Episode 21.12
August 24

Gordon: I think they wind up in Game Show Hell while they are there. It's a good read.
Josh: It sounds like something my 12th grade English Class was forced to read.
Chico: Probably is. Welcome back. We got a great treat for you all here, courtesy of Jason Block. All yours, Jay.
Jason: I am with Bob Goen and Marianne Curan, the stars of GSN Radio who have just celebrated their one year anniversary on the radio. How are you doing guys?
Marianne: Yay for us!
Bob: Yay.
Marianne: Congratulations, Marianne! Oh, that's me!
Bob: We are drinking champagne.
Marianne: Thank you, Jason.
Jason: No, really. It has been an incredible year. So, what we are going to do right now is ask you guys twenty questions and hopefully you guys will survive it.

(Both laugh).

Marianne: Oh boy, interesting how the tables have turned.
Jason: A little bit. So let's start it off with a bit of a personal one. 1) How did you guys meet?
Bob: You take this.
Marianne: We were both set up by our agent. It is a very Hollywood story. To hear Richard tell this, to tell the story, I burst into the office one day and said, "How do I meet Bob Goen?"
Jason: (laughs)
Marianne: The truth of the matter is I was just sort of hitting him up to get fixed up with somebody and he thought about it and came up with the idea of Bob giving me a call and Bob thought it would be ok and the phone call was made and here we are.
Bob: From my perspective of it, he called me and said, "Do you know Marianne Curan?" I said, I don't think so and he said "Well, I'll send you her head shot and her tape."
Marianne: Yeah.
Bob: So he did that and I looked at her tape and I realized "You know what? This is the chick I just saw co-hosting with Regis a few months ago." Because Marianne had gone in after Kathie Lee (Gifford) had left and was auditioning for that job. And she had struck me at the time and I thought, "Wow. She's cute. She's funny. And I wonder if I can ever meet her."
Marianne: Yeah, so I auditioned for our first date. (All laugh.)
Bob: That's right. So we basically went out on a semi-blind date although we both knew what sort of face the two of us looked like.
Jason: And how long are your guys married right now?
Marianne: It was 5 years on March 20th of this year.
Bob: Sometimes it seems longer.
Marianne: (laughs)
Jason: 2) So how were you both approached to do this particular project, GSN Radio?
Bob: (pauses) Well, to be honest with you we had been trying for a few years to launch something with the two of us.
Marianne: Talk show kind of thing.
Bob: Yeah, we had been out and about pitching a talk show for the Bob and Marianne brand and we were coming very very close but not quite getting over the hump, and then we heard about this. And you know my first love is radio, Marianne had never done it before and so I...(to Marianne) Correct me if I'm wrong...I don't want to put words in your mouth...
Marianne: I had done a lot of voiceover stuff in radio but not as a host.
Bob: But I didn't want to...I didn't think you were going to be as comfortable with radio as I thought you would be.
Marianne: Right.
Bob: Yeah. And I said, "We should do this. This could work. I think we would be very comfortable in that medium." And she fought a little bit but we said, "Well, let's just go and do the audition and see what happens."
Marianne: Right.
Bob: We went in and auditioned...
Marianne: Had a blast at the audition.
Bob: Loved it and hopefully you get that sense when we do the show.
Marianne: Very much of the dynamic of the audition is what we do here. The format has changed but we do hasn't.
Jason: 3) Now Bob, was it easy for you to get back in the radio groove?
Bob: Very. For some reason it was...let me backtrack a little bit. Because when I first started in radio, I was one of the world's most mediocre disc jockeys and really didn't handle myself well by myself. But over the years as a television person I've spent a lot of time going in and doing interviews for local radio stations. You know, go in with the morning DJ and sit in for 20, 30 minutes. I've always found a real comfort factor doing that and always thought, "Radio just feels good to me." So the moment we walked into the audition, I got that comfort level and it has never left.
Jason: Now also Bob you have hosted many, you know, TV Game Shows. 4) How is doing a day at say GSN Radio different than doing TV?
Bob: For me it is summed up in one word and that is freedom. I just feel so much freer on radio. I'm sure you have watched me do some television game shows over the past few years...right, Jason?
Jason: That's the Question, Wheel of Fortune, etc, etc.
