Michael was legit. Studying a pattern isn't cheating. If they wanted to avoid this, they truly should have made it more random and not predictable.

so if memorising is cheating then we all cheat in school right??

Both Terry Knees and Michael Larson; They didn't cheat, they studied. How can anyone say that doing your homework beforehand is 'cheating'? It's like some kid taking a test in school, and getting a top grade, then being accused of cheating, simply because he knew the material, and studied beforehand.

Neither Larson nor Neiss were cheaters. Taking advantage of a pattern (or flaw in the gameshow itself) is not cheating.

Larson was 100% legit - he used his mind

Larson didn't cheat, the game people were the cheaters. They cheated him by wasting his time and winnings fighting the payout.

The coughing scam has to be the stupidest way to cheat. I'm surprised it wasn't immediately obvious.

Memorizing spins isn’t considered “cheating,” it’s using the ability to focus on patterns and process the next pattern.

Larson was not a cheater. If anything, he was brilliant. Having the ability to remember every single pattern precisely, it’s amazing. Props to him, honestly.

Larson did not cheat. It is the game designer’s fault that he/she designed a flawed, memorizable pattern. That is not cheating.

Terry and Larson didn’t cheat. They did exactly what a good, intelligent game show contestant should do.

I agree that Michael Larson and Terry Knees didn't actually cheat. They exploited deficiencies in the games that anyone could have found if they were as diligent in analysing the games.

Thumbs up to everyone that supported Larson when it comes to the press your luck incident. He did not cheat and should never be classified as a cheater. He figured out the pattern and nailed it. Terry also memorized the prices and did nothing wrong as well.

Larson died awhile back but he didn’t cheat. He exposed the game for only having 5 patterns. Today’s game has 175 plus patterns. Larson was a genius for this.

It's not cheating to memorize a pattern. It's playing the game smarter than anyone else.

Michael Larson didn't cheat. He just studied the electro-mechanical board frame by frame through all his VHS taping of the show. He had the tenacity, and did all his homework before applying as a contestant. Anyone applying to be a contestant on a game show should know the show. He just knew the show better than anyone, including the show's producers. There was a TV special about him, I think on Game Show Network.

How the hell could memorizing the patterns of the box deprive you of your winning money? That's not illegal, nor is it a scheme. It's a tactic used to win, and it shouldn't count as cheating, since it's not against the rules.

If you can memorize the pattern of “Press Your Luck,” it is NOT cheating.

Michael and Terry never cheated and it is a shame that Michael had to waste his winnings in court costs. It's not his fault that they made it too predictable. They were both just smart, not cheaters!

They had no business bleeding Michael Larson dry. They were angry he got the better of them, did that so he couldn't enjoy the money. Should've been made to pay his attorneys fees.

Press your luck guy didn't cheat at all. Learning how the show works and paying close attention is not cheating at all. That's called working hard and winning!

Don't really consider the Press Your Luck or Price is Right contestants as cheaters. They studied.

2:17 to be fair it’s smart of him to figure out patterns for the show. I think it’s fair game, in my opinion that’s not cheating, that’s strategy.

The last guy, the one who got the price of the showcase exactly right.. There's more to the story.. There's a whole documentary about it.. He met a guy while standing in line who knew the prices of everything.. He fed the guy who won the winning bid.. That's why Drew acted like that and said "Wow' that's a really specific bid.. The documentary is really good go look it up and watch it..

Imagine being penalized by a show that makes MILLIONS, because you’re smarter then them 😂

I guess “cheating” means using your intelligence to solve a problem.

Terry didn't cheat, he studied and randomly used birthday dates- that was coincidence. Not cheating. Using skill and study to win is not cheating.

It's important to note that soon after the Michael Larson incident, the Press Your Luck producers did a complete overhaul of the game board and introduced a code that completely randomized the light pattern and prize amount so that it would be impossible to learn.

Larson was legit. He did his homework and won.

Larson did not cheat.. He is a genius.. Unlike the others mentioned..

Neither Michael nor Terry cheated. They had skills and used them.

