"Win Ben Stein's Money" was one of the best shows that aired on Comedy Central when "South Park" and "The Daily Show" were rather new. It was highly creative and almost always witty and funny. Ben Stein, best known as a character actor and commercial spokesperson with a monotone voice and tweed sweater, comes to life as both host and contestant. He and co-host Jimmy Kimmell had an excellent chemistry, and their exchanges of jokes and insults were among Comedy Central's finest moments. Very few of the questions were dumbed down for mass consumption, and the show's entertaining and quick pace made it a welcome contrast to the dull and ridiculous "Who Wants to be a Millionaire." The show did suffer a bit when Nancy Pimental took over as co-host, as she lacked Jimmy's chemistry (he later went on to co-host the insipid "Man Show"), but she was fairly competent as a comedian. Ben showed his true talent as an entertainer here, and it resulted in his short-lived spin-off, "Turn Ben Stein On." If your cable providers offer The Game Show Network, due yourselves a favor a catch a rerun of "Win Ben Stein's Money" if you're not too busy. You won't regret it.
16 Reviews
A fun game show
Maniac-928 January 2000
Forget all that I Wanna Be a Millionaire junk, this is a real game show. The only thing those other shows got going for them is that they are giving away large amounts of money. If they had the same show but only with a smaller amount of money no one would watch. On Win Ben Stein's Money it's a lot more fun. They have cool names for all the categories and it's fun to see Ben Stein pretending to be annoyed when someone takes his money. Plus how often on a gameshow do you get to compete against the host.
Fun game show
Catherine_Grace_Zeh10 January 2008
First off, I must say that this is a fun game show. Also, I haven't if I've seen every episode. However, I do know the show fairly well. Every time I've watched it, I've had a lot of fun playing along and watch. The thing I like most about it are the questions. Despite the fact that I don't know that many answers, I still have fun playing along. I hope the Game Show Network keeps it on so I can play along and watch again. If that happens, I will be really happy. Before I wrap this up, I'd like to say that I'll always remember this show in my memory forever. Now, in conclusion, I hope that you catch it one day before it goes off the air for good.
Original and funny time capsule game show
hnt_dnl5 September 2023
Warning: Spoilers
This game show "Win Ben Stein's Money" was an anomaly in a good way. The series ran for 5 years on Comedy Central during the prime era of the network, with it's biggest hit being The Daily Show. Ben Stein's money was a refreshing supplement to the hit political comedy talk show. The star and centerpiece of this uniquely engaging show was of course Ben Stein, a man who himself had a uniquely interesting career. In his first act of his career in the 60s and 70s, he was a professor, lawyer, and presidential adviser/speechwriter. Then in his second act, in the 80s and 90s, he turned to the entertainment industry playing in various commercials, TV series, and films. His most notable acting role was a scene-stealing performance as an incredibly monotone Economics teacher in the iconic '86 teen high school comedy "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," the famous "Bueller, Bueller, Bueller..." guy. Then in the late 90s came this game show that Stein himself both co-hosted and competed in. I'm pretty sure that it was a new thing for the show's host to also be one of the competitors. Each 30-minute game episode was divided into 3 segments. The first segment had 3 contestants competing against each other win Stein asking questions that they got to choose from a Jeopardy-style game board where the player with the lowest money total would be eliminated. The second segment involved Stein competing against the 2 remaining players with the questions being asked by Stein's co-host and whichever player had the highest money total goes onto the final round. The third segment and final round was Stein against the player where the co-host asked them 10 quick-round questions they had to answer within the span of 1 minute and if the player answered more questions than Stein in this final round, then they win $5,000. My re-collection of the series was that in addition to Stein himself, he had 3 different co-hosts with comedy backgrounds during it's run: Jimmy Kimmel, Nancy Pimental, and Cousin Sal, who if I'm not mistaken is Kimmel's actual cousin, thus the moniker for the show. Kimmel was Stein's original co-host and had the longest co-host run of about two-thirds of the series. Then Kimmel left to do The Man Show and Pimental took over for a brief stint as co-host, and finally Sal finished out the final few episodes as co-host. Stein and Kimmel had a great rapport with Stein's old school straight-faced monotone perfectly countered by Kimmel's modern hip and irreverent humor. Pimental turned out to be a really strong replacement for Kimmel and it was actually cool to see a pretty hilarious rapport develop between Stein and a female co-host. Sal was probably the weakest co-host of the trio and didn't really seem to be quite as snappy or quick with the humor as Kimmel and Pimental, but he was still OK. Kimmel was obviously the most successful of the group as he has gone on to host his own popular nighttime ABC talk show The Jimmy Kimmel Show. Pimental sent onto do a few writing and acting gigs and for some reason, I mistakenly assumed she was a stand-up comedian as she really gave off that vibe. I recognize Sal as a sports analyst from random sports shows. Being biased here but the cute and attractive Pimental was my favorite co-host as I had a major crush on her from this show! LOL The early season intros were the best where Stein was more boisterous and vitriolic while the intro got watered down a bit in the waning years, most probably due to political correctness. Stein's monotone personality meshed well with the outgoing comic personas of his respective co-hosts to make for a refreshing and original game show during the late 90s-early 00s era.