Bob: Yeah, and I don't know if you see it or not but I certainly feel it that I am just a freer host on radio. I am having more fun, I am able to say things that I would never say on television. And, of course, having the comfort of having my wife sitting next to me adds this whole other dynamic to it that I have never had on TV. So for me, it's just this freedom. I feel like I have been let out of a cage.
Jason: So, now Marianne you have done some work behind the camera doing shows for GSN on the TV Side. 5) Has that been a factor helping you with it on the radio side?
Marianne: Oh sure it has helped me. The first time I had hosted game shows GSN TV was very new actually. They had been on the air, oh my gosh, a couple of years when I started. And I was part of this new venture of theirs where they were doing these interstitial call-in games where people could play from home. So it was this whole brand new idea of theirs and I hosted, I think, three shows all together. But I had never hosted game shows before. I had done hosting. But I think what really helped was the fact that I had done a lot of comedy and was very fast on my feet so I had a little bit of hosting chops but running the games was definitely something, you know, with a learning curve for me. So I had to warm back up doing this. But it's been a blast.
Jason: Now you touched on this earlier Bob but I will ask you both this: 6) Is it easier or more difficult to work with each other as husband and wife every day?
Bob: Yes.
Jason: (laughs)
Bob: You know what, there are so many times when we just drive this car together and it is based...its part and parcel of our marriage, its part of our relationship. That it is because we have that relationship that we are able to navigate a little smoother. We, you know, I can let it go for Marianne, she can toss it over to me. It's a very instinctive thing working together. That having been said, sometimes we can bring our personal baggage into the show.
Marianne: Uh-huh.
Bob: And that can get in the way a little bit, and it can be tough at times to work our way out of those little ruts. Overall...
Marianne: But I'm a professional, I try not to let that bother me. (laughs)
Bob: Exactly. And God Bless you for that dear. And, you know, she pulls me out of the fire.
Marianne: It has been something that has I....I worked with my ex-husband many years ago running a comedy group. And there was never that "riding a bicycle built for two" kind of a feeling. There was always this underlying sense that I think came from him more because I was just content to have this comedy group and be having fun...the sense of competition there that I didn't want. And I think the reason that I was ok to go into this with Bob having had a terrible experience working with a spouse...we're not in competition with one another. He's truly a game show host and has that expertise much more than I do and I bring a little bit more of the comedy and ad-lib thing to it. But we both handle all our jobs well and we are not trying to do the other person's job. You know, we are going to lock horns once in a while, but hopefully not on the air.
Jason: Now...this one's a fun one. 7) For you guys, what's your favorite game on GSN Radio?
Bob: Go ahead.
Marianne: Well for me because Bob is the trivia whiz and in my real life I just don't absorb that information. I as an actor and as a comedian, I love storytelling. And for me, a lot of the fun comes from the stories behind the trivia. So for instance, "Urban Myth",
"Fact or Crap" the fact that some of that is actually true just blows my mind. And why it's true, how it's true and the "BS" game that we have started to do...it is turning us into storytellers and I love the personality behind games more than...not more than the trivia but as much as the trivia so for me those kind of games are fun. So, "Urban Myth", "Fact or Crap and "BS" would have to say are my favs.
Bob: And I am a game show purist. You know, when it comes to game I would rather watch Jeopardy than say Deal or No Deal. I like trivia. I like history and knowledge and stuff like that. And so for me "The $1,000 Minute" is about as perfect a game as we do. But that having been said, I am with Marianne. I love this game "BS". We're having so much fun with this telling stories, making stories up, trying to convince people that we are telling them the truth, I am really enjoying that.
Jason: 8) Now what's your favorite current game on the TV side on GSN?
Bob: On GSN?
Jason: Yeah.
Bob: That's the Question. (all laugh). Even though it's no longer on the schedule, I really love that game. It's a great pure...
Marianne: When are they going to bring it back?
Bob: Not soon enough, I guarantee you. It's a really pure game. It's trivia based knowledge, it's you know figuring things out. It's logic. It's all that stuff that I just love so for me it's TTQ.
Marianne: Ooh you even have the acronym.
Bob: How about you?
