Before Beyoncé was Beyoncé, she was a member of Girls Tyme – the group that then became Destiny’s Child and launched the singer into stardom. In 1993, the group competed on the popular talent show competition Star Search.
It was the genesis of many pop stars, including Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake. At just 11 years old, Beyoncé competed and lost to rock group Skeleton Crew. It would be another few years before Destiny’s Child gained worldwide recognition.
Whether you remember her from Gidget or Forrest Gump, Sally Field has had an impressive acting career for decades. Before she was a household name, Field was a budding actress who appeared as a bachelorette on the famous game show The Dating Game.
Field ended up choosing Bachelor #3, a charismatic restaurant manager, and won a helicopter ride and romantic dinner. While the pair had on-camera sparks, Field later stated that she refused to go on the date!
Known for his roles in Father of the Bride and Cheaper by the Dozen, Steve Martin has been a force inside Hollywood since the 1970s. Before he became the actor everyone knows, he was a comedy writer for the Smothers Brothers in the 1960s.
During this time, Martin occasionally appeared on television, including on the popular show The Dating Game. Charming and funny, it’s no wonder the bachelorette picked Martin! He headed off to Tijuana with his new date – the setting thought to have inspired his film Three Amigos.
Before marrying a prince and becoming a part of the British royal family, Meghan Markle was a famous actor and model. Before she was well known, she would take up odd jobs.
One of those odd jobs was working on the set of the US game show Deal or No Deal from 2006 to 2007. She opened the briefcases, revealing cash or prizes for the contestants. It would be another decade before Markle met Prince Harry online.
Before Paul Walker became a household name through movies like The Fast and the Furious and shows like The Young and the Restless, he was a child actor and model.
He started his film career just after appearing on the game show I’m Telling! With his sister Ashlie. They finished in second place, and Walker went on to score supporting roles in Pleasantville and She’s All That, before making it big in 2001 with the first Fast and the Furious movie.
Suzanne Somers was an author, actress, and spokeswoman. She’s well-known for her roles as Chrissy Snow in Three’s Company and Carol Lambert on Step by Step.
Before she broke through the acting scene, Somers was a little-known author of the poetry collection Touch Me. The blonde bombshell was just a few years away from stardom when she appeared on The Dating Game in 1974.
In 1992, Britney Spears was only 10 years old, performing on the popular show Star Search. She was setting the foundation for her future pop princess stardom.
Although she lost to another singer, Spears joined a handful of other celebrities who competed on the show and went on to be one of the biggest singers ever!
Andy Kaufman was an entertainer who specialized in comedic characters. His most popular character, the Foreign Man, was his claim to fame and earned him a spot on the show Taxi as the character Latka Gravas.
Before his time on Taxi, Kaufman appeared on the popular show The Dating Game. In a comedic twist, the actor participated as his Foreign Man character, who didn’t know the rules of the game and didn’t understand the bachelorette’s questions!
Paul Reubens created his comedic character Pee-wee Herman in the late 70s. Herman became one of the most popular comedic characters ever, starring in Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, Pee-wee’s Playhouse, and Cheech and Chong’s Next Movie.
Before Reubens found his success with Herman, he was still ironing out his character and appearing on television. In 1979, Herman appeared on The Dating Game alongside two other bachelors. The character’s awkward and goofy presence brought comedic relief to the episode.
You may know her from her recent roles in A League of Their Own or her daytime talk show, The Rosie O’Donnell Show, but Rosie O’Donnell got her start as a stand-up comedian in the 80s.
She went from working at a comedy club to winning several weeks on the popular talent show Star Search. It boosted her career and earned her many roles on television sitcoms in the 80s and 90s.
Longtime SNL cast member and sitcom star Phil Hartman was an award-winning comedian whose career was cut short by his death in 1998.
While working with the comedy group, the Groundlings, with Paul Reubens, Hartman appeared on an episode of The Dating Game. It was his first-ever television appearance, and he won the heart of the bachelorette!
Stephen Merchant is an award-winning comedian, writer, and director. He’s worked on shows like The Office and Lip Sync Battle.
