Summer TV game shows, ranked from worst to first

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Happy July, in which your choices for summer nighttime TV on the broadcast networks pretty much comes down to "The Bachelorette" and game shows. 'Tis the season of trivia questions, heartwarming stories, thousands of dollars of payouts (or maybe millions) and a whole lot of dramatic music. This summer 13 game shows are airing on broadcast in prime time, from old favorites like "Let's Make A Deal" and "Celebrity Family Feud" to shiny new ones like "Lucky 13" and "The Quiz With Balls" (yes, that's really the title).

But while there's a lot of fun to be had with any game show (prize money! silly animations! proving you are way smarter than the average American!), not every series is actually actually enjoyable to watch, no matter how happy the contestants are.

So if you're looking for some easy watching as the temperatures climb and the humidity index rises, we've ranked the 13 prime-time game shows from worst to first. Spoiler alert: Adding giant balls is not the answer to everything.

13. 'The Quiz With Balls'

Fox, Tuesdays, 9 EDT/PDT

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The new Fox show's double entendre of a name aside, this quiz show, in which families compete for cash by answering trivia questions − and seeing one member dumped into a pool, "Wipeout" style, for wrong guesses − is pretty dumb. Host and "Saturday Night Live" alum Jay Pharaoh tries his best, but the cheesy concept never really works. It's not ridiculous enough to be funny, nor serious enough to be gripping.

12. 'The Wall'

NBC, Mondays, 10 EDT/PDT

This Chris Hardwick-hosted and LeBron James-produced series gives out cash based on trivia questions and the results of a Plinko-like "big board" with balls dropping toward cash additions or subtractions to the prize pot. There are always heartwarming stories, but Hardwick is a grating host and the game play really drags.

11. 'Celebrity Family Feud'

ABC, Tuesdays, 8 EDT/PDT

If you like Steve Harvey, you'll like his version of the classic "survey says" game show. If you don't like Steve Harvey, this is not for you. Perhaps a bit too screechy. Too corny. Too much. Even in a flashy genre like game shows, there is such a thing as subtlety. "Family Feud" knows no such thing (even with the Golden Bachelor in tow).

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10. 'The 1% Club'

Fox, Mondays, 9 EDT/PDT (also streaming on Amazon Prime)

Patton Oswalt hosts this new quiz show that tests whether 100 contestants are as smart as the smartest 1% of Americans. The group is asked increasingly more difficult questions until only a few players are left, and those remaining split a $100,000 prize, with opportunities to bank smaller winnings by exiting the game along the way. Although Oswalt is funny, the format is pretty dull, with overly complicated questions that aren't fun to play along with at home and too many contestants to get emotionally attached to any of them.

9. 'Lucky 13'

ABC, Thursdays, 9 EDT/PDT

Another new entry, hosted by Gina Rodriguez and Shaquille O'Neal, is a variation on "Who Wants to Be A Millionaire" mixed with "Deal or No Deal." Contestants answer 13 true-or-false questions, then guess how many of them they got correct. The more accurate they are with their answers and their guesses, the more money they make, up to $1 million. But they can also make money for wrong answers − if they predict that they got those answers wrong. But if their score doesn't match up with their predictions, then they could leave with nothing. It's kind of fun but convoluted, and unfortunately, Rodriguez and O'Neill aren't nearly as charming as the best hosts on this list, dragging down the whole show.

8. 'I Can See Your Voice'

Fox, Thursdays, 8 EDT/PDT

Ken Jeong hosts this reverse "Masked Singer," in which contestants guess whether performers are good or bad singers based on their lip-syncing ability, background info, a Q&A and input from a panel of C-list celebrities. It's fun to play along at home, but whether the contestants win is random. And Jeong is an acquired taste.

7. 'Let's Make a Deal'

CBS, Wednesdays, 8 EDT/PDT starting August 7

The syndicated staple gets a prime-time run this summer with the same audience costumes, ridiculous zonks and cash and prizes hidden behind Curtain No. 3. If you like frenzy, bright colors and Wayne Brady, this is the show for you.

6. 'Beat Shazam'

Fox, Tuesdays, 8 EDT/PDT

Now we're getting into the good stuff. One of many Fox game shows for music lovers but the only one for Jamie Foxx lovers, "Shazam" takes its title from the popular music-recognizing app, as teams try to be first to recognize the song playing. Successful teams will go up against the AI for big bucks at the end. Hosted by Foxx and DJed by his daughter Corinne, the show is more of jukebox party than a tense competition, but there's nothing wrong with jamming to hit songs. 

5. 'Name that Tune'

Fox, Mondays, 8 EDT/PDT

This one is the other Fox game show about recognizing music, hosted by Jane Krakowski and with Randy Jackson at the piano, a slightly more dynamic pair. The original "Tune" dates back to the 1970s, and this game requires more musical acuity than "Shazam." In one round contestants try to identify songs by only a pun-filled clue and a single note. But it's just as fun to play along with at home. How many notes does it take you to identify Billy Joel's "Moving Out"?

4 'Press Your Luck'

ABC, Thursdays, 8 EDT/PDT

ABC has revived a number of game shows over the past few years, but its latest might just be its best. "Luck," hosted by the ever-charming Elizabeth Banks, recreates the gloriously 1970s set, music and even the hand-drawn "Whammy" cartoons of the original. The game, in which contestants spin for the chance to win cash and prizes while trying to avoid Whammy spaces that drain their banks, gets a small update with a whopper of a bonus round. Still adorable without being annoying, and the good kind of nostalgia.

3. 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire'

ABC, Wednesdays, 8 EDT/PDT

The staple $1 million dollar prize is worth less now thanks to inflation, but the winning format of this 25-year-old game show remains the same. This year, pairs of celebrities are competing for charity as host Jimmy Kimmel asks increasingly difficult multiple-choice questions, and the interplay and banter from contestants such as John Mulaney and Nick Kroll is almost better than the game show elements. We'll see if any of them can join celebrity chef David Chang as the only famous faces ever to win the seven-figure prize money.

2. 'Password'

NBC, Tuesdays, 10 EDT/PDT

A million bucks is fun, but sometimes the most entertaining game shows have low stakes and less money but are high on laughs. The revival of this classic word-guessing quiz show is an absolute delight thanks mostly to host Keke Palmer, whose mix of zany and sarcastic humor is a perfect fit for this less-than-serious format. Competitors are going for only a $25,000 prize, but that makes it less of a loss when their celebrity partners completely mess up easy clues.

1. 'Don't Forget the Lyrics'

Fox, Thursdays, 8 EDT/PDT

Niecy Nash, aka the sweetheart America doesn't deserve, is the perfect kind of bold and musically talented host for a show that turns our collective memory of song lyrics into a competition for big money. Of all the musical game shows on the air right now, this one finds a way to deploy both its dance tunes and the high stakes of potentially winning $1 million in the most emotional and enjoyable way. Going on journeys with successful contestants who just can't remember Devo lyrics and might lose a bundle might remind you of the heart-stopping early seasons of "Millionaire," only this time with more karaoke.