Marianne: Here we go again. It's about having fun and the personalities. Match Game, I can watch on a loop. I am having so much fun with them having fun. And, you know, Hollywood Squares. So for me the comedy part of it and the personalities win out over the trivia.
Bob: Any game show with an open bar is right up my alley. (All laugh.)
Jason: Now here's the $64,000 one. 9) Why do you think GSN Radio has been so successful this past year?
Bob: Well, I think there are two reasons and one of them is pure game play. I think that the games that we have established here have a great play-along factor.
Marianne: Uh-Huh.
Bob: Everybody can...whether it's trying to answer a question quickly on "The $1,000 Minute" or telling the person to yell "Stop!" so that the bomb doesn't blow up...either one, you know all of them have that kind of play-along factor. And then to be honest with you I really feel like we bring a sense of fun to it and playfulness that the audience enjoys. I mean I think that the audience is having as much fun listening as we are doing it because we truly have a good time.
Marianne: We really hope that in addition to as Bob said the pure gameplay, the play-along factor which is huge for anybody who likes game shows because not everybody is going to be able to play every game but they want to play along as we all do with Jeopardy at night during dinner. But the fact is that we want to feel like you are playing along with us just goofing off and having a good time and we hope it's entertaining and so far we think it is.
Jason: Ok Bob this one's for you. 10) Out of all the specific game shows you have hosted, I kind of think you touched on this one earlier, which one was your favorite and why?
Bob: Oh boy. Let's see. I did sort of touch on it with "That's the Question". As far as a game show that interested me the most I would say that it was "That's the Question". But that having been said I think if I were to make a list of the favorite shows I have ever done, I think top of the list would be Wheel of Fortune simply because that show changed my life so significantly that will always have a soft spot in my heart. It's a major piece of my history and it's a major piece of what I became in television and so Wheel's got to be up there.
Jason: Cool. Ok, so Marianne you had to eat a pepper and Bob you had to wear a dress...
Bob: Yes I did.
Jason: ...as part of a "Battle of the Sexes" bet. 11) Any regrets?
Marianne: Oh, he suffered far worse than I did. The pepper thing was sort of anti-climactic actually because I don't know if it was a dud jalapeno because I was terrified to bite into that thing. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to work the rest of the day. And it just wasn't there. But you in that dress was a moment that I will savor. It's the classic "guy in a dress" thing. And when you look like Bob, you are a guy in a dress. There is NO getting around it.
Bob: I even grew a goatee for the ceremony and wanted to look as masculine as I possibly could. And I was very disappointed in the pepper too because I really intended...the goal of that pepper was to have Marianne uncomfortable through the entire day...
Marianne: Uh-huh
Bob: ...through the entire show. It just didn't happen.
Marianne: You in that dress made me uncomfortable during the entire show.
Jason: So whats been the funniest moment in the past 12 months?
Marianne: You know, we were just reliving...you know the things that you CAN'T script. And that's one of the things I love about the live factor. I've always loved that about live television. And have always loved live theater, live television, live radio. You just cannot create the moments that you get from real people. And we were just reliving because of the year anniversary some of our favorite moments on the show and, for me, of course it goes to what makes me laugh. And (laughs) we had a caller who could not even get the idea of what the "Secret Sound" game was about, no less guess the Secret Sound. And this poor soul just was clueless. And we decided we were just going to have fun with it. And I could not get a word out of this woman. And she didn't know what the game was about and was suffering and was completely out of her element. And I finally asked her again, "Wilma, what's the secret sound?" And I said, "It's almost seems like crickets around here."
Bob: She's so quiet you might as well hear crickets.
Marianne: So Cisco hits a cricket sound effect in there, "So, Wilma, what's the secret sound?" "Crickets?" (Bob and Marianne laugh). You have to play it back, I am not re-telling it very well but we came out of the chair and Cisco couldn't come up for air he was laughing so hard. So, just moments you can't make up, you know real people moments...
Bob: That was one that really stood out for me too. That was a fun moment. And there was a sweet moment that I will never forget when we had a guy who came on to play "Ultimate TV Trivia" and it was all about Spongebob Squarepants. And we told him that he was going to play and he said, "Oh I wish that my 5 year old daughter was here, she knows everything about Spongebob. We told him, "Why don't you go home and go get her?" She was in school, in kindergarten. He drives to kindergarten, gets her out of school early, and gets her into the car and then plays Spongebob trivia. And this sweet little voice ...
