The Game Show Forum
The Game Show Forum => The Big Board => Topic started by: Twentington on October 13, 2010, 11:11:04 PM
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Have you ever thought that a host was good, but just not the right fit for a show?
The example I've heard tossed around here most is Bill Cullen on TJW. Granted, most of his shows were meant to fit his more methodical mannerisms (lovely alliteration there), but TJW just didn't seem TJW with him as host. Granted, he was near the end of his career anyway...
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I thought Eubanks was horrible on CS. CS was a lighthearted, fun show...not one filled with smarmy comments.
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I suppose Todd Newton on Whammy...then again, even if Tomarken had hosted*, they probably would've had him yell just as much...
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[quote name=\'Modor\' post=\'249123\' date=\'Oct 13 2010, 11:36 PM\']I thought Eubanks was horrible on CS. CS was a lighthearted, fun show...not one filled with smarmy comments.[/quote]
I will absolutely second this. He tried to bring his tell-all tactics to a game where they didn't fit at all, and he came off as a total douche--to me, at least. I'm sure I can't be alone on that.
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[quote name=\'DoorNumberFour\' post=\'249129\' date=\'Oct 13 2010, 10:03 PM\']He tried to bring his tell-all tactics to a game where they didn't fit at all, and he came off as a total douche--to me, at least. I'm sure I can't be alone on that.[/quote]Hell no you aren't alone. I'll queue up right behind you. Douche nonpareil.
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[quote name=\'Modor\' post=\'249123\' date=\'Oct 13 2010, 11:36 PM\']I thought Eubanks was horrible on CS. CS was a lighthearted, fun show...not one filled with smarmy comments.[/quote]
I beg to differ. Card Sharks had an extremely weak format and needed all the help it could get. I think Eubanks did a great job given what he had to work with.
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Someone's gonna say this...
Gene Rayburn and Break the Bank... Obviously Gene was led to believe that BTB would allow him to do his goofy antics. It had potential... if you watch the first week Gene does joke around wherever he can and he appears to be having some fun, but Kline and Friends later decided that BTB should be more "serious", and in later shows Gene looks bored. It's also obvious that Gene was not briefed about any of the stunts nor where they were on the stage. Either Gene didn't want to be briefed in order to be more spontaneous, or nobody thought that Gene should know these stunts to make the game more smooth. Gene was fired, Joe Farago replaced him. Joe was no better, and dropping the stunts made the show VERY dull.
John Davidson and 100k Pyramid... John had a hard job, trying to fill the shoes of a host that hosted Pyramid off and on for 17 years. John appeared ill at ease sometimes, and repeated himself a LOT (just as Drew Carey did in early TPIR shows). Obviously it's debatable if John could be classified as a GOOD host... I felt he handled HS well, at least for the first two seasons. I think Pyramid was too restrictive for his personality, and for me, he didn't bring the right amount of suspense in the winner's circle.
Ray Combs and Family Challenge... This might not be fair. Ray was obviously going through hard times and he was probably very lucky to get the gig. Ray really gave his all and there were moments where his personality fit in with the show, but knowing what we know now, I wonder if Ray felt deep down inside that he once had a hit show, and now he's hosting some Double Dare/Beat the Clock ripoff that'll never enjoy the success of Feud.
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Bob Barker and "The Family Game." Seemed to be a bit standoffish in the Eubanks mold.
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Bob thought that show was so bad, he barely acknowledges doing it!
Bob hosted Family Game because there was a lot of talk of Truth or Consequences being cancelled, so he signed on to this show. Of course, T or C kept running and thankfully for Bob, Family Game didn't last long. While Bob is great at getting "gold" out of adults, it's no secret that he's weak with children. I have a T or C where there was a consequence involving babies, and none of these babies were in a particularly good mood. Bob kept insisting to the ladies to keep comforting the infants were were crying.
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[quote name=\'TheLastResort\' post=\'249147\' date=\'Oct 14 2010, 06:55 AM\']Card Sharks had an extremely weak format[/quote]
Really? Card Sharks, in my opinion, is one of the strongest, most exciting formats I know. What makes it weak to you?
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[quote name=\'DoorNumberFour\' post=\'249158\' date=\'Oct 14 2010, 10:25 AM\'][quote name=\'TheLastResort\' post=\'249147\' date=\'Oct 14 2010, 06:55 AM\']Card Sharks had an extremely weak format[/quote]
Really? Card Sharks, in my opinion, is one of the strongest, most exciting formats I know. What makes it weak to you?
