Editing The Gong Show (section)

==Format==
Each show presented a competition of amateur performers of often dubious talent, with a panel of three celebrity judges. If any judge considered an act to be particularly bad, they could force it to stop by striking a large [[gong]], a trope adapted from the durable radio show ''[[Major Bowes Amateur Hour]]''.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cX90070bb7w Jamie Farr. "The Gong Show" Foundation Interviews. Emmy TV Legends.]</ref> The host would then ask the judges in question why they had gonged the act, usually receiving a facetious response. Judges had to let each act run for a set minimum length of time before they could gong it, and any act that ended before reaching this length would be automatically disqualified.

Any act that survived without being gonged was given a score by each of the three judges on a scale of 0 to 10, for a maximum possible score of 30. On the NBC series, the contestant who achieved the highest combined score won the grand prize: a check for $516.32 (a "highly unusual amount", in Barris's words; reportedly the [[Screen Actors Guild]]'s minimum pay for a day's work at the time) and a "Golden Gong" trophy. In the show's opening monologue, Barris would describe the amount as "five hundred and sixteen big ones, and thirty-two little ones". The syndicated series' top prize was originally $712.05 (the first episode was $996.83) and later increased to $716.32.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Gong Show|url=http://www.tvparty.com/recgong.html|publisher=TVparty|access-date=6 July 2015}}</ref> In the event of a tie, three different tiebreakers were used at various times during the show's run. Originally the studio audience determined the winner by applause, but this was later changed to a decision by the producers, and later by the celebrity judges. On a few, rare occasions, both winning acts each received a check and a trophy. No prize was awarded if all of the acts on a particular episode were gonged, which occurred at least twice. Runners-up received various prizes; [[Maureen Orth]], on her February 24, 1977, appearance, reported receiving a [[clothes iron]] valued at $33.95 for her second-place finish.<ref name=maureenorth>{{cite web|url=https://maureenorth.com/1977/02/gong-show-contestant/|title=Gong Show contestant|first=Maureen|last=Orth|date=February 24, 2019|access-date=February 24, 2019}}</ref>

The original program's regular judges included [[Jamie Farr]], [[Jaye P. Morgan]], [[Arte Johnson]], [[Patty Andrews]], [[Steve Garvey]], [[Anson Williams]], [[Rex Reed]], [[Pat McCormick (actor)|Pat McCormick]], [[Rip Taylor]], [[Phyllis Diller]], [[Charlie Brill]], [[Mitzi McCall]] and [[Wayland Flowers]]. Throughout the program's run, several other celebrities occasionally appeared as judges including [[David Letterman]], [[Steve Martin]], [[Mort Sahl]], [[Pat Paulsen]], [[Chuck Woolery]], [[Allen Ludden]], [[Sandy Duncan]] and [[Mabel King]].

When Barris announced the final score, [[Dwarfism|little person]] actor [[Jerry Maren]] (a former [[Munchkin]]) ran onstage in top hat and tails, throwing confetti while balloons dropped from overhead.

The daily ''Gong Show'' also gave out a "Worst Act of the Week" award (later changed to the "Most Outrageous Act of the Week"), selected by the producers and each week's judges. The winner of this award was announced following the trophy presentation on the Friday show, and the performer received a dirty [[tube sock]] and a check for $516.32.

===Legitimate talent===
The two biggest ''Gong Show''-related showbiz successes were [[Andrea McArdle]] and [[Cheryl Lynn]]. Twelve-year-old McArdle appeared on an early episode in 1976, shortly before she won the leading role in the hit [[Broadway musical]] ''[[Annie (musical)|Annie]]''. Following Lynn's ''Gong Show'' appearance in 1976, she received a recording contract with [[Columbia Records]] and recorded the [[Top 40]] [[disco]] hit "[[Got To Be Real]]", released in 1978.

Among the other true talents that appeared on the show were country singer [[Boxcar Willie]]; actor [[Kevin Peter Hall]] who later appeared as the original ''[[Predator (film)|Predator]]'' in the 1987 film and as Harry in ''[[Harry and the Hendersons]]''; comics and actors [[Paul Reubens]] and [[John Paragon]] (best known as [[Pee Wee Herman]] and [[Jambi the Genie]]); [[Joey D'Auria]] ("Dr. Flameo", later [[WGN-TV|WGN]]'s second ''[[Bozo the Clown]]''); impressionist/comic [[Michael Winslow]]; novelty rock band [[Green Jellÿ]];<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/R4b8MbN8oXE Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20141109141826/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4b8MbN8oXE Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|title=Green Jello on the Gong Show| date=8 April 2011 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4b8MbN8oXE&feature=bf_prev&list=ULWdLXPaGNHDE&index=11|publisher=greenjello333|access-date=2011-04-08}}{{cbignore}}</ref> and an unknown band called [[The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo]] which evolved into [[Oingo Boingo]], led by future film and television score composer [[Danny Elfman]]. In 1979, [[Crips]] founder and executed murderer [[Stanley Tookie Williams]] appeared on the show as a bodybuilder. Future Academy Award-nominated actress [[Mare Winningham]] sang the [[Beatles]] song "[[Here, There, and Everywhere]]" on the program in 1976. Future [[Super Bowl XXXV]] winning head coach [[Brian Billick]] also made an appearance, performing a routine known as the "spider monkey". Dancer [[Danny Lockin]], who had played Barnaby in the film ''[[Hello, Dolly! (film)#Principal cast|Hello Dolly!]]'', was murdered hours after winning the show taped August 21, 1977.<ref>{{cite web|title=Danny's Death: A Travesty of Justice|url=http://www.dannylockin.com/death.htm|access-date=6 July 2015}}</ref> Television personality, actress and entrepreneur, [[Rhonda Shear]] appeared on the program in 1979. Journalist [[Maureen Orth]], then writing for ''[[Newsweek]]'', won second-place on a 1977 show, appearing as "The World's Oldest Cheerleader."<ref name=maureenorth/>