Robert Wesley Hilton (born July 23, 1943) is an American television game show personality. He hosted ''
The Guinness Game
''The Guinness Game'' is an American game show that aired in weekly syndication from September 17, 1979, to September 1980 for a total of 24 episodes. Bob Hilton was the host, later replaced by Don Galloway. The announcer was Charlie O'Donnell wh ...
'', a revival of ''
Truth or Consequences
''Truth or Consequences'' is an American game show originally hosted on NBC radio by Ralph Edwards (1940–1957) and later on television by Edwards (1950–1954), Jack Bailey (1954–1956), Bob Barker (1956–1975), Steve Dunne (1957–1958), ...
'', and the 1990 revival of ''
Let's Make a Deal
''Let's Make a Deal'' (also known as ''LMAD'') is an American television musical comedy variety-game show that originated in the United States in 1963 and has since been produced in many countries throughout the world. The program was created an ...
'' for one season and replaced by
Monty Hall
Monty Hall (born Monte Halparin; August 25, 1921 – September 30, 2017) was a Canadian radio and television show host who moved to the United States in 1955 to pursue a career in broadcasting. After working as a radio newsreader and sport ...
, and announced on several other shows.
Biography
Born in
Lake Charles, Louisiana
Lake Charles (French: ''Lac Charles'') is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and the parish seat of Calcasieu Parish, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Founded in 1861 in Calcas ...
, Hilton has announced numerous game shows, such as ''
Card Sharks
''Card Sharks'' is an American television game show. It was created by Chester Feldman for Mark Goodson- Bill Todman Productions. The game features two contestants who attempt to predict the outcome of survey questions to gain control of a ro ...
'', ''
Child's Play'', ''
Trivia Trap
''Trivia Trap'' is an American game show produced by Mark Goodson Productions. It was created by producer Goodson and originally ran from October 8, 1984 to April 5, 1985 on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. The game featured two teams of three c ...
'', ''
The $25,000 Pyramid
''Pyramid'' is the collective name of a series of American television game shows that has aired several versions domestically and internationally. The original series, ''The $10,000 Pyramid'', debuted on March 26, 1973, and spawned seven subsequ ...
'', ''
The $100,000 Pyramid
''Pyramid'' is the collective name of a series of American television game shows that has aired several versions domestically and internationally. The original series, ''The $10,000 Pyramid'', debuted on March 26, 1973, and spawned seven subsequ ...
'', ''
Blockbusters'', ''
Double Talk
''Double Talk'' is an American game show that aired on the ABC network from August 18 to December 19, 1986. The show was a Bob Stewart-produced word game which borrowed elements from Stewart's previous show '' Shoot for the Stars'' and his t ...
'', ''
The New Newlywed Game
''The Newlywed Game'' is an American television game show that puts newly married couples against each other in a series of revealing question rounds to determine how well the spouses know or do not know each other. The program, originally create ...
'', ''
The All-New Dating Game'', ''
Strike It Rich'', ''
Win, Lose or Draw
''Win, Lose or Draw'' is an American television game show that aired from 1987 to 1990 in syndication and on NBC. It was taped at CBS Television City (one of the few non- CBS game shows to tape there), often in Studios 31, 33, and 43 at various ...
'', and ''
Body Language
Body language is a type of communication in which physical behaviors, as opposed to words, are used to express or convey information. Such behavior includes facial expressions, body posture, gestures, eye movement, touch and the use of space. Th ...
''. His first game show announcing assignment was in 1980 on ''
Tic-Tac-Dough
''Tic-Tac-Dough'' is an American television game show based on the paper-and-pencil game of tic-tac-toe. Contestants answer questions in various categories to put up their respective symbol, ''X'' or ''O'', on the board. Three versions were produc ...
'' (filling in for regular announcer
Jay Stewart
Jay Stewart Fix (September 6, 1918 – September 17, 1989), known professionally as Jay Stewart, was an American television and radio announcer known primarily for his work on game shows. He was probably best known as the announcer on the long r ...
), followed by ''
The Joker's Wild
''The Joker's Wild'' is an American television game show that aired at different times between 1972 and 2019. In the show, contestants answer questions based on categories determined randomly by a mechanism resembling a slot machine. The show's ...
