ABC’s ‘Gong Show’ Reboot Will Source Its Wacky Performers From The Internet

Between Celebrity Family Feud, The $100,000 Pyramid, and Match Game, ABC has recently rebooted several old-school game shows for modern viewers. The network’s latest 70s revival is The Gong Show, but the new version of the absurdist talent show will feature a twist: Its performers will be, according to Deadline, “plucked from the Internet.”

In each episode of the rebooted Gong Show, which will be produced by Will Arnett, celebrity judges will watch as contestants share their “non-traditional” talents. For the most terrible acts, the judges can ring a loud gong, which immediately ends the current performance. Those who make it through their sets un-gonged will receive scores from the judges.

In the original version of the show, the contestants were low-rent Hollywood performers. This time, however, ABC will turn to platforms like YouTube, where there is no shortage of creators who enjoy sharing their odd talents. “The comedy culture we are living in has finally caught up to The Gong Show

, so the timing is perfect,” said Holly Jacobs, EVP of reality and syndication programming for Sony Pictures Television.

Murray Langston, who had a recurring role on the original Gong Show as the bag-headed “Unknown Comic,” applauded the decision to turn to YouTube. “In the 70s, it was just local actors in Hollywood who needed extra money,” he told the New York Post. “I only went on the show, at first, because I was broke and I needed $200. But now with the YouTube generation, there’s probably more potential to find weird, crazy stuff — and people who are willing to make fools of themselves.”

For its initial run, The Gong Show has received a ten-episode order from ABC. The show’s host and premiere date have not yet been announced.