Author Topic: Actors/actresses-turned-contestants (Read 19218 times)

joker316 · « **Reply #30 on:** May 26, 2009, 06:47:10 PM »

OK, if any of you remember a short-lived 1975-76 cop show called "Joe Forrester" starring Lloyd Bridges, you might recall a cast member by the name of Dwan Smith. She played "Jolene Jackson" in the series. She also was a guest celebrity on Rhyme & Reason in early "76 IIRC.

Ten years later, she would not only appear on Press Your Luck winning about $20k in the process; she was also featured in
an ET story about a "game show contestant school" (She was, apparently, the star pupil)

/someday I will learn about italics.

colonial · « **Reply #31 on:** May 26, 2009, 06:53:05 PM »

[quote name=\'SRIV94\' post=\'216624\' date=\'May 26 2009, 05:15 PM\'][quote name=\'colonial\' post=\'216600\' date=\'May 26 2009, 12:05 PM\']Bumper Robinson, a former child actor (played Leon, the orphan Harry considered adopting on "Night Court") whose worked steadily on sitcoms and movies since, was a contestant on a "regular" episode of Street Smarts a few years ago.[/quote]
As an in-studio player, or as one of the people Nicotero interviewed?
[/quote]

In-studio

Bob Zager · « **Reply #32 on:** May 26, 2009, 07:07:26 PM »

[quote name=\'Chief-O\' post=\'216552\' date=\'May 25 2009, 10:47 PM\']I can mention a game show host-turned-contestant: Larry Toffler, 2nd host of "Finder's Keepers", was on "Greed" [and "Debt" too, IIRC].[/quote]
I also believe he was a contestant on GSN's "Russian Roulette!"

Jay Temple · « **Reply #33 on:** May 27, 2009, 02:06:24 AM »

[quote name=\'Chief-O\' post=\'216607\' date=\'May 26 2009, 12:54 PM\'][quote name=\'Jay Temple\' post=\'216588\' date=\'May 26 2009, 10:18 AM\']Not an actor or actress, but noteworthy nonetheless: Walter Egan, who had the 1978 hit "Magnet and Steel", was a regular contestant on Scrabble around 1987. I think he won the day but little else.[/quote]

Didn't know about that one. Did know Andrew Gold [he of "Thank You for Being a Friend" fame] was on there [and on "Feud"].[/quote]
Now that's interesting to me! His mom, Marni Nixon, was a central character on TTTT when Betty White was on the panel. I was hoping Betty would ask one of them, "Who wrote the theme from The Golden Girls?"

[quote name=\'That Don Guy\' post=\'216629\' date=\'May 26 2009, 05:42 PM\']As for "celebrities" on game shows, Chub Feeney was on Jeopardy! in 1986 while he was President of baseball's National League. Alex pointed out that anybody who could pass the qualifying test was potentially eligible.

-- Don[/quote]
Thank you! I remember that happening, but when I wanted to find his name, I could never remember his title.

davemackey · « **Reply #34 on:** May 27, 2009, 09:55:21 AM »

No one's mentioned Ralph Branca's run on "Concentration" in the 60's, years after he coughed up that gopher ball to Bobby Thomson?

Jimmy Owen · « **Reply #35 on:** May 27, 2009, 11:01:26 AM »

When Andy Kaufman appeared on DG, it was well after he was established and it was a great put-on.

gromit82 · « **Reply #36 on:** May 27, 2009, 11:14:46 AM »

Former NFL player Sam Cunningham once appeared on "Family Feud" with his family as regular contestants.

Matt Ottinger · « **Reply #37 on:** May 27, 2009, 11:31:08 AM »

[quote name=\'That Don Guy\' post=\'216629\' date=\'May 26 2009, 06:42 PM\']As for "celebrities" on game shows, Chub Feeney was on Jeopardy! in 1986 while he was President of baseball's National League. Alex pointed out that anybody who could pass the qualifying test was potentially eligible.[/quote]
That's interesting, because I was going to bring up a similar situation that contradicts this. Back when he was the CBS morning weatherman, Mark McEwen appeared on Celebrity Jeopardy a couple of times. It was revealed (not on the show, I don't think, but in an interview) that McEwen had passed the regular contestant test but wasn't selected to play as a regular contestant because of that whole "distracting" thing I mentioned earlier.

