3's a Crowd

Three's a Crowd (also known as 3's a Crowd) is an American game show originally packaged by Chuck Barris Productions. The first version aired in syndication from September 17, 1979 to February 1, 1980. The second version ran in 1999 on Game Show Network. This is not to be confused with the 1984 sitcom Three's a Crowd.

Why It Sucks

 * 1) Jim Peck asking probing questions of a male contestant, and then his wife and secretary, to determine which of the two knew him better, is a pretty inappropriate subject for a game show.
 * 2) The format's a lazy rehash of The Newlywed Game.
 * 3) This show led to all of Chuck Barris' game shows being cancelled (The Newlywed Game, The Dating Game, and The Gong Show), and Barris never got another original game show on the air again before retiring to France at the end of the 1980s.
 * 4) The set's pretty ugly-looking, with its bare-bones, poorly-lit set, complete with ratty carpet at its center.
 * 5) Some episodes had physicality. For example, the first episode had a fight break out on-set.
 * 6) According to Game Show historian Adam Nedeff, the show was responsible for twelve divorces, one person being fired from her job, and protests from the United Auto Workers and the National Organization for Women. Furthermore, the contestants were not allowed to leave the set until the host, Jim Peck, was locked in his dressing room, which was rather pointless.

The Only Redeeming Quality

 * 1) Jim Peck is a great host.

Trivia

 * This show was the 94th entry in David Hofstede's book What Were They Thinking? The 100 Dumbest Events In Television History.