Marianne: Rachel!
Bob: ...little Rachel with this adorable, this giggle that was so infectious and she got it right. We sort of bent the rules a little bit to make sure that she won because it was really special.
Marianne: Yeah.
Jason: 12) Was there a moment that has actually gotten on the air that you wish kind of was bleeped before people got to hear it?
Marianne: Oooh, that's a good question. I am sure there is.
Jason: You know what, what comes to my mind is nothing specific but there are a couple of times and it gets back to your question about working together as a husband and wife. We have had a couple of moments where I've taken the conversation into areas I probably shouldn't have and it made Marianne uncomfortable and we had to figure out a way to get out of it.
Marianne: Right.
Bob: But I can't remember...do you remember anything specific about that.
Marianne: There have been so many. (laughs.)
Bob: There you go. But those are the kinds of things that I wish that we had a delay button on.
Marianne: We actually have talked a little bit about what lines we don't cross on the air to prevent that from happening because you know our marriage and our family life is number one, obviously. Hopefully its obvious. It really is number one. It's a great job but that takes precedence over anything. And, you know, we don't want to be Kathie Lee Gifford and air my dirty laundry and have it be the butt of jokes unless it is really innocuous, values the show, and it doesn't detract from our life...our family life. And we sort of talked about what lines we don't cross, you know we talk about Bob's son Max and his schooling and we make teenage jokes and all that kind of thing. But we know where that line is and where we don't cross it in terms of that subject.
Bob: We know that if we put the marriage in jeopardy then the next domino to fall is the radio show. You know if we don't keep the marriage in a good solid place then everything else falls apart, so that's our goal.
Marianne: Yeah. It's a matter of respect that we have for each other and for our marriage first. And there's plenty of material leaving that stuff out as you can see. (both laugh) So hopefully we get the balance right most of the time.
Jason: 13) So what's been the fans biggest praises and critiques of the GSN Radio product so far?
Marianne: Praises and critiques of us?
Bob: Boy, you would have to ask them that.
Jason: Have you gotten a lot of feedback from them?
Bob: What we hear and a lot and it is music to our ears is that "You guys make my day go so fast" "You make me smile all day",
Marianne: "You make us laugh."
Bob: "We just turn it on and leave it on and laugh with you all day and can't wait till you come back tomorrow", that kind of thing. That's very satisfying because you know we're trying to fill four hours and make it a nice place to be for those four hours and it's not always easy. And we always come in here with a blank slate every day and have to fill those four hours and it usually seems to work and when it works to the entertainment value of the audience, it's very satisfying.
Marianne: I love the fact that people feel we are accessible, we are friends, you know we have so many people like yourself Jason who have been playing here from day one that we really do feel like we have gotten to know you. The complaint that I'm hearing now and it's a complaint which is based on the fact that we are growing and it's a good reason for it but it doesn't help folks like yourself who are used to getting into games more often because the audience was smaller and as we've grown we are hearing from people less frequently who used to be able to get through.
Bob: They're not happy.
Marianne: So they're like "Hey!"
Bob: That's the good downside.
Jason: Yeah. Now Bob, you are part of a company called J2SC Media which features people like Mike Adamle. 14) Want to talk about that a little bit?
Bob: Yeah, it's a venture that started about a year and a half ago. It's kind of a media training outlet and to be honest with you it's a really good group and it's a smart idea and a good organization run by a very good guy named Jim Lichtenstein. And the only downside is that thing was launched about the time when the recession hit. And so things like media training...
Marianne: ...become a luxury.
Bob: Yeah those are the first things to be cut out of the budget. So, not a lot has happened with it recently but when the economy starts to turn a bit that's going to be a nice little place to be.
Jason: Do you incorporate anything from that venture into the radio show?
Bob: No, but I think the converse is true. I think I incorporate some of the radio show into that. When the training comes around, the things that I have learned on radio and on television, those are the things I am going to teach and pass along.
Jason: 15) So where you guys see GSN Radio in the future?
Marianne: Hmmm. Anywhere we can get. (both laugh).
