“He was always friendly and funny with me,” Reubens said.
In addition to the cash prizes from “Gong Show,” the “booby prizes” for losing were also memorable.
But a number of actors, comedians, and fellow Groundlings members were semi-regulars on “Gong Show,” because Barris knew they would deliver, even if they didn’t win.
Reubens didn’t spend much time with Barris behind the scenes because FCC rules bar off-camera fraternization between producers and contestants.
“You couldn’t talk to the judges and you had to be escorted if you had to go to the bathroom,” Reubens recalled.