Street Smarts - Theme Shows

Theme Shows

Sometimes shows took on a certain theme, with Nicotero interviewing the savants in a costume akin to the theme. A couple episodes had been known as "Revenge Episodes", in which savants who believed they had been humiliated on air could get the chance to make money as contestants themselves. Some of the people that were invited back for "Revenge Episodes" were not humiliated, but simply very entertaining. One of these persons was Russell Fletcher who showed up as a savant and then was invited back as a contestant. Russell was mostly invited back to the show due to the enormous amount of e-mail and snail mail that was directed at him because of his showing of real knowledge in most areas of questions. In November 2000, one episode revolved around the United States 2000 presidential election where Nicotero wore an Uncle Sam costume when questioning savants and all questions pertained to American elections or political workings, such as "Why did Bill Clinton refuse to seek a third term?"

Other shows invited classic television stars and game show hosts to play for their favorite charities. The episode that pitted Mark L. Walberg (who at the time was hosting the game show Russian Roulette) against Mark DeCarlo (who at the time was voicing Jimmy Neutron's dad on Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius) was notable in that Walberg won the game with $2 to DeCarlo's $1. But because it was a charity episode, Walberg received $1,000 for Goodwill Industries of Southern California while DeCarlo received $500 for the M.S. Society of America.