The "Press Your Luck" guy didn't cheat. He literally thought 'outside the box' and decoded the pattern. You can't be penalized for using your brain to strategize. It's on the showrunners for never changing it up. The guy can only be flawed for clapping too early.

Larson always comes up in these videos. He didn't cheat. Paying attention is not cheating. Thats why he got to keep the money.

#2 3:00 memorizing the board because people are idiots is not cheating- that's outsmarting the game and winning!

The guy on Press Your Luck should not be called a cheater. Learning and memorizing a pattern and using that to win is not cheating. That would be the same as calling studying for a test cheating.

The Price is Right one actually had a man in the audience who heavily studied it (he had written a program to help him gauge the prices) and he claims he shouted out the correct price and the guy listened to it. Then afterward the player claimed he did it all on his own. There was a whole documentary on this. Originally, they thought someone in the show was out to get them because the show fired a lot of long-time staffers when Drew took the reins.

It's so unfair calling the last guy a cheater. It's like studying really hard for an exam to get 100 and then being called a cheater.

If there's no rule banning how you beat the system, then how the hell is it cheating? Michael didn't cheat on Press Your Luck (which was recently relaunched on ABC) and Terry did not cheat on The Price Is Right. They spent hours and hours studying the patterns and frequencies of the goodies offered.

Larson did well. He took the time to study the game, and then he employed that knowledge (fairly) to win. That's no different to someone being good at Poker or Chess.

Larson was amazing to figure that out he deserved every dollar he earned

Larson was not cheater just took advantage of a flaw

I just helped my kid cheat on their spelling test...we knew the weekly words in advance and studied really hard to prepare. Yes, I’m a bad father.

If Terry memorized the price of the product that's like studying the cost of things prior to the show which is what you should do as it's based on prices. He picked the 23,000 part correct. When he guessed the last three he gave himself a 74.2% chance of going over the amount by guessing 743 and therefore was a tally a bad choice of numbers. His most logical answer would have been 23,000. That's not sheathing.

Michael didn't cheat. He got good at the game (Press Your Luck) by watching it on TV. Terry didn't cheat, either. He studied ahead of time and performed well.

Larson is so impressive though! They way he remembers all five patterns and didn’t make one mistake- omg. That is so amazing!

Only 5 random patterns? The game should be the one to blame as they just didn’t even put in the minimal effort in creating a fair game.

love when people can break a gameshow completely within the rules

Larson studied the game. He did not cheat.

Larson saw the pattern and exploited it... using the game's flaws to his advantage is NOT cheating.

I feel like if Adriana was a regular contestant her cheating wouldn’t have been so easily forgiven. And no having the Shazam app open on your phone in your lap during the game telling you the answers isn’t a brilliant strategy. It’s just plain cheating...

Michael Larson didn't cheat. He learned and beat the system. He turned what was supposed to be a game of chance into a game of skill. It's a genius move.

Noticing a pattern isn't cheating, but if I were playing against a contestant who had it all figured out, I'd be upset, too! Though, I'd be more upset with myself for not looking for patterns like he did and figuring it out for myself!

Every single person’s comment is about how Larson didn’t cheat and I could not agree more

Larson didn’t cheat ! Homie was the truth!

Michael cheating is like a casino calling a card counter a cheat. You master their game doesn't make you a cheat, makes you a game master, unless they deliberately make winning against the rules.

Learning a game isn't cheating. Has anyone ever played a video game to the point of understanding the mechanics, enemy patterns, even glitches? Larson learned Press Your Luck like that. Terry meanwhile, just studied the relevant information like a boss. They played the actual game itself, rather than just competing within the game.

There's a huge difference between cheating and strategy...

Memorizing the pattern is not cheating. So outside him, everything else is cheating

Just to add to everyone else's comments regarding Larson... memorizing the 5 patterns would mean nothing if he didn't have hand-eye co-ordination and the timing of pressing the button down pat given the primitive-ness of the tech at that time. If you watch the patterns sometimes the icons switch out to another icon, including the whammy, while still being highlighted. Also, Larson was fighting exhaustion and attrition for all those hours. That's why his game lasted two episodes.

