In the mid-1970s, Barris hoped to make a new kind of game show, based on the old "amateur hour" contest shows. He held auditions to find talented acts to appear. Nearly all the performers who came to the auditions were ordinary people, who had one or two skills, or thought they had special talent. Many of the performances were "party pieces", that people did to amuse others. Others were more serious, and tried hard to perform well.