10 Memorable Game Show Moments

2. Press Your Luck-Michael Larson€™s Victory

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_EjKKGSXus This remarkable moment, or, rather, string of moments, became so infamous that the involved contestant, Michael Larson, posthumously got his own 90-minute documentary (Big Bucks, the Press Your Luck Scandal). On the May 19th, 1984 episode of the show, viewers were introduced to Michael Larson, a former ice cream truck driver who loved the idea of easy money and, since becoming unemployed, had begun watching game shows obsessively. His fixation on Press Your Luck was soon apparent: in that single episode, Larson hit surprisingly few Whammys (the probability of getting a Whammy during the show€™s original run was 1/6 spins) and earned over $100,000 in cash and prizes. Larson€™s mannerisms during the taping raised suspicion€”he could be seen rejoicing over big wins before they showed up on the gameboard and seemed baffled, rather than happy, at other wins. The game€™s board worked rotated in a few particular patterns, and it was clear that Larson had memorized these patterns to maximize his winnings. CBS tried to deny him of his earnings, but the game€™s rules did not justify his disqualification. Prosperity on the show did not mean later success for Larson. After losing a large sum of money in a Ponzi scheme, he was willing to go to any length to earn his cash back, and was on the run from authorities until his death from throat cancer in 1999. Larson€™s time on Press Your Luck was banned from the airwaves for years, but has more recently been broadcast on GSN and in smaller clips on various programs.