For folks who haven’t gone to the site (if you want to, go to www.snopes.com, TV & Radio legends, TV lengends, The Newlywed Game), here are some quotes:
“Synopsis: Just like the incidents allegedly involving Uncle Don and Johnny Carson, this tale is one of the great ‘manufactured memories’ in America’s collective consciousness. No, you didn’t see it. Your friend didn’t see it, either. It didn’t happen – it’s just a great story that has been told and re-told so many times, people have begun to believe they actually saw the show rather than merely hearing about it.”
Sounds vaguely familiar…
It goes on: “You want proof it didn’t happen, you say? Well, we all know you can’t prove a negative, so the best we can do is to show that this tale – just like all the other infamous broadcast legends – is suspiciously unsupported by any documentary evidence”
Lib listed their opposition. But he forgot a few things.
For example, when Lib simply tosses aside the objection that nobody can provide a date, he ignores that he can’t even agree on a decade with all the other folks who are certain they saw it! He says the New Newlywed Game. Most people say they are sure they saw it on the original. Who are we to believe? Lib, because he’s certain? Others are certain as well. Somebody is wrong either way – or, as the evidence shows, they are all wrong about it.
About Bob Eubanks $10,000 offer to anybody who can provide a copy of the tape in which this happened: “What would be the point of his denying that the whole thing ever happened and offering a monetary reward to anyone who could prove it did, when he knew full well that not only did tapes exist, but that they were broadcast with the blessing of the show’s producers? And why has no one taken him up on his offer and claimed an easy ten grand?” Hmmm. Very odd. Especially if we believe that Lib’s fiance just saw the episode on the Game Show Network last year, which was, I believe, after his offer had been made. So many people managed to miss out on that $10,000…
The full discussion also talks about other hallmarks of urban legends that characterize this story, including a change in what was supposedly said, a change in venue for the Australian version of the story, etc.
It’s an urban legend. I’m sorry, Lib, it doesn’t say anything bad about you personally. In fact, while I was writing this, I received an e-mail from somebody I had called earlier. In the call, I asked why she hadn’t done something. She said she didn’t know. She e-mailed me to say that I had told her not to do it! Now that I think about it, she may be right – I haven’t had time to go back and check my own notes. The point is that I’m not insulting you or anything. It happens. But when it does, you need to step back and be objective about it, not just sit there and yell that you’re damned sure about it 'cus you remember it, and to hell with what all the evidence says.