The $1.98 Beauty Show is an American game show

Game show

A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...

 that aired in syndication from September 1978 to September 1980.

Hosted by Rip Taylor

Rip Taylor

Charles Elmer "Rip" Taylor, Jr. is an American actor and comedian.-Early life:Taylor was born in Washington, D.C., the son of Elizabeth, a waitress, and Charles Elmer Taylor, Sr., a musician. As a young man, Taylor served in the Korean War while in the U.S...

, the series is a parody

Parody

A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...

 of beauty contest

Beauty contest

A beauty pageant or beauty contest, is a competition that mainly focuses on the physical beauty of its contestants, although such contests often incorporate personality, talent, and answers to judges' questions as judged criteria...

s, and featured six female contestants (including the occasional overweight ones, not-yet-famous Sandra Bernhard

Sandra Bernhard

Sandra Bernhard is an American comedian, singer, actress and author. She first gained attention in the late 1970s with her stand-up comedy in which she often bitterly critiques celebrity culture and political figures. Bernhard is number 97 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 greatest standups of...

 and actress Teresa Ganzel

Teresa Ganzel

Teresa Ganzel is an actress, comedienne, and cartoon voice-over actress.-Career:Teresa Ganzel was best known as a recurring cast member of The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson, having replaced the late Carol Wayne as the Matinee Lady in the popular "Mighty Carson Art Players" skits...

, and on at least one occasion a male dressed in drag) competing for the title of "$1.98 Beauty Queen".

Chuck Barris

Chuck Barris

Charles Hirsch "Chuck" Barris is an American game show producer, film director and presenter best known for hosting The Gong Show and creating The Dating Game. Barris, a survivor of lung cancer, is also an author and claims to have worked for the CIA.-Early career:Barris was born in Oakland, New...

 created the series and was executive producer while Johnny Jacobs

Johnny Jacobs

John Byron Jacobs was an American television announcer, often for Chuck Barris productions...

 announced.

Rules

The show consists of three rounds, during which each contestant is judged by three celebrity panelists. These include Jaye P. Morgan

Jaye P. Morgan

Mary Margaret Morgan , known professionally as Jaye P. Morgan, is a retired popular music American singer, actress and game show panelist.-Early life:...

, Jamie Farr

Jamie Farr

Jamie Farr is an American television, film, and theater actor. He is best known for having played the role of cross-dressing Corporal Maxwell Q. Klinger in the television sitcom M*A*S*H.-Early life:...

, Steve Garvey

Steve Garvey

Steven Patrick Garvey , nicknamed "Mr. Clean" because of the squeaky clean image he held throughout his career in baseball, is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and current Southern California businessman...

, Louis Nye

Louis Nye

Louis Nye was an American comedy actor.-Early years:He was born Louis Neistat in Hartford, Connecticut, the son of Joseph Neistat and Jennie Sherman . His sister was Rose Neistat...

, Marty Allen

Marty Allen

Marty Allen may refer to:*Marty Allen , American actor and comedian*Martin Allen , former head of Computervision*"Marty Allen" a former disc jockey at WCZX Radio in Poughkeepsie, NY...

, and The Unknown Comic

The Unknown Comic

The Unknown Comic is the stage name of Canadian-American actor and stand-up comic Murray Langston , best known for his comic performances on The Gong Show, usually appearing with a paper bag over his head....

 (Murray Langston). Emcee Taylor introduces the contestants one at a time.

Round 2 features each contestant showcasing their "abilities". Round 3 is a swimsuit

Swimsuit

A swimsuit, bathing suit, or swimming costume is an item of clothing designed to be worn by men, women or children while they are engaging in a water-based activity or water sports, such as swimming, water polo, diving, surfing, water skiing, or during activities in the sun, such as sun bathing.A...

 competition, in which 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 episode's ugliest contestant); that contestant is then presented with a tacky plastic crown, rotten vegetables as a bouquet, and the titular cash prize of $1.98, which Taylor dispenses from a coin holder on his belt.

Music cues

Music cues used on this show include "Happy Days Are Here Again

Happy Days Are Here Again

"Happy Days Are Here Again" is a song copyrighted in 1929 by Milton Ager and Jack Yellen and published by EMI Robbins Catalog, Inc./Advanced Music Corp...

" (Taylor's theme song), "Oh You Beautiful Doll", and "Ain't She Sweet

Ain't She Sweet

Ain't She Sweet was an American album featuring four tracks recorded in Hamburg in 1961 by The Beatles featuring Tony Sheridan and cover versions of Beatles and British Invasion-era songs recorded by the Swallows...

". In addition, Taylor serenades the winning contestant as a parody of Bert Parks

Bert Parks

Bert Parks, born Bertram Jacobson , was an American actor, singer, and radio and television announcer, best known for hosting the annual Miss America telecast from 1955 to 1979....

 having done the same on the Miss America

Miss America

The Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...

 Pageant.

The show's bandleader, Milton DeLugg

Milton DeLugg

Milton DeLugg is an American composer and arranger.-Biography:A talented accordionist, he appeared in short Soundies musicals and occasional movies . He quickly became a successful arranger and composer...

, used all the same musicians from the band heard on The Gong Show

The Gong Show

The Gong Show is an amateur talent contest franchised by Sony Pictures Television to many countries. It was broadcast on NBC's daytime schedule from June 14, 1976 through July 21, 1978, and in first-run syndication from 1976–1980 and 1988–1989. The show was produced by Chuck Barris, who also served...

, plus two additional saxophone

Saxophone

The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...

players for the first season only. Although the band pretty much played it straight on the show, one sketch seen in the first season featured a contestant who played the harmonica so horribly, most of her airtime was given to closeups of DeLugg and the other musicians playing their hot jazz licks.

Background

The ridiculous format was Barris' very subtle way of mocking televised beauty contests in which the least attractive contestant often won the "beauty" prize. The announcer told the jokes while the comedian did the announcing and the three celebrity guests did not actually judge the contestants. The whole "contest" was fake because the outcome was previously arranged, as was noted in the introductory monologue by the announcer and the fine print of the closing credits of each episode.