$1.98 Beauty Show
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| $1.98 Beauty Show | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Game Show |
| Presented by | Rip Taylor |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | approx. 78 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 is an American weekly syndicated television show hosted by Rip Taylor. It is a parody of beauty contests, featuring six female contestants (including the occasional overweight contestants, not-yet-famous Sandra Bernhard, 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 announces and Chuck Barris is the creator and executive producer.
The show consists of three rounds, during which each contestant is judged by three celebrity panelists. These include Jaye P. Morgan, Jamie Farr, Steve Garvey, Louis Nye, Marty Allen, and The Unknown Comic (Murray Langston). Emcee Taylor introduces the contestants one at a time. The second round features each contestant showcasing their "abilities." The third round is a swimsuit competition: emcee Taylor ushers the contenders on stage, and announcer Jacobs cracks jokes about their vital statistics and hobbies. At the end of each show, Taylor announces the "$1.98 Beauty of the Week" (sometimes the show's ugliest contestant); that contestant is 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 include "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 serenades 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, as was noted in the fine print of the closing credits of each episode of the show.
