In Alphabetical Order, with their definitions in my common usage:

AJJ: see Johnson, Amy Jo

Alexander, Chico: a.k.a. Chico the Man. Fellow game show fan and creator of the play-by-email game show FastTalkers. Member of the Ruly Mob.

Anaheim: southern California suburban town in which I live. Known for Disneyland, the Ducks and the Angels (and eventually me!).

Antoniewicz, Jason: a.k.a. Jason Anthony, JasonA1. Youthful board game and game show aficionado, PYLP regular, and master quizwright. See Smith, Don; quizwright.

Announcerman: see West, Randy

ATGS: see Big Board.

Autism: developmental disability (with which I am simultaneously cursed and blessed) usually resulting in what can only be described as constant "sensory overload."

Badass: someone with truly exceptional skill or talent; also used to describe someone with class, intelligence, honor, a (usually) temperate disposition, and general coolness.

Barry, Jack: sleepy-eyed but quick-witted broadcaster, producer and game show creator; disgraced by the 1950's quiz show scandals, but made a comeback in 1972 with my all-time favorite game show, The Joker's Wild. One of my primary inspirations to get into television. See Bullseye; Joker's Wild, The; Project: Bullseye; Twenty-One

Baseball, Basketball and Boxing: favorite sports of mine. More interested in the latter of late, since I now participate in it to some extent

Bash Brothers: see Tierney, Brian and Tierney, Shayn

Big Board: Invision message board where most of the online game show fan community gather to discuss game shows events affecting them. Formerly inhabited ezBoard. Many members (including myself) are refugees from the now troll-controlled Usenet newsgroup alt.tv.game.shows (a.k.a. ATGS).

Big Chuck Dogg: see Woolery, Chuck

Blockbuster Video: worldwide video chain; former employer of one "Game Show Man."

Boden, Bob: a.k.a. The Original Game Show Man, TV Bob, Lord Boden-Bob. Ousted programming boss of what was once known as Game Show Network. Perhaps the biggest game show fan on Earth; owns a massive collection of game show props, including many retired The Price is Right pricing game set-ups.

Bodies in Motion: relatively small California gym chain of which I'm a member; well known for its high-quality classes, especially boxing and kickboxing

Boo-yah: declaration of triumph, either your own or that of a friend.

Brown, Alton: a.k.a. The Culinary Mr. Wizard. Wisecracking videographer turned cooking show host; hosts Good Eats on Food Network

Bullseye: early 80's quiz show produced by Jack Barry and Dan Enright, well known for its high-tech spiral-covered game board; see Project: Bullseye

Bully: declaration of approval.

Card Sharks: classic 70's and 80's game show produced by Goodson-Todman, known for its giant playing cards and thought (and laugh) provoking survey questions.

Chuck Daddy G: see Gibson, Chuck

Clark, Dick: a.k.a. America's Oldest Living Teenager, King Clarkenkahmmen. Legendary broadcaster and television producer. Known in the history books as the host of American Bandstand, but better known to game show fans as the host (and master cluesmith) of The $10,000 Pyramid and its successors until 1989. One of my primary inspirations to get into television.

Deadlands: "pencil-and-paper" roleplaying game set in an alternate Old West with steampunk technology, a prolonged Civil War and more monsters and zombies than you can shake a Colt Peacemaker at. See Tierney, Brian; Tierney, Shayn.

Depew, Jerry: a.k.a. Monarx the Fox. Fellow game show fan and regular of the PYLP. Member of the Ruly Mob. See Smith, Don.

El Todd-o: see Newton, Todd.

Excellamundo: superlative declaration of approval

FredSmythe: see Lemon, Chris

FremantleMedia: a.k.a. Pearson Television. International media conglomerate presently in possession of the production rights for most of the best-known game shows in the world. Sometimes known as "Pierce and Dismantle" for its annoying tendency to tinker with proven formats in an ill-advised attempt to appeal to younger demographics; otherwise a stalwart of (usually) good television. Presently having great success with its Fox Network talent show American Idol and the revival Whammy: The All-New Press Your Luck (presently a good candidate for syndication since its cable home, GSN, is starting to disintegrate into mediocrity). See Ilegan, Mandel; Newton, Todd.

