GSN Turns 20; Look Back to the Transition
Game Show Network became GSN 20 years ago today! Look back at some programming highlights.
Twenty years ago today, Game Show Network rebranded to GSN: The Network for Games. The network, mostly known for airing reruns of classic game shows along with originals like Russian Roulette, Lingo, and Whammy!, expanded their portfolio to include casino programming, light sports, dating, reality, and more.
Twenty years later, history has been very kind to the programming of GSN. Not everything was a home run but the network’s highlights of that era still stand as some of the best shows they’ve ever done. We thought we’d look back to some of the standout shows.
The most notable show of this era was Extreme Dodgeball. Airing for three seasons between 2004 and 2005, the series was a more sports-oriented play on dodgeball, where teams competed in a tournament to win tens of thousands of dollars. Bil Dwyer and Zach Selwyn hosted. The series launched the same week as the Vince Vaughn movie Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story.
2006 saw the launch of I’ve Got A Secret. GSN was very ahead of its time, revamping the panel show with an all gay panel. Bil Dwyer also hosted this one-series wonder that deserved to be on the air far longer than it was. Martha Wash’s appearance is still one of the funniest moments in game show history.
I’m not quite sure how but GSN managed to turn nine ball pool into an incredibly interesting game show. BallBreakers ran for one season in 2005 and saw four contestants bet against each other in a series of nine ball pool games and challenges. The winner took home $20,000.
GSN leaned hard into casino games with the rebranding, and their standout title from this time was World Series of Blackjack. Running for four seasons between 2004 to 2007, the series was a more game show friendly version of blackjack. The tournament format awarded $500,000 to the winner. Catch 21 cohost Mikki Padilla appeared as a contestant during season 3.