The Joke's on Us

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The Joke's on Us was a Canadian game show from 1983. It was hosted by Monty Hall and was taped in Toronto in association with the Global Television Network. The show featured a rotating panel of four comedians which included many famous comedians of the day.

The show pitted two contestants against each other. Each took turns listening to a joke told by one member of the panel, while the other panel members each delivered a different punchline to the joke. The contestant had to determine which of the punchlines was the original punchline to the joke. If the contestants had tied scores at the end of the game, they played tie-breaker where both had to guess on the same joke.

The winner played the "add-a-word" bonus round based on an old party game. A phrase such as "I always forget my..." would appear on a board, under which eight letters would be uncovered one at a time. The celebrities had to go around twice adding a word to the chain that began with the next letter. For the above example, if "A" were uncovered, the first celebrity might say "I always forget my apples." Then if a "B" were uncovered, the second would have to say "I always forget my apples and my balloons." This would continue for all eight letters. If they celebrity could not remember a previous word, the contestant could tell them. After all eight words were given, the contestant then had to repeat the entire phrase. The celebrities could tell the contestant the next word but could mime or gesture to assist. The contestant had 60 seconds to build the chain and repeat it in order to win $500. The enforcement of the rules was not always strict, however, and celebrities occasionally gave the wrong word while building the chain or gave verbal clues while the contestants were trying to repeat the chain.