Sean O'Leary was a contestant on Remote Control Summer, 1988. I had the opportunity to chat with Sean about his appearance on June 2, 2006, at 3:25 PM (Pacific Time).

SO: DC?? I'm here. DCL: Hi, Sean! How's it going? SO: I'm great how are you. DCL: I'm pretty good. Relaxing on a rare day off. SO: So, I suppose you've seen the episode... :-D DCL: Oh, many times SO: Tee hee. It's interesting to see myself with dark hair. I started going grey at age 28, so it doesn't look right anymore. DCL: I've spotted some gray in my goatee and I'm 21. SO: Yeah, well, after 35 it starts to fall apart, so appreciate it while you can. DCL: I certainly will! DCL: Anyways, Remote Control. How did you find out about auditions and could you walk me through the process? SO: I went to SUNY Binghamton, a state school in upstate New York. I remember being a fan of the show, so when there was a 1/2 page ad in the school news paper, my friends and I decided to try out. Some of my friends had a "College Bowl" team, and I remember thinking that Remote Control was "College Bowl" for TV addicts. Anyhow, I'm pretty sure I graduated college and was in graduate school at the time. I'm guessing auditions were in the spring of 1987 or 88. DCL: It was 1988. SO: So, I show up at one of the meeting rooms in the student union and they had you sign up. If I recall correctly, there were about 30-40 people at this session. Everyone got the spiel from one of the producers/talent scouts, and then we took a test. All of the questions were TV-related, like "What was Mr. Howell's wife's name?" and "Name at least two bradford girls on 8 is enough". Most of them were pretty easy, and they were all fill in the blanks. I was/is a pretty big trivia buff, so it wasn't very hard. Anyhow, after the exam, they scored them, and then the producer called up some of the more outgoing/attractive applicants. One of my friends was a guy named Steve Koren. He was very funny and an actor. I remember he did a really good spiel. Most of the other people were "I'm Billy and I'm from Wanaugh, Long Island". Very boring and no presence. I remember being called up right after Steve, so I decided I had to be funny or else Steve would get picked and I wouldn't. Anyhow, I must have been good enough, because Steve, myself, and maybe a couple of others were asked to 'play a game'. IIRC, we sat down at the table and the producer asked questions. We raised our hands and pretended it was a real game. Steve sucked hard at the game, but he was very funny. I was pretty funny and I was good at the game. So, I got selected and Steve didn't. Steve later went to NYC and worked as an NBC page for Saturday Night Live. He became friends with Dennis Miller, went to Hollywood, became a writer for Seinfeld, and now writes screenplays for a living. DCL: Cool! SO: He wrote the script for "Bruce Almighty", fyi. But enough about Steve Koren, this is my story... :-D DCL: Indeed it is. SO: Sooooo.... What' next?? DCL: How long after your audition were you notified that they wanted you to be a contestant? SO: I think we heard by phone a couple of days later. They said they would contact me with some recording dates, but it would likely be during the summer. I remember the ad said "ages 18-24" and I turned 24 that May, so I was nervous I was too old. Anyhow, during the summer, I lived in Binghamton, so I drove downstate and visited one of my housemates that lived on Long Island. I got four tickets for the show, so I offered them to Bob, and he brought his sister (Peaches? Not her real name, I bet), his younger brother (whose name I forget) and Peaches' friend). In exchange, Bob promised to drive me to the studio and cheer for me. DCL: Awesome. SO: I think the show was recorded in June, but it may have been in late May. DCL: So we're coming up on the annaversary. That's a little odd, because one of the other gentlemen I interviewed (Scott Ruisch) I talked to him around the same time of year his episode was taped. SO: I guess. I don't really think about "this was the 18-year since I was on remote control".... :-D Heh. Anyhow, I don't remember much about being on Long Island with Bob. I think we went to a night club and I had my first Long Island Iced Tea. No... I didn't. That was the year or so that I quit drinking... ;-D DCL: I see. SO: I lived with a bunch of guys who could hold their liquor, and I decided I needed to cool it if I kept living with them. Anyhow, I think that's why I thought the club was sucky. I wasn't drunk. haha DCL: That's probably the case. SO: Anyhow, Bob drove into Manhattan. The