The Better Sex

Infobox Television
show_name = The Better Sex


caption = The Better Sex titlecard
format = Game show
camera =
picture_format =
runtime = 30 minutes
creator = Mark Goodson-Bill Todman productions
starring = Bill Anderson, Sarah Purcell (co-hosts)
Gene Wood (announcer)
country = USA
network = ABC
first_aired = July 18, 1977
last_aired = December 30, 1977

"The Better Sex" was a television game show in the United States where men competed against women in a "battle of the sexes" format. The Mark Goodson-Bill Todman production ran on ABC from July 18 to December 30, 1977. The show had two hosts, one male and one female; each one acted as a leader to the team of the appropriate sex. The male host was country music singer Bill Anderson, and the female host was Sarah Purcell. Gene Wood was the announcer.

Main game

The show pitted two teams of six men and six women in a battle-of-the-sexes elimination game that combined elements of "Family Feud" and "Hollywood Squares".Fact|date=January 2008 One member of the team in control was asked a question, either general-knowledge or survey. The contestant was then was handed a card which contained the correct answer and a bluff answer. The player's job was to choose which answer to use to try to fool the opposing team/sex. After the contestant made his/her choice, up to three members of the other team decided to either agree or disagree on the answer. Only two could agree or disagree and once they did, the correct answer was then revealed. If the two players made an incorrect judgment, they were knocked out of the game. If they made a correct judgment, they stayed in the game, the player offering the answer was knocked out along with a teammate of the opposing team's choice; additionally, that team took control of the next question.

When a team was down to two players and could not agree whether an answer was correct or a bluff, the second player was given a chance to convince the first that he or she was correct. If they still disagreed with each other, the answer given by the first of the two players was taken.

The first team to eliminate the other team won the game, $1,000 and a chance to play for $5,000 in the bonus game.

Bonus game

In the bonus game, the winning team faced 30 members of the opposite sex in the studio audience. One at a time, each team member was asked a question, then was handed a card which showed the correct answer "only." The contestant could use that answer or come up with a bluff of his or her own. After the player gave an answer, the audience members then voted to agree or disagree on the answer. Each audience member held a paddle-shaped electronic device which displayed their choice. The correct answer was revealed, and any audience members who voted wrong were eliminated and sat down.

Play continued until all six questions were played. If any audience members were left standing, the team lost and the audience survivors split $500, but if all 30 audience members were knocked out in six questions or less, the winning team split $5,000.

Teams stayed on the show until they lost twice or reached a winnings limit of $25,000 (achieved only once by a men's team).

Episode status

The status of the show unknown and was one of the last daytime shows to be wiped by ABC. However, four episodes are known to exist among collectors: the pilot, the finale, and two other general episodes (of which GSN has possession).

External links

* [http://70.85.192.194/~loogsla/gameshow/rules/bettersex.shtml The Better Sex rule page] Dead link|date=June 2008
* [http://www.mikeburger.com/pilots/better_sex/better_sex.html The Better Sex Pilot Page] Dead link|date=June 2008