- This video is sponsored by Current.
Stick around to the end
to find out how you could win $500.
Hey, guy. Welcome back to 1986,
the long awaited sequel to that Bowling for Soup song.
This video is probably gonna be shorter than usual,
but I couldn't not talk about this.
So, I recently bought a new Samsung TV,
and the only reason I specify what brand it was
is because it's important to the story.
I use it to play video games and watch movies.
You know, it's a television.
But every time I turn off my PlayStation,
it automatically switches to
something called Samsung TV Plus,
a service I didn't ask for and do not want.
And the channel that's always on is BUZZR,
which plays a bunch of ancient game shows
that have aged horribly.
You'll have a show where the grand prize is $40.
There's always ads for like, child cigarettes
and Richard Dawson won't stop kissing
every single woman on the lips.
What the fuck, Richard?
One time in an interview, he said it was for good luck.
But then why not kiss the men too, Richard?
They don't need good luck?
But I'm not here to talk about Family Feud,
or sexual harassment.
This video is about a show from the eighties
called Sale of the Century.
Now I had never heard of this show,
until last night at 2:00 AM.
And instead of explaining the game to you,
I'm just gonna show you what I watched
so you can experience it in the same way.
- [Announcer] So far, Curtis Warren has
won cash and prizes totaling $45,970.
- Five seconds in, I already love this guy.
They start listing off some of the prizes,
which range from pretty dumb, to cool as hell.
- [Announcer] And continue your journey towards
a fortune in cash and prizes, including this Mercury Cougar.
- [Drew] Or, the car.
So at this point, I'm thinking, okay.
This must be some kind of Price is Right spinoff,
where they buy stuff, I don't know.
Whatever it is, the host seems very excited
to get things started.
- Whom did you bring us, my dear?
- She enjoys hunting moose,
originally from Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Let's hear it for Michele Sephoro.
- [Host] Hello there, Michele.
- So far you have this guy, who's the host of the show,
but you also have this woman who only comes out
to introduce the other two contestants.
And then you have these women whose entire job it is
to escort them four feet to their chair.
A lot of cooks in the kitchen, so far.
Seems like you could've streamlined some of these jobs.
But you have John and Michele,
who both start off their introductions
with what I would consider to be equally bad jokes.
But watch how differently the host reacts to both of them.
- [Host] What's that mean, you lead a very filling life?
- [John] Well, I'm a dentist,
and I'd say drilling and filling would
probably be more accurate.
- [Host] Drilling and filling.
All right, nice to have you here with us, John.
- Oh, that's fucking funny.
John, you are a hoot and a half.
- And Michele, you don't look like a big game hunter,
but you enjoy hunting moose.
- Yes. The dessert. I go for chocolate mousse,
and I try French restaurants.
- He looks so annoyed.
(crickets chirping)
Michele, I guess the producers didn't tell you,
but we only have time for one joke on this show,
and John already made it.
What the fuck, Michele?
Well, it's a good thing we had this nice
long introduction for these two contestants,
because I'm sure we'll be seeing
a lot of them for the next half hour.
Let's get started.
- [Host] $20 Starts all three players off. Let's go.
The initials PI in the TV show
(buzzer)
Curtis?
- Private investigator.
- Private investigator, Magnum PI, it is indeed.
- Wow, that was quite a fast buzzer. All right.
- This New York City street gives its name
to musical theater.
(buzzer)
Curtis.
- Radio City?
(buzz)
- Curtis, you might want to make sure
you know the answer before you buzz in.
- What kind of board is used by a sidewalk surfer?
(buzzer)
- Curtis.
- A surfboard.
(buzz)
- [Host] No, a sidewalk surfer uses a skateboard.
- Cool, so our boy has now answered
all three questions and he is in last place.
- If you stay up all night working,
you're said to be burning...
(buzzer) - Can you guess who buzzed in?
- [Host] Curtis.
- The midnight oil.
- [Host] Yes, indeed. And he's back to the $20 mark.
Boa constrictor.
(buzzer)
Curtis?
- They're snakes. - [Host] That's what they are,
and the champion back into the lead.
- Okay, so we've made it through one whole round,
and no one else has buzzed in.
Since Curtis is in the lead,
and apparently the only person playing,
he's given the opportunity to buy a prize.
In this case, it's a fancy coffee machine.
- [Host] Very nice.
You like good coffee and espresso?
- Oh, I'm a caffeine affectionado, that's for sure.
- Really? This guy drinks caffeine?
Wouldn't have guessed.
But he doesn't buy it, so we're right back into the trivia.
- [Host] Who starred in the films Swing, Shift, and
(buzzer)
Curtis?
- Goldie Hawn.
(applause)
- You might find a lawyer practicing in one,
or a tennis player playing on one. (buzzer)
Curtis.
- A court.
- [Host] Court is what they have in common.
And the $15 lead for the champion.
Give me the title of Bram Stoker's classic.
(buzzer)
Curtis.
- Dracula.
- [Host] About a Transylvanian count.
Dracula it is, and Curtis to 40.
