"It's women vs. men in the battle of the sexes..... women or men, which is...
Special thanks to David Livingston and Michael Klauss for the Snappy pictures
Hosts: Bill Anderson and Sarah Purcell
ABC daytime: July 18 1977-January 13 1978
This show basically combined elements of Family Feud and Hollywood Squares. It only lasted 9 months
THE RULES
Two teams of six (6 men, 6 women) competed. The champions (let's say it's the men) started and a question was asked. This question could be a general knowledge or survey question.(For example: "Where is Elvis from?" or "According to a survey, what did MOST people say was the worst thing about camping out") The team captain of the men's team looks at the correct answer and decides whether to use it, or come up with a good bluff. The host or hostess then goes to the opposing team (the women) and asks if they agree or disagree.
The men's team is being polled until two members agree or disagree. In this case, two team members have DISAGREED with the woman's answer
When the polling is over, then the actual answer is revealed. If the women are right, then the team captain is eliminated, plus one more of their choice.
This guy didn't fool the women with his answer. He's OUT, and the women get to choose one additional member of the men's team to eliminate
These women were fooled by the opposing team captain's answer, so they are OUT
A victory for the women's team!
THE BONUS ROUND
In the bonus round, a section of 30 men and 30 women are seated in a section of the audience. The women play against the men and vice versa. Each member of the team gets one chance to eliminate all 30 members of the audience section in the same fashion as in the main game. A question is asked, an answer is given, then all 30 players vote on whether to agree or disagree.
The 30 members have voted... 27 were fooled, and they're OUT! Very good for the first question!
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
Bill Anderson already had over 75 hit singles since 1958. Later on he'd host Fandango on The Nashville Network
Sarah Purcell later moved on to star in Real People
The pilot for The Better Sex had 7 member teams instead of six.
When Family Feud was originally being developed, it was very similar in concept to The Better Sex