Here at Marshall University in Huntington, WV, the daily campus newspaper, the Parthenon, which I tend to consider to be the finest beacon of modern journalism in the world today, ran an article about a game show fan that I thought was worth transcribing here; please enjoy:
COME ON DOWN! MU's Own King of Game Shows Proves He's Right on the MoneyStory and photos by Travis A. BainA Marshall student has taken his obsesson with game shows and gained nationwide noteriety.
Adam Nedeff, a junior broadcast journalism major from Parkersburg, has a collection of more than 2,879 game show episodes, the twelfth largest collection in North America.
"TV is otherwise full of horrific stuff," Nedeff said. "So instead you can see someone win $1,000 and wave to their friends."
Nedeff has always been a fan of game shows, but he started his collection in his junior year of high school. He started by recording episodes of "Match Game" from the Game Show Network, and once he filled four tapes, he then found a tape trader on the internet who was willing to trade.
Nedeff's collection has grown dramatically since then and it now consists of over 230 videotapes, more than 5,000 hours of episodes and approximately 190 different game shows.
"I have watched all of them, and still watch them whenever I have a spare moment," Nedeff said. "It never gets old, and I have a blast watching them. Everyone is smiling and having a good time, so you vicariously end up having fun too," Nedeff said.
Nedeff's collection includes popular game shows such as "Match Game," "The Price is Right," "Jeopardy!," and "Family Feud." Some not-so-well-known episodes in his collectioninclude "Stumpers," "The Magnificent Marble Machine," and "50 Grand Slam."
"When I was a kid there weren't a lot of kids to play with in my neighborhood so I spent a lot of time by myself," Nedeff said. "It was either spend time with my parents or watch TV."
"My parents worried about me, and my mom always used to tell me that 4-year-olds don't watch game shows," Nedeff said. "She just wanted me to do something that was a sign that I was a normal child."
It didn't help much when Nedeff played "game show host" as a child.
"We have photos of me in a shirt and tie," Nedeff said. "My dad gave me an old recorder...and I walked around the house handing out fake money to my family."
Nedeff's favorite part of game shows is seeing normal people win prizes, but he also likes people who aren't so fortunate.
"There's some classic stupidity on game shows," Nedeff said. Anyone who missed something that they shouldn't, you don't even feel sorry for them for losing.
"Even if the contestants make fools out of themselves, they're still going to come out winners," Nedeff said. "They still get the Turtle Wax and the Tootsie Rolls."
When explaining his fascination with game shows and why he collects them, Nedeff normally gets reactions that question why he chose game shows, Nedeff said.
"People collect stamps and stamps and stamps are just glue-coated paintings that you keep under glass," Nedeff said. "[A game show] on the other hand, is entertainment that you can enjoy time and time again."
"I realize that I can no longer make fun of Trekkies because I collect game shows," Nedeff said. "I think deep down people are weird about it."
Tom Kennedy ("You Don't Say!"), Bill Cullen ("The Price is Right"), and Gene Rayburn ("Match Game") are among Nedeff's favorite game show hosts.
"They all seem like genuine guys," Nedeff said. "[Cullen] reminds you of your relatives you see once a year that pulls a quarter from behind your ear. Rayburn seemed like a lot of fun to be around, and [Kennedy] was a textbook, classic broadcaster and that shows in a lot of his work."
After watching hours of game show hosts on television, Nedeff has acknowledged the dream of becoming a host himself.
"Most game show hosts got started in radio, and you can learn a lot by watching them," Nedeff said.
"As a host, you control the game and everything in the show, and you only work one day a week, which is a plus," Nedeff said. "You get paid to make people happy and you don't even have to take your clothes off to do it."
Though he cannot afford a trip to California to appear on a game show, Nedeff said he is waiting for "Super Millionaire," on Feb. 22-27. It's the regular "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" game but with a $10,000,000 prize and contestants can qualify for the telephone.
Nedeff hosts a radio show on WMUL FM-88 titled "Last Night with Adam Nedeff," and is broadcasted Mondays at 8 pm. Nedeff describes the show as a comedy show, done in the style of late-night talk shows. For more information, Nedeff's game show collection is available at
www.gameshowutopia.com [-30-]
"12th largest in North America" relates to Brett Odom's Game Show Totals site (BTW, Brett if you read this, my total needs changed because I've been "demoted" :-)) I realize not every collection in North America is posted there and it probably should be qualified to "known collection" but, well, it's cooler this way.
