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Tic-Tac-Dough
Tic-Tac-Dough is an American television game show based on the paper-and-pencil game of tic-tac-toe. Contestants answer trivia questions to put up their respective symbol, X or O, on a tic-tac-toe board. Four versions were produced: the initial 1956–1959 run on NBC, a 1978–1986 run initially on CBS and then in first-run syndication, a syndicated run in 1990, and a 2025 revival on Game Show Network. The show was produced by Barry & Enright Productions. However, the rights to the format are controlled by NBCUniversal.
Jack Barry, the co-producer, was the original host of the 1950s version, followed by Gene Rayburn and then Bill Wendell, with Jay Jackson and Win Elliot hosting prime time adaptations as well. Wink Martindale hosted the network and syndicated version beginning in 1978, but left the program to host and co-produce Headline Chasers and was replaced by Jim Caldwell for the 1985–86 season. Patrick Wayne hosted the 1990 version. In April 2024, GSN announced another revival, to be hosted by Brooke Burns, which premiered on April 14, 2025.
Two contestants attempt to complete a line of three X or O markers on a standard tic-tac-toe board, with nine spaces on it. The returning champion represents X, and the challenger represents O; the game always starts with the player using the X's. Each of the nine spaces on the gameboard features a category. Contestants alternate choosing a category and answering a general interest or trivia question in that category. Getting the question correct puts the contestant's respective letter on the board, while getting it incorrect leaves it unclaimed. The center square, being of the most strategic importance, involves a two-part question, with the contestant given 10 seconds to think of the two answers needed to win the square. After each question, the categories shuffle into different positions; originally, the categories shuffled after each round. A contestant wins the game achieving three X's or three O's in a row, either horizontally (across), vertically (up and down), or diagonally. If it becomes impossible for either contestant to form a winning line, whether or not all nine spaces had been claimed, the game is declared a draw, and a new one began with the pot rolling over.
The gameboard on the original 1950s series used rolling drums (each containing the same nine categories) to display subject categories, with light displays beneath them to indicate X's and O's. When Tic-Tac-Dough was revived in 1978, the gameboard was made up of nine Apple II systems connected to individual computer monitors to represent each game screen, all linked to a central Altair 8800 computer, which displayed the categories, X's and O's, bonus game numbers and amounts, and a dragon, in addition to a moving screensaver and custom messages; it was the first game show to use computerized graphics.
On the original 1950s Tic-Tac-Dough, a winning contestant played until either he/she was defeated or elected to stop; the new champion's initial winnings would be deducted from the outgoing champion's final total. On the 1978 CBS series, contestants played until either being defeated or reaching the network's $25,000 total winnings limit. The syndicated series allowed contestants to play until defeated, and for every five matches that they won, champions were rewarded with a new automobile.
As questions are answered correctly, a money amount is added to a "pot", or amount of money awarded to the winner.
On the original series, the same nine categories were used for an entire match regardless of the number of games played and/or episodes it took. On all subsequent series, each new game featured a different set of nine categories. If there were ties on the original series, the CBS series or the first syndicated series, the pot was carried over to each subsequent game until someone won. In the 1990 series, there was no carryover of the pot from a tied game. Instead, the values of the outer boxes increased by $500 and the center box by $1,000 until the tie was broken.
For each tie game before being defeated, losing challengers received $100 on the 1950s version and $250 from 1979 to 1986; champions who eventually lost the match after a tie game did not receive any additional money.
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Tic-Tac-Dough AI simulator
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Tic-Tac-Dough
Tic-Tac-Dough is an American television game show based on the paper-and-pencil game of tic-tac-toe. Contestants answer trivia questions to put up their respective symbol, X or O, on a tic-tac-toe board. Four versions were produced: the initial 1956–1959 run on NBC, a 1978–1986 run initially on CBS and then in first-run syndication, a syndicated run in 1990, and a 2025 revival on Game Show Network. The show was produced by Barry & Enright Productions. However, the rights to the format are controlled by NBCUniversal.
Jack Barry, the co-producer, was the original host of the 1950s version, followed by Gene Rayburn and then Bill Wendell, with Jay Jackson and Win Elliot hosting prime time adaptations as well. Wink Martindale hosted the network and syndicated version beginning in 1978, but left the program to host and co-produce Headline Chasers and was replaced by Jim Caldwell for the 1985–86 season. Patrick Wayne hosted the 1990 version. In April 2024, GSN announced another revival, to be hosted by Brooke Burns, which premiered on April 14, 2025.
Two contestants attempt to complete a line of three X or O markers on a standard tic-tac-toe board, with nine spaces on it. The returning champion represents X, and the challenger represents O; the game always starts with the player using the X's. Each of the nine spaces on the gameboard features a category. Contestants alternate choosing a category and answering a general interest or trivia question in that category. Getting the question correct puts the contestant's respective letter on the board, while getting it incorrect leaves it unclaimed. The center square, being of the most strategic importance, involves a two-part question, with the contestant given 10 seconds to think of the two answers needed to win the square. After each question, the categories shuffle into different positions; originally, the categories shuffled after each round. A contestant wins the game achieving three X's or three O's in a row, either horizontally (across), vertically (up and down), or diagonally. If it becomes impossible for either contestant to form a winning line, whether or not all nine spaces had been claimed, the game is declared a draw, and a new one began with the pot rolling over.
The gameboard on the original 1950s series used rolling drums (each containing the same nine categories) to display subject categories, with light displays beneath them to indicate X's and O's. When Tic-Tac-Dough was revived in 1978, the gameboard was made up of nine Apple II systems connected to individual computer monitors to represent each game screen, all linked to a central Altair 8800 computer, which displayed the categories, X's and O's, bonus game numbers and amounts, and a dragon, in addition to a moving screensaver and custom messages; it was the first game show to use computerized graphics.
On the original 1950s Tic-Tac-Dough, a winning contestant played until either he/she was defeated or elected to stop; the new champion's initial winnings would be deducted from the outgoing champion's final total. On the 1978 CBS series, contestants played until either being defeated or reaching the network's $25,000 total winnings limit. The syndicated series allowed contestants to play until defeated, and for every five matches that they won, champions were rewarded with a new automobile.
As questions are answered correctly, a money amount is added to a "pot", or amount of money awarded to the winner.
On the original series, the same nine categories were used for an entire match regardless of the number of games played and/or episodes it took. On all subsequent series, each new game featured a different set of nine categories. If there were ties on the original series, the CBS series or the first syndicated series, the pot was carried over to each subsequent game until someone won. In the 1990 series, there was no carryover of the pot from a tied game. Instead, the values of the outer boxes increased by $500 and the center box by $1,000 until the tie was broken.
For each tie game before being defeated, losing challengers received $100 on the 1950s version and $250 from 1979 to 1986; champions who eventually lost the match after a tie game did not receive any additional money.