what does the gong mean in the gong show
The Gong Show Each show presented a contest between amateur performers of often dubious talent, with a panel of three celebrity judges. The program's regular judges included Jaye P. Morgan, Jamie Farr, Arte Johnson, Patty Andrews, Anson Williams, Steve Garvey, Rex Reed, and Rip Taylor. If any judge considered an act to be particularly bad, he or she could force it to stop by striking a large gong, a trope adapted from the durable radio show Major Bowes Amateur Hour. Most of the performers took the gong with sheepish good grace, but there were exceptions. Barris would then ask the judge(s) in question why they gonged the act.