Former ""Double Dare"" host Marc Summers spoke Monday about his days at Nickelodeon, his book about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Food Network Show ""Unwrapped"" to a full audience at the Memorial Union Theater.
The Indianapolis native began by choosing volunteers to participate in a mock physical challenge similar to those in ""Double Dare."" Two students tried to toss marshmallows into a cup as the show's theme song played in the background and the audience cheered them on.
Summers broke into the television world as host of the family game show ""Double Dare"" in 1986 and realized he had OCD after the show was off the air.
""In the entertainment business, you can get a job if you're a drug addict, but you can't get a job if you have a mental illness,"" Summers said.
In his book ""Everything in its Place,"" Summers describes his experiences with OCD.
""It never really affected me [during ‘Double Dare'],"" he said. ""I never had more fun as when I was doing all the kid stuff... I'm more comfortable on TV than I am if you came up to me in a restaurant.""
Summers said his OCD symptoms were present even before the diagnosis.
""When my kids brought friends over I would follow them around with Soft Scrub and a rag to make sure if they got anything on the walls I'd get it off right away,"" he said.
Summers also explained how medication and behavioral therapy helped him suppress his intrusive thoughts and compulsions.
""The best thing is when you sit and talk about it with other people who've had it,"" he said. ""You all of a sudden realize that you're not alone.""
The television personality left the audience with advice on how to achieve career goals while overcoming adversity.
""You don't ask somebody for a job, you write a letter and the first line in your letter is ‘I need some advice'—that will open more doors than I can ever tell you,"" he said. ""Once you're in the door, you can do whatever you want.""