Borestein
ThunderKing624 July 2021
Ben Stein is one of those boring guys that would still be entertaining because of his unique way to talk and facila expressions.
As for WBSM it was a decent game show. I liked how it wasn't obnoxious or needed bogus lights and stages or a host that tries hard to be funny (Steven Harvey). The show looked very cozy and relaxing.
Last Words: Ben Stein was boring, however he made the show interesting due to his boringness.
As for WBSM it was a decent game show. I liked how it wasn't obnoxious or needed bogus lights and stages or a host that tries hard to be funny (Steven Harvey). The show looked very cozy and relaxing.
Last Words: Ben Stein was boring, however he made the show interesting due to his boringness.
A funny, smart game show
sgauss2 September 1999
Win Ben Stein's Money is a game show that requires some brains (unlike Wheel of Fortune) but is funny and doesn't take itself as seriously as Jeopardy. The show is hosted by Ben Stein, who is probably most famous for his appearances as a teacher in "The Wonder Years" and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", along with Jimmy Kimmel as the smart-ass side-kick.
There is a lot of shtick, and good interplay between Stein and Kimmel that gives the show both humor and likeability. Kimmel is funny and rude, but occasionally crosses the line to gross or mean. Special theme episodes are occasionally shown, such as a recent cross-dressing episode. Another fun bit, is that if a contestant answers in the form of question, ala Jeopardy, they are forced to wear a dunce cap.
The premise of the show is that Stein has put up $5,000, which he will try to keep the contestants from winning. The exact financial details might vary somewhat - fine print at the end of the show hints at this. Stein competes against the contestants, usually successfully.
The show starts with 3 contestants, who choose from five categories, with various joke/scatological titles. Questions are assigned a dollar value for correct answers, and in the first round have a $50 follow-up. At the end of the first round, the contestant with the lowest winnings is dropped, and replaced by Ben Stein. At the end of the second round, the contestant with the highest winnings is selected to go on to the "Best of Ten Test of Knowledge", a one-on-one contest directly against Stein. The constestant and Stein are locked in isolation booths (one of the jokes is that the contestant's booth has a bare lightbulb, steel stool, and cracked plaster, while Stein sits in a booth with paneling, and an overstuffed chair). The contestant and Stein are given the same ten questions, and if the contestant beats Stein is given all $5000 dollars put up by Stein.
The show airs on Comedy Central, Monday-Friday, twice in the evening.
There is a lot of shtick, and good interplay between Stein and Kimmel that gives the show both humor and likeability. Kimmel is funny and rude, but occasionally crosses the line to gross or mean. Special theme episodes are occasionally shown, such as a recent cross-dressing episode. Another fun bit, is that if a contestant answers in the form of question, ala Jeopardy, they are forced to wear a dunce cap.
The premise of the show is that Stein has put up $5,000, which he will try to keep the contestants from winning. The exact financial details might vary somewhat - fine print at the end of the show hints at this. Stein competes against the contestants, usually successfully.
