife, Diana.

11:38They were both in the audience and reportedly coughed when the correct answer was read.

11:46All three were convicted of deception and given suspended prison sentences.

11:51The Ingrams were also forced to pay £115,000 in fines and defense costs.

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