Game Show Man: a.k.a. GSMan, The Anaheimian Avenger, The Czar of Russian Roulette, The Master of Games. Hobby gamer and game show fan/host in training, yours truly. I picked out the nickname while I was in college; at first I was going to call myself "the Tommy Gun," but I decided it was too violent and didn't have anything to do with game shows. I was almost the G-man, but I found out that G. Gordon Liddy had taken that name. I thought about "Gameman," but it didn't sound quite right. I lengthened it to Game Show Man, and the name just roooooolled off my tongue. Boo-yah.

Gibson, Chuck: a.k.a. Chuck Daddy G, General Blitz. Lovably (and sometime hateably) loudmouth member of the Ruly Mob and a definite Badass. Newspaper man out of Pennsylvania, known for his love of feet, beer, game shows and football.

G., Keren: gorgeous young savateuse (female practitioner of the French kickboxing style "savate"), kickboxer, exercise instructor and Badass. One of the few members of the Ruly Mob to never have been met within the realm of the Internet.

Hernandez, Jason: a.k.a. Riverside Dimple, Stimpy JD. Resident of Riverside, California. Fellow game show fan, regular visitor of WWTBAM-Play It and Los Angeles-area sports team booster. Charter member of the Ruly Mob. See: WWTBAM-Play It.

Hero System: statistics-intensive, tactically rich and highly versatile mechanics set used to play "pencil-and-paper" roleplaying games. First used in the superhero game Champions.

Ilegan, Mandel: Harvard graduate presently in the employ of game and "reality" show kingpin FremantleMedia as its (not always effective) secret weapon against ignorance of classic game shows. Helped develop Whammy!: The All-New Press Your Luck and American Idol. Previously won $5,000 on the 1998 version of the comedy game show Match Game. (hey Mandel, if you guys are working on a new Match Game, make sure ya give me a call for runthroughs, would ya please?)

Indeed: good point.

Johnson, Amy Jo: a.k.a. AJJ, Sexy Amy, Game Show Man's Favorite Female Celebrity in the Cosmos, the Sexiest Woman in the World, the Object of My (Non-Violent, Not All-Time-Consuming, Not Gonna Stalk Her 'cause It's Not Worth It) Obsession. Badass gymnast-turned-entertainer from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, adopted hometown of Match Game host Gene Rayburn. Best known to the high school class of 2004 as Kimberly Hart, the original Pink Power Ranger; to WB watchers as angsty Julie Emrick, best friend of the title character on Felicity; to Lifetime viewers as the newest member of the cast of The Division; to indie film viewers as "anorexic" vampire Alicia in Cold Hearts (directed by honorary Ruly Mob member Robert Masciantonio, who will be promoted to charter member should he make "formal" contact with me), and comical sex addict Laura in Bob Gale's Interstate 60; and to me as the star of all my wildest (non game show) fantasies (;D). Honorary member of the Ruly Mob, to be promoted to charter member should formal contact be established.

Joker's Wild, The: a.k.a. The Game Where Knowledge is King and Lady Luck is Queen. Classic slot machine based quiz show of the 70's and 80's. My favorite game show of all time.

Klauss, Mike: a.k.a. Mike The K, HM TripleCrown. Former webmaster of TV-Gameshows.com. Amateur game show creator and quizwright. Aspring educator, former Phone-A-Friend, fellow poker player and Badass.

Lambert, Chris: a.k.a. The Master of the Lingo Butt Dance, Chri$ L. Webmaster of the Internet's first game show fan page. Member of the Ruly Mob.

Lemon, Chris: a.k.a. FredSmythe. Computer programmer from central California in the employ of Atari (!?!?!). Well-known and well-spoken regular of the Big Board.

