RR: How did you come to be a contestant on To Tell The Truth?
KS: A friend of mine owns a public relations firm and she saw a posting on a PR website about a game show looking for people with interesting stories. She sent them an email about me and the book I was working on ("The Hooky Book"), and one of the producers called me. I totally thought someone was playing a joke on me.
RR: What was the interview process like?
KS: I talked to the producer over the phone, probably to find out if I could form sentences and had a personality, then I sent her the first chapter or two of my book (it hadn't been printed yet). Once she received it, she called me and asked me more questions and to send her photos of myself (to make sure I didn't have three eyes or a horn, I guess). That was pretty much it. I never met her until I was in L.A.
RR: How well did you do?
KS: We fooled two of the celebrities (Alan Rachins and Paula Poundstone) as well as the audience, so the two impostors and I split $3,000. Plus, I got a free trip to L.A., so actually winning cash was just gravy!
RR: How were John O'Hurley & the panel off camera?
KS: Because they didn't want any of the celebrities talking to us before the show and possibly figuring out which one of us was "real" and which were "impostors," we weren't allowed to even see anyone before the show. We were even told not to tell the make-up people anything about ourselves just in case someone might have overheard. They shot another segment right after ours, so I didn't get to meet anyone. When I was leaving the studio, I ran into Paula Poundstone in the hallway. She was nice but seemed kind of shy.
RR: Did you keep in touch with your imposters?
KS: I sent them copies of the book when it came out but other than that, no. I did stay in touch with one of the producers, though.
RR: Were you ever on any other game shows?
KS: Nope.
RR: What's changed in your life since you appeared on the show?
KS: For one thing, it's given my book some credibility to have been featured on a national TV show. And, not to sound corny, but I guess it was a confidence booster for me personally to think that the producers thought my book--and I--were interesting enough to put on the show.
RR: What was the best part of your To Tell The Truth experience?
KS: Everything. It was definitely one of the most memorable experiences of my life. I totally felt like a celebrity (okay, so a "D" list celebrity): They flew me out to L.A., put me up in a hotel for three days, picked me up and escorted me to the studio lot (the same one where they shoot "The Tonight Show," by the way), did my hair and make-up. Everybody was so nice, and it seemed like they really wanted us to do well. Being that I love TV so much, it was also interesting to get a behind-the-scenes peek at how they shoot a game show.
RR: Anything else you'd like to mention?
KS: I have to say it was totally surreal to hear John O'Hurley say my name. It's still kind of strange even if I watch the show now many years later. And then at the end of the questioning where they say, "Will the real Kerry Speckman please stand up?" was SO bizarre! I've watched "To Tell the Truth" for years and years, and I NEVER thought I would be the one standing up!
RR: And finally, where can we buy The Hooky Book?
KS: The easiest and quickest way is through my website--www.hookybook.com. You can also get it at Amazon or if you ever happen to be in Jacksonville, you can get it at the library. Ha ha. I'm thinking about updating it and putting out a second edition, but people who play hooky a lot are pretty lazy.
Thanks for a terrific interview, Kerry!
