# Have you ever been on TV? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 21, 2011, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-on-tv/586333 "2011-06-21T19:38:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-on-tv/586333/61 "2011-06-23T16:19:01Z")
In high school, the local news did some story on my history teacher (slow news day) and took some footage in my history class; you could see about half of me from behind. And then later on, I noticed that they used the same clip as stock footage in another school-related story! More recently, I was in the front row of the audience in a game show. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-on-tv/586333/62 "2011-06-23T16:34:06Z")
In the early 80’s, while living in Berlin, I had a script and took it to the “wrong” agency - I thought they were a literary agency but it was a casting agency. The woman in charge liked me and asked for a head shot and I gave her one. About a month later I got a call and landed a part in a 12 (14?) episode, daytime kids show - think of a tween soap opera. I played the part of the evil American drug dealer. The series was pretty lame, but it paid very well and my part was kind of fun - I was in over half of the episodes. Years later, in Los Angeles, I was on a game show and humiliated myself. No, I will not go into detail, but the game show is no longer on the air and luckily, nobody I know saw it that day. I didn’t win any money, but got the “parting gifts” - Lee’s Press On Nails and two crappy his/hers watches worth about $50. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-on-tv/586333/63 "2011-06-23T16:44:24Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > Years later, in Los Angeles, I was on a game show and humiliated myself. No, I will not go into detail, but the game show is no longer on the air and luckily, nobody I know saw it that day. I didn’t win any money, but got the “parting gifts” - Lee’s Press On Nails and two crappy his/hers watches worth about $50. Please, please tell us it was _[Queen for a Day](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_for_a_Day)_. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![TheBori](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ee7513/32.png) [@TheBori](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheBori)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-on-tv/586333/64 "2011-06-23T16:56:55Z")
I was a contestant on “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” back in 2000. Got in the obligatory contestant wave in the beginning, and several shots while answering Fast Finger questions. I was 0.2 seconds too slow, and never made it to the hot seat. I did answer my FF questions correctly though. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-on-tv/586333/65 "2011-06-23T17:23:17Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Please, please tell us it was _[Queen for a Day](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_for_a_Day)_. > > Regards, > Shodan Very funny, Mr. Shodan…and no, that was not the show. To be honest, I have selectively forgotten the name of the show (it didn’t last long on the air in the late 80’s), but let’s just say it didn’t turn out well. You got $500 for each round and could win up to $2000…and, as mentioned, I got the parting gift of those stupid Lee’s Press on Nails and crappy watches. ---
**Author:** ![melodyharmonius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/melodyharmonius/32/21310_2.png) [@melodyharmonius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melodyharmonius)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-on-tv/586333/66 "2011-06-23T17:24:09Z")
Yup - you can see me [here](http://www.wcnc.com/charlotte-today/Meet-Charlotte-Geeks-104952674.html) - I’m the one in the top hat explaining what Geeks are 🙂 I worked in radio and when we would do newsworthy events I would often end up in the background - I did a lot of the event coordination. Other than that, I think I was in a few things when I was a kid - but the interview above was the most recent, most memorable interview. ---
**Author:** ![yanceylebeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yanceylebeef/32/12290_2.png) [@yanceylebeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yanceylebeef)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-on-tv/586333/67 "2011-06-23T19:25:55Z")
I was a Broadcast Journalist in the Air Force for ten years, so was on TV regularly in Tokyo, Korea, The Philippines, and Sicily. Radio also, but that wasn’t the question. About seven years ago, my wife and I were on Trading Spaces with our neighbor, and I’ve been in the shot for parades and traffic congestion stories, because I ride a scooter. That is about it, lately not so much. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-on-tv/586333/68 "2011-06-23T19:41:00Z")
> [@yanceylebeef](#): > > About seven years ago, my wife and I were on Trading Spaces with our neighbor, I remember that too. You had coconut monkeys in your living room! ---
**Author:** ![yanceylebeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yanceylebeef/32/12290_2.png) [@yanceylebeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yanceylebeef)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-on-tv/586333/69 "2011-06-23T19:42:52Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > I remember that too. You had coconut monkeys in your living room! Ha! Not any more…they’ve been relegated to the garage, with my other tiki stuff. Sigh. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-on-tv/586333/70 "2011-06-23T19:48:45Z")
Way back in the 20th Century, there was a locally broadcast children’s show called “Officer Don’s Popeye Club” with the usual cartoons (of Popeye, of course) and some silly games. I was chosen as a participant in something called ‘Ooey Gooey’ which I remember winning. Also, I was on several times in Brazil since I was part of a traveling song-and-dance troupe. ---
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-on-tv/586333/71 "2011-06-23T21:07:55Z")
I’ve been on a show about rescue helicopter crews… I was playing the role of “guy on stretcher, covered in blood, and unable to tell the medic what day of the week it is”. In order to get this role I had to be involved in a jet-ski crash and get a fractured skull. Oh, how we suffer for our art. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-on-tv/586333/72 "2011-06-24T03:20:49Z")
