Adam Wurtzel is a huge game show fan from the New York area, and asked some thought provoking questions:

Thanks for taking the time to chat, Randy.

Adam, I'm honored to be the first person you've chosen to interview for what you indicate will be a regular feature on your website; I can only assume that the many "bigger names" in our business weren't home or have changed their e-mail addresses!

What was the first game show you ever saw in person?

I remember that I wasn't even 12 years old when I followed the famous, omnipresent audience member of the 1950s and 1960s, Miss Miller, into a taping of Ed McMahon's "Snap Judgement" at NBC's studio 8H in 1969, back in New York. Here was this strange older woman wearing a big, fancy hat whom I'd seen being interviewed on TV by Jack Paar and Merv Griffin. I figured if I stayed near her I would be in good company and would probably get a good seat. When I asked if I could sit with her she said, "No, you stay with the kids"!

Well, I was lucky to be seated away from Miss Miller, and instead near the right edge of the audience. That's where this exciting bundle of energy and joy named Johnny Olson made his entrance and ultimately did the announcing. I had never seen anything like what I was involved in for the next 15 minutes! Although I was pretty tired and somewhat grouchy from standing in line, and knew nobody else in the audience, through the magic of Johnny's warm-up, within minutes we were all one happy and crazed family! That was the day I began cutting classes and returning to TV tapings; it ultimately led to a friendship with Johnny O, and an increasing fascination and respect for what he did.

Growing up, what was your favorite game show?

Well, your question assumes that I've actually grown up; around game shows I feel like I'm still a teen! My fascination began very young, I couldn't have been more than 3 or 4 years old when I sat intrigued by "Seven Keys" and "Camouflage". I guess it was the flashing lights on "Seven Keys", and the way Jack Narz dramatically tried the keys in those padlocks; I even learned to unlock the front door of our house with a similar flair! Again on "Camouflage" it was the graphics that first got my attention. Later I was amazed that, through the magic of television, the host of "Camouflage" was also The Shell Answer Man on commercials. Imagine the thrill when I met Jack, and so many years later worked for several weeks with Don Morrow on "The Challengers"!

Tell me about your experience as a contestant on the various game shows you were on. What was your favorite game show you appeared on and why?

I don't know how to sum up the very different experiences of all the shows I was a contestant on... there were nine in total that aired. Then there were countless pilots and run-throughs where I first saw what went on behind-the-scenes in the making of a game show, and met all the greats from Mr. Mark Goodson down to lesser known but wonderful people who were very generous in helping to guide my career. One of the nicest is long-time Merrill Heatter producer, Art Alisi.

Of the nine shows I appeared on, my first experience as a contestant was the most exciting because it happened with no warning or audition. With a 1971 episode of "What's My Line?" running short, Johnny Olson introduced me from the audience to Dick DeBartolo who had me on-stage in a matter of minutes to try to stump the panel. I still wear the Sarah Coventry Jewelry star sapphire ring that I won on that show; the $50 was spent long ago!

Also at the top of the list was my three day appearance on "Press Your Luck". In addition to the intense competition of each of those games, it slowly started to dawn on me in the minutes between tapings that I was winning some serious money. To top it off, the shows' airdates included my birthday! I later catered a huge birthday party for myself where I invited everyone I knew to eat, drink, party and watch those "Press Your Luck" episodes on a giant screen TV. I even printed the invitations to look like CBS tickets!

What sold or unsold pilots have you worked on? Did you work on the pilots of the game shows that you have announced?

As I slowly managed to take what I had learned into a transition from contestant to announcer and warm-up, I first had to prove myself on pilots. And as you know, many pilots are taped for each show that is lucky enough to breakthrough to being a series. As such, the names of the programs like "Show Me" are long forgotten by almost anyone who didn't work on them. But the experiences and the people behind those shows live on, and will be appreciated for affording me early opportunities on pilots, most of which failed to sell. They include Jake Tauber, Charlie Colarusso, David Greenfield, Ray Horl, Steve Radosh, Richard Reid, Syd Vinnedge, Jay Wolpert and so many other pros who took a chance on trying to channel my enthusiasm in the 80s and early 90s. Of course I'm still working on pilots, the most recent of which was "Card Sharks" in November of 2000.

Of the series that have made it to air, I announced and/or did warm-up on many of the pilots; that would include all of the shows I did with Wink Martindale, as well as "Hollywood Showdown". But in the strange way that things happen in game shows, I was hired after the pilot stage for some shows, too. Those include "All New 3's A Crowd", and of course my recent addition to the long-running "Supermarket Sweep".

What is the best part of working on a game show?

For anyone who works in front of an audience there is no thrill quite like that of feeling and hearing the evidence of the audience members' enjoyment. Laughter and applause really are powerful; they can make a performer feel completely alive, and push their performance to new heights. Of course watching a particularly exciting game or a wonderful contestant is always a joy.

But day in and day out, the most stimulating part of the work is being a member of a team of so many very bright, articulate and talented professionals. You see and work with many of the same people over and over again; they are all specialists in what they do. I could never do their jobs, and they say they wouldn't know how to start to do a warm-up. Yet as a team, we can pull together to do some incredible work. And because many of us have been in game shows for some time, there's always someone around who can share a story of Johnny O or Jay Stewart that I never heard. Over the long hours of taping 5, 6 or 7 episodes a day, we develop a great sense of family.

Do you have any tips to give to the people that want to become a game show host, announcer, writer, producer, etc.?

It seems that no two people came to this specialized area of work via the exact same route. But, like the first generation of game show hosts and announcers, I also started in radio. I was a DJ for many years at stations all across the country from Poughkeepsie to Los Angeles. Behind a live microphone for hours every day your creativity is constantly challenged; in radio you either learn how to think quickly and ad-lib gracefully through almost any situation, or you find yourself out of work. Todd Newton and I have exchanged a few radio stories, and he agrees that radio was an important part of his experience, as well.

Most producers I've known were writers first, and writing is a vital part of any game show. You could easily argue that the writing is the key ingredient that makes "Jeopardy!" so great. Jay Wolpert taught me a great lesson about writing when he challenged me to write 100 questions in 3 days that would all fit the requirements and style of his show "Faker's Fortune". It was not as easy as it looked!

If you have real passion for a career in game shows, be willing to serve an apprenticeship; it's the best way to learn. And remember, while the work can sometimes appear to be simple to a viewer, the ability to perform expertly, consistently, precisely, over and over again, under pressure and on demand is what's needed. Even if the task is as basic as fact-checking a question, turning a playing card, totaling a score or reading an advertiser's plug or prize description, the predictable proficiency that's needed comes only with experience. I would suggest finding any way possible to watch, learn, and be involved; make the effort to develop mentoring relationships whenever possible.

If you work towards your goals with optimism, and your dreams are vivid enough, they CAN come true!

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