The show starts with 3 contestants, who choose from five categories, with various joke/scatological titles. Questions are assigned a dollar value for correct answers, and in the first round have a $50 follow-up. At the end of the first round, the contestant with the lowest winnings is dropped, and replaced by Ben Stein. At the end of the second round, the contestant with the highest winnings is selected to go on to the "Best of Ten Test of Knowledge", a one-on-one contest directly against Stein. The constestant and Stein are locked in isolation booths (one of the jokes is that the contestant's booth has a bare lightbulb, steel stool, and cracked plaster, while Stein sits in a booth with paneling, and an overstuffed chair). The contestant and Stein are given the same ten questions, and if the contestant beats Stein is given all $5000 dollars put up by Stein.
The show airs on Comedy Central, Monday-Friday, twice in the evening.
I came to enjoy this A LOT more than "Jeopardy!"
KUAlum2622 February 2008
I was once,many many many many moons ago,a "Jeopardy!" enthusiast. I could name off practically all the Tournament of Champions winners,watched the shows religiously and even tried out for the show,twice,both for the College Tournaments. Alas,no success. But I think what turned me off on that show was the fact that,among other reasons,the producers were far TOO willing to muck the formula of this show,adding in hokey,pointless Celebrity shows,gussying up the prize budget to make it look like something more like "The Price is Right" or "Wheel of Fortune" and worse still,making the returning champion format become indefinite (DAng You,Ken Jennings!!!). In short,to me,that show had traded in the integrity of being a sharp,intelligent quiz show in favor of ratings.
So around 1998,I found myself tuning in with much more enthusiasm to this Comedy Central offering. Going with the brash and bold premise of having the host,Ben Stein,put HIS money up for the prize,with he becoming one of the contestants after the first player is eliminated.Flanked by an irrepressible wiseacre(in seasons 1 thru 3,future talk show host and faux-misogynist Jimmy Kimmel,seasons 4 and 5 sexy little sprite Nancy Pimental,season 6,Jimmy's heavier,sardonic cousin SAl Iacanno),the show moved at a straight,quiz-to-question format and featured some seriously difficult questions,ranging in dollar amounts of $50(relatively easy;to me,QUITE easy) to $500(gnerally VERY tough),and the winner of the front-game had to have one more,ten question quiz format(reminiscent of quiz shows of yore like "21" or "The $64,000" Question,minus the scandal of course)head-to-head with Ben for all five grand.
Between the humor incorporated into naming the categories(which only went one question deep;one favorite was "The Wedding was so awful,at the reception they served Pacelbel") to the afore-mentioned wise-ass of Jimmy,Nancy,Sal or even Ben himself,I found this show both challenging and delightful. Half-hours flew by and even though the contestants rarely won a whole lot of dash,you'd better believe they earned every dollar of it. I'm not sure why the network decided to not keep this show running,but I'm glad that GSN has it and hope they keep it for a long,long time. Worth a look-see,whether familiar with it(As I was) or unfamiliar. Feel free to play along,too!
So around 1998,I found myself tuning in with much more enthusiasm to this Comedy Central offering. Going with the brash and bold premise of having the host,Ben Stein,put HIS money up for the prize,with he becoming one of the contestants after the first player is eliminated.Flanked by an irrepressible wiseacre(in seasons 1 thru 3,future talk show host and faux-misogynist Jimmy Kimmel,seasons 4 and 5 sexy little sprite Nancy Pimental,season 6,Jimmy's heavier,sardonic cousin SAl Iacanno),the show moved at a straight,quiz-to-question format and featured some seriously difficult questions,ranging in dollar amounts of $50(relatively easy;to me,QUITE easy) to $500(gnerally VERY tough),and the winner of the front-game had to have one more,ten question quiz format(reminiscent of quiz shows of yore like "21" or "The $64,000" Question,minus the scandal of course)head-to-head with Ben for all five grand.
Between the humor incorporated into naming the categories(which only went one question deep;one favorite was "The Wedding was so awful,at the reception they served Pacelbel") to the afore-mentioned wise-ass of Jimmy,Nancy,Sal or even Ben himself,I found this show both challenging and delightful. Half-hours flew by and even though the contestants rarely won a whole lot of dash,you'd better believe they earned every dollar of it. I'm not sure why the network decided to not keep this show running,but I'm glad that GSN has it and hope they keep it for a long,long time. Worth a look-see,whether familiar with it(As I was) or unfamiliar. Feel free to play along,too!
