'Shenanigans,' 'Russian Roulette,' more weird game shows

Monday night marks the return of two of TV's greatest and longest-running game shows, "Jeopardy!" and "Wheel of Fortune." Both have had shelf lives of more than 40 years and neither shows signs of winding down soon.

Not all game shows are created equal, however. In fact, some are just plain weird such as "Celebrity Billiards" and "The Magnificent Marble Machine."

If you thought those programs were strange, here are five other forgotten and off-the-wall game shows from TV's past.

Shenanigans (1964-65)

Stubby Kaye, best remembered as "Nicely-Nicely" Johnson in both the Broadway and film versions of "Guys and Dolls," hosted this Saturday morning game show on ABC with kids as contestants. The kids worked their way along a giant game board, but how many spaces they moved was determined by a "presser" who hit a button that landed on a number from 1 to 4. There were also challenges along the way, like kids having to guess how much Stubby weighed. Prizes ranged from a Hohner Beatles harmonica to a miniature pool table.

Adding to the shenanigans were ads for sponsor Milton Bradley's many games, including Wow, the pillow fight game for girls, and Pow, the cannonball game aimed at boys.

Child's Play (1982-83)

Venerable game master Bill Cullen hosted this CBS daytime show in which adult contestants had to guess a word after seeing a clip of a child trying to define it. "Like you don't like to go on boats 'cause they get you seasick, so you don't want to but you have to," was how one of the kids defined the word bored. No wonder the contestants were stumped.

After two rounds, the winner advanced to the bonus round for a shot at $5,000 and a chance to return the next day ($25,000 was the limit contestants could win over multiple appearances).

The real payoff came for one of the kids — Adam Rich — who went on to play Nicholas in the hit ABC dramedy "Eight Is Enough."

Bumper Stumpers (1987-90)

How ironic that a Canadian game show should air on the USA Network. Co-produced by game show veteran Wink Martindale and hosted by Canadian weatherman Al Dubois, the premise was simple: Contestants attempted to decipher the message on a vanity license plate as a letter or number was revealed one at a time. "MKMENO4," for instance, translated to "Make me an offer." What may have seemed like a fun backseat diversion on a long road trip didn't necessarily translate into riveting television.

The show underwent several bonus round formats during its run, though the payday was only about $1,500 — in Canadian dollars of course.

Inquizition (1998-2001)

Games shows have taken place on islands ("Treasure Isle") and grocery stores ("Supermarket Sweep"), so why not an airplane hangar? That was the reasoning at GSN which aired this trivia competition hosted by an imposing unknown figure who viewers only saw from the back. The show started with four contestant ringing in to answer multiple choice questions, with the lowest scorer being eliminated after each round, and also being humiliated by the Inquizitor.

"They say that right before the end, one's life flashes before them," he told one losing contestant. "Best hurry. Coming attractions have begun"

At the end of three rounds, the last person standing took home $500. And the Inquizitor always got the last laugh — he ended each episode by walking out of the hangar and delivering a menacing cackle.

Russian Roulette (2002-03)

Another GSN original, this one hosted by "Temptation Island's" Mark L. Walberg. "Russian Roulette" started with six contestants, each of whom was sitting on a trap door, which could open if they missed a question. Even if no one got any answers wrong, someone was randomly chosen to fall if Walberg pulled a handle operating the Drop Zone.

The last man or woman standing for the bonus round had to answer 10 questions in 60 seconds to win $10,000. Miss one and ... well, you can guess what happened. Lasting only two seasons, viewers weren't floored, though it was fun seeing Danny Bonaduce of "The Partridge Family" take a fall during a special celebrity edition.