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The Game Show Forum => The Big Board => Topic started by: SamJ93 on May 21, 2014, 05:18:47 AM

Title: Game show hosts turned politicians?
Post by: SamJ93 on May 21, 2014, 05:18:47 AM
Thought of this while reading the Pat Sajak thread and didn’t want to hijack it…

Were there ever any game show hosts or related personalities who later became political candidates?  Not just being outspoken in their opinions like Sajak, Woolery, etc.,  but actually running for office.

One who comes to mind is Bess Myerson, who was a panelist on various game shows including IGAS in the 50's and a model on The Big Payoff.  She later became involved in NYC politics under Mayor Koch and ran unsuccessfully for the US Senate.
Title: Re: Game show hosts turned politicians?
Post by: PYLdude on May 21, 2014, 05:30:33 AM
Does crew count? I seem to remember reading Howard Felsher running for office during his G-T days.

Plus Nick Clooney and Jesse Ventura.
Title: Re: Game show hosts turned politicians?
Post by: Mr. Matté on May 21, 2014, 07:07:56 AM
The GS hosts/staff that ran for office typically did not do well.

Lynn Swann - 2006 PA Governors race
Nick Clooney - 2004 Congress, Kentucky
Howard Feldsher - 1982 Congress, California
Wally Bruner* - 1960s Congress, Indiana

* That one I only found out because I help maintain a website that focuses on maintaining old/current elections. When I found a "Wallace C. Brunner" had a name match with Natalie Brunner (Wally's wife who ran for Congress in the 90s), I wanted to check for a family connection. I was quite surprised when the first Google result popped up a WML screenshot.

(EDIT: Spelling)
Title: Re: Game show hosts turned politicians?
Post by: Jay Temple on May 21, 2014, 03:07:33 PM
Depending on how broadly you define "related personalities", Fred Grandy represented Iowa in Congress for a time. (GSN's current lease of Super Password has him as the solution to a puzzle on that basis, which Jill Whelan solved.)
Title: Re: Game show hosts turned politicians?
Post by: pacdude on May 21, 2014, 03:42:06 PM
Depending on how broadly you define "related personalities", Fred Grandy represented Iowa in Congress for a time. (GSN's current lease of Super Password has him as the solution to a puzzle on that basis, which Jill Whelan solved.)

If we're going with "solution to Super Password puzzle" then I'm sure Abraham Lincoln was a Password Puzzle answer at some point and thus totally is a Game Show Personality Politician.

/jesus
Title: Re: Game show hosts turned politicians?
Post by: TLEberle on May 21, 2014, 03:51:40 PM
Sanity prevails!
Title: Re: Game show hosts turned politicians?
Post by: brianhenke on May 21, 2014, 05:10:58 PM
 Also:

    Michael Flannery, host of the Cincinnati edition of Know-It-Alls, was elected to the Cincinnati Board of Education.

    Brian
Title: Re: Game show hosts turned politicians?
Post by: TLEberle on May 21, 2014, 05:16:35 PM
Sanity prevailed. Briefly.
Title: Re: Game show hosts turned politicians?
Post by: Thunder on May 21, 2014, 07:56:06 PM

If we're going with "solution to Super Password puzzle" then I'm sure Abraham Lincoln was a Password Puzzle answer at some point and thus totally is a Game Show Personality Politician.

/jesus

This reply is much better when you hum the Super Password "win the main game" music cue while reading it.
Title: Re: Game show hosts turned politicians?
Post by: Jay Temple on May 21, 2014, 11:02:05 PM
Depending on how broadly you define "related personalities", Fred Grandy represented Iowa in Congress for a time. (GSN's current lease of Super Password has him as the solution to a puzzle on that basis, which Jill Whelan solved.)

If we're going with "solution to Super Password puzzle" then I'm sure Abraham Lincoln was a Password Puzzle answer at some point and thus totally is a Game Show Personality Politician.

