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MARGINAL MISCELLANI As mentioned in the main body of this page, Marc and Robin's unintentional "hey" wars developed into a great running gag for the show in the late 80's. The following are some highlights, starting with the first and classic usage of it. PART 1 PART 2 PART 3 EPILOGUE |
DD PERSONALITIES This page profiles some of the more talented on and off-screen talent on DD. Underneath each name is a list of (1) their credit(s) on DD, and (2) shows worked on besides DD.
Marc Summers Marc has become one of the elite hosts of recent times, showing his diversity in audience participation shows, celebrity game shows, and of course game shows for kids. He began his career as a page in the early 70's, leading to a spot as a writer for Truth or Consequences. Throughout the 70's he appeared in cameos for various variety shows such as Sonny & Cher and Donny & Marie while doing stand-up. Another early game show connection found him sub-announcing on the CBS Joker's Wild. Later he'd be reporting for Hour Magazine as well as announcing Bruce Forsyth's Hot Streak in early 1986, the same year Double Dare premiered. According to a Home & Family show, the two audition "finalists" for DD were Marc and Michael Burger. Marc's dreams of becoming a tv host were finally realized, with a smash hit to boot. Marc's greatest show was also his largest pet peeve although he himself didn't really know why. It wasn't until 1995 or so that he found out (on his Lifetime show Biggers & Summers) he had OCD, obsessive compulsive disorder, an ironic condition for someone who became synonymous with gak. He still kept busy however, hosting NOVA's 20th Anniversary Special, co-hosting GSN's Coast-to-Coast Search for a Host event, in addition to guest appearances such as a notable appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (On May 5th, 1999 he participated in an AOL chat discussing his condition and the transcript can be found here.) Maybe his most interesting appearance comes digitally, as he was the host of The Joker's Wild Jr., a video game for the cd-I system. Thankfully, the past few years have seen a resurgence in Marc's visibility on tv, both on and off camera. He's hosted It's a Surprise for the Food Network and most notably, History IQ (go to The History Channel's website and tell them to keep the show on the air!). In cooperation with friend Woody Fraser, Marc is now executive producing a new effort for TNN, entitled Ultimate Challenge hosted by Ryan Seacrest. Who knows what he has up his sleeve for the future! One thing's for sure though; if it wasn't for Marc, DD wouldn't have lasted half as long as it did.
Harvey Marc's sidekick on DD is a well-known DJ in Philadelphia (his radio show in the 80's was called "Harvey in the Morning," but this may be outdated). Since DD taped in Philly for half of the show's run, the show's producers tapped in Harvey unexpecting that he'd add another dimension to the show. His chatter and constant badgering of Marc to try out physical challenges made the show even more enjoyable. Harvey has been on the receiving end of jokes as well - he'd be often forced to wear silly outfits, creating odd Elvis and Tarzan impersonations. The success of DD led Harvey to announce the Nick version of Finders Keepers, although he was never as much involved with that show as he was with DD. His friendship with Marc grew through the years, although it led him to show up on What Would You Do as a fairy. Recently, Harvey has appeared as host of TLC's home improvement show Gimme Shelter 2, interestingly enough without his trademark facial hair. Currently Harvey teams up with Marc once again announcing History IQ. (I'm always waiting to hear Marc ask Harvey to help read the rules one of these days...)
Robin Marrella The only assistant to stay on DD for the entire run, Robin added a unique charm to the show. She also seemed to have more fun and be more photogenic than any of the other assistants on the show. She'd also be a great foil for Marc, even though she'd usually always get the upper hand in the end. Perfect example being when Marc asked her something she wasn't ready for; she replied with an honest carefree attitude, "hey." This evolved into a great running gag for the show. Robin would also be Marc's assistant for the first couple seasons of What Would You Do. She currently lives with her family, far removed from her days on DD.
Dave Shikiar Dave was Robin's partner through most of the show's run. Not very talkative, but he'd get more involved with the game than any other assistant would from the left panel. Once Dave left, DD never found a capable substitute as they began to rotate assistants with each year. Marc mentioned a few times on the show after Dave's departure that he went to Los Angeles to become a producer. The only credit I've seen has been as a producer for Wild & Crazy Kids.
Greg Lee Greg's career has gone through unbelievably drastic changes since he became host for Nick's Sunday morning Total Panic program in the mid/late 80's. He was the audience warm-up guy for only the 1990 season of FDD, and for good reason. He'd be on camera longer than any of the other audience warm-ups, mostly in embarrassing positions in one of the upcoming obstacles. His career took a major turn for the better when he became host for PBS' Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego, Nitro, and other surfing shows seen for a while on ESPN2. Greg Lee hasn't appeared on screen in at least 2 years, but has supplied his voice for Nickelodeon's Nicktoon Doug (in case you're wondering, he does Principal White's voice).
Michael Klinghoffer Even though Mike is almost solely known as a behind-the-scenes man, he has appeared on screen quite a few times albeit in cameos, including on DD. He's also appeared for gags on WitWiCS. If you still can't find him, he's the one with the orange colored beard.
Geoffrey Darby Geoff hosted the pilot for Double Dare, and he "needs a little work [hosting]" according to Marc. Since then he's created and/or produced several other Nick shows, although mainly game shows.
Dana Calderwood Often mistaken as Michael Klinghoffer's twin brother. |
