Tabloid Talk Show Trivia Challenge
If you think you know a little something about throwing chairs and fighting ex-girlfriends and paternity tests - well, then you've come to the right place. This trivia challenge is all about those shows from the 1990s that told tales of murder, mayhem, melodramatic siblings, feuding friends and jealous lovers.
No, not soap operas. Talk shows.
That man would be Morton Downey Jr. Whenever guests he didn't like started saying something he didn't want to hear, Downey would tell them to "Zip it!" and make a zipper move across his lips. The stunt would only rile up his guests more, which is the effect he was looking for in the first place.More »
That would be the original Tracy Turnblad, Ricki Lake. After graduating high school, Lake went on to Ithaca College, where she continued her studies. She was a freshman when she got a call from her agent to audition for an independent film that would be shot in nearby Baltimore, Md. Finishing finals, Lake went to the audition and landed the part of Turnblad, the overweight and overly charismatic lead in Hairspray.More »
It's a tale that will go down in infamy and one that many think changed the career of journalist Geraldo Rivera. In 1986, Rivera hosted a two-hour TV special titled "The Mystery of Al Capone's Vault." During the show, excavators would reveal a secret vault that once belonged to the Chicagoland gangster. It was thought - even hoped - that untold riches, long-dead mobsters and who-knows-what-else would be revealed when the walls came down. Instead, Rivera and his team discovered debris and broken bottles. Still, the program was the most watched syndicated special, with nearly 30 million viewers tuning in.More »
If you said Jerry Springer, you're right! Debuting in April 2003, Jerry Springer: The Opera is a production of Richard Thomas and Stewart Lee, British musicians and - presumably - Springer fans. Actors sing throughout the program. Only the character of Jerry and his sidekick, Steve, speak.More »
The answer is Sally Jesse Raphael. How she acquired those trademark specks is a bit of tall tale itself. Allegedly, on her first day as a broadcast journalist, she broke her original prescription glasses. In need of glasses to do her job, Raphael went to the nearest pharmacy. The only glasses close enough to her prescription to be useful were ugly, cheap, and red-framed. The rest, as they say, is history.More »
The answer? The Phil Donahue Show. You may have thought think it was The Oprah Winfrey Show, but you're wrong. Donahue ran for 29 years - 26 of them in national syndication. Oprah ran for 25 years total in syndication.More »
That's Montel Williams. Here's how the story goes. While traveling, Williams and his driver witnessed a pick-up truck spin out of control and hit a tree. Hurrying to the aid of the driver, an injured 16-year-old boy, Williams pulled the boy away from the truck just as it caught on fire.More »
Apparently Jenny Jones! Who knew? Jones picked up the title in 1986 (and if you're not familiar with Star Search, it was the 1980s syndicated equivalent of America's Got Talent. Jones was also a backup singer to Wayne Newton and speaks Polish fluently.More »
No, not soap operas. Talk shows.
1. Which talk show host was known for telling guests to “Zip it!”
That man would be Morton Downey Jr. Whenever guests he didn't like started saying something he didn't want to hear, Downey would tell them to "Zip it!" and make a zipper move across his lips. The stunt would only rile up his guests more, which is the effect he was looking for in the first place.More »
2. This talk show host made a splash in John Waters’ ‘Hairspray’
That would be the original Tracy Turnblad, Ricki Lake. After graduating high school, Lake went on to Ithaca College, where she continued her studies. She was a freshman when she got a call from her agent to audition for an independent film that would be shot in nearby Baltimore, Md. Finishing finals, Lake went to the audition and landed the part of Turnblad, the overweight and overly charismatic lead in Hairspray.More »
3. Who famously discovered very little in Al Capone’s Secret Vault?
It's a tale that will go down in infamy and one that many think changed the career of journalist Geraldo Rivera. In 1986, Rivera hosted a two-hour TV special titled "The Mystery of Al Capone's Vault." During the show, excavators would reveal a secret vault that once belonged to the Chicagoland gangster. It was thought - even hoped - that untold riches, long-dead mobsters and who-knows-what-else would be revealed when the walls came down. Instead, Rivera and his team discovered debris and broken bottles. Still, the program was the most watched syndicated special, with nearly 30 million viewers tuning in.More »
4. This host has an opera named for him. Who is it?
If you said Jerry Springer, you're right! Debuting in April 2003, Jerry Springer: The Opera is a production of Richard Thomas and Stewart Lee, British musicians and - presumably - Springer fans. Actors sing throughout the program. Only the character of Jerry and his sidekick, Steve, speak.More »
5. Which host is best known for wearing red-framed glasses?
The answer is Sally Jesse Raphael. How she acquired those trademark specks is a bit of tall tale itself. Allegedly, on her first day as a broadcast journalist, she broke her original prescription glasses. In need of glasses to do her job, Raphael went to the nearest pharmacy. The only glasses close enough to her prescription to be useful were ugly, cheap, and red-framed. The rest, as they say, is history.More »
6. Name the longest-running daytime talk show in U.S. history.
The answer? The Phil Donahue Show. You may have thought think it was The Oprah Winfrey Show, but you're wrong. Donahue ran for 29 years - 26 of them in national syndication. Oprah ran for 25 years total in syndication.More »
7. Who once pulled a teenager out of a burning car?
That's Montel Williams. Here's how the story goes. While traveling, Williams and his driver witnessed a pick-up truck spin out of control and hit a tree. Hurrying to the aid of the driver, an injured 16-year-old boy, Williams pulled the boy away from the truck just as it caught on fire.More »
8. She was the first female comic to win on ‘Star Search’. Who was she?
Apparently Jenny Jones! Who knew? Jones picked up the title in 1986 (and if you're not familiar with Star Search, it was the 1980s syndicated equivalent of America's Got Talent. Jones was also a backup singer to Wayne Newton and speaks Polish fluently.More »