How can remembering patterns, prices and so on even be claimed as cheating. They're just smart af. 🤣

So only 2 actually cheated, the rest were smart or had it fed to them.

Larson is not a cheater, he just used strategy. Also the last guy just did the same. He did not cheat.

Terry Kneiss didn't cheat. He just had knowledge of prizes that were repeatedly used on the show, and he just happened to guess the price exactly with the random digits he chose.

Remembering the patters of a game isn't cheating. It's getting good at the game or activity. If you've ever played a video game, played sports, been in fighting matches, raced, taken tests etc it's the same thing. You gain knowledge, and/or remember the patters, and/or develop muscle memory, then perfect your timing to return the best possible response.

Even if memorizing the patterns was cheating (which it's not), Larson still had to land on the correct boxes. That part definitely wasn't cheating.

Larson and Kneiss both figured out the respective shows' systems and played them perfectly. Nothing wrong with that at all, it's no different to other quizzes where generic questions are often repeated. Fair play to them

Larson didn't cheat he out smarted them. He simply used what he knew!

Larson and Kneiss didn’t cheat, they used the show’s own system against the gameshows and won. they didn’t break any rules, both won fairly even if both devoted their lives to learning the show 🙄 it’s the shows’ own fault for not noticing it or changing things up to prevent patterns that anyone can figure out

Larson studied he didnt guess he actually did his homework

Larson was clearly not dishonest, nor did he cheat. He simply used skill in memorising patterns. If fault lies with anyone it lies with whoever invented the device for having a pattern that was capable of prediction.

It's not cheating if a contestant studied the show. It's just like preparing for a test. They can't be mad at people for figuring out the strategy just because the producers didn't switch up the methods enough.

My father-in-law knew Charles Van Doren and his family very well. His family (particularly his father), was absolutely disgusted and ashamed of what took place.

The Press Your Luck and Price is Right contestant did not cheat! They were just smart enough. They did their due diligence by studying patterns. Its like figuring out the patterns in abstract reasoning tests.The gameshows were just outsmarted.

Terry wasn't the first to get it perfect, drew even says so.

Finding a pattern or tendencies isn’t cheating. So the Price is Right guy, and the Press Your Luck guy, did nothing wrong. And Quizshow, based on the Van Doren story is superb.

Michael deserved every penny! He didn't cheat, he followed the rules and he won. You can't penalise him just because he was smarter than the other contestants.

This dude outsmarted the show, which is what an intelligent person does! He spent a long time studying how to win, that’s not cheating. That’s genius!

Kudos to the people smart enough to recognize the patterns and memorize the prices of the prizes!! Not cheaters at all!!

Michael didn't deserve to be in this list the guy played fair and he's brilliant... Memorizing is not a cheating

Been watching the old episodes of "Whew!" on Buzzer of late and thought of a method, similar to #1 in this video, by which a contestant could cheat during the main part of the show, where they have to "climb" from the bottom of the board to the top before time runs out. I thought of this when I noticed one time the host, Tom Kennedy, asked a contestant why she was looking out into the audience steadily while he was trying to go over the rules of that round with her. This got me to thinking if maybe she was using a confederate planted in the audience to somehow cheat. Since the studio audience is present whenever the "blocking" contestant is putting their hidden blocks on the board, but not the "charging party" who is in the meantime being kept in a soundproof isolation booth, seems a confederate might be able to convey the location of the blocks to the contestant before that round starts, by using some kind of hidden or coded hand signals. For example, the confederate could innocently keep their hands on their knees, using fingers on each hand to indicate on one knee the line # and on the other knee the position # of the block, slowly repeating them in order to make sure the contestant got them memorized. For example, the index finger of their right hand could be draped over their right knee to indicate "line 1", with the index and middle finger of their left hand draped over their other knee to indicate "position 2", of that line, and so on. Or, even if they didn't want to get that chancy at being discovered, they might just indicate where the block is placed on the top line (#6), which is the ultimate and most important line of the 6. There is only one block possible on line 6, so if the contestant makes it to that line on their own the other two positions would be a sure winner. If however the contestant calls "longshot!" and is thereby elevated up to that level, the blocker is then allowed to secretly place an additional block on that level. Still, even with two blocks and one not known to the confederate, the contestant would at least have a 50/50 chance with their aid of picking the unblocked blooper (vs. only 33% w/o knowing where the original block is placed), a distinct advantage. If the knees of the confederate are not visible to the contestant due to the seating of the audience, then they could try placing their hands higher up, such as keeping their arms crossed with their hands sticking out on either of their sides.

