1950s quiz show scandals

From 1956 to 1958, numerous quiz shows airing on CBS and NBC, two of the three American TV networks at the time, were revealed to have prearranged outcomes, such as certain contestants winning after being given the answers before filming by producers. These shows had claimed to be objective and fair competitions, and often involved high-stakes money rewards. These revelations shocked the public, and led to numerous changes in television, which was a new and growing medium.

Executives of the networks claimed that, along with the public, they too were victims of the scandals, and that the shows' producers and contestants were responsible. The U.S. Congress investigated the scandals, and amended the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit TV networks from prearranging the outcomes of quiz shows.

Certain conspirators were not able to work in television ever again. All of the shows involved—including The $64,000 Question and The $64,000 Challenge, The Big Surprise, Dotto, For Love or Money, Tic-Tac-Dough, and Twenty-One—were cancelled. The TV quiz show format gained a stigma among the public which only went away after Jeopardy!, a legitimate show, debuted in 1964. It became standard practice for quiz shows' networks and producers to monitor the competitions for cheating. The Twenty-One scandal was portrayed in the 1994 film Quiz Show.