Unmade Game Show Reboot Releases First And Only Episode
Just like in baseball, the three-strike policy is often a reliable method to enforce a stiff punishment after a few unsuccessful attempts in everyday life, used in everything from employee conduct policies to even criminal sentencing guidelines. One thing that is surprisingly immune to this policy is apparently a game show, with the classic and forgotten game show Tic-Tac-Dough soon getting its fourth chance to make its mark on American television. In a recent upload to YouTube, an unaired first and only episode of Tic-Tac-Dough gives viewers a slight taste of what they could possibly expect to see when the game show takes another turn on the Game Show Network in 2025.
Check out the entire episode below.
In the unaired 2021 pilot, Tic-Tac-Dough kicks off with a surprising intro that features a questionably rendered CGI dragon that looks as if it was ripped straight out of the 1990s.
In September 2021, NBC Universal announced the development of a Tic-Tac-Dough revival, which was set to be hosted by popular TV personality Tom Bergeron. The game was to be produced by former Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! executive producer Harry Friedman, working in partnership with Village Roadshow Television on the project.
Based on the timeless tic-tac-toe game, Tic-Tac-Dough plays out in a format that sees contestants answer questions in various categories, all in a bid to put an X or an O on the board, eventually securing three in a row.
In the unaired 2021 pilot, Tic-Tac-Dough kicks off with a surprising intro that features a questionably rendered CGI dragon that looks as if it was ripped straight out of the 1990s. While the show’s minimalistic set is nothing to write home about, the look of the show was clean, equipped with a sleek dark blue and neon pink backdrop.
As Bergeron describes the layout of the game and the topic of the nine categories featured on the show’s game board, he teases the final match-up between the winner of the one versus one round and the aforementioned “dreaded” CGI dragon, all with the chance of winning over $100,000.
The game was to be produced by former Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! executive producer Harry Friedman…
After winning $9,000 in the first round, one contestant moved on to the final round, where they were challenged with securing a tic-tac-toe by correctly answering enough questions within the 60-second time frame. After all was said and done, the contestant took home an impressive $59,000 dollars, calling the amount of money “life-changing.” Despite the success of the contestant and what appears to be a smooth production, the Tic-Tac-Dough pilot was never aired and the show was quietly shelved without an explanation.
When the newest iteration of Tic-Tac-Dough makes its way to the Game Show Network in 2025, Brooke Burns will take over hosting duties for Bergeron, officially making her the 9th host in the show’s tumultuous history. Friedman is slated to return as executive producer on the show, which suggests that the game show won’t completely depart from the look and feel of its 2021 unaired pilot.
Despite the success of the contestant and what appears to be a smooth production, the Tic-Tac-Dough pilot was never aired and the show was quietly shelved without an explanation.
Tic-Tac-Dough made its original debut in July 1956 on NBC during daytime television, with the show’s co-creator and co-executive producer Jack Barry serving as host as well. In 1958, the show was caught up in the infamous quiz show scandal of the 1950s, when many popular game shows were accused of rigging games.
Following producer Howard Felsher’s testimony in front of Congress in which he admitted that 75 percent of the show was rigged, he was fired, and the show was ultimately canceled in 1959 before being revived once in 1978 and then again in 1990.
But Tic-Tac-Dough will get another chance. The Game Show Network plans to revive the show with host Brooke Burns sometime in 2025.