Best Game Show There Is
genius-1531 October 1999
With the possible exception of The Millionaire, which has only been on a few times and is not a regular series. Unlike Trebek, Sajak, and all those other phonies who pretend they actually knew the answer that none of the contestants did, Ben Stein is the real deal. He plays along and admits that he doesn't always know the answers (though he knows most of em). And unlike the silly Jeopardy show, contestants dont have to phrase their answers in the form of a question (which is truly idiotic). Jimmy Kimmel (who also co hosts the immensely entertaining Man Show) is a funny guy and a good co-host too. My only objection is that the prize budget should be higher.
Simply the best on TV!
OWUbear20 October 2001
This show, as other user comments will tell you, is about three contestants who go up against Ben Stein to win $5000. In the first round, Ben asks the questions and the three contestants answer. If their answers are in the form of a question, Ben affixes a "Dunce" cap to their heads. At the ends of the first round, the lowest scorer is eliminated and the money (s)he won is returned to the pot. Ben then takes that contestant's place, leaving Jimmy or Nancy to ask the questions. As Ben promises, "From this point on, I have no knowledge of the questions to be asked." The game goes on. In the event of a tie in either round, there is a tie-breaker question. After both rounds are finished, the "Best of Ten Test of Knowledge" happens. It's just Ben and the highest-scorer. Ben's isolation booth is ritzy, decorated with a painting and a beautiful background. The challenger just sits on a stool in front of a cracked wall and a light bulb hanging from the ceiling. If Ben wins, the contestant keeps the money already won from Ben. If the contestant wins, money flies from the ceiling and Ben takes some from the safe, cheerfully cursing at his loss. If there is a tie, then the contestant keeps the money already won plus $1000. I still have a "Let me watch Ben Stein in peace" ticket given to me for Christmas by my sister. I miss Jimmy, especially since I saw him on David Letterman last summer.
Funny and Smart
Jdc10228 April 2000
WBSM is a great show.. Everything about this show is thought out and very well done.. Ben Stein is great, and clearly very bright (to say the least) and Jimmy Kimmell is great too.
I have to admit the questions are tough at times, but it still is a great, funny quiz show.
==I hope this show gets more and more popular= =Thank You
I have to admit the questions are tough at times, but it still is a great, funny quiz show.
==I hope this show gets more and more popular= =Thank You
Finally a game show worth watching
Hopper-218 October 2005
Win Ben Stein's Money was a novel concept for a game show: contestants compete with each other and the host in a trivia contest to win some or all of the host's $5000. The show will always be memorable for me as the only game show I can stand to watch. Most game shows are too serious to be enjoyable, and those that aim to be more entertaining are usually too obvious and cheesy.
Putting Ben Stein and Jimmy Kimmel together made this show different. Ben, aside from being very smart, is a very funny man. His boring monotone turned him into an icon through roles in Ferris Bueler's Day Off and The Wonder Years. He has the perfect voice for the crude humour of Win Ben Stein's Money. You can't help but laugh when this intelligent, dignified, expressionless and utterly uncool-looking old man swears at the judges, flips Jimmy the bird or knocks over a safe.
Jimmy Kimmel was clearly chosen to create an "Odd Couple" contrast to Ben. He has raised the bar for shockingly inappropriate comments from a game show host.
The questions are interesting, the topics are hilarious, and it's great fun to see a host actually compete with the contestants. You have to watch the end to see if Ben wins or loses. Giving Ben a vested interest in the outcome of the game adds great entertainment value because the competition brings out the best and worst in him. Truly a delightful game show experience.
Putting Ben Stein and Jimmy Kimmel together made this show different. Ben, aside from being very smart, is a very funny man. His boring monotone turned him into an icon through roles in Ferris Bueler's Day Off and The Wonder Years. He has the perfect voice for the crude humour of Win Ben Stein's Money. You can't help but laugh when this intelligent, dignified, expressionless and utterly uncool-looking old man swears at the judges, flips Jimmy the bird or knocks over a safe.
Jimmy Kimmel was clearly chosen to create an "Odd Couple" contrast to Ben. He has raised the bar for shockingly inappropriate comments from a game show host.
