The Center’s Match Game Live– “Dangerous, But Worth It”
MATCH GAME LIVE- Photo by Clarissa Macaya
Guest Post by Christopher B. Cox
Thursday’s Match Game Live, hosted by comedian and musician Ben Lerman, was raucously entertaining and brimmed with the wild humor and sincerity only an event the Center could pull off.
Based on the classic game show, contestants were selected from the audience and competed to match six celebrities’ answers to fill-in-the-blank questions. The celebrity panel ranged from the lovely and luscious drag diva Bianca Del Rio (who also hosts “Hot Mess” Wednesday nights at XL), to the strikingly beautiful comedienne and Huffington Post contributor, Phoebe Robinson. The panel also included the alarmingly handsome adult entertainer and singer, Colton Ford, and social media mogul and professional charmer, Daniel Nardicio.
MATCH GAME LIVE- Photo by Clarissa Macaya
Jackie Hoffman, a comedy veteran and crowd favorite kept the evening uproarious, with racy, impromptu, and often-unsolicited answers, as well as shameless plugs for her upcoming show (“June 3rd at 54 Below!”).
Rounding out the panel was Sirius radio host and Dead Celebrity Cookbook author, Frank DeCaro, who donned an “I’m Fat, Let’s Party” t-shirt. When DeCaro’s name came up as an answer to a question that called for ”something no one wanted on their face at the end of a night of partying,” he retorted: “It’s dangerous, but worth it!”
Match Game Live was the final event in The Center’s Summer “Camp” series, a month-long celebration of the elusive queer aesthetic known simply as “gay camp.”
“Camp” was promised, and camp was delivered. Host Ben Lerman smiled infectiously throughout Match Game Live, which he also wrote and co-produced.
The joy was contagious. Todd Mick, a bra designer and Match Game contestant admitted upon winning, “It feels like being the President!”
MATCH GAME LIVE- Photo by Clarissa Macaya
Paul Menard, Director of Cultural Programs at The Center, teased the crowd with cocktails sponsored by El Dorado rum while they waited for the panel, which became a game in itself. One free drink went to the first audience member to pull up a picture of their pet (the winner had an image of her cat in a bow tie), and another to the first person to prove they had Paul’s favorite Madonna song on their smartphone.
The final drink ticket went to the first person that could prove he or she was carrying a condom.
This bit of trivia reveals the most about The Center, their Match Game Live, and what they both stand for: The realities that some consider unpleasant or crass are exactly those truths which need to be recognized and celebrated.
MATCH GAME LIVE- Photo by Clarissa Macaya
Speaking clearly about sexual health, re-examining the supposed gender binary, and respecting, even laughing about sexuality are the salves that mend broken hearts and broken communities. What the Match Game taught its audience most was that being Queer and being honest are both good things.
When The Center hosts another Match Game Live be sure not to miss it.