[/quote]
Higher...lower...lower...higher. That's pretty weak. They may as well flip coins for 30 minutes.
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[quote name=\'TheLastResort\' post=\'249163\' date=\'Oct 14 2010, 09:43 AM\'][quote name=\'DoorNumberFour\' post=\'249158\' date=\'Oct 14 2010, 10:25 AM\'][quote name=\'TheLastResort\' post=\'249147\' date=\'Oct 14 2010, 06:55 AM\']Card Sharks had an extremely weak format[/quote]
Really? Card Sharks, in my opinion, is one of the strongest, most exciting formats I know. What makes it weak to you?
[/quote]
Higher...lower...lower...higher. That's pretty weak. They may as well flip coins for 30 minutes.
[/quote]
Yep, they did. (http://\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcoQsvEFeu0\")
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Dick Clark was The Man as host of "Pyramid," but it was painful to see him struggle on "The Challengers." Obviously, he never really got the hang of that game, and ended up with onscreen help from that fellow known as "The Judge."
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[quote name=\'MrBuddwing\' post=\'249172\' date=\'Oct 14 2010, 08:37 AM\']Dick Clark was The Man as host of "Pyramid," but it was painful to see him struggle on "The Challengers." Obviously, he never really got the hang of that game, and ended up with onscreen help from that fellow known as "The Judge."[/quote]
Really?
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I never saw it, but I'm sure the Winkster must still regret The Great Getaway Game.
Robb Weller was a complete letdown on Win, Lose Or Draw.
Non-game-show-wise: The biggest waste of talent was, is, and always will be, Jim Peck on Divorce Court.
Cordially,
Tammy
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I think Wink helped develop The Great Getaway Game so he may have felt compelled to host it.
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[quote name=\'Winkfan\' post=\'249181\' date=\'Oct 14 2010, 12:52 PM\']The biggest waste of talent was, is, and always will be, Jim Peck on Divorce Court.[/quote]
And the prequel: "3's A Crowd".
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[quote name=\'alfonzos\' post=\'249184\' date=\'Oct 14 2010, 03:30 PM\']I think Wink helped develop The Great Getaway Game so he may have felt compelled to host it.[/quote]
I saw it. It was awful.
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[quote name=\'MrBuddwing\' post=\'249172\' date=\'Oct 14 2010, 11:37 AM\']Dick Clark was The Man as host of "Pyramid," but it was painful to see him struggle on "The Challengers." Obviously, he never really got the hang of that game, and ended up with onscreen help from that fellow known as "The Judge."[/quote]
Didn't he do the same thing on Pyramid, though?
*ding*
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Adding to the list:
Bill Cullen hosting The Love Experts
Peter Tomarken hosting Bargain Hunters
Peter Marshall hosting Yahtzee
Monty Hall hosting Split Second
All of these seemed like odd fits to me.
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'249179\' date=\'Oct 14 2010, 12:25 PM\'][quote name=\'MrBuddwing\' post=\'249172\' date=\'Oct 14 2010, 08:37 AM\']Dick Clark was The Man as host of "Pyramid," but it was painful to see him struggle on "The Challengers." Obviously, he never really got the hang of that game, and ended up with onscreen help from that fellow known as "The Judge."[/quote]
Really?
[/quote]
I think he had the hang of it, it just wasn't his cup of tea. Dick is wasted standing there reading stuff, and he's not one to coax personality out of contestants, especially bookishly boring ones. On Pyramid, even as uncelebrated as they could be, the celebrities helped. But maybe it's the show. I'd have liked it a lot more if it stayed closer to the original Who What or Where Game and farther from Jeopardy.
Geoff Edwards on Starcade, perhaps? It was painful to watch him rap with the young people, not that anybody else could have made it better.
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The judge (Gary Johnson, now works on Jeopardy!) I feel, added some humor to the show, and also, when I first saw The Challengers, the first thing that came to my mind was "this is a little too much like Jeopardy!" I think having an onstage judge that was sort of a sidekick gave The Challengers its own identity.
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[quote name=\'whewfan\' post=\'249231\' date=\'Oct 15 2010, 05:27 AM\']The judge (Gary Johnson, now works on Jeopardy!) I feel, added some humor to the show, and also, when I first saw The Challengers, the first thing that came to my mind was "this is a little too much like Jeopardy!" I think having an onstage judge that was sort of a sidekick gave The Challengers its own identity.[/quote]
Wasn't he also the judge on TJW with Bill Cullen? His voice sounded familiar.
