We’re sitting watching a little TV while we relax following a very nerving day after Jen’s surgery. We don’t usually watch much TV outside of Monday, so I’m not real familiar with what’s on. So I’m skipping through the channels and hit ABC to find “Opportunity Knocks,” which is a family trivia show. Overall the concept isn’t too special, but one thing on the show is special - J.D. Roth!
For some reason, J.D. Roth holds a special place on my shelf of game show host heroes. The reason goes back to one show, “Fun House.” This was a Double Dare type rip-off that aired here out of Cleveland. I don’t why I liked that game show so much - it was probably just because it was on at the right time between Super Host and cartoons. Nonetheless, I remember who he is and thus I’m watching this new game show.
Bob Barker is probably everyone’s game show host hero, but that’s almost unfair since he pretty much turned game show hosting into a cool gig. But there is one man that sits atop my game show host list.
Marc Summers.
I have no good reason why Marc Summers is my all-time game shot host. It might be his Double Dare & Nickelodeon influence over me…the original “get dirty” game. It certainly wasn’t Family Double Dare. I always thought Marc was a cool guy when I was watching. Like he wouldn’t mind getting slimed either. He just seemed like a happy guy.
I don’t know if he really is a decent guy, but I’d hope so. He’s one guy I’d like to have lunch with and find out what his favorite board game is. If I had to guess, his favorite is probably Monopoly.
And some honorable also mentions go to: Chuck Woolery (Scrabble), Pat Sajak (Wheel), Dick Clark (Pyramind), and John Davidson (Hollywood Squares)
The best thing about Marc Summers is he’s apparently a clean freak with OCD.
I’m kinda pissed at J.D. Roth, though–when I was 10 (or however old I was when Fun House was on the air), I went to see Fun House live at the Menlo Park Mall in NJ. He was picking kids right out of the crowd, and his producer was pointing at me, but Roth picked this girl a few people over. My shot at fame- missed!
Howie Mandel is an OCD clean freak too.
That sucks about Fun House but that is a total Seinfeld moment.
Mark Summers hosts some food show. It’s either on the food network or the travel channel, but he seems pretty cool. I loved double dare when I was a kid. Funhouse was cool, don’t forget about the sidekick announcer “Tiny”.
As Chris mentioned, Summers has his own show on Food Network now. It’s called “Unwrapped” and it’s like a behind the scenes or “how it’s made” but for food. While I love practically everything on Food Network (it’s the only channel I watch with any regularity) his show is kind of annoying. He uses that exact same fakey voice he’s always had, and whoever writes his script needs to be hit over the head. I love puns, as long as they’re clever. They lay on those lame puns that someone like a drunk uncle would tell at a party.