/jesus
I was referring to the fact that he had previously played the $20/$25K Pyramids and at least one version of Password himself.
Title: Re: Game show hosts turned politicians?
Post by: PYLdude on May 21, 2014, 11:19:13 PM

If we're going with "solution to Super Password puzzle" then I'm sure Abraham Lincoln was a Password Puzzle answer at some point and thus totally is a Game Show Personality Politician.

/jesus

This reply is much better when you hum the Super Password "win the main game" music cue while reading it.

Except Jay's example fit the question being asked.

The OP said "hosts" initially and then expanded it to include panelists before he finalized the post. As far to my knowledge Bess Myerson never hosted a show, now did she?

Since Fred Grandy had appeared on several game shows before he decided to leave Hollywood for Washington, he absolutely fits the bill. Cory's misplaced sarcasm and your pissy attitude aside.
Title: Re: Game show hosts turned politicians?
Post by: BrandonFG on May 21, 2014, 11:37:23 PM
And before anyone turns this into a "Words Have Meanings" about how Jay should've said that before, please don't. Not every single thread has to be so literal. I know Fred appeared on Pyramid, but didn't know if guest appearances would've included "related personalities".

If it does, then you can add Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter, who were on What's My Line? years before becoming presidents, although Carter was already governor of Georgia.
Title: Re: Game show hosts turned politicians?
Post by: PYLdude on May 21, 2014, 11:47:13 PM
And before anyone turns this into a "Words Have Meanings" about how Jay should've said that before, please don't. Not every single thread has to be so literal. I know Fred appeared on Pyramid, but didn't know if guest appearances would've included "related personalities".

Since the OP made it a point to include Bess Myerson, I figured it would apply.

In your example, I would probably split it. If Carter was already in office as governor when he appeared, that probab,y is different. Reagan certainly should be a consideration if he appeared on WML? before he was elected governor of California (and according to a search, he not only did but still belonged to the Democratic Party at the time).
Title: Re: Game show hosts turned politicians?
Post by: pacdude on May 21, 2014, 11:58:27 PM
Since Fred Grandy had appeared on several game shows before he decided to leave Hollywood for Washington, he absolutely fits the bill. Cory's misplaced sarcasm and your pissy attitude aside.

I don't know/care who Fred Grandy is. The context I got from the post was "GSN's current lease of Super Password has him as the solution to a puzzle on that basis" so that's all I know. If people learned how to express themselves better, use the UNLIMITED AMOUNT OF LETTERS AND SPACES AND NUMBERS and give some better context other than "THIS MAN WAS A SUPER PASSWORD SOLUTION SO THAT'S WHAT I'M GOING TO BRING UP IN THIS DISCUSSION OF GAME SHOW PERSONALITIES GOING INTO POLITICS" then maybe my sarcasm and Travis's pissy attitude never needed to show up.
Title: Re: Game show hosts turned politicians?
Post by: PYLdude on May 22, 2014, 12:17:40 AM
Since Fred Grandy had appeared on several game shows before he decided to leave Hollywood for Washington, he absolutely fits the bill. Cory's misplaced sarcasm and your pissy attitude aside.

I don't know/care who Fred Grandy is. The context I got from the post was "GSN's current lease of Super Password has him as the solution to a puzzle on that basis" so that's all I know. If people learned how to express themselves better, use the UNLIMITED AMOUNT OF LETTERS AND SPACES AND NUMBERS and give some better context other than "THIS MAN WAS A SUPER PASSWORD SOLUTION SO THAT'S WHAT I'M GOING TO BRING UP IN THIS DISCUSSION OF GAME SHOW PERSONALITIES GOING INTO POLITICS" then maybe my sarcasm and Travis's pissy attitude never needed to show up.

But that's not what he said. You read the second half of his statement, which I have to think he made as an offhanded remark (as in "hey, Fred Grandy was a celebrity who participated on game shows in the past and the puzzle helped jog my memory that he served in the House of Representatives") and because you didn't know that Gopher was on a game show as anything other than a Password Puzzle subject, you chose to substitute the irrelevant portion of his post for what he actually meant. Which makes your sarcastic post mistimed and really unnecessary. Now Henke's post certainly would've been worthy.

