Ken Ober
Encyclopedia
Ken Ober was an American game show
host, comedian
, and actor
.
, he was raised in Hartford, Connecticut
. Ober hosted four game shows over the course of his career. He received his break after appearing as a contestant on Star Search
. He was most widely known for his role on the MTV
game show Remote Control
, which he hosted for three seasons, spanning 1987 to 1989, then in reruns for an additional two years. That show also helped launch the careers of Adam Sandler
, Denis Leary
, and Colin Quinn
. Ober was known among '90s and '00s audiences for his hosting jobs on Make Me Laugh
, Smush
, and the ESPN
game show Perfect Match
.
In 1995, Ober hosted a Los Angeles
talk radio
show with former Brady Bunch star Susan Olsen
. The show, known as Ober and Olsen, aired on 97.1 KLSX
. (Olsen had previously appeared on an episode of Remote Control that featured Brady Bunch cast members competing.)
In 2002, Ober served as supervising producer for Colin Quinn's Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn
, which was a reunion of sorts; Quinn was the announcer on Remote Control. He was also a guest on one episode.
Ober starred in the Blues Traveler
video for the song "Hook"
. He also had a smaller role in the same band's videos for "Run-Around
" and "The Mountains Win Again".
He served as a producer for the CBS
comedy The New Adventures of Old Christine
, and is also known for a series of Jenga
commercials.
He was an original member of the Theta Mu chapter of the Pi Kappa Alpha
International Fraternity at the University of Massachusetts Amherst
. He graduated in 1980.
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
host, comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
, and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
.
Early life and career
Born Kenneth Oberding in Brookline, MassachusettsBrookline, Massachusetts
Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, which borders on the cities of Boston and Newton. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 58,732.-Etymology:...
, he was raised in Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
. Ober hosted four game shows over the course of his career. He received his break after appearing as a contestant on Star Search
Star Search
Star Search is a television show that was produced from 1983-95, hosted by Ed McMahon, and created by Alfred Masini. A relaunch was produced in 2003-04. The show was originally filmed at the old Earl Carroll Theatre at 6230 Sunset Blvd...
. He was most widely known for his role on the MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
game show Remote Control
Remote Control (game show)
Remote Control is a TV game show that ran on MTV for three seasons from 1987 until 1990. It was MTV's first original non-musical program. New episodes were made for first-run syndication in 1989 which were distributed by Viacom...
, which he hosted for three seasons, spanning 1987 to 1989, then in reruns for an additional two years. That show also helped launch the careers of Adam Sandler
Adam Sandler
Adam Richard Sandler is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, musician, and film producer.After becoming a Saturday Night Live cast member, Sandler went on to star in several Hollywood feature films that grossed over $100 million at the box office...
, Denis Leary
Denis Leary
Denis Colin Leary is an Irish-American actor, comedian, writer and director. Leary is known for his biting, fast paced comedic style and chain smoking...
, and Colin Quinn
Colin Quinn
Colin Edward Quinn is an American stand-up comedian and writer best known for his five years in the cast of Saturday Night Live, as the sidekick/announcer of MTV's late 1980s gameshow Remote Control and as host of Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn on Comedy Central from 2002–2004.-Early years:Quinn was...
. Ober was known among '90s and '00s audiences for his hosting jobs on Make Me Laugh
Make Me Laugh
Make Me Laugh was an American game show in which contestants watched three stand-up comedians performing their acts, one at a time, earning one dollar for every second that they could make it through without laughing. Each comedian got sixty seconds to try to crack the contestant up...
, Smush
Smush
-The game:Smush was hosted by Ken Ober and co-hosted by Lisa Dergan. The show, set in a basement party atmosphere, featured four contestants trying to "smush" the answers to clues together, to create a new smushed phrase. For example, the clue "A New England state + 'Flying Circus' man" would...
, and the ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
game show Perfect Match
Perfect Match (1994 game show)
Perfect Match is the title of an ESPN game show which ran October 3 to December 30, 1994; The series was hosted by Ken Ober and co-hosted by Challen Cates. Lou DiMaggio was the announcer.-Main Game:...
.
In 1995, Ober hosted a Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
talk radio
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
show with former Brady Bunch star Susan Olsen
Susan Olsen
Susan Marie Olsen is a former American child television actress and current animal welfare advocate. Olsen is best known for her role as Mike and Carol Brady's youngest daughter, Cindy Brady, on the 1970s television sitcom The Brady Bunch for the full run of the show, from 1969-1974.-Early...
. The show, known as Ober and Olsen, aired on 97.1 KLSX
KLSX
KAMP-FM 97.1 FM, known on-air as 97.1 AMP Radio, is a Rhythmic Contemporary radio station in Los Angeles, California. The station is owned by CBS Radio.The station had long been known as KLSX before the call sign changed on June 30, 2009....
. (Olsen had previously appeared on an episode of Remote Control that featured Brady Bunch cast members competing.)
In 2002, Ober served as supervising producer for Colin Quinn's Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn
Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn
Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn is a comedic talk show that aired on Comedy Central. The show featured roundtable discussions, inviting various guests of many views, mixing mostly comics/entertainers expressing themselves with journalists and political figures. Quinn's regular guests consisted mainly...
, which was a reunion of sorts; Quinn was the announcer on Remote Control. He was also a guest on one episode.
Ober starred in the Blues Traveler
Blues Traveler
Blues Traveler is a rock band, formed in Princeton, New Jersey in 1987. The band has been influenced by a variety of genres, including blues-rock, psychedelic rock, folk rock, soul, and Southern rock...
video for the song "Hook"
Hook (song)
"Hook" is a song by jam band Blues Traveler, from their 1994 album Four. The song peaked at #23 on the Billboard Hot 100.The song's title refers to a hook in music terminology: the catchy element or phrase of a song which makes it distinctive and memorable...
. He also had a smaller role in the same band's videos for "Run-Around
Run-Around
"Run-Around" is a song by American jam band Blues Traveler, featured on the 1994 album Four. Blues Traveler won their first Grammy Award for the song in 1995.The song was the band's breakthrough hit, peaking at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100....
" and "The Mountains Win Again".
He served as a producer for the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
comedy The New Adventures of Old Christine
The New Adventures of Old Christine
The New Adventures of Old Christine is an American comedy series starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus which ran for five seasons on CBS from March 13, 2006, to May 12, 2010...
, and is also known for a series of Jenga
Jenga
Jenga is a game of physical and mental skill created by Leslie Scott, and currently marketed by Parker Brothers, a division of Hasbro. During the game, players take turns to remove a block from a tower and balance it on top, creating a taller and increasingly unstable structure as the game...
commercials.
He was an original member of the Theta Mu chapter of the Pi Kappa Alpha
Pi Kappa Alpha
Pi Kappa Alpha is a Greek social fraternity with over 230 chapters and colonies and over 250,000 lifetime initiates in the United States and Canada.-History:...
International Fraternity at the University of Massachusetts Amherst
University of Massachusetts Amherst
The University of Massachusetts Amherst is a public research and land-grant university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States and the flagship of the University of Massachusetts system...
. He graduated in 1980.