Lingo: massively popular GSN original consisting of a hybrid of a team word game and bingo.

Livingston, Dave: Michigan-based game show (and Dallas) fan; fellow Card Sharks and The Joker's Wild junkie. Webmaster of GameShow-Galaxy.net and member of the Ruly Mob.

Lollie, Justin: a.k.a. J. Alexander Lollie, The Weapon of Mass Deduction, Mr. Longshot. Fellow game show fan, Badass and charter member of the Ruly Mob; perhaps its most controversial member due to his vehement political beliefs and perhaps the only person on Earth I even consider talking to concerning such matters; I absolutely despise politics…what my political beliefs are (if any) you'll have to figure out yourself, since I have no real interest in discussing them. The Internet's premier quizwright (why the hell this man has not found or been offered gainful employment as a professional question writer is beyond me).

Ludden, Allen: late host of Password. Perhaps the classiest of all game show hosts throughout the history of television; voted the #1 host of all time by TV Guide. One of my very favorites.

Master of the Lingo Butt Dance, The: see Lambert, Chris

Master of the Showdown Dice, The: see Morris, Doug

Match Game: classic comedy game show of the 60's, 70's and 80's. I was a contestant on the infamous 1998 edition.

Monarx the Fox: see Depew, Jerry.

Morris, Doug: a.k.a. The Master of the Showdown Dice. Mississippi radioman and TV news producer, and fellow game show fan. Host of multiple play-by-e-mail game shows including the Match Game potion of the Net Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour, Net Poker (a first-rate revamp of the infamous Graham Elwood stinker Strip Poker) and the Internet's best such game, Net Showdown (based on the short-lived strategy quizzer The Big Showdown, known for its dice-rolling bonus game). Charter member of the Ruly Mob, and a Badass.

Newton, Todd: a.k.a. El Todd-o, Mr. Hollywood, the St. Louis Screwy. Radioman from St. Louis transplanted to Los Angeles. Best known as the voice of E! Entertainment Television, but game show fans know him as the host of Hollywood Showdown and as the guy who beat out Peter Tomarken as the host of Whammy!: the All-New Press Your Luck. While some critics dislike his over-abundance of energy, his fans cite this same quality as his greatest asset. It helps that he's a prince of a guy, with considerable skill at hosting games. The front-runner to assume the hosting duties on The Price is Right should Bob Barker somehow be taken out of that role. An honorary member of the Ruly Mob (to be promoted to charter member should he make lasting contact) and an absolute Badass.

Password: classic celebrity word game, hosted for most of its existence by Allen Ludden. Sorely in need of a revival.

Poker: previously "evil" bluffing card game, slowly but surely converted to the side of good, likely by God himself, for the purposes of promoting honor, courage, analytical thinking, observational skills and overall healthy human contact and bonding. Presently enjoying a new surge of popularity (especially the well-known high stakes variant Texas Hold 'Em) due to the current trend of cable TV poker competition shows (of which World Poker Tour is my favorite, due to the smooth, easy style of play-by-play man Mike Sexton and the chemistry between him and his partner, actor Vince Van Patten).

Project: Bullseye: my name for a revival of the 80's quiz show Bullseye. I never saw what the original had to do with darts or archery, so my plan is to play up the sci-fi-esque atmosphere.

Pyramid: a.k.a. The $10,000 Pyramid, The $25,000 Pyramid, The $100,000 Pyramid, etc. Classic beat-the-clock celebrity word game; known for its legendary bonus game, the Winner's Circle. Presently (but perhaps not for long) hosted by 70's teen idol Donny Osmond.

Quizwright: a person who writes trivia questions. See Antoniewicz, Jason; Klauss, Mike; Lollie, Justin.

Rayburn, Gene: longtime host of the comedy game show Match Game. Passed away mere weeks before the year 2000 hit.