'' and ''
Play the Percentages
''Play the Percentages'' is an American game show hosted by Geoff Edwards which aired in syndication from January 7 to September 12, 1980. Jay Stewart announced for the first six weeks, after which Bob Hilton became the permanent announcer.
The ga ...
'', after he began a contract with
Barry & Enright Productions, that same year. Hilton also announced ''
The Price Is Right
''The Price Is Right'' is a television game show franchise created by Bob Stewart, originally produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman; currently it is produced and owned by Fremantle. The franchise centers on television game shows, but also inc ...
'' following the death of its original announcer,
Johnny Olson
John Leonard Olson (May 22, 1910 – October 12, 1985) was an American radio personality and television announcer. Olson is perhaps best known for his work as an announcer for game shows, particularly the work he did for Mark Goodson-Bill Todman P ...
. According to former producer
Roger Dobkowitz
Roger Kurt Dobkowitz (born July 30, 1945 in San Francisco, California) is an American television producer best known for his 36-year tenure on the CBS game show ''The Price Is Right''. In addition to ''The Price Is Right'', Dobkowitz also worked ...
, he did extremely well. However, Hilton was already working on several other shows at the time, so the job was given to
Rod Roddy
Robert Ray Roddy (September 28, 1937 – October 27, 2003) was an American radio and television announcer
An announcer is a voice artist who relays information to the audience of a broadcast media programme or live event.
Television and ...
.
Hilton's non-game show announcing work included the 1988 CBS specials ''Live! Dick Clark Presents'' and the ABC daytime program ''
Home'' in the early 1990's.
Hilton got his start in Louisiana at station
KPLC-TV
KPLC (channel 7) is a television station in Lake Charles, Louisiana, United States, affiliated with NBC and The CW Plus. It is owned by Gray Television, which provides certain services to dual Fox/ ABC affiliate KVHP (channel 29) under a share ...
. He traveled around to various stations as news anchor/reporter, such as in
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island o ...
,
KTRK-TV
KTRK-TV (channel 13) is a television station in Houston, Texas, United States, airing programming from the ABC network. Owned and operated by the network's ABC Owned Television Stations division, the station maintains studios on Bissonnet Stre ...
in Houston,
KGAN-TV
KGAN (channel 2) is a television station licensed to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States, serving Eastern Iowa as an affiliate of CBS and Fox. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, which provides certain services to Dabl affiliate KFXA (cha ...
in
Cedar Rapids, WNAC-TV in Boston (''The Bob Hilton Show''), and
KHJ-TV
KCAL-TV (channel 9) is an independent television station in Los Angeles, California, United States. It is owned by the CBS News and Stations group alongside CBS West Coast flagship KCBS-TV (channel 2). Both stations share studios at the C ...
in Los Angeles. He later went on to
KOVR
KOVR (channel 13) is a television station licensed to Stockton, California, United States, broadcasting the CBS network to the Sacramento area. It is owned and operated by the network's CBS News and Stations division alongside CW affiliate ...
in
Sacramento, California
)
, image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg
, mapsize = 250x200px
, map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...
.
Hilton is a
Latter-day Saint
Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...
. On one occasion he turned down a show because he felt it tended too much towards sexual arousal.
Wife
Hilton is married to the former Joni Pennock. She was Miss California USA in 1976. She has also been a TV talk show host. More recently she has written 23 books, many of them novels with explicitly Mormon characters and themes, such as ''As the Ward Turns''. She has also worked as a magazine correspondent and writer to the
Mormon Tabernacle Choir
The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, formerly known as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, is an American choir, acting as part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It has performed in the Salt Lake Tabernacle for ov ...
program ''Music and the Spoken Word''.
entry on Joni Hilton
/ref> Joni is also a playwright.
Family
Hilton and his wife have four children: Richie, Brandon, Cassidy, and Nicole.
Hilton retired from the entertainment world following the creation of a cleaning products company called Holy Cow, selling nationwide through major retailers. After selling the Holy Cow company, in 2011, Hilton co-founded a new company, NovaGreenWorld, an environmental products supplier for commercial and industrial companies as well as municipalities. Hilton now serves as a representative for the California-based East Lawn funeral service.
References
External links
*
Holy Cow Products
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hilton, Bob
1943 births
American game show hosts
Latter Day Saints from California
Game show announcers
Let's Make a Deal
Living people
People from Lake Charles, Louisiana
Latter Day Saints from Louisiana