Marc Summers, who is best known for hosting Double Dare on Nickelodeon, claims he was misled by producers about the purpose of Quiet on Set when he gave an interview for the docuseries.
Summers was most active on Nickelodeon in its early years. He first gained popularity for hosting Double Dare, a game show in which teens compete against each other in trivia and physical challenges for a prize. He hosted the show from 1986 to 1993, after which he left Nickelodeon before returning briefly in 2000 to host Double Dare 2000 and executive producer Wild and Crazy Kids. However, by 2001, he had left the network again and would only return sporadically over the next two decades for reunions and short-lived Double Dare revivals. Hence, he was absent for most of the period in which the figures at the center of Quiet on Set, like Dan Schneider, Brian Peck, and Jason Handy, rose to prominence, and he was never involved in any of their productions.
Still, it likely left a bad taste in viewers’ mouths when Summers appeared briefly at the very beginning of Quiet on Set and gave the network high praise. Aside from speaking on the positives of the network, Summers doesn’t appear elsewhere in the docuseries. Even if his experiences on Nickelodeon were positive, many viewers likely wondered why he never acknowledged the darker side of the network or the accusations that arose after his departure. According to Summers, his perplexing appearance on Quiet on Set was not what it seemed.
Marc Summers claims he wasn’t told Quiet on Set‘s subject matter
Summers told Variety his side of what happened behind the scenes on Quiet on Set. He revealed he was invited to be in the docuseries and was told only that it was about Nickelodeon. While filming for the show, the producers simply asked him to talk about what he “thought of Nick.” So, Summers launched into his personal opinion on all the “wonderful things” about the network in the ’80s and early ’90s. However, he alleges that the production “did a bait and switch on him.”
After talking about the positive side of Nickelodeon, the first indication he got about the documentary’s topic was when he was suddenly shown a video of something he “couldn’t believe was on Nickelodeon.” At that point, he asked for the filming to pause and began questioning what Quiet on Set was really about. Upon learning of its investigation, he says he walked off the set. Summers’ decision to leave the docuseries is understandable, as he never met Schneider nor any of the individuals at the center of Quiet on Set. He admitted to working with Kenan Thompson, but other than that, he had no connection to the shows, actors, executives, and the whole Nickelodeon regime that came after him.
Quiet on Set chose to still include Summers’ praise of Nickelodeon, which he was aware of. However, he says the production didn’t notify him or ask for permission to include the scene where he’s watching a clip of a suggestive scene and asking, “Did that air on Nickelodeon?” As a result, he claims he was misled and lied to about the project multiple times, even saying it started to get “unethical.” Summers also hinted at possibly taking legal action over the project.
If Summers’ claims are true, his desire to seek legal action is understandable. (Although there is nothing illegal about airing a scene a subject sat for knowingly.) It’s unclear why a person would agree to appear in a documentary without asking any questions about its scope, but it can’t be denied that Quiet on Set ended up presenting Summers in a potentially negative light, making it seem as if this former Nickelodeon host came onto a documentary about abuse and only had great things to say about the network. Many on the internet have been getting out of hand with attacking and harassing any former Nickelodeon star who doesn’t directly speak out in support of the victims in the docuseries, so one could imagine the response Summers could have received from those perceiving him as complicit or lacking in empathy about the whole topic. Meanwhile, the fact that he was even involved in the docuseries could create a misunderstanding that he was somehow connected to or knowledgeable about what happened.
Quiet on Set already had all the content it needed from highlighting and listening to those who chose to tell their stories. It’s disappointing the production may have felt the need to mislead participants and even viewers simply to give context to Nickelodeon’s prominence and reputation, as Summers’ celebratory remarks were used to do. Summers’ allegations are yet another reminder that the primary focus should be on those who have come forward as victims, not on trying to implicate or assume the position of former Nickelodeon stars.
(featured image: Mike Coppola / Getty)