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[quote name=\'BillCullen1\' post=\'249234\' date=\'Oct 15 2010, 07:44 AM\'][quote name=\'whewfan\' post=\'249231\' date=\'Oct 15 2010, 05:27 AM\']The judge (Gary Johnson, now works on Jeopardy!) I feel, added some humor to the show, and also, when I first saw The Challengers, the first thing that came to my mind was "this is a little too much like Jeopardy!" I think having an onstage judge that was sort of a sidekick gave The Challengers its own identity.[/quote]
Wasn't he also the judge on TJW with Bill Cullen? His voice sounded familiar.
[/quote]
Not sure, but I doubt it. Gary Johnson was producing and co-writing SCRABBLE by the time Cullen took over on TJW (and Johnson had worked on $otC before that). I wouldn't think he'd work for both Grundy and Barry/Enright at the same time.
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[quote name=\'Twentington\' post=\'249121\' date=\'Oct 13 2010, 08:11 PM\']The example I've heard tossed around here most is Bill Cullen on TJW. Granted, most of his shows were meant to fit his more methodical mannerisms (lovely alliteration there), but TJW just didn't seem TJW with him as host.[/quote] I'm sorry, you must have misunderstood your question.
[quote name=\'TheLastResort\' post=\'249147\' date=\'Oct 14 2010, 03:55 AM\']I beg to differ. Card Sharks had an extremely weak format and needed all the help it could get. I think Eubanks did a great job given what he had to work with.[/quote]If you coax someone to play the Money Cards, but for no money, they're gonna roll their eyes. Tell somebody that they're playing for Real Cash Money, and that can amount to $32,000; you'll get a different reaction.
Is the game any great shakes? Not really. It isn't that hard to calculate whether the next card should be higher or lower than the last, but the vagaries of the odds, and the questions, and the unpredictability makes it a great show. If you take any of the gold standard game shows, and you just say "Who would want to watch people playing Hangman?" or "Who wants to watch people recalling factoids?" then you're not getting it. The reason that the show makes it is because your viewer gets pulled into the proceedings, and takes an interest. Everybody has handled playing cards and knows the ranks of 'em, and unless you live under a rock, you've interacted with the American public. Relatability for the win.
[quote name=\'whewfan\' post=\'249152\' date=\'Oct 14 2010, 04:54 AM\']Obviously it's debatable if John could be classified as a GOOD host... I felt he handled HS well, at least for the first two seasons.[/quote]"Circle gets the...wait, no, we can't give you that."
(After every single flipping Secret Square win.) "Pack your bags."
Your witness. :)
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I think "pack your bags" was just a host/show catchphrase and nothing more.
I've read that John sometimes got confused and they had to stop tape. Although it's understandable, they stopped tape for about 10 minutes after the April Fools gag. John was very concerned about the guy that was pushed off the stage and didn't get it right away that he was a stuntman.
On a related note, I recall John Davidson's son, John Davidson Jr. guest hosted HS on at least 2 occasions. I recall he did a good job, but does anyone else have those shows on tape?
I also saw a Bergeron HS and once at the start of the show he got into a brief chat with one of the celebs and forgot where he was. Someone off camera told him he had to introduce the contestants. However, that only happened ONCE, so I guess Tom forgot if the contestants were introduced or not.
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[quote name=\'BillCullen1\' post=\'249220\' date=\'Oct 14 2010, 11:07 PM\']Adding to the list:
Bill Cullen hosting The Love Experts
Peter Tomarken hosting Bargain Hunters
Peter Marshall hosting Yahtzee
Monty Hall hosting Split Second
I don't think Bill did a BAD job with Love Experts, just that it was hard to tell whether Love Experts was a talk show or a game show... not much of a game and the talk portion was hit or miss.
I think Peter Tomarken at least TRIED to make something out of Bargain Hunters. The home shopping element was a joke. The game itself was more or less "wash, rinse, repeat", it didn't have the potential for each show to be different like TPIR, the show Bargain Hunters was trying to imitate to some extent.
