# I would offer you $500,000 to watch every episode ofAmerican Bandstand, Soul Train, Midnight Special, and Solid Gold, at your own leisure. Do you take this offer? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** theater-stage-dance, music\ **Created:** [July 25, 2026, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-would-offer-you-500-000-to-watch-every-episode-ofamerican-bandstand-soul-train-midnight-special-and-solid-gold-at-your-own-leisure-do-you-take-this-offer/1031914 "2026-07-25T08:48:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2026, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-would-offer-you-500-000-to-watch-every-episode-ofamerican-bandstand-soul-train-midnight-special-and-solid-gold-at-your-own-leisure-do-you-take-this-offer/1031914/41 "2026-07-25T18:14:47Z")
I’m in. I would find it an interesting challenge with no real downside. I’d be especially interested in seeing [this performance.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ) mmm ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2026, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-would-offer-you-500-000-to-watch-every-episode-ofamerican-bandstand-soul-train-midnight-special-and-solid-gold-at-your-own-leisure-do-you-take-this-offer/1031914/42 "2026-07-25T18:19:46Z")
I could do it, but I would not. I don’t need the money, and I’d rather do something else with all that time. If I needed the coin, though, I’d do it in a heartbeat. A very LONG heartbeat. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2026, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-would-offer-you-500-000-to-watch-every-episode-ofamerican-bandstand-soul-train-midnight-special-and-solid-gold-at-your-own-leisure-do-you-take-this-offer/1031914/43 "2026-07-25T18:21:05Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > 1. If you can find any friends or relatives to do this along with you, that’s great, I will pay them another $500,000. Can you distribute the payouts through me? That way I can call every friend and relative I can think of and say “hey, I’ll pay you $100,000 to watch every episode of American bandstand, soul train, midnight special, and solid gold with me”. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2026, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-would-offer-you-500-000-to-watch-every-episode-ofamerican-bandstand-soul-train-midnight-special-and-solid-gold-at-your-own-leisure-do-you-take-this-offer/1031914/44 "2026-07-25T18:21:16Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I would find it an interesting challenge with no real downside For me, that music and the dancing combine to form my personal Hell. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2026, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-would-offer-you-500-000-to-watch-every-episode-ofamerican-bandstand-soul-train-midnight-special-and-solid-gold-at-your-own-leisure-do-you-take-this-offer/1031914/45 "2026-07-25T22:29:06Z")
I’d take notes, treat it like research on pop culture across decades. Plus, I don’t really sleep that much anymore, so thanks for the distraction. Yeah, I’m in. My Beloved would join me–she spends hours earning airline points by playing games on her phone anyway. We’d have it knocked out within a year, likely. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2026, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-would-offer-you-500-000-to-watch-every-episode-ofamerican-bandstand-soul-train-midnight-special-and-solid-gold-at-your-own-leisure-do-you-take-this-offer/1031914/46 "2026-07-26T00:04:24Z")
If the budget is tight I will do it for $450,000. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2026, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-would-offer-you-500-000-to-watch-every-episode-ofamerican-bandstand-soul-train-midnight-special-and-solid-gold-at-your-own-leisure-do-you-take-this-offer/1031914/47 "2026-07-26T00:23:57Z")
About $102/hr. I’m not taking a pay-cut. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2026, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-would-offer-you-500-000-to-watch-every-episode-ofamerican-bandstand-soul-train-midnight-special-and-solid-gold-at-your-own-leisure-do-you-take-this-offer/1031914/48 "2026-07-26T02:45:51Z")
OP, I’d want you to prove that you have the dough. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2026, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-would-offer-you-500-000-to-watch-every-episode-ofamerican-bandstand-soul-train-midnight-special-and-solid-gold-at-your-own-leisure-do-you-take-this-offer/1031914/49 "2026-07-26T03:05:52Z")