Bob: I see it as being as probably a twenty-four hour venture. I think it will be like any radio station that you listen to where you know somebody does the morning shift, somebody does the afternoon drive, I think it's going to be that. And I think, you know, there will probably be more prizes, there will probably be more things rather than just cash to give away. I think the sponsorships will start to come in...
Marianne: Prize companies will get involved.
Bob: I think it will take on that kind of an approach.
Marianne: It's growing...we are very happy about the growth. We are on Doug Stephan's show which is syndicated to 3 million people, we are on Mike Medved...hello, "The Apple(AM 970) in New York! And they just picked up another hour on Saturday they were on just Sunday, and we are on Saturday and Sunday. You know, in a market like New York that's fantastic that they liked it so much they wanted to add on another hour and that's it in the first year, +70 stations nationwide and in Canada. And the good news is once people try it they are sticking with it. The program directors have been very very positive. We're really encouraged by it. It's very exciting.
Bob: One of the things that always amazes me is the statistic called "Time Spent Listening."
Marianne: Yeah.
Bob: And time spent listening in radio...a good time spent listening in radio is anywhere from 12-14 or 15 minutes or so.
Marianne: On Average.
Bob: On the Average. For us, time spent listening is almost two hours.
Jason: Wow.
Marianne: People are tuned in and, you know, when I'm in the car I'm flipping around the radio which is the time spent listening factor but when people are tuning into us, and you know this is big news for us they are staying tuned in you like said for a couple of hours and apparently from the radio experts we work with this is unheard of in the radio business so we are very proud of that.
Jason: Now I am going to ask you guys the five questions we ask everybody. So, here we go.
Bob: Sort of like being Kilborn's Daily Show isn't it?
Jason: Kind of, yeah. Now for the 5 questions we ask everybody. 16) What is your favorite game show of the past or present?
Bob: Do you want to go first?
Marianne: You go first.
Bob: My favorite is Jeopardy! Because I am a game show trivia purist. And a history buff so Jeopardy! is it for me.
Marianne: I love Jeopardy! But it intimidates me. (both laugh) I am getting more and more of them right these days.
Bob: You are. Don't sell yourself short.
Marianne: But I have to go back...when I was doing the interstitials at Game Show Network TV years ago, you know the shows were on monitors all over the building. And I was doing interstitials so on your down time you were watching the monitors, and I will say it again. I never got tired of watching Match Game. And because I am an improv person I was always checking, "What would I come up with?" you know the wacky answer on that. I do like the trivia stuff, but Match Game makes me laugh. It's just a great game. Rayburn was fabulous and it was a hoot.
Jason: Alright, 17) favorite game show host of the past or present?
Bob: Well for me I don't know that I could narrow it down to just one because I think I am lot like you Jason. I was a game show geek as a kid and still am. But, you know, I would come home and turn on TV after school and watch game shows until my mom and dad got home. And so in those days I was watching guys like Tom Kennedy who I loved, Geoff Edwards who I loved, Dennis James, Bill Cullen. Those guys to me are, they are really the template that I based my career on. But if you had to pick one although he may not be my absolute favorite in terms of personality, he is the king and that's Bob Barker. Bob Barker is the guy...
Marianne: Smooth operator....
Bob: ...when I first started in game shows and Jay Wolpert was my executive producer he said, "If you want to be a game show host, you watch Bob Barker and do what he does you'll be just fine." And he was right.
Jason: And for you, Marianne?
Marianne: Bob Goen. (All laugh.)
Bob: You were very close there for a second.
Marianne: He does it all. You know I have to tell you and having watched a lot game shows --not to the degree that you guys have - but I grew up on them too. They were really part of our life growing up and always loved them. You know what, my husband is a fabulous game show host and really his love. And you bring personality to it, you talk about Bob Barker who is just seamless. But, put you in the Price is Right and add your personality into the mix I think you would transcend even what he did on that show.
Jason: Wow.
Bob: (whistles) You heard that Jason?
Jason: I heard that. It's recorded, I have it on tape. I'll save you a copy.
Marianne: I really think that..."That's the Question" it was a really good game show for a fabulous host.
Jason: 18) If you guys could be a contestant on a game show what would you go on?
Bob: As a couple?