Just because you don't know who somebody is doesn't mean that the person's connection to the subject matter is questionable.

(And if anybody knows misplaced sarcasm, it is me...too often have I done this)
Title: Re: Game show hosts turned politicians?
Post by: pacdude on May 22, 2014, 12:39:55 AM
My point is, and I do this all the time here: treat everyone like they have no idea what you're talking about. This is the goddamned internet: we can only take things at face value unless otherwise stated.
Title: Re: Game show hosts turned politicians?
Post by: PYLdude on May 22, 2014, 12:53:38 AM
My point is, and I do this all the time here: treat everyone like they have no idea what you're talking about. This is the goddamned internet: we can only take things at face value unless otherwise stated.

Truth in words there.
Title: Re: Game show hosts turned politicians?
Post by: SamJ93 on May 22, 2014, 04:30:50 AM
My point is, and I do this all the time here: treat everyone like they have no idea what you're talking about. This is the goddamned internet: we can only take things at face value unless otherwise stated.

Guess that's what I get for not following this advice.  I realize the distinction is blurry sometimes, but to me "game show personality" means someone who was a regular or at least semi-regular guest star on a show(s).  Bess Myerson was one of them.  Celebrities who made one WML? Mystery Guest appearance and never did another game show again, while technically correct, don't really fit the spirit of what I was asking.
Title: Re: Game show hosts turned politicians?
Post by: BrandonFG on May 22, 2014, 12:29:57 PM
Celebrities who made one WML? Mystery Guest appearance and never did another game show again, while technically correct, don't really fit the spirit of what I was asking.
Cool...this answers my question. :-)
Title: Re: Game show hosts turned politicians?
Post by: TLEberle on May 22, 2014, 12:51:42 PM
My point is, and I do this all the time here: treat everyone like they have no idea what you're talking about.
All well and good but we have people who have proved incapable of following simple directions; such as choosing one game show and saying "Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy, The Price is Right."
Title: Re: Game show hosts turned politicians?
Post by: Jamey Greek on May 22, 2014, 11:09:55 PM
Jerry Springer was mayor of Cincinnati and unsuccessfully ran for Governor of Ohio before hosting his talk show and hosting Greed (UK Version) and Baggage.

Title: Re: Game show hosts turned politicians?
Post by: BrandonFG on May 23, 2014, 01:41:25 AM
Jerry Springer was mayor of Cincinnati and unsuccessfully ran for Governor of Ohio before hosting his talk show and hosting Greed (UK Version) and Baggage.
Which makes this a reverse example.
Title: Re: Game show hosts turned politicians?
Post by: CeleTheRef on May 24, 2014, 12:00:51 AM
Iva Zanicchi quit hosting the Italian TPIR for a seat at the European Parliament.
here's how well she's doing  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dx8-Ht7GWqY

and she's running for another term in tomorrow's elections :(
Title: Re: Game show hosts turned politicians?
Post by: Jimmy Owen on May 25, 2014, 09:46:58 AM
According to Wikipedia, Michael "Lingo" Reagan had considered running against against Diane Feinstein in 2012, but changed his mind.
Title: Re: Game show hosts turned politicians?
Post by: catkins522 on May 26, 2014, 11:22:04 AM
Well, he was a local tv reporter and talk radio hoist, but Trey Radel won in the last election for the US House of Rep.  We will not discuss to downfall what happen next....

Charles Atkins
Title: Re: Game show hosts turned politicians?
Post by: clemon79 on May 26, 2014, 01:23:16 PM
Well, he was a local tv reporter and talk radio hoist, but Trey Radel won in the last election for the US House of Rep.  We will not discuss to downfall what happen next....

Good, since that doesn't fit the actual topic.