I was a smart-ass, snot-nosed kid. I walked with a certain swagger and style that was different from the typical hosts at the time. I was young and into rock and roll. Times were changing and the networks wanted their game shows to push the envelope more, which I was willing to do.

There are a lot of dogs in the game show business, and I've hosted my fair share of them. Sometimes you have to put your ego aside and say yes, even when you know it's going to be a disaster. One show in particular, The Diamond Head Game, was such a piece of you know what. They took a poorly designed game, shot it in Hawaii, and thought it a good idea. I hated every minute of hosting it. Luckily, it didn't hurt my career.

Bill (Cullen) took me under his wing and helped me develop my own voice as a host. He was always warm and treated me with respect. What you saw on TV, he was like that in real life as well. A sly sense of humor, very intelligent, made anyone feel like the most important person in the room. A wonderful mentor who I continue to miss today.

Chuck Barris was a genius. Crazy, no doubt, but a genius. He never took his shows too seriously because he knew game shows were a silly genre, but at the same time he knew the right mix of creativity and insanity to make them ratings hits. He was one of the true renegades in the business.