17 Celebs That I Never Knew Were Contestants On Game Shows Before They Made It Big

Aaron Paul on The Price Is Right is something to behold.

1. Lady Gaga appeared on Boiling Points!

MTV, Jeff Kravitz / FilmMagic / Via Getty Images

Before she became the massive star we now know her to be, Stefani Germanotta, aka Lady Gaga, appeared on MTV's hidden camera show Boiling Points. People are awarded prize money in the show if they remain calm in troubling situations (without knowing they're being filmed). It's fair to say Stefani was NOT happy with what happened.

youtube.com

2. A young and excitable Aaron Paul appeared on The Price Is Right.

CBS / Syndicated, Jeff Kravitz / FilmMagic for HBO / Via Getty Images

Yes, Aaron Paul's first TV appearance came on The Price Is Right, the game show where the contestants must guess the prices of merchandise in order to win money or prizes. Aaron had to guess the price of a sports car, and came painstakingly close to getting it! Hard luck, Aaron, it all worked out in the end though!

youtube.com

3. John Ritter appeared as a bachelor on The Dating Game.

Nbc / NBCUniversal via Getty Images, ABC

A fresh-faced John Ritter was one of three bachelors that a woman would have to choose from to accompany her on a date. It's easy to see that he was always one for comedy and acting, pulling some excellent facial expressions, and even getting the date!

youtube.com

4. Simon Cowell was a contestant on Sale of the Century.

Nbc / NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images, Sky One

The TV personality's first exploits on-screen came on the British version of this bargain-based game show where contestants answer questions with the chance to win prizes. Simon went on twice, but actually only went home with around £20 worth of kitchen utensils.

youtube.com

5. Jon Hamm participated in The Big Date game show.

USA Network, Morgan Lieberman / FilmMagic / Via Getty Images

The Mad Men star was on the show in his 20s. Similar to The Dating Game, Jon competed alongside two other bachelors to win the heart of a woman who would choose one to go on a date with. Sadly for Jon, he hadn't quite mastered the trademark Don Draper smooth-talking, and was rejected!

youtube.com

6. Another The Price Is Right contestant was Linda Cardellini.

CBS / Syndicated, Morgan Lieberman / FilmMagic / Via Getty Images

Linda's on-screen debut was this price-guessing game show, too, and she was just as excitable as young Aaron. Linda showed her smarts and actually won! She took home a fireplace — an odd prize, especially for someone so young.

youtube.com

7. Paul Walker was on the children's game show I'm Telling!

NBC, Jon Kopaloff / FilmMagic

A very young Paul went on the game show with his sister Ashlie. The show is essentially the same format as the 'newlywed' game but with siblings. His cheeky, smiley attitude was clearly right there from a young age!

youtube.com

8. Olly Murs took on the banker in Deal or No Deal.

Channel 4, Dave J Hogan / Dave J Hogan / Via Via

Prior to Olly's rise to fame as a result of X-Factor, he appeared on British screens alongside host Noel Edmunds to attempt to eliminate his way, box by box, to lots of money in Deal or No Deal. The X-Factor alum wasn't slow to deliver some showmanship, moonwalking onto the stage with his box and at one point flashing some underwear.

It wasn't a successful appearance for Olly, though; having been offered £22,000 at one point, he left with only £10.

youtube.com

9. Stephen Merchant was a contestant on Blockbusters.

BBC 2, Michael Tran / FilmMagic / Via Getty Images

The co-writer/director and star of The Office tried his luck on this British game show where the contestant must navigate their way around the game board hexagons by answering trivia questions. Stephen speaks about doing a bit of writing here and there and wanting to get into broadcasting, and boy did he!

youtube.com

10. Kirstie Alley was on Match Game.

CBS / NBC, Nbc / NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

The Cheers star was a contestant on the game show where she had to fill in the blanks and match the answers of the celebrity guests. Kirstie correctly guessed the answer of her final celebrity, and she won $5,000!

youtube.com

11. Arnold Schwarzenegger also appeared on The Dating Game.

ABC, Isabel Infantes - Pa Images / PA Images via Getty Images

This dating-oriented game show was evidently quite the breeding ground for future stars. While Arnold had received his 'Mr. Olympia' and 'Mr. Universe' titles, he was still early in his ascent to stardom when he went onto The Dating Game.

Unlike John Ritter, Arnold went onto the show as the one who would pick one of three women to accompany him on a date, but only by talking to them, not seeing. He and his chosen date were flown to Hawaii with complimentary water skis, too!

youtube.com

12. Naughty Boy/Shahid Khan was on Deal or No Deal.

Channel 4, Dave J Hogan / Via Getty Images

It seems like this game show was the place to go for future musicians, as Naughty Boy also appeared on the show, taking on the banker and the boxes to try to win big. The British DJ did a lot better than Olly Murs, though, going home with £44,000! And like Stephen Merchant, Naughty spoke about his dream to be a musician which eventually came true with help from the Deal or No Deal prize money.

youtube.com

13. Vanna White was a contestant on The Price Is Right.

CBS, Christopher Willard / ABC via Getty Images

Vanna White was destined to be a gameshow icon, and she got her first taste of it when she appeared on The Price Is Right. The long-running Wheel of Fortune host wasn't too successful on the price-guessing game, but she would soon find her success in the game show realm, joining Wheel of Fortune only two years after this episode aired!

youtube.com

14. Farrah Fawcett was another one to grace The Dating Game pre-fame.

ABC, Pictorial Parade / Getty Images

Like Arnold, she, too, had the task of choosing from three potential candidates to accompany her on a date. Seven years on, Farrah would have a starring role in the first season of Charlie's Angels!

youtube.com

15. AJ McLean of the Backstreet Boys was on Nickelodeon's Guts.

Nickelodeon, Kevin Winter / Via Getty Images

AJ was on this extremely fun-looking game show as a kid, competing against two other children in a series of challenges and obstacle courses for points. Sadly, it didn't go the way he wanted, and he eventually lost out to Jamie. Imagine being able to say that you beat a Backstreet Boy on a game show; that's a real claim to fame for Jamie!

youtube.com

16. Amanda Holden was on Blind Date as a 19-year-old.

ITV, Mike Marsland

The TV personality got her on-screen debut on the British dating show, even though she was actually engaged at the time! When she was asked who she would have a 'knees-up' with if she could choose anyone, she said 'Jack Nicholson.' She definitely displayed no shyness on this appearance, going straight in with talking about the bachelor's "podgy bits."

youtube.com

17. Bonus: Ke$ha was on an episode of The Simple Life — with Paris Hilton!

Fox, Jesse Grant / Getty Images for The Hollywood Reporter

It's not strictly a game show, but every good game show has a bonus round, and Ke$ha's pre-fame appearance on The Simple Life has to be mentioned! This was the show where Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie would swap their wealthy, socialite routines for the more rural, farm-work type lives.

In Season 3, the pair ended up staying in Ke$ha's family home! This was the singer's debut on-screen appearance, and it involved her, Paris, and Nicole finding her mother a suitable man to date.

youtube.com

What are your favourite celeb appearances on game shows? Let us know in the comments below!