Peter Marshall PRODUCED Yahtzee, so his handling of the game could've been MUCH better. The show had at least two major weaknesses... the questions they asked were sometimes had too many possible answers to get a lot of matches, and also with the "wild" sides on each of the Yahtzee dice, rolling a Yahtzee was a lot easier, so there were a fair number of Yahtzee wins... which may be why the show went bankrupt. I think if they wanted to save money, don't use the wild dice in the bonus game, only in the main game.
I think Monty did fine with Split Second, but to paraphrase Mondale, "he's no Kennedy." One thing the game lacked was the occasional break from the 3 answer format with the memory quiz (I think that's what they called it) where Tom read a long list of answers and only 3 of them applied to the question asked.
All of these seemed like odd fits to me.[/quote]
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[quote name=\'TLEberle\' post=\'249287\' date=\'Oct 16 2010, 02:14 AM\']It isn't that hard to calculate whether the next card should be higher or lower than the last, but the vagaries of the odds, and the questions, and the unpredictability makes it a great show.[/quote]
Well I think we agree that the "game" part of Card Sharks is weak, but the "show" part is more palatable (though I wouldn't call it great). Some people are content watching a good show with a weak game (see: DOND), but I need a little more than that to hold my interest.
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[quote name=\'BillCullen1\' post=\'249220\' date=\'Oct 14 2010, 11:07 PM\']Adding to the list:
I think Monty did fine with Split Second, but to paraphrase Mondale Lloyd Bentsen, "he's no Kennedy." One thing the game lacked was the occasional break from the 3 answer format with the memory quiz (I think that's what they called it) where Tom read a long list of answers and only 3 of them applied to the question asked.[/quote]
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Note to self... double check whomever said certain quotes before making myself look like a fool!
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[quote name=\'BillCullen1\' post=\'249220\' date=\'Oct 14 2010, 10:07 PM\']Adding to the list:
Bill Cullen hosting The Love Experts
Peter Tomarken hosting Bargain Hunters
Peter Marshall hosting Yahtzee
Monty Hall hosting Split Second
All of these seemed like odd fits to me.[/quote]
Its really too bad that Monty didnt bring back Tom Kennedy for the revival of Split Second.
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[quote name=\'whewfan\' post=\'249288\' date=\'Oct 16 2010, 04:50 AM\']I also saw a Bergeron HS and once at the start of the show he got into a brief chat with one of the celebs and forgot where he was. Someone off camera told him he had to introduce the contestants. However, that only happened ONCE, so I guess Tom forgot if the contestants were introduced or not.[/quote]
This immediately comes to mind heh
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bHcHoB805Y#t=3m27s (http://\"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bHcHoB805Y#t=3m27s\")
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Michael Burger on Match Game '98. I saw his work on Family Challenge, he was great, and in the case of Match Game, he proved that despite the format, he was a natural fit for the show itself and could've hosted the 70s version well (of course, Match Game will always be Gene Rayburn's show, however). I've seen some claim that he "sucked" just because of his association with the show, something I will never for the life of me understand.
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I don't think it was Michael that didn't fit as much as the PANEL didn't fit. I've said it before, but the panel seemed to be "lets just pull names out of a hat and whomever we pull out is on the panel"
Vicki Lawrence was an obvious choice considering her longtime association with game shows, even though she was only on the original Match Game twice. However I noticed as the series progressed she seemed more and more bored. Nell Carter did absolutely nothing, other than write "pee pee" on her card whenever she could. George Hamilton, I think, TRIED to make something out of the show, but sitting next to Nell he had little to work with. Don't get me started on Judy Tenuta... she was always trying to steal the spotlight, she was LOUD, OBNOXIOUS, and can't play an accordion to save her life! The original MG panel at least meshed together, and they never tried to top each other or steal the spotlight. The MG 98 panel was just a random assortment of celebs that did their own thing. It didn't work.
The show, however, did have interesting contestants. One of them was Matthew, a Jewish contestant that wore a very colorful yamalca (forgive me if I spelled that wrong). Judy was "sending vibes" to him and he, in return, sent vibes back to Judy, making the funniest faces. When the contestant is funnier than the panel, there's something wrong.
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[quote name=\'whewfan\' post=\'249327\' date=\'Oct 17 2010, 06:39 AM\']I don't think it was Michael that didn't fit as much as the PANEL didn't fit. I've said it before, but the panel seemed to be "lets just pull names out of a hat and whomever we pull out is on the panel"[/quote]
I watched the thing in first-run, and I didn't think the show was bad at all. The panel was nice and had regulars, with guests every week. Looking back...not so much.