Terry and Michael didn’t cheat. Michael at best could be called poor sportsmanship, but he played the game, Terry I think was more pure luck. Imagine if he was off by a $1? Some say his wife or a friend were yelling the amounts. Right, them and a few hundred other people. There have been a few close bids before within a few dollars. I mean if someone from the production staff had given him the bid would be one thing. Watching the show and knowing how to play before going on is not cheating.

Larson won fair and square his memory for the patterns was brilliant, well done him.

Im surprised it took 3 decades for somebody to memorize the prizes and their value!

Larson didn’t cheat. He figured it out. Even the producers of the game show said he didn’t cheat. Finding a pattern is a genuine strategy when playing any game.

The second one isnt even cheating

I was champion on Sale of the Century for 7 days in 1988. I can tell you that the network was ultra careful that stuff like this wouldn't happen to the best of their abilitiy.

The only one I would legitimately call a cheater is the "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" contestant at the beginning.

Casinos and Game Shows: Here come play and win all this money!!!! Contestant/Gambler (That doesn't actually cheat, but use the house rules/system to take advantage: *Wins* Casino/Game Show: Wait.. that's illegal.

What’s interesting to me is that Larson was smart enough to find the weakness in the game and exploit it but wasn’t smart enough to avoid celebrating too early 😂

I watch Price is Right and as a teenager, I noticed that the products (like Aspirin or cookies) had the same price even in different games played. It's not the contestant's fault that they remember things.

Terry did not cheat. Watch the video of the guy who beat the Price is Right. Terry got the number from his wife who got it from the guy sitting next to her that they met in line and audience members are allowed to call out what they think the amount should be. Ted, the guy that helped them, had been studying the show for years and knew the cost of most of the products. That takes, time, commitment, talent and he did not keep it to himself, he shared it with multiple people over the years.

The second contestant Michael didn't cheat. He just was smart enough to figure out the pattern.

Larson outsmarted the game. He definitely deserved the win and the support he’s got in this comment section! We got your back Larson!

Kind of BS that they were able to bleed Larson dry of his winnings. If he was found innocent, they should have had to pay his legal fees, too.

That 2nd guy is a genius!! That's not cheating that's doing your homework..

I knew the "Press Your Luck" scandal would show up here. But, like most people, I really don't count that as cheating. He taped episodes of "Press Your Luck," studied the board, and memorized the patterns. It took him some time to get the timing down (as his first spin resulted in a Whammy), but this really isn't cheating.

I loved how (for the last person) the contestant to his left was just so dang excited and happy for him even though she didn't win! She just seemed so genuinely happy someone did and got to come up, just like she was 😄 that's freaking awesome! I love such fair players, even through the competitiveness, you just gotta love the game. After all, that's what it is ☺

You know the first cheater on this list, wasn't his sly act made into a film?

Let me correct you for your last video, Terry did not study. A man name Ted Slauson had been to the live tapings 37 and had also remembered all the prices. The day Terry won he happened to meet Ted, he told him that he should sit next to him and his wife. Ted gave him the answers to help him. After winning Terry made it seem like it was all him. there's a documentary called "Perfect Bid: the contestant who knew too much"

Larson & Kniess didn’t cheat. Finding a flaw in the game and memorizing it, isn’t a cheat. In video games if you play a certain level enough times to realize a certain event always occurs at the same point in play, it’s just how you beat the level. That’s what those guys did.