studios in Midtown, on the east side, if I recall correctly. I remember I had to arrive early, like 11 or so, so Bob dropped me off, and they got some lunch. I checked in and got escorted to a big 'living room area'. The same producer/talent scout I saw in Binghamton was there, I'm guessing there were 18-20 people that showed up. She made us do all the paperwork -- releases, tax forms, yadda yadda yadda -- and then she drilled us on how to play the same and how to act. I remember one of the things she said... Something about "watch your language"... DCL: These ARE college students, after all! SO: I remember her saying: If the question is 'What was allegedly pumped from Rod Stewart's stomach?', you shouldn't say "Jism", you should say something like "Love juice". DCL: I'm glad that questions wasn't on the show. SO: In other words, she wanted us to be rowdy, but clean. I think she did it intentionally, to put us on our toes. None of the questions were too bad, but noone wanted to be the one who said "F---!". DCL: Probably. SO: They were taping a weeks worth of shows, so that was 15 contestants. I remember they had 18 to 20 of us show up, because she wasn't sure if anyone would cancel. She said that if we didn't get selected for today's shows, we could come back tomorrow. Some of the contestants were pissed about that. DCL: I can see that. SO: They also handed out these "British Knights" sneakers and told us we had to wear them. They're free for you to take home... DCL: One of the other interviewees said they make great snow boots. SO: Except I'm a size 13, and they only had size 11 or smaller. DCL: Ouch! SO: Yeah... I tried wearing them, but it was too much, so I only actually had them on when I was on stage. I ended up giving the pair to Bob's brother. I think they had soda and snacks, and they chose the first contestants for the first show. All the contestants had to stay in the 'green room' -- which wasn't green -- during the tapings. We were allowed to watch the shows being taped, however. Meanwhile, Bob et. al. were in the audience. Colin Quinn would warm up the audience with his standup routine and then someone would try to get them to yell and scream and holler. I remember watching the first show, and we got the feed from the director's booth. They did everything in real time... The opening was live, they left 2 minutes between commercials, etc. The feed we got in the green room was exactly like it was broadcast. They did almost no post-production editing. Almost exactly a 1/2 hour later, their show was over and they came back in. They took 10-15 minutes to reset the props, clean up snack time, and give the camera men a potty break. Then it was another show... wham bam. I remember that some of the waiting people were making fun of the people on the show. "I totally knew that" and "she looks really bad". I kept my mouth shut because (a) I didn't want to set myself up for a fall and (b) I wanted to save my energy for the taping. DCL: Good thinking. SO: I think I was the last show taped. After a show was done, I think the contestants could watch later shows from the audience. But I don't really remember too much about that. I remember later talking to Bob and he said they were afraid that I wasn't going to get on, so I'm pretty sure I was the last show taped that day. DCL: Do you remember if there was a specific method of deciding who would play in what game and who would be in what chair? SO: No, I think the producer lady matched people up and had some flexibility with "this group first". I know they said I had to be in the chair on the end because I was a big guy (I'm 6'5" and at the time weighted around 210#). I weighed too much to be in the flippy chair. I remember telling the producer it didn't matter, because I wasn't going to be eliminated... DCL: Scott said the exact same thing! SO: So they lead us through this warren of hallways and stairs and we come up onto the stage. I remember looking for Bob and the gang, but I didn't see them. I had the irrational fear that they didn't get in and were either waiting in the car for the last 3 hours or had stranded me in Manhattan. (This was the era before cell phones, y'see.) DCL: I still don't have one, believe it or not! SO: Good for you. They want to give me a blackberry for work, but I'm trying very hard not to get one... Sooooo... We get strapped in (I believe they made us wear seatbelts). and they showed us how to use the buzzer. I firmly believe the only reason I won the game is because I knew (from College Bowl) how to use the buzzer