... Does anybody else recall a nameplate on the 1998-99 version reading "GUEST"?
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[quote name=\'Argo\' post=\'249323\' date=\'Oct 16 2010, 11:57 PM\']Its really too bad that Monty didnt bring back Tom Kennedy for the revival of Split Second.[/quote]
I wonder how much of it was budget vs. scheduling. I'm guessing Monty knew he could save a few dollars by a) hosting himself and b) shooting in Canada vs. L.A.
Tom was in-between Body Language and Wordplay at the time, and was wrapping up the syndicated TPiR. I wonder if Monty even offered the position, but Tom declined because what he had going on and didn't want the commute...speculation is fun 24 years later! ;-)
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[quote name=\'whewfan\' post=\'249327\' date=\'Oct 17 2010, 05:39 AM\']I don't think it was Michael that didn't fit as much as the PANEL didn't fit. I've said it before, but the panel seemed to be "lets just pull names out of a hat and whomever we pull out is on the panel"
Vicki Lawrence was an obvious choice considering her longtime association with game shows, even though she was only on the original Match Game twice.[/quote]
One of their mistakes was booking four-fifths of the panel to the entire run before they ever started. They should have allowed themselves some trial and error as far as who worked together and who didn't.
Vicki did do the ABC Ross Shaffer version a bunch of times, didn't she?
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[quote name=\'whewfan\' post=\'249327\' date=\'Oct 17 2010, 05:39 AM\']The original MG panel...never tried to top each other or steal the spotlight.[/quote]
Disagrees. (http://\"http://www.nndb.com/people/376/000022310/richarddawsonMG.jpg\")
That being said, I think Michael Burger didn't have much to work with. The panel was unlikeable, and the material relied way too heavily on Bill Clinton questions. For a show like Match Game, those are deal breakers, and something that no host would be able to fix.
And why is there a queasy emoticon on my post?
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Richard Dawson, IMO, didn't exactly try to steal the spotlight. He was a bright, funny guy (at least up until early '78) and didn't take up any more time to do schtick than Brett and Charles. The only "territory" that seemed to be Richard's was the Super Match. If he was called on third (and this happened a fair number of times) and didn't have an answer, he'd come up with an answer that fit the blank but wasn't likely to match. On a couple of occasions his answer DID pop up and he made the moment memorable. Anyone remember "Burns and Cuts" or "Admiral Color TV?"
Shifting back to the topic at hand, there were certainly several GT shows where Richard Dawson wouldn't fit as a host. While this isn't a GT show I thought Masquerade Party was restrictive of his talents, although it was entertaining enough.
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[quote name=\'Jeremy Nelson\' post=\'249340\' date=\'Oct 17 2010, 01:20 PM\']The panel was unlikeable, and the material relied way too heavily on Bill Clinton questions.[/quote]
You know it's 1998 when every punchline is "Interns LOL!"
Saw it a ton when GSN ran the first season of Hollywood Squares last year.
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You know it's 1998 when every punchline is "Interns LOL!"
Saw it a ton when GSN ran the first season of Hollywood Squares last year.
I guess the first season will always feel dated because of that.
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When they rerun 80s episodes of Pyramid and the word is INTERN, I always find myself cluing, "Monica Lewinsky was an..."
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[quote name=\'Fedya\' post=\'249354\' date=\'Oct 17 2010, 06:38 PM\']When they rerun 80s episodes of Pyramid and the word is INTERN, I always find myself cluing, "Monica Lewinsky was an..."[/quote]
I have the same reaction to the Winner's Circle category "WHAT PEE WEE HERMAN SAYS". It's always interesting when an item like that comes up.
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[quote name=\'Jay Temple\' post=\'249408\' date=\'Oct 18 2010, 10:28 PM\']I have the same reaction to the Winner's Circle category "WHAT PEE WEE HERMAN SAYS".[/quote]
"Here I am jackin' off in this porno theater...."
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'249409\' date=\'Oct 19 2010, 01:41 AM\'][quote name=\'Jay Temple\' post=\'249408\' date=\'Oct 18 2010, 10:28 PM\']I have the same reaction to the Winner's Circle category "WHAT PEE WEE HERMAN SAYS".[/quote]
"Here I am jackin' off in this porno theater...."[/quote]
Pfft. Like THAT narrowed it down much...