The questions are interesting, the topics are hilarious, and it's great fun to see a host actually compete with the contestants. You have to watch the end to see if Ben wins or loses. Giving Ben a vested interest in the outcome of the game adds great entertainment value because the competition brings out the best and worst in him. Truly a delightful game show experience.
very good show
jaws!10 December 1999
this show is very good, and funny. it's not a roll on floor can't stop laughing show, but it's fun, silly, and funny. the questions are real hard up until the last 10 questions to win the big money. i usually get a lot of the last 10 questions right, but the questions before are real hard to me. all in all it's just a really fun show. on a scale of 1 to 10 i give win ben stein's money an 8.
The Kimmel Era Was the Best
Sargebri2 September 2003
This had to have been one of the funniest game shows of it's era. Ben Stein has to be one of the sharpest and funniest individuals to host a game show and during the era when Jimmy Kimmel was his co-host it was a classic. Unfortunately, after Kimmel departed the show the show went downhill from there. Nancy Pimental and Sal Iaconno didn't have the chemistry that Stein and Kimmel had and what a shame because this show was definitely the best thing that Comedy Central had on it's schedule.
I love this show!
Teenie-114 June 2005
People really ought to start lightening up and enjoy humor for what it is, be it gross-out or straight-laced. This show offers both kinds of laughs with its off-the-wall categories and cocky comments from Jimmy Kimmel. To see Ben Stein's expressions when the categories are announced is a laugh in itself. When he makes a mistake, his expressions of shock are priceless. And Jimmy really manages to rub it in. Ben really gets his thinking cap on and it's really fun to see just how much this man really knows. The Clear Eyes commercials did nothing for him - this is his show, by all means. It's all harmless fun, offered by Game Show Network. If you're offended, change the channel! If you're not, then enjoy the fun and laugh a lot.
There are three TV game shows that require a brain. This is one of them.
BikeBill21 June 2000
The other two, of course, are "Jeopardy" and " Who Wants to be a Millionaire".
This is a game show for the Gen-X crowd. Despite that, it is entertaining and informative, even to a Baby Boomer like myself. Others have already outlined the format, so I won't rehash that aspect of the show. I will, however, point out that the host, Ben Stein, carries enough credentials and just plain smarts (check his IMDb bio!) into this program that anyone who bests him has definitely earned his bragging rights.
As noted in other reviews, it is only seen over the Comedy Central cable channel, and because of this the envelope can be pushed a bit further than if it were broadcast over ABC or CBS. There are a fair amount of double entendres and other scatological humor, and you are apt to hear a couple of George Carlin's famous seven words, so you might want to give this one a pass if you are easily offended. But the questions are challenging, and the climactic "Best of Ten Test of Knowledge" is apt to run the gamut from 16th century monarchs to last week's newspaper headlines.
If "potty humor" and bad puns don't offend you, and you are able to get Comedy Central, tune it in. It won't be long before you too will think that you "...might have a chance, albeit a small one, to WIN BEN STEIN'S MONEY!!"
This is a game show for the Gen-X crowd. Despite that, it is entertaining and informative, even to a Baby Boomer like myself. Others have already outlined the format, so I won't rehash that aspect of the show. I will, however, point out that the host, Ben Stein, carries enough credentials and just plain smarts (check his IMDb bio!) into this program that anyone who bests him has definitely earned his bragging rights.
As noted in other reviews, it is only seen over the Comedy Central cable channel, and because of this the envelope can be pushed a bit further than if it were broadcast over ABC or CBS. There are a fair amount of double entendres and other scatological humor, and you are apt to hear a couple of George Carlin's famous seven words, so you might want to give this one a pass if you are easily offended. But the questions are challenging, and the climactic "Best of Ten Test of Knowledge" is apt to run the gamut from 16th century monarchs to last week's newspaper headlines.
If "potty humor" and bad puns don't offend you, and you are able to get Comedy Central, tune it in. It won't be long before you too will think that you "...might have a chance, albeit a small one, to WIN BEN STEIN'S MONEY!!"
Wonderful show
marileec8 January 2000
I love this show. I'm usually not one for game shows, as they are usually very bland and boring. However, Stein's show is fantastic. It's funny, smart, and fun to play along with, even if I don't know most of the answers to the questions. Also, it's not a show where the prize is a couple million dollars or something ... and I like that. I like that it's a show to be fun, and not to win huge bucks. Also, if you win, why would you care about the money, anyway? You'd be happy to have just beat Ben Stein at his own game! Good work Ben!
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