‘Double Dare’ Host Marc Summers Reveals Outrageous Price for His Life-Saving Cancer Medication
Marc Summers, best known for being the host of the show Double Dare on Nickelodeon from 1986 to 1993, is giving fans an update on his health. Unfortunately, Summers was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia back in 2010. The 72-year-old shared that he did chemotherapy for two years and then was essentially in remission for about eight years. Sadly, it came back and he had to do chemo for another year and immunotherapy. His cancer remained.
Summers said he now takes pills called Imbruvica every day. He has been on the pills for the last four years and admitted that he has to take them for the rest of his life. The medication is meant to help those with Summers’ type of cancer live longer and more quality lives. Summers joked, “They’re only $14,800 a month, that’s all. Oh, I love our system.” He added, “Knock on something, it continues to work and my doctor told me recently that if they stop working, the odds of me going back on chemo are slim and none because they have yet another pill to take over in case this one doesn’t work. So I feel good.”
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Prior to being diagnosed with cancer, Summers said that he struggled with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) for his entire life and things got particularly challenging while hosting the show Double Dare. He said that when he auditioned to host the show, there were no messes. When he got to the set for the first time, things were very different. Of course, the show had contestants covered in whipped cream, chocolate syrup, and the iconic green slime. He said that he almost quit the show but decided to stay since it took him a long time to find a hosting gig.
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With some therapy, he was able to mostly overcome his OCD. These days, Summers is looking back on his career in a new off-Broadway show called The Life and Slimes of Marc Summers. The show is part memoir, part interactive show as he recreates some moments from Double Dare and shares stories from his life and career. The show runs until June 2, 2024.
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Summers was also in the news recently and shared his experience filming for the docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV. He said that he was asked to talk about being on Nickelodeon and did not know it was about allegations against Nickelodeon executive Dan Schneider. Summers said that he had never even met Schneider during his time on Double Dare. He shared, “I left. So I got a phone call about six weeks ago saying you’re totally out of the show. And I went, ‘Great.’ Then they called me about four weeks ago and said, ‘Well, you’re in it, but you’re only in the first part of it because you talked about the positive stuff of Nickelodeon.'”
Remind He added, “Those people came in after and took over our studios. I never met the man, I have no idea about any of those things. I mean, I know Kenan [Thompson] from Kenan and Kel because we’ve done stuff together. But as far as anything that happened on that show with any of those people, I never met any of them. I didn’t know anybody. But it made it seem like I knew those people.”
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Bonus: If you’ve read this far, you get a fun fact. Did you know that the famous Nickelodeon green slime is made from vanilla pudding, apple sauce, and green food dye? Summers confirmed this and said that the insurance company made the show guarantee that if any kids ate the slime it was edible and safe. He said it smelled and tasted great!
Kid Stuff
June 2018
Unleash your inner child by reliving your favorite kids TV shows, cartoons, toys and more!
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