"The thing I enjoy most ... is the variety of things I've been able to accomplish"
Marc Summers has accomplished so much that it can humble many in the entertainment field. Though many remember him only for his long run hosting of Double Dare he has done so much more. What many miss is not his accomplishments that we can see but the fact he has done it all despite dealing daily with the pain of having Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
Born November 11th, 1951, Marc had a childhood haunted with an uncanny need to keep a perfectly cleaned room. This went by as insignificant as Marc began dabbling in magic for entertainment and eventually working in a restaurant with his skills. His life really started to move along his entertainment career track in 1973 when he worked as a page for CBS and had the opportunity to fill in as host for The Joker's Wild. His career had some time working as a writer for Bob Barker on Truth or Consequences. Regardless of these fledgling beginnings the reason the public remembers his name goes back to the job he landed in 1986: host of Nickelodeon's Double Dare. He remained with Double Dare for over 500 episodes and also spawned two spin-offs: Family Double Dare and Super Sloppy Double Dare. While hosting with his witty demeanor and fun nature Marc struggled constantly with the glop and gunk that the show required everyone to be subjected to and worse yet is Marc did not know why this caused him internal pain and panic... yet.
After Double Dare Marc landed a host job with the Lifetime morning show Our Home. Later he co-hosted a talk show with Sissy Biggers, also for Lifetime, called Biggers and Summers. It was on this show that Marc realized why he felt the extreme need for cleanliness: he had OCD. Marc started treatment for OCD and later became the spokesperson for the OCD Foundation. He even wrote an autobiography concerning his career and his battle with OCD titled: Everything In Its Place. His career continued to thrive:
I, the author, have my own battle with OCD on a daily basis. My OCD is not cleaning based but the connection here is still strong. Knowing the results of Mr. Summer's life, which is far from over, requires me to think positive. I have no right to think negatively when others are so successful despite of the horrors of this disorder. For approximately ten years he dealt head-on daily with the panic attacks that Double Dare created and this is before he even knew he had OCD. He woke up, got ready for his day, and went to a workplace where he knew he would feel the horrible panic and to top all of this off he did it with a smile, wit, and charm that put him on the entertainment map. Marc Summers gives me hope and drive. In a world where daily life can cause feelings of distress he plummeted himself in an even harder world and came out with his head held high, career thriving, and most importantly: a smile firmly in place.
"Better be able to laugh at yourself and find the humor in everyday life--especially when things don't work out as planned." -Marc Summers
Note: This node is written as part of We Could Be Heroes: tes's Everything2 Heroes Quest
Note: The above was blatantly and intentionally cut-n-pasted from Bacchon's Calvin node.
Note: The above note was blatantly and intentionally cut-n-pasted from weasello's Harrison Ford node after I realized I did the same thing and needed to note my source and thus my source's source. Now go do a shot to keep your head from spinning.
Resources include, but are not limited to: Double Dare Web, Food TV Biographies, and TV Tome.