Jason: Or as an individual. Either or.
Bob: (pauses) I guess Tattletales would be...you remember that show that the couples were on?
Jason: Yes I do.
Marianne: Isn't that with Bert Convy?
Bob: Bert Convy! Very good! Look at you!
Marianne: I worked at Game Show Network for like 3 years! I saw a lot of game shows! (both laugh)
Bob: We would be in the banana section. For me it's Jeopardy. I would love to go on Celebrity Jeopardy.
Marianne: I would be sweating bullets.
Bob: I would kill for that. I went on Rock and Roll Jeopardy!
Marianne: That's right you did...
Bob: With Jeff Probst. And had a blast doing that. And I would love to go on Jeopardy as a celebrity.
Marianne: See I'd be better off going on something like Let's Make A Deal and wearing a stupid costume.
Bob: Is that Marianne dressed as the meatloaf?
Marianne: When we go on Jeopardy can I wear a costume? I'll dress like the Far Side! (laughs)
Jason: Ok, let's say you had a little bit of power and could remake a show that is...
Marianne: Sounds like "Would You Rather?"
Jason: Kinda yeah. 19) What show would you remake or bring back on the air?
Marianne: What game show?
Bob: What old show would I bring back?
Marianne: Hmmmm...(thinks) I like What's My Line?
Bob: What's My Line was good. I loved a show that Tom Kennedy hosted called "You Don't Say". Remember that?
Jason: Yes I do.
Bob: Yeah. It was a show...the premise was, well the catchphrase was, "It's not what you say that counts, but what you don't say." So your job was to...they had a celebrity and a player 2 teams of each and the celebrity would say a sentence, leave off the last word and the person could fill in that word. If they filled in that word then they got a point or whatever it was. But yeah, I loved "You Don't Say." That was always fun.
Jason: And you, Marianne?
Marianne: I am trying to think of...what's the game show that Johnny Carson did?
Jason: Who Do You Trust?
Bob: Earn Your Vacation.
Marianne: Who Do You Trust. As a matter of fact, I was in talks with Fred Silverman to do a modern...(to Bob) Did you know this, that I was developing a modern version of...you helped me with some of the questions for this. I was working on a modern day version of Who Do You Trust and we were going to pitch it to Lifetime and boy that was fun. Because, you know, I got to host it and it was also relationship based stuff and funny stuff and wasn't the structure of a trivia show.
Bob: It wasn't a panel and a dais and you were working it like a Truth or Consequences sort of a thing.
Marianne: So I would like to see somebody attempt to do that again.
Jason: Alright. The last one is basically where you guys can say anything you want(of course within reason) to the fans of Game Show News Net
Bob: (pauses for a moment): Thank you. I really do want to thank our audience for being loyal and having fun and passing the word about GSN Radio and coming back every day enjoying it like they do. We are having the best time doing this show.
Marianne: We are having a really good time. (laughs)
Bob: Many times it is the best four hours of our day.
Marianne: Especially if Bob's making dinner. (both laugh)
Bob: And we love doing it. And I just would love to thank all our listeners who have been so loyal and with us since the beginning. And that's it, thank you.
Marianne: I don't know how I can top that. It truly is wonderful to see the loyalty that game show fans have. And I think it's a testament to the way our show works in terms of the games, we are doing what they are asking. We are playing games. We are keeping it pure and simple. We are having a lot of fun along the way, but we are really doing what people come to Game Show Network for. To play games and to win prizes. And we are very thankful that we met so many friends along the way and that the audience is not just enjoying it but coming back for more and as Bob said letting everybody know about it and sending them along to us. It has just been a great experience.
Jason: Well that has been 20 Questions with Bob Goen and Marianne Curan. Was the experience good for you guys?
Bob: We had a blast.
Marianne: Awesome, Jason. Thank you so much.
Jason: Thank you guys very much.
Chico: And that was Jason Block with 20 Questions, which they survived masterfully.
Jason: That was a blast to do. They were super nice. Thanks to all the crew at GSN Radio for their time.
Chico: For more information on GSN Radio including affiliates, go to GSN.com/radio.
Gordon: We'll see if our panel can survive Emcee Chico - aftert this!
Josh: I'm shaking in my boots.
Chico: You better be.

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