Given a watch while exercising and the following: > [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > 1. And you must see all of the episodes, if you fall asleep while watching, you must then rewatch all that you missed while you were asleep. You are allowed to look away from the TV screen for minutes at a time if you wish, … Or use the restroom, or go and get food,..but if it goes beyond four or five minutes, you must rewatch what you missed. I’d do it. I’m very underemployed right now ( a huge thanks to my lovely wife for supporting us! ) so I could manage 2-3 episodes a day. Given the era, even omitting commercials, I still figure closer to 50 minutes per episode, as during American bandstand’s era at least, commercials were only 6-9 minutes per hour given just a cursory search. I already ride my exercise bike (no new purchase required) 30-40 minutes a day, 7 days a week. Add another 10, and that’s one episode a day. And given the rules I quoted above, given my frequent insomnia, I would probably knock out another episode a night. There’s zero harm if I fall asleep, as I get “credit” for whatever I did watch, so sleep aid + profit potential! Add in one more episode as “work” and 2.5-3 a day is pretty easy goal to reach. I’d certainly try to add more to cover those days where I can’t for some reason, or just need a break. Since I’m in my early 50’s, even if I take six or so years, I think I’ll be able to make much of the money, and I’d certainly enjoy most of the music more than the hours at work. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2026, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-would-offer-you-500-000-to-watch-every-episode-ofamerican-bandstand-soul-train-midnight-special-and-solid-gold-at-your-own-leisure-do-you-take-this-offer/1031914/50 "2026-07-26T03:16:13Z")
Absolutely! I’d enjoy a lot of it, and for the rest there’s booze. Knocking out 1-2 episodes per day on average would finish it in 10-12 years, which should be right around retirement and the extra half mil would come in right handy. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2026, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-would-offer-you-500-000-to-watch-every-episode-ofamerican-bandstand-soul-train-midnight-special-and-solid-gold-at-your-own-leisure-do-you-take-this-offer/1031914/51 "2026-07-26T03:46:10Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > Do you think you would take this offer and attempt it? Do you think that you would do it alone? How long do you think it would take you if you did take the offer? Why those shows? I kinda liked them in the past. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2026, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-would-offer-you-500-000-to-watch-every-episode-ofamerican-bandstand-soul-train-midnight-special-and-solid-gold-at-your-own-leisure-do-you-take-this-offer/1031914/52 "2026-07-26T05:04:58Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Hell no. At this stage of my life my time is far more valuable than the money. Maybe if I liked those shows, but they would be way down near the bottom of my watch list. Hell no was my first thought. I have way too many other interests and things to do than to watch all this. > [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I’d be especially interested in seeing [this performance.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ) You Rick-rollin’ sonuvabeeswax! That made me laugh! ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2026, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-would-offer-you-500-000-to-watch-every-episode-ofamerican-bandstand-soul-train-midnight-special-and-solid-gold-at-your-own-leisure-do-you-take-this-offer/1031914/53 "2026-07-26T06:05:39Z")
If you did it for 8 hours per day it seems this could be done in 18 months (less but I will assume some days off). Five days a week two years seems doable. That’s a $250,000/year job. I’m in. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2026, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-would-offer-you-500-000-to-watch-every-episode-ofamerican-bandstand-soul-train-midnight-special-and-solid-gold-at-your-own-leisure-do-you-take-this-offer/1031914/54 "2026-07-26T06:43:32Z")
I asked Google how many hours of each show there were and added it up. It came to 6124 hours total. That comes to about $81.65 an hour, which is pretty good, but I’d bet there are Dopers who earn more than that. If you watched 40 hours a week (like a regular job), it would take 153.1 weeks to finish, or about 2.94 years. That’s assuming 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, with no weeks off. Also, you wouldn’t get paid until the end. That would be a hardship to a lot of people. You could cut the hours per week of music listening and find some part-time work to stay afloat, but that would delay your payment at the end of the project. If you had sufficient savings or investment income you could go without a job for three years. The time it would take to get the money would reduce its value. If you assume 3% inflation, $500,000 three years from now is about the same as $456,336.50 today. And if you stretched it over 6 years (e.g. because you had to spend time earning a living), it would be worth about $416,486.00 today. Also, would the money be taxable? $500,000 of cash income all at once would be taxed pretty heavily. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2026, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-would-offer-you-500-000-to-watch-every-episode-ofamerican-bandstand-soul-train-midnight-special-and-solid-gold-at-your-own-leisure-do-you-take-this-offer/1031914/55 "2026-07-26T07:07:55Z")
