The Gong Show (1988)

This is chronicling the 1980s version of The Gong Show.

Format
Contestants come on The Gong Show to perform in many ways imaginable. They could sing, dance, do stand-up comedy, make magic, perform a movie scene, you name it, they do it. On each act, if one, two or all three celebrity judges think if the current act is not worthy of continuing any longer, all they had to do was hit the Gong behind them, thus eliminating that act from competition. For each act that did not get gonged, the judges each gave a score to those acts on a scale of 0-10 (10 being the best, zero being the worst) for a maximum total of 30 (which happened on many occasions). The act with the highest score won a Gong Show trophy, and a check with a ridiculously low amount of $701. In case of a tie, the audience chose the winner by applause. Later, it was the producers' decision and (later) the judges'.

Music
Joey Carbone and the Gong Show Guys (1988-1989)

Episode Status
See Also: The Gong Show (1988)/Episode Guide

Stations
Stations that aired this included:

Baltimore - WNUV

San Francisco - KBHK

Orlando - WESH

Pittsburgh - WPGH

Dallas/Fort Worth - KTVT

St. Louis - KDNL

Sacramento - KRBK

Indianapolis - WMCC

New York - WPIX

Manchester, NH - WMUR

Providence - WNAC

Boston - WLVI

Chicago - WBBM

Milwaukee - WCGV

Twin Cities - KTMA

Quad Cities - KLJB

Cedar Rapids - KOCR

Ottumwa, IA - KOIA

Des Moines - KDSM

Los Angeles - KCBS

Charlotte - WCCB

Greensboro - WGGT

Jackson, MS - WDBD

Atlanta - WSB

Hartford - WTIC

Cincinnati - WLWT

Dayton - WRGT

Philadelphia - WCAU

Phoenix - KPHO

Tuscon - KTTU

Montgomery, AL - WCOV

Houston - KHTV

Albuquerque - KOB

Portland, OR - KPDX

Shreveport - KMSS

Louisville - WBNA

Nashville - WTVF

Springfield, MO - KOZL

Washington D.C. - WRC

Seattle - KVOS

Syracuse - WSYT

Honolulu - KITV

Harrisburg - WPMT

Tri Cities, TN/VA - WKPT

Anchorage, AK - KTUU

Salt Lake City - KOOG

Miami - WTVJ

Fargo - KVRR

Jamestown, ND - KJRR

Thief River Falls, MN - KBRR

Wilmington, NC - WJKA

Anderson/Greenville, SC/Asheville - WAXA (now WMYA)

Links
The Gong Show @ Tim's TV Showcase

The Gong Show & tvparty.com

Josh's Gong Show Rules Page