  the $1.98 beauty show is an american game show that aired in syndication from september 1978$1.98 beauty show to september 1980. hosted by rip taylor, the series is a parody of beauty contests, and featured six female contestants (including the occasional overweight ones, not-yet-famous sandra bernhard and actress teresa ganzel,game show favorites and on at least one occasion a male dressed in drag) competing for the title of "$1.98 beauty queen". chuck barris created the series and was executive producer while johnny jacobs announced. ==rules== 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. round 2 features each contestant showcasing their "abilities". round 3 is a swimsuit 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" (taylor's theme song), "oh you beautiful doll", 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 show's bandleader, milton delugg, used all the same musicians from the band heard on the gong show, plus two additional saxophone players for the first season only. although the band pretty much played it straight on the show, one sketch seen in the first seaso
1970s_American_television_series 1978_American_television_series_debuts 1980_American_television_series_endings 1980s_American_television_series American_game_shows Beauty_pageant_parodies English-language_television_programming Fashion-themed_television_series First-run_syndicated_television_programs_in_the_United_States Television_series_by_Barris_Industries Television_series_by_Sony_Pictures_Television Television_series_created_by_Chuck_Barris