(applause)
- Are you guys noticing the theme yet?
I can't tell if Curtis is a genius,
or if the other two contestants are just really bad.
This pretty much goes on the entire episode.
- [Host] My father.
(buzzer)
Curtis.
- Lady Di?
- [Host] That's exactly right.
Lady Di, Princess Di.
- And since Curtis is the only one answering,
he's also the only one getting money,
and therefore the only one who can buy the prizes.
Hell, he has a chance for 10 whole dollars right here,
but instead wins a bunch of chocolates.
- [Man] Chocolate.
- $500 worth of chocolate.
- [Man] Chocolate.
- What river forms much of the boundary
between Texas and Mexico?
(buzzer)
Curtis.
- The Rio Grande.
- [Host] The Rio Grande is right. (applause)
- Guys, say something.
So, John and Michele must feel like fucking idiots so far,
and then the host does this.
- [Host] John, hit that buzzer. (buzzer)
See that? All right.
Yeah, darn right. And Michele?
That's it, just gotta get in there a little ahead of it.
- John, I think we all love that dentist joke,
but you're making a fool out of yourself here.
So why don't you pull your head out of your ass
and answer a goddamn question.
- What would you do with baklava?
(buzzer)
Curtis.
- Oh, come on. So John might as well be asleep over there,
but finally, after 13 questions,
someone else buzzes in.
- This word can describe both the birth of a chicken,
and something you batten down.
(buzzer)
Michele.
- Hatch?
- [Host] Yes, indeed.
- Michele, you did it.
Today is the day we finally take down Curtis.
- Who was the president in office?
(buzzer)
Curt...Michele.
- Roosevelt?
- [Host] No.
- Goddammit.
Despite the small hiccup in his game,
Kurt is not phased one bit.
- The first television soundtrack to go
number one on the pop charts.
(buzzer)
Curtis?
- Oh, I don't know.
- This guy is so funny.
Oh, turns out I was not listening.
Could you repeat the question?
(buzzer)
Fair enough.
Curtis is so confident in his strategy,
that he would rather buzz in and get it wrong,
than wait even one more second for context
and risk letting someone else answer.
- On what would you be riding if you were
competing in a race called a
(buzzer)
Curtis?
- A bicycle?
- Gonna look weird going over the hump of the
steeplechase on a bicycle, no.
- Clearly though, it's working.
Even if he loses some money here and there,
he is so in John and Michele's heads.
Now she's rushing to buzz in just to try to beat him,
and that's backfiring.
And John, poor John.
He just has the most defeated look on his face.
I told my wife this morning that I was
gonna bring her home a new car,
and instead I will be leaving with the $20
they gave me at the beginning.
(buzzer)
- [Host] Curtis.
- Baseball.
- Oh, and then check this shit out. (buzzer)
- [Host] He got some money. It's a $10 money card.
- Video editing was awesome back then.
Time for the speed round.
Gee, I wonder who's gonna have the advantage here.
- [Host] On what sport Would you try to
stay out of the sand trap? (buzzer)
Michele.
- Uh, baseball?
- [Host] Wrong.
- Oh, sorry about that, Michele.
But that answer is only correct when Curtis says it.
- [Host] Name the TV bar run by Bostonian Sam,
(buzzer)
Michele.
- Cheers.
- [Host] Right.
- Wait a minute.
- [Host] Right.
- Michele, you're really doing it.
- Uh, green?
- [Host] Wrong.
- Charles.
- [Host] Wrong. - No, you're not doing it.
- [Host] Curtis came out on top! Wow!
(fanfare)
Well, that's the end of this show.
There were about 40 questions asked,
and John didn't buzz in once.
No, actually that's not true.
He did get that practice buzz in.
- John, you got the sportswear, thank you.
- Thank you so much for coming out today, John.
Unfortunately you are just very bad at this game.
You might be thinking, oh man, that's it?
And you'd be wrong.
In total, Curtis appeared on 11 episodes
of Sale of the Century, and he won every single time.
The only reason he didn't keep going,
is because they wouldn't let him.
Unlike other shows, they would only let contestants
win up to 10 games in a row.
And if you did, you would either have to
call it quits there, or gamble all of your prizes
- [Man] Chocolate.
for a chance at $50,000 by winning one more game,
which he did, and he did.
You're probably wondering if all the other episodes
looked about the same.
They did.
- [Announcer] $72,262!
$86,288!
- And the old saying, heaven helps those
(buzzer)
Curtis.
- Who help themselves.
- [Host] Yes indeed.
And Curtis has helped himself to a $15 lead over Bob.
(applause)
- How do you cook steak tartare?
(buzzer)
Curtis?
- You don't.
- [Host] No, you don't. That's wrong. You're right.
- Luau. - [Host] Luau is what it is.
- The fountain of youth.
- [Host] And that's what it is.
- Basketball.
- You are right, it is basketball. (applause)
- It was, um...
- February 29th
- [Host] Right!
What travels at 186 thousand
(buzzer)
Curtis?
- Light. - [Host] Curtis back to 75.
All for one and one for all. (buzzer)
Bob.