The OP says it’s not taxable. I’d think of it like a part time gig with flexible hours. Even with inflation, etc I’d be hard pressed to think off an easier way for most people to earn an additional half million in, say, five years with minimal effort and no required skills or training. Sure, for some people, a mere $500k isn’t worth it but that’s not most people. The biggest barrier for most is the payment not coming until the end and people doing poorly with delayed gratification. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2026, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-would-offer-you-500-000-to-watch-every-episode-ofamerican-bandstand-soul-train-midnight-special-and-solid-gold-at-your-own-leisure-do-you-take-this-offer/1031914/56 "2026-07-26T14:56:25Z")
If I needed the money, I would certainly attempt it. $500,000 would still be life changing, but being tied to a TV eight hours a day, even more so, and not for the better. I think I would fairly quickly abandon the attempt and enjoy the freedom of choosing how to spend my free time from day to day. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2026, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-would-offer-you-500-000-to-watch-every-episode-ofamerican-bandstand-soul-train-midnight-special-and-solid-gold-at-your-own-leisure-do-you-take-this-offer/1031914/57 "2026-07-26T15:13:43Z")
Not me. > [@Jophiel](#): > > The OP says it’s not taxable. I’d think of it like a part time gig with flexible hours I have a part time gig with flexible hours that pays more than that. (Probably less after taxes, but still comparable.) And it pays out every two weeks. And I’m thinking I’d rather work fewer hours… And there’s this: > [@LSLGuy](#): > > The worst part IMO would be the “no breaks \>7 days” part. That’s not real compatible with travel where you’re trying to disengage from your normal life and engage with something completely different. I like to travel, and I’m away from home for more than a week at a time most years. And i sure don’t want to be watching TV while I’m traveling. I guess i could bring a laptop and stream an episode each week, but that would be a burden. Also, those aren’t the type of show I’ve ever chosen to watch. I don’t think I’d enjoy it. I think I’ll stick to actuarial work. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2026, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-would-offer-you-500-000-to-watch-every-episode-ofamerican-bandstand-soul-train-midnight-special-and-solid-gold-at-your-own-leisure-do-you-take-this-offer/1031914/58 "2026-07-26T15:14:51Z")
Let’s see. There was a person in NC who spent 17 years in prison and then was exonerated. He ended up with about $3.5 million in a couple separate settlements. That is about $205K per year. He wasn’t exactly HAPPY about it, but it sounds like he could have earned at about the same rate by taking advantage of this offer. I’m pretty sure I know which one he would have chosen given the opportunity. ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2026, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-would-offer-you-500-000-to-watch-every-episode-ofamerican-bandstand-soul-train-midnight-special-and-solid-gold-at-your-own-leisure-do-you-take-this-offer/1031914/59 "2026-07-26T15:35:18Z")
I’ve seen dozens of discussions like this — WouldYouDoThisThingFor$Million?? And that’s fine, hypotheticals can be entertaining. But, it’s getting unbalanced. I’d like to occasionally see a real-life offer to do something odd for a billion bucks. The only thing I actually encounter is WouldYouWork40HoursAWeekForANormalishPaycheck? ---
**Author:** ![colinfred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colinfred/32/21338_2.png) [@colinfred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colinfred)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2026, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-would-offer-you-500-000-to-watch-every-episode-ofamerican-bandstand-soul-train-midnight-special-and-solid-gold-at-your-own-leisure-do-you-take-this-offer/1031914/60 "2026-07-26T15:57:31Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I guess i could bring a laptop and stream an episode each week, but that would be a burden. I would guess you can watch for less than a second, and you’re now on a new break. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-would-offer-you-500-000-to-watch-every-episode-ofamerican-bandstand-soul-train-midnight-special-and-solid-gold-at-your-own-leisure-do-you-take-this-offer/1031914.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-would-offer-you-500-000-to-watch-every-episode-ofamerican-bandstand-soul-train-midnight-special-and-solid-gold-at-your-own-leisure-do-you-take-this-offer/1031914.md?page=4)