$1.98 Beauty Show
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| $1.98 Beauty Show | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Game Show |
| Starring | Rip Taylor Marty Allen Jamie Farr |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | approx. 520 episodes |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Chuck Barris |
| Producer(s) | Paul Pompian |
| Broadcast | |
| Original run | September 4, 1978 – September 1980 |
| External links | |
| IMDb profile | |
The $1.98 Beauty Show was an American syndicated television show hosted by Rip Taylor. The show was a parody of beauty contests, featuring six female contestants (including the occasional overweight contestants, not-yet-famous Sandra Bernhard [1], and once, a male dressed in drag) competing for the title of "$1.98 Beauty Queen". The show first aired in September 1978, and the last episode in September of 1980. Johnny Jacobs announced and Chuck Barris was the creator and executive producer.
The show consisted of three rounds, during which each contestant was judged by three celebrity panelists. Emcee Taylor introduced the contestants one at a time. The second round featured each contestant showcasing their "abilities." The third round was a swimsuit competition: emcee Taylor would usher the contenders on stage, and announcer Jacobs cracked jokes about their vital statistics and hobbies. At the end of each show, Taylor would announce the "$1.98 Beauty of the Week" (sometimes the show's ugliest contestant); that contestant was then presented with a tacky plastic crown, rotten vegetables as a bouquet, and a cash prize of $1.98.
Music cues used on this show included "Happy Days Are Here Again" (Taylor's theme song), "Oh You Beautiful Doll", "Isn't She Lovely?", and "Ain't She Sweet". In addition, Taylor would serenade the winning contestant, as a parody of Bert Parks having done the same on the Miss America Pageant.
The ridiculous format was really Chuck Barris's very subtle way of turning TV beauty contests upside-down. The least attractive contestant often won the "beauty" prize. The announcer told the jokes, while the comedian did the announcing. The three celebrity guests did not judge the show; in fact, they didn't speak at all. The whole "contest" was a fake, because the outcome was previously arranged.