Ruly Mob, The: primarily used to describe my Internet friends who also use the blogging service LiveJournal. I've expanded the term to mean my primary circle of friends on and off the Internet.

Russian Roulette: GSN strategy-and-luck based quiz show upon which I was contestant. A good candidate for syndication now that the network is basically in the dumper. See Walberg, Mark L.

Sale of the Century: super-duper fast-paced (and internationally loved) quiz show, where players buy prizes at insanely low prices with their seemingly tiny winnings. Another show in dire need of revival here in the U.S.

Smith, Don: Iowan game show fan in charge of the "Press Your Luck Palace," a.k.a. the PYLP. What's that? You'll have to ask Don.

Spycraft: highly evolved variant of the infamous D20 System roleplaying game rule set. Originally intended for use in James Bond-esque spy games, its designers slowly realized how good their version was and started adapting it to other material. The first non-espionage adaptation of the system is for the Stargate SG-1 game.

Texas Hold 'Em: variant of the bluffing card game, poker. Best known as the variant favored by most professional poker players; when played with no betting limits, referred to as the "Cadillac of poker." Enjoying a swell of popularity due to the multiple poker competition shows airing across the cable TV airwaves.

Tierney, Bryan: lovably narcissistic and super-smart hobby gamer and student filmmaker. Helped me get my current job. Favorite phrases: "ah-so" and "motherfucker." Charter member of the Ruly Mob and one half of the Bash Brothers.

Tierney, Shayn: charming younger brother of Bryan Tierney (and fellow hobby gamer). Already as a freshman a "mack daddy," gets all the chicks…lucky bastard. Charter member of the Ruly Mob and the other half of the Bash Brothers.

Tierney, Maureen: super-smart and world-wizened mother of the Bash Brothers. Charter member of the Ruly Mob and a Badass of the highest grade.

Twenty-One: 50's isolation-booth quiz show that was the focus of the 1950's quiz show scandals; hosted by Jack Barry who produced the show with his long time partner Dan Enright. Revived in 2000 with A Current Affair's Maury Povich at the helm.

Walberg, Mark L.: former Dick Clark Productions gofer turned producer and host. Best known for his work on Temptation Island and Shop Til You Drop. SHOULD be best known as the host of the GSN quizzer Russian Roulette which is most assuredly his best work; it was Walberg's performance (and the show's fun game mechanics) that prompted me to tryout for the show.

West, Randy: a.k.a. Announcerman, the Last Living Master of John-O-Do. Brooklyn-born game show fan who appeared on nine different game shows as a contestant before achieving his dream of serving as a game show announcer and warm-up man. Former protégé of The Price is Right announcer Johnny Olsen and longtime friend of Olsen's successor, the late Rod Roddy. Presently considered the front runner to serve as Roddy's permanent successor. A Badass to the core (and the closest thing I have to an industry mentor at the moment; I don't talk to him nearly as much as I ought to).

Woolery, Chuck: a.k.a. Big Chuck Dogg. Singer/songwriter who got detoured into game show hosting by Merv Griffin; original host of Wheel of Fortune, he left in 1981 to pursue other stuff. Best known as the host of Love Connection, Scrabble, the Fox big money quizzer Greed, and currently as the host of GSN's smash hit Lingo. His Wheel successor, long-time host Pat Sajak, is reportedly pressing for Woolery to return for a guest shot.

WWTBAM-Play It!: Disney theme park attraction based on the massively popular big money quiz show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. Open at Disney's California Adventure and Disney-MGM Studios. Permits winning audience members (who play along with the current game in progress via seat mounted keypads) to sit in a replica of the Hot Seat for a Bahamian Cruise. Best hosts at the Anaheim show: sardonic Elise Wolf, smooth-talking Mark Molnitski (sp?), and long-winded but hilarious Ken Parks.

Wow. This was a long one, wasn't it folks? Remind of something I might have missed at captvangin@aol.com or gameshowman@winning.com

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