Merchant got his start in the 90s doing stand-up comedy. In 1997, he appeared as a contestant on the popular British TV game show Blockbusters. Although he lost, he went on to meet Ricky Gervais the same year. The pair created The Office a few years later.
At 30 years old, Simon Cowell was a little-known British record producer when he appeared on the popular game show Sale of the Century in 1989.
Sale of the Century was a British game show where contestants competed for a grand prize. Cowell was a last-minute sub for another contestant and only ended up winning a kitchen scale! I guess those who can’t win, judge?
In 1979 and again in 1980, Bob Saget competed on The Dating Game. He was a recent graduate from Temple University, earning his Bachelor of Arts in 1978.
He ended up winning a date to Guatemala. It would be another 10 years before Saget became a household name with his role as Danny Tanner in Full House and the host of America’s Funniest Home Videos.
Brian Billick is well known for being a coach for the Minnesota Vikings and the Baltimore Ravens. He led the team to victory in Super Bowl XXXV against the New York Giants.
When he appeared on the popular game show Match Game in 1977, he was coaching at the University of Redlands. He did not perform well, causing the host to tease him for failing at playing football and game shows. Ouch!
Jon Hamm is no stranger to being on TV. The award-winning actor portrayed protagonist Don Draper for almost a decade on the critically acclaimed Mad Men. However, long before his pretend advertising days, Hamm appeared on a different kind of TV show - dating show, to be precise.
Way back in the '90s, Hamm was once a contestant on the game show, The Big Date, which aired on the USA network. Hosted by Mark Walberg, this show featured plenty of good-looking young people looking for "love." Unfortunately for Hamm, he ended up getting the axe on his episode.
Is there anything that Arnold Schwarzenegger can't do? He's been a bodybuilder, he's been an action star, and he's even tried his hand at governing a state. However, we've got something else to add to his resume--contestant on the classic game show The Dating Game.
With a run from the early '70s to the late '80s, The Dating Game saw hundreds of contestants hoping to find "the one" via a game show. However, there weren't many contestants who ended up more famous than the Terminator himself. That being said, at the time, Schwarzenegger was not the household name he is today.
Vanna White is a celebrity that's no stranger to game shows. Since 1982, she's been the smiling hostess and tile-turner for the always-popular game show Wheel of Fortune. But before she landed this cushy and long-lasting gig, she was an excited contestant on another game show staple.
Way back in 1980, two years before she would appear on Wheel of Fortune, Vanna White was a contestant on The Price is Right. While she caught Bob Barker's attention in contestants' row with a Barker-themed t-shirt, that was pretty much the only bright spot in her appearance. She eventually made it up on stage but couldn't manage a win on her game.
He might be known to the world now as Jesse Pinkman from Breaking Bad, but before his rise to TV superstardom, he was simply another excited contestant on a classic game show.
Like several other stars on this list, Aaron Paul was once a contestant on The Price is Right before he became a celebrity. Even though he would go on to be super famous, Paul's appearance was very much in line with your stereotypical contestant--hilariously excited to be on the show.
Kirstie Alley is famous for doing everything from acting to hawking weight loss solutions. However, back in the 1970s, she was merely an interior designer. But despite her humble origins, she still managed to make an appearance on TV - thanks to one of the most iconic game shows at the time.
During her interior design days, Alley found time to be a contestant on The Match Game. In fact, she made several appearances on the show. Little did we know, we'd be seeing a lot more of this midwestern gal in the coming years after her stint on the game show.
John Ritter was most famous for his hilarious role on the late '70s sitcom Three's Company, but before the world knew him as Jack Tripper, he was merely referred to as "Bachelor Number Two."
When he was all of nineteen years old, John Ritter was a contestant on The Dating Game. Describing himself as "a future millionaire" Ritter charmed his way to victory and was ultimately chosen as the winning bachelor for his episode. It might not have been a match made in heaven, but it was a good bit of exposure for the aspiring actor.
Before he became a boy band sensation as part of the Backstreet Boys, singer AJ McLean was just a plain ole boy. And shortly before his meteoric rise to fame with the group, he was featured on a Nickelodeon game show meant to push contestants to their physical limits.