SRIV94 · « **Reply #38 on:** May 27, 2009, 12:01:41 PM »

[quote name=\'gromit82\' post=\'216680\' date=\'May 27 2009, 10:14 AM\']Former NFL player Sam Cunningham once appeared on "Family Feud" with his family as regular contestants.[/quote]
LA Dodger Steve Yeager (who was a current player when he was on) was also on FF.

I'm also relatively sure Hue Hollins, who was also on FF, was in the beginnings of his career as an NBA referee when he appeared (and most Chicago Bulls fans hate him for a call he made that helped cost the Bulls a playoff game against the NY Knicks--never mind that the Bulls cost themselves the series with two blown fourth quarter leads before that).

HSq also had a number of sports figures as contestants on who were somewhat known at the time--including one O.J. Simpson (in between his USC career and his NFL career).

MikeK · « **Reply #39 on:** May 27, 2009, 04:56:28 PM »

Jerry DaVanon, a Major League shortstop and dad of former Major Leaguer Jeff DaVanon, was on Hollywood Squares around 1975. His episode was shown on GSN in 2002.

Ian Wallis · « **Reply #40 on:** May 27, 2009, 05:40:48 PM »

Quote

OK, if any of you remember a short-lived 1975-76 cop show called "Joe Forrester" starring Lloyd Bridges, you might recall a cast member by the name of Dwan Smith. She played "Jolene Jackson" in the series. She also was a guest celebrity on Rhyme & Reason in early "76 IIRC.

Ten years later, she would not only appear on Press Your Luck winning about $20k in the process; she was also featured in
an ET story about a "game show contestant school" (She was, apparently, the star pupil)

I remember the show (it was featured on a TVGuide cover back then) and have another tidbit about Press Your Luck. Many of us have an October 1985 episode with a contestant named Lark Geib. She was actually in the business for a while and guest-starred in an episode of The Partridge Family as Danny's girl friend. When Peter introduced her, she mentioned she was an actress, among other things.

Quote

Actors are people too, and an awful lot of barely-working actors wouldn't be considered celebrities.

Maybe we should start a thread about obscure celebrities - did you ever see a celebrity game show and wonder exactly who these people were?

SRIV94 · « **Reply #41 on:** May 27, 2009, 07:36:04 PM »

[quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' post=\'216695\' date=\'May 27 2009, 04:40 PM\']Maybe we should start a thread about obscure celebrities - did you ever see a celebrity game show and wonder exactly who these people were?[/quote]
A good chunk of the MGHS bookings.

And come to think of it, when I first saw the WML reruns I had no idea who Joanna Barnes and Dana Valery were.

Unrealtor · « **Reply #42 on:** May 27, 2009, 08:22:39 PM »

[quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' post=\'216695\' date=\'May 27 2009, 04:40 PM\']Maybe we should start a thread about obscure celebrities - did you ever see a celebrity game show and wonder exactly who these people were?[/quote]

With the exceptions of Betty White and LeVar Burton, just about all the regulars on 80s Pyramid fall into the category of "people whose career outside of game shows I know nothing about."

/Try fitting THAT on a winner's circle trilon.
//You'd have plenty of clues, though.

Matt Ottinger · « **Reply #43 on:** May 27, 2009, 09:21:16 PM »

I remember coming in in the middle of a Donnymid episode and not knowing which ones were the contestants and which ones were the celebrities -- and I pay attention to this stuff!

Jimmy Owen · « **Reply #44 on:** May 27, 2009, 09:44:56 PM »

On Pyramid, they could have made it easier by having the celebrities sit where they always did on the earlier series. That or make a name plate on the podia with the celebs name.