Celebrities Who Were on Game Shows

Jon Hamm is no stranger to being on TV. The award-winning actor portrayed protagonist Don Draper for almost a decade on the critically acclaimed Mad Men. However, long before his pretend advertising days, Hamm appeared on a different kind of TV show - dating show, to be precise. 

Way back in the '90s, Hamm was once a contestant on the game show, The Big Date, which aired on the USA network. Hosted by Mark Walberg, this show featured plenty of good-looking young people looking for "love." Unfortunately for Hamm, he ended up getting the axe on his episode. 

Is there anything that Arnold Schwarzenegger can't do? He's been a bodybuilder, he's been an action star, and he's even tried his hand at governing a state. However, we've got something else to add to his resume--contestant on the classic game show The Dating Game. 

With a run from the early '70s to the late '80s, The Dating Game saw hundreds of contestants hoping to find "the one" via a game show. However, there weren't many contestants who ended up more famous than the Terminator himself. That being said, at the time, Schwarzenegger was not the household name he is today. 

Vanna White is a celebrity that's no stranger to game shows. Since 1982, she's been the smiling hostess and tile-turner for the always-popular game show Wheel of Fortune. But before she landed this cushy and long-lasting gig, she was an excited contestant on another game show staple. 

Way back in 1980, two years before she would appear on Wheel of Fortune, Vanna White was a contestant on The Price is Right. While she caught Bob Barker's attention in contestants' row with a Barker-themed t-shirt, that was pretty much the only bright spot in her appearance. She eventually made it up on stage but couldn't manage a win on her game. 

He might be known to the world now as Jesse Pinkman from Breaking Bad, but before his rise to TV superstardom, he was simply another excited contestant on a classic game show. 

Like several other stars on this list, Aaron Paul was once a contestant on The Price is Right before he became a celebrity. Even though he would go on to be super famous, Paul's appearance was very much in line with your stereotypical contestant--hilariously excited to be on the show. 

Kirstie Alley is famous for doing everything from acting to hawking weight loss solutions. However, back in the 1970s, she was merely an interior designer. But despite her humble origins, she still managed to make an appearance on TV - thanks to one of the most iconic game shows at the time. 

During her interior design days, Alley found time to be a contestant on The Match Game. In fact, she made several appearances on the show. Little did we know, we'd be seeing a lot more of this midwestern gal in the coming years after her stint on the game show. 

John Ritter was most famous for his hilarious role on the late '70s sitcom Three's Company, but before the world knew him as Jack Tripper, he was merely referred to as "Bachelor Number Two." 

When he was all of nineteen years old, John Ritter was a contestant on The Dating Game. Describing himself as "a future millionaire" Ritter charmed his way to victory and was ultimately chosen as the winning bachelor for his episode. It might not have been a match made in heaven, but it was a good bit of exposure for the aspiring actor. 

Before he became a boy band sensation as part of the Backstreet Boys, singer AJ McLean was just a plain ole boy. And shortly before his meteoric rise to fame with the group, he was featured on a Nickelodeon game show meant to push contestants to their physical limits. 

In 1992 at age 14, McLean was a contestant on the sports-themed game show GUTS. Interestingly, it wasn't long after his appearance that he became a part of the Backstreet Boys--he auditioned for the group only a few months after his game show run. 

Let's be honest--there was never a point in her life when the gorgeous Farrah Fawcett didn't have her choice of men. As one of the stars of the original Charlie's Angels, this blonde bombshell had no problems finding eligible suitors. However, thanks to her game show appearance, she found herself literally choosing between bachelors. 

In the late 1960s, Fawcett made an appearance on The Dating Game as the lucky lady making her choice between three hopeful men. It doesn't appear that she and her chosen beau were meant to be, but they did get a nice skiing vacation to Austria out of the whole thing. 

Before she was Lady Gaga, she was Stefani Germanotta, unsuspecting game show contestant. This award-winning musician and artist lost her cool during an early game show appearance, but thankfully that was the whole point of the show. 

Unbeknownst to her at the time, Lady Gaga was a part of MTV's Boiling Points--a game show where unsuspecting contestants are put into situations designed to infuriate them. In her case, she was served a salad filled with garbage, which ultimately had her seeing red. 

Joey Fatone was a member of one of the biggest boy bands of the 1990s--N'Sync. While he might not have reached the same heights of fame as fellow member Justin Timberlake, Fatone has done just fine for himself in the celebrity department. But before all that, he was a contestant on one of the coolest game shows of the decade. 

In 1997, Fatone was a contestant on the Nickelodeon game show Nick Arcade. The high-tech (for the time) show was all about putting contestants into arcade video games (obviously with a lot of generous help from green screens). Unfortunately, Fatone's team didn't end up winning their episode. 

Simon Cowell is one of the most recognizable (and reviled) game show personalities in history. As one of the original judges on the singing competition American Idol, Cowell made a name for himself by dashing people's dreams and letting them know just how much he hated their singing. 

But before all that, he had a small appearance on another game show--Sale of the Century. This was a general quiz show where contestants could win money and other prizes. And win he did! Cowell, who was introduced as a record producer from London, ended up winning is episode and taking home a nice set of kitchen utensils. 

For nearly a decade, Cynthia Nixon played Miranda Hobbes, as well as the spin-off movies. However, long before she took a role on what was a very raunchy TV show, Nixon made a TV appearance that was much more family friendly. 

As a child, Nixon's mother worked on the game show To Tell the Truth, a game where a panel of celebrities had to figure out which of the three contestants where telling the truth and which two were lying about who they were. Nixon appeared on an episode trying to convince the panel that she was a professional horseback rider. 

Tom Selleck doesn't need any help in the world of romance. He's basically been trying to ward off the hordes of adoring women ever since he (and his iconic mustache) appeared on our TV screens on the 1980s show Magnum P.I. However, as his game show appearances attest, he's not always had such a way with the ladies. 

Back in the 1960s, Selleck was a hopeful bachelor not once but twice on The Dating Game. No one in their right mind would say no to Selleck these days, but back then he wasn't as famous, which unfortunately led to him being rejected during both of his appearances on the show. 

Linda Cardellini has had a run of successful TV appearances since her debut as the protagonist of Freaks and Geeks way back in 1999. From ER to Scooby Doo, she's done a little bit of everything in the acting world. And like all the actors on this list, she first showed up on our TV screens long before anyone knew who she was. 

In 1994, when Cardellini was just 19, she made an appearance as a contestant on The Price is Right. And unlike some celebs who went home from the show empty handed (we're looking at you, Vanna White!), she managed to win big...sort of. It might not have been a new car but Cardellini did end up winning a fireplace that she says she still has to this day. 

The show might have been named after Ray Romano, but Brad Garrett was the breakout star of Everybody Loves Raymond. Playing Raymond's forever-mopey, basso profundo brother, Robert, Garrett made audiences laugh for all nine seasons that the show ran. 

While that may have been his first major role as an actor, it was definitely not his first time on TV. Garrett made appearances as a celebrity guest on several game shows, including Super Password, Hollywood Squares, and The Match Game.