In 1992 at age 14, McLean was a contestant on the sports-themed game show GUTS. Interestingly, it wasn't long after his appearance that he became a part of the Backstreet Boys--he auditioned for the group only a few months after his game show run.
Let's be honest--there was never a point in her life when the gorgeous Farrah Fawcett didn't have her choice of men. As one of the stars of the original Charlie's Angels, this blonde bombshell had no problems finding eligible suitors. However, thanks to her game show appearance, she found herself literally choosing between bachelors.
In the late 1960s, Fawcett made an appearance on The Dating Game as the lucky lady making her choice between three hopeful men. It doesn't appear that she and her chosen beau were meant to be, but they did get a nice skiing vacation to Austria out of the whole thing.
Before she was Lady Gaga, she was Stefani Germanotta, unsuspecting game show contestant. This award-winning musician and artist lost her cool during an early game show appearance, but thankfully that was the whole point of the show.
Unbeknownst to her at the time, Lady Gaga was a part of MTV's Boiling Points--a game show where unsuspecting contestants are put into situations designed to infuriate them. In her case, she was served a salad filled with garbage, which ultimately had her seeing red.
Joey Fatone was a member of one of the biggest boy bands of the 1990s--N'Sync. While he might not have reached the same heights of fame as fellow member Justin Timberlake, Fatone has done just fine for himself in the celebrity department. But before all that, he was a contestant on one of the coolest game shows of the decade.
In 1997, Fatone was a contestant on the Nickelodeon game show Nick Arcade. The high-tech (for the time) show was all about putting contestants into arcade video games (obviously with a lot of generous help from green screens). Unfortunately, Fatone's team didn't end up winning their episode.
Simon Cowell is one of the most recognizable (and reviled) game show personalities in history. As one of the original judges on the singing competition American Idol, Cowell made a name for himself by dashing people's dreams and letting them know just how much he hated their singing.
But before all that, he had a small appearance on another game show--Sale of the Century. This was a general quiz show where contestants could win money and other prizes. And win he did! Cowell, who was introduced as a record producer from London, ended up winning is episode and taking home a nice set of kitchen utensils.
For nearly a decade, Cynthia Nixon played Miranda Hobbes, as well as the spin-off movies. However, long before she took a role on what was a very raunchy TV show, Nixon made a TV appearance that was much more family friendly.
As a child, Nixon's mother worked on the game show To Tell the Truth, a game where a panel of celebrities had to figure out which of the three contestants where telling the truth and which two were lying about who they were. Nixon appeared on an episode trying to convince the panel that she was a professional horseback rider.
Tom Selleck doesn't need any help in the world of romance. He's basically been trying to ward off the hordes of adoring women ever since he (and his iconic mustache) appeared on our TV screens on the 1980s show Magnum P.I. However, as his game show appearances attest, he's not always had such a way with the ladies.
Back in the 1960s, Selleck was a hopeful bachelor not once but twice on The Dating Game. No one in their right mind would say no to Selleck these days, but back then he wasn't as famous, which unfortunately led to him being rejected during both of his appearances on the show.
Linda Cardellini has had a run of successful TV appearances since her debut as the protagonist of Freaks and Geeks way back in 1999. From ER to Scooby Doo, she's done a little bit of everything in the acting world. And like all the actors on this list, she first showed up on our TV screens long before anyone knew who she was.
In 1994, when Cardellini was just 19, she made an appearance as a contestant on The Price is Right. And unlike some celebs who went home from the show empty handed (we're looking at you, Vanna White!), she managed to win big...sort of. It might not have been a new car but Cardellini did end up winning a fireplace that she says she still has to this day.
The show might have been named after Ray Romano, but Brad Garrett was the breakout star of Everybody Loves Raymond. Playing Raymond's forever-mopey, basso profundo brother, Robert, Garrett made audiences laugh for all nine seasons that the show ran.
While that may have been his first major role as an actor, it was definitely not his first time on TV. Garrett made appearances as a celebrity guest on several game shows, including Super Password, Hollywood Squares, and The Match Game.