- Um, and we'll be married together.
- [Host] Wrong.
Name the sexy singer
- Cher.
- [Host] Cher is right!
- It's so funny watching him consistently
dominate such a simple game.
- [Host] $15 lead.
$25 lead.
$30 lead.
$35 lead for the champion.
- Seeing how quickly he'd get in the heads
of the other two opponents.
Inevitably, after a few questions,
they'd start to sweat a little bit.
They'd start to get antsy and try to buzz in early
like he does, but it always backfired.
- What French phrase is used to describe individually priced
(buzzer)
- Rick? - I'm sorry. I don't know.
(buzz)
- [Host] Incorrect.
Although it comes from the Latin word for seven,
(buzzer)
Bob?
- Wait, I'll...
(buzz)
- Well you made it to the buzzer, Bob.
- [Bob] That's what I wanted to do.
- Even in the episodes where his competition
gets a little tougher, he would just
turn it up a notch and go full on sicko mode.
- [Host] In which state did the
revolutionary war's battle of Trenton
(buzzer)
- Curtis.
- New Jersey.
- [Host] Right. John Audubon was famous for painting
(buzzer)
Curtis.
- Birds.
- I kind of wish the contestants wore uniforms
in this show, just so I could buy a jersey
with Curtis's name on it.
- [Host] Curtis has done it!
- Ever since I was about three minutes
into the very first episode I watched,
I have been dying to recreate this show.
So I did.
(applause)
Curtis, you've won 416 games in a row.
Made over $7 million in cash and prizes.
You think today is the day you finally get taken down?
Not a chance.
Well, we're all hoping you do,
cause we're in a lot of debt right now.
Let's bring out the other two lambs to their slaughter.
He's a world renowned MIT professor.
He graduated at the top of his class.
Please welcome Mark.
This next gentleman knows a thing or two about hats.
He owns a ball cap emporium in Polk County, Florida.
Please welcome Tim.
I am now done for the day.
Who's ready to play?
(ding)
I am.
Curtis, that wasn't a question,
but glad to see you're already on your bullshit.
Let's get started.
Question one, the 1916 summer
(ding)
Curtis?
Montreal, Canada.
Montreal, of course, is correct. $5 to you.
And our champion is out in front.
Question number two.
In music,
(ding)
Curtis.
A quarter note.
Yes, indeed it is.
And Curtis with the early $10 lead.
How the hell do we beat this guy? I dunno.
Question three.
This American visionary invented
(ding)
Who else? Curtis.
Thomas Edison.
Of course, that was a bit of an easy one.
You guys gotta wake up.
How did you know that?
He didn't even finish the question?
Just context clues.
Question number four.
Who was the first
(ding)
Huh, Mark. Go on ahead.
Uh, Marilyn Monroe?
We were looking for Joseph Stalin.
I didn't... what the hell is wrong with you?
(ding)
Curtis.
Face looks weird.
That is absolutely right.
Mark, you've got an extremely weird face.
That was one of the questions?
During his run on Sale of the Century,
Curtis Warren won over $130,000 in cash and prizes.
Then 15 years later, he grew out his hair a little bit,
and was on another game show called Greed,
where he won $1.4 million.
I know it's kinda hard to see, cause this video
only has one pixel that's stretched across
the entire screen, but just trust me, okay.
I looked it up and he was the only person
to ever win over a million dollars on that show.
Aside from having a legendary haircut,
Curtis Warren is one of the most impressive
and successful game show contestants of all time.
And when you Google his name,
the first person to come up is an English drug smuggler.
So that's unfortunate,
but it just goes to show you that money isn't everything.
Hey, speaking of money,
let's hear a word from today's sponsor.
This video's sponsored by Current,
the future of mobile banking.
Guys, I'm just gonna say it.
I don't like going to the bank.
The lines are too long.
They won't let you in unless you're wearing a suit.
Everybody spits on you.
Maybe those last two things only happened to me,
but it's still not fun.
But with Current you can do all of your banking
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You don't have to buy a new suit every week
because the bank bouncer says you already wore that one.
Like, what do you remember everything, dude?
Again, my bank had a very specific dress code.
I know that's not normal, but I'm just relieved
I don't have to do it anymore.
What I really love about partnering with Current though,
is that they want to help me give back to you guys.
So if you sign up at the link in the description
using my code, Drew, you could potentially win $500.
10 of our people will be randomly selected to win $500,
and all you have to do to enter
is sign up at current.com/drew.
You can learn more about Current and the giveaway
by clicking on the top two links in the description.
Thank you so much to Current, for sponsoring today's video.
I will now teleport back to my chair in three,
two.
Dammit.
I'm always one second early.
Well, I hope you enjoyed today's video, guy.
If you want to go watch some of the
Curtis episodes in full, you can.
They were all uploaded to YouTube.
Even better, they're just straight up VHS recordings,
so the commercials are all included.
- [Man] The Clyde Plan.
10 out of 10, no complaints.
Be sure to tune in tomorrow for another brand new video,
where I go back to college and stay there for four years.
Bye.