More deep think

Readers of this blog know that I occasionally ridicule deep-think pieces about our little genre. If there's anything I like to laugh at, it's profound ruminations on game shows.

Today's installment in the deep department is something from The Ringer, which looks to be a pop culture site. Marc Summers and the Never-ending Obstacle Course. As you might imagine from that title, it's a "grim side" look at the longtime host of Double Dare.

As such articles go, this one isn't so bad. About the worst in pseudo-profundity is the intonation: "In 2019, Double Dare's messy, childish escape is perhaps more important than ever—both comforting and cathartic, a necessary reprieve from real life." Oh, barf. It's just a silly game show.

The article grinds through the medical problems and career setbacks that Summers has experienced over the years, though Marc himself sounds pretty upbeat about it all. "I throw a marshmallow into a cup, I'm gonna get a standing ovation, you know? It makes me laugh."

That's exactly right. Game shows are here to make us laugh. And we can even laugh at deep-think pieces on pop culture sites about game shows.

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