effectively. They had a light above Ken's head (off-screen) that went on when you were allowed to buzz in. I knew that once you knew an answer you had to concentrate on when the light went on. They let us practice for a few minutes while they got the lighting correct. I remember it being really HOT. I think the AC went down. DCL: That's not good. SO: It wasn't too bad in the green room, but under the stage lights, I remember getting quite warm. I think Colin or Ken walked by and told us not to get nervous. And then we were 'on the air'. DCL: And hoping not to go "Off the Air." ;) SO: You've seen the show probably more often than I... DCL: Probably. When putting together a web site about a show, you tend to memorize certain episodes you take a lot of screen grabs from. SO: I remember these brazilian half naked dancers. DCL: Yep. SO: What I liked about Remote Control, is anything could happen. You could be in the middle of the game and all of the sudden, Mr. T comes out. DCL: My brother would LOVE that! SO: Or half-naked dancers. Or LL Cool J. DCL: He actually played a game. SO: Yeah... I remember that... Anyhow, by this time, I was pretty confident I would win the trivia game, but I was pretty sure I'd bomb the video identification portion. My housemates tried to get me to study, but I just wasn't very good at it. So, the game goes on and I'm really surprised at how good Kim is... DCL: She took the lead at one point SO: She's perky, and she's funny, and she's kicking my ass! DCL: (I watched the show earler today to get screen gabs) SO: I didn't get too upset, because I was having fun, and, you know, when you're a trivia fan, you don't feel bad when you get beat. You admire the person for knowing what you didn't. DCL: Absolultely. SO: That's the way the cookie crumbles. Sometime they ask about 3rd Century Etruscan Pottery and sometimes they don't. DCL: Or sometimes they ask Ethel Mertz's hometown. SO: Ah-HAH. You did watch it... DCL: Of course! Would I lie to you? SO: I forget, did they ask about the Alligator in Leave it to Beaver's toilet?? DCL: Yeah. You got it right. They asked what kind of animal he was. SO: THAT was my proudest moment in Trivia. Captain Jack is famous for another reason... It was the first time a toilet was ever show on prime time television. DCL: I'll have to ask that on my show (I write for a college game show). Thanks for that bit of info. SO: Another for you... Which television couple were the first to share a double bed?? DCL: The Flinstones. SO: Ozzie and Harriett. They were married in real life. DCL: [hits head on keyboiasdofjansdf] SO: I don't think they were shown "in bed together", but a double bed was shown in their room. DCL: Ah. SO: Ok, enough about my crap trivia recollection... Anyhow, I was pretty sure it was coming down to me and Kim. It was just a matter of which way the questions went... One more Ethel Mertz question and I would've been toast. Oh, if you look at the 'interstitials' (Remote Control will be back in a minute). You'll see me or Kim (I forget which) with a cooler in our lap. They passed around an cooler with ice for us because it was sooo frickin hot. I think you can even see sweat on me or "Edger Allen" (whatever his name was). DCL: Wayne. My copy has REALLY bad commercial edits. SO: I've got some extra commercial bits in mine. Apparently Lita Ford is playing at the Binghamton Forum... DCL: I've got nothing. Half the prize plugs are cut out, etc. SO: (hey, Hair Metal, is that her name?? Kiss me Deadly??) DCL: Lita Ford? Yeah. I think... SO: Well, if I ever get this dup'd to a DVD, I'll blow you a copy. DCL: Great! I'd apreciate it. SO: Wikipedia says "yes! Lita Ford" DCL: Woo hoo Wikipedia! SO: Anyhow. Back to the interview. DCL: I think that's why were here... SO: heh heh. I recall predicting aloud to my friends that I wanted "transformer sheets on my craftmatic adjustable bed". And, lo, verily, it happened! As predicted, I tanked at the game. I did get some 'fabulous prizes'. DCL: I've seen worse. SO: I got this cross between a unicycle and a scateboard that TOTALLY SUCKED. DCL: The LeRun! SO: LeRun was awful. DCL: Maybe that's why they only offered it during your season. SO: It was like a tiny tricycle. It didn't go fast, it was impossible to stay balanced on it. I also got this neon phone. It was a regular phone, but the body was clear plastic and it had a tube of neon around the back of the handset. It was pretty tacky, and at one point, I got a shock from it when I held it to my ear... So I threw it out. DCL: Wonderful. SO: I got a