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Worst 7 game shows on telly - and ITV classic is number one

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I also can't fault The Chase and its spin-off Beat the Chasers. It's hard to believe the original format has been going since 2009 - Bradley Walsh still brings his A-game and the chasers themselves are able to riff off each other in a way that never feels tired.

Of course, there have been some stinkers. Here's my seven worst of the worst - and don't hate me if one of your favourites is on there.

imageNoel Edmonds was bad enough - bring in Stephen Mulhern and you've got a recipe for me switching off. Deal or No Deal has actually been branded a "social experiment" by some discerning fans on Reddit, with one writing: "They manage to find a bunch of try-hards who'll play along with the pantomime while pretending they're doing something skilful, and no matter what the UK general public will root against them."

Given that the entire game is down to chance and revolves around people literally opening boxes, interrupted by the occasional phone call, I don't know how this show got commissioned in the first place. Try pitching that concept in an elevator.

" data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-portal-copyright="Channel 4" data-licensor-name="Channel 4" /> image imageNow not even Bradley Walsh can save it. The banter is just missing - and sometimes the celebrities seem like they're on such a different level to the contestants that it's painful to watch.

If anything deserves a revival, it's Golden Balls.

" data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-portal-copyright="BBC" data-licensor-name="BBC" /> imageOnly Connect, how I wish I could love you. I've got friends who play this game at home along with the TV and keep their scores written down, so my first time watching I had high hopes for the Victoria Coren Mitchell programme.

But, like with QI, I find it impossible to get any of the answers right. The connections are sometimes so arbitrary that it feels like the odds of getting the correct answer are one in a million.

Sure, it's tense. Victoria is witty. And I'm in awe of the contestants who somehow know how to link animal noises written out phonetically - and predict the end of a baffling sequence. They're braver than I am.

" data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-portal-copyright="BBC" data-licensor-name="BBC" /> imagePointless should have ended when Richard Osman quit, and nothing will change my mind. Now with a revolving door of guest presenters alongside Alexander Armstrong, the show itself offers ‘pointless' prizes - often of a measly £1000 top prize.

When it first launched, the concept - pick an answer nobody else in 100 people surveyed has picked - was interesting. The celebrity version still sometimes manages to be entertaining. But when the stakes are so low, it's hard to get invested.

" data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-portal-copyright="BBC" data-licensor-name="BBC" /> imageRichard Osman ditched Armstrong, it was obviously time for him to launch his own attempt at a quiz show, and House of Games was what we got.

I'm not sure what exactly I can't stand about it - the quiet, gentle atmosphere in the studio; the cast pretending they're filming on separate days; the ‘quirky' rounds Osman clearly thinks are ingenious but are actually grating after two or three watches.

Don't make me play another round of Answer Smash, I beg you.

" data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-portal-copyright="BBC" data-licensor-name="BBC" /> imageTipping Point. Hosted by the ever unaffected Ben Shephard, viewers get to watch as contestants line up to play a giant version of the 2p falls from Blackpool pier.

Of course, there are some mega prizes on offer. Past players have scooped everything from a bouquet of flowers delivered every month for a year, to an open air cinema experience. Just what I wanted when I was six.

That's to say nothing of the quality of the questions. While I might be left scratching my head at Only Connect, at least I know I'd get "what animal does a pork chop derive from?" right.

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