Twice. I was in a local Burger King commercial when I was around 15 with a whole bunch of other kids singing the “hold the pickles …” song. Then again (another local commercial) for the National Guard when I was a 20something. That one I didn’t get to sing. 😃 I don’t remember anyone recognizing me from the Burger King commercial, but a few people did from the ANG commercial. ---
**Author:** ![davey77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90ced4/32.png) [@davey77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davey77)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-on-tv/586333/73 "2011-06-24T03:42:50Z")
A few years ago, police busted a mobile meth lab near my house, an event that attracted the attention of Columbus media. I peered out my living room window to see a woman being interviewed in front of our arborvitae. Being the ham that I am, I went outside because, hey,_I wanted to be on television,too!_ And it was **MY** arborvitae! They aired a 3 second soundbite out of a 2 minute interview. I never give the media what they want because I refuse to be alarmist and afraid. The same station once visited the school where my wife teaches and came into her room. For a _long_ time, she was the stock footage for any story about education. I’ve also been on Quiz Bowl shows and local interest pieces. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-on-tv/586333/74 "2011-06-24T23:19:30Z")
6th inning Game 7 1982 World Series. Keith Hernandez popped one foul to where my family was sitting. You can see 12-year-old me as well as my brothers trying to get it. We didn’t. Hernandez then singled in two runs to tie it on the next pitch. It’s in the broadcast of the game - I saw it a few years ago on MLB Classic. Rather an odd sensation, seeing your 12-year-old self on TV 25 years later. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2011, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-on-tv/586333/75 "2011-06-25T05:09:42Z")
> [@Cerowyn](#): > > I was on T4GTech TV’s "Call For Help… I called in a couple of times, asking questions the show’s person in the chat room wanted asked. The one time I got on with a real question, I stumped them. > [@Apollyon](#): > > I’ve been on a show about rescue helicopter crews… > > I was playing the role of “guy on stretcher, covered in blood, and unable to tell the medic what day of the week it is”. Been there. I was the accident victim in a Kansas City, MO police Department anti-drunk-driving video, but I don’t know if it was ever aired on TV. I was on three local UHF TV shows in KC though, “41 Treehouse Lane”, “The Tory Southwick Show” and one with some woman calling herself “Mother Nature” back when I was a ventriloquist when I was a child (I’m well now). Years later, I was on channel 41’s morning talk show demonstrating the Amiga Video Toaster. I was seated on a stool hunched over the computer, shot from the side. I looked like a toad on a stick. Oh, and in some local TV commercials for McDonald’s, shot at KCMO 5. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2011, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-on-tv/586333/76 "2011-06-25T05:39:01Z")
High school: a local student quiz show. College: after the Kent State killings, I was part of an impromptu discussion group that was excerpted for the local evening news. Adult: I was in the front row of a sing-it-yourself Messiah at Orchestra Hall, and a clip including me was shown on the local evening news. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2011, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-on-tv/586333/77 "2011-06-25T05:43:08Z")
Not me, but my truck with a distinctive home built canopy driving by in front of a view of the local police station on the 6 oclock news showing all over Vancouver Island. ---
**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2011, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-on-tv/586333/78 "2011-06-25T05:52:11Z")
Elementary school age: I was in Cub Scouts, and our troop had spent an ungodly amount of time at a local Kmart gathering money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. We were on the local ABC affiliate (WRTV, Indianapolis) dumping buckets of coins into a big aquarium-like thing. The paranoid Christian school to which I belonged lent the school choir out to a local politician at least once, and to a yearly gathering of anti-government types, so I ended up in the background of a number of news programs regarding the whackjob of the week. Adult: I was on a jury for a notorious Indiana murder case, and was on WLKY-TV (Louisville, KY; the Indiana town in which the murder occurred is across the river from Louisville and considered part of the metro Louisville area) at least three times: post-trial, at sentencing, and during the first re-trial. Also on CBS News’ _48 Hours_ several times. The _48 Hours_ thing is due to the fact that the show occasionally updates the show based on events transpiring with appeals and retrials. I know a few times that I saw the show, the only parts of me actually seen are my feet… I think the fact that I was wearing combat boots was considered to be “colorful.” ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2011, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-on-tv/586333/79 "2011-06-25T06:15:09Z")
I’m a barrister who goes to court, so I’ve been interviewed frequently on the court-house steps, still wearing my gown. Have also been interviewed in other work-related situations, and have appeared in other job-related tv things. I literally do not know how many times I’ve been on tv. On the personal side, I was interviewed at Canada Inn Stadium, at the Western CFL Semi-Final in 2003, pre-game; predicted that the Riders would beat the Bombers (got that correct) and then go on to beat the Esks to make the Grey Cup game back in Regina (okay, not so accurate). It was 30 below (Celsius), and a fog of ice-breath hung around my head the entire interview. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2011, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-on-tv/586333/80 "2011-06-25T07:34:10Z")
Yes, several times. When I was a kid, I was on a local spelling tournament, and also played violin on TV. As an adult, I was in a program about ACT-UP. And my chorus has performed on TV many times. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-on-tv/586333.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-on-tv/586333.md?page=5)