realy big-ass boom box. It wasn't very good, but it had classic 80s styling. I remember using it in my office in the lab. It took about 8 D cell batteries and had 2 cassette desks. AM & FM! DCL: Woo hoo! SO: I got a messload of CDs. Most for acts I didn't care about, so I gave them to Peaches, Bob, etc. I think I got a "Replacements" CD and "Beatles Rarities" CDs. I know I still have the Beatles CDs. DCL: That's definitely one I'd keep. SO: Hold on, lemme check I tunes. DCL: Sure. SO: Past Masters, Vol. 1 & 2. Good CDs and the only thing I still have... DCL: Except some wonderful memories! SO: So, after I win, they take me back stage. I get to meet Ken, Colin, and Kari. Colin bonds with me, because he thinks I'm another funny irishman. Ken said "you're a good trivia master!!!" DCL: He said that on the air, as well. He seemed to take a liking to you. SO: and Kari said "I was a helluva contesti." Yeah, we had a good time on the show. DCL: Looks like it. SO: Oh, speaking of sing along with Colin... I still have never heard Queen's "Radio-gaga". DCL: Neither have I. I knew the other two, though. SO: Me too, obviously. So, Kari (who was rail thin), Ken, and Colin all signed my MTV packet -- copies of the rules, releases, etc. DCL: Awesome! SO: I still have that somewhere. I needed it for the IRS when I had to pay taxes on those crap prizes. Since we were the last show, by the time I was done backstage, the audience had filtered out and Bob and the gang were the only ones there. I know I got the shoes and the CDs at the studio. All the other prizes were sent to me at college. (I was working there over the summer). A couple of interesting tidbits... DCL: Shoot. SO: In the mid-1990s, I was living in Chicago and I auditioned for "You Don't Know Jack". It was a game show based on the computer game. DCL: Only five episodes were produced. SO: My ex-wife and I auditioned for the pilot. The 'creator' (I forget his name, but he was the voice on the game) thought he'd be able to be the host... I didn't get selected, but my ex-wife did and they filmed the pilot. (with the 'creator'). They shopped the show around and noone bit. They apparently all hated the host. Sooooo, they redid it with someone even more annoying... PeeWee!!!! DCL: Paul Reubens. Yep. SO: Yeah, Paul Reubens... If it was Pee Wee, it might have had a chance... Pee Wee was a classic. Sadly, No film exists of my audition. I'm pretty sure my ex never got a copy of her pilot either. Ok, next follow up. My current wife (there's only been two) and I were in New York City near Columbus Circle one christmas. We were staying at a hotel up there and there was this really good magazine store called Universal News. It was the size of a "foot-locker" at the mall. and It was completely filled with every possible magazine. So, the store has some cafe tables, and a place to get coffee and a muffin. Sandy and I are walking around -- she loves magazines -- and I spy Colin Quinn sitting at a table drinking coffee with a buddy. This was just after he left Saturday Night Live. I think he thought he was going to have a career... DCL: Instead, he wound up on "I Love the 80s." SO: Poor Colin, he looked pretty depressed. I didn't bother him although Sandy said I should've. A friend of mine tells me he lives around there, so he must still be making some money. Standup or whatever. Also, because of Colin Quinn, I'm three degrees from Kevin Bacon. (and I suppose everyone else on the show is too). DCL: Most likely. SO: Quinn -> Three Men and a Baby with Steve Gutenberg ->Diner with Kevin Bacon. You know, at one point, Steve Gutenberg was a good actor. DCL: At one point, huh? SO: I think it was February 1989. That was the point. Anyhow, I've delighted you long enough... ;-D DCL: I see. Just a couple more quick questions before we wrap this up. SO: Go ahead... DCL: What in the world was that junk they gave you for snack break? I can't tell what it is. SO: Take you time. Who knows... I think it was oreos, or hard candy. It wasn't anything I'd want to eat. Also, if you ever find Wayne or Kim, let me know! DCL: I certainly will. SO: Next time I'm in New York I'll check the magazine store for Colin Quinn. I'll point him your way too... hahaha DCL: Thanks a lot. DCL: Anyways, it's been a pleasure and I thank you for giving a very indepth look inside "Remote Conrol." I and my readers I'm sure apreciate it. Take care of yourself (I'm gonna go eat dinner.) SO: Thanks DC ! I'll see ya/chat with you later.

To watch Sean's episode, visit The Remote Control Playhouse.

Go to dc-lundberg.net