Matt Kennedy Gould
Encyclopedia
Matt Kennedy Gould is a former American television personality. He rose to prominence in 2003, when he was the main protagonist
of The Joe Schmo Show
, a fake reality show in which, unbeknownst to him, all the participants but Gould were actor
s portraying broad reality show participant archetype
s.
, and graduated from Pennsylvania State University
in 1999 with a degree in speech communications
. Gould attended the University of Pittsburgh School of Law
, but dropped out prior to completion. After dropping out, Gould began living with his parents and working as a pizza delivery
man.
in the South Hills
section of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
when a casting director for SpikeTV's The Joe Schmo Show
spotted him. Gould auditioned for the show, and was selected as its main protagonist.
As far as Gould was concerned, he was competing in the reality show Lap of Luxury for a $100,000 prize to be awarded to the winner. At the end of each show, one of the show's actors-contestants was evicted. Halfway through the season, an older contestant with whom Gould had bonded was "voted" off the show, causing Gould to break down and begin questioning whether voting off friends was worth monetary gain. Matters were complicated the following day when Gould accidentally injured one of the actors (Kristen Wiig
, later of SNL
fame) in a sumo wrestling contest. Upon Wiig's return to the show, Gould insisted on giving the contest's prize to Wiig. Gould's acts of vulnerability in the former instance, and generosity in the latter, caused the producers to shift the show's focus and tone significantly away from mockery and towards praise.
The truth was revealed to Gould in the season's finale, which garnered the most viewers for SpikeTV for a non-wrestling show to that point. Gould received the $100,000 prize for which he was "competing," along with a plasma television
and separate vacations to Tahiti
and to a spa resort. Upon the truth being revealed, Gould cried out, "What is going on?!?" Spike TV would later air this cry at the end of its other original productions.
When asked about whether he had ever intuited the truth, Gould said that he "just chalk[ed] everything up to the oddities of reality television" and that he thought he "was on the weirdest reality show in history of mankind."
In August 2008, Entertainment Weekly
interviewed Gould about his experiences on the show. Gould said that the show made him feel "dumb" and that he "wouldn't do the show at all" if he was given the choice whether or not to do it again.
on the show for a later rebroadcast of the series. In 2004, Gould taped an unaired cameo appearance
for Joe Schmo 2 as a pizza delivery
man, and appeared as a referee on 10 Things Every Guy Should Experience.
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
of The Joe Schmo Show
The Joe Schmo Show
The Joe Schmo Show is a reality television parody show which aired on the American cable network Spike TV from 2003–2004. The show's premise is that a target person or persons are led to believe that they are contestants on a reality television show; in reality, all of the other participants in the...
, a fake reality show in which, unbeknownst to him, all the participants but Gould were 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...
s portraying broad reality show participant archetype
Archetype
An archetype is a universally understood symbol or term or pattern of behavior, a prototype upon which others are copied, patterned, or emulated...
s.
Background
Gould is a native of Mt. Lebanon, PennsylvaniaMt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania
Mt. Lebanon is a home rule municipality, formerly a township, in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 33,137 at the 2010 census....
, and graduated from Pennsylvania State University
Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
in 1999 with a degree in speech communications
Communication studies
Communication Studies is an academic field that deals with processes of communication, commonly defined as the sharing of symbols over distances in space and time. Hence, communication studies encompasses a wide range of topics and contexts ranging from face-to-face conversation to speeches to mass...
. Gould attended the University of Pittsburgh School of Law
University of Pittsburgh School of Law
The University of Pittsburgh School of Law was founded in 1895, and became a charter member of the Association of American Law Schools in 1900...
, but dropped out prior to completion. After dropping out, Gould began living with his parents and working as a pizza delivery
Pizza delivery
Pizza delivery is a service in which a pizzeria delivers a pizza to a customer. Delivery is normally made with an automobile, motor scooter, or bicycle.- Ordering :...
man.
The Joe Schmo Show
Gould was playing basketball with friends at a Jewish Community CenterJewish Community Center
A Jewish Community Center or Jewish Community Centre is a general recreational, social and fraternal organization serving the Jewish community in a number of cities...
in the South Hills
South Hills (Pennsylvania)
The South Hills is a term generally used to collectively describe the southern suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and the neighborhoods in the City of Pittsburgh south of the South Side Slopes. The city neighborhoods include Knoxville, Mt. Oliver, Allentown, Banksville, Beechview, Brookline,...
section of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
when a casting director for SpikeTV's The Joe Schmo Show
The Joe Schmo Show
The Joe Schmo Show is a reality television parody show which aired on the American cable network Spike TV from 2003–2004. The show's premise is that a target person or persons are led to believe that they are contestants on a reality television show; in reality, all of the other participants in the...
spotted him. Gould auditioned for the show, and was selected as its main protagonist.
As far as Gould was concerned, he was competing in the reality show Lap of Luxury for a $100,000 prize to be awarded to the winner. At the end of each show, one of the show's actors-contestants was evicted. Halfway through the season, an older contestant with whom Gould had bonded was "voted" off the show, causing Gould to break down and begin questioning whether voting off friends was worth monetary gain. Matters were complicated the following day when Gould accidentally injured one of the actors (Kristen Wiig
Kristen Wiig
Kristen Carroll Wiig is an American film and television actress who currently appears as a cast member on Saturday Night Live. Wiig was a member of improvisational comedy troupe The Groundlings, and has appeared in several films and television series, including Bridesmaids, MacGruber, Flight of...
, later of SNL
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
fame) in a sumo wrestling contest. Upon Wiig's return to the show, Gould insisted on giving the contest's prize to Wiig. Gould's acts of vulnerability in the former instance, and generosity in the latter, caused the producers to shift the show's focus and tone significantly away from mockery and towards praise.
The truth was revealed to Gould in the season's finale, which garnered the most viewers for SpikeTV for a non-wrestling show to that point. Gould received the $100,000 prize for which he was "competing," along with a plasma television
Plasma display
A plasma display panel is a type of flat panel display common to large TV displays or larger. They are called "plasma" displays because the technology utilizes small cells containing electrically charged ionized gases, or what are in essence chambers more commonly known as fluorescent...
and separate vacations to Tahiti
Tahiti
Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia. The island was formed from volcanic activity and is high and mountainous...
and to a spa resort. Upon the truth being revealed, Gould cried out, "What is going on?!?" Spike TV would later air this cry at the end of its other original productions.
When asked about whether he had ever intuited the truth, Gould said that he "just chalk[ed] everything up to the oddities of reality television" and that he thought he "was on the weirdest reality show in history of mankind."
In August 2008, Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
interviewed Gould about his experiences on the show. Gould said that the show made him feel "dumb" and that he "wouldn't do the show at all" if he was given the choice whether or not to do it again.
Appearances
Gould recorded commentaryAudio commentary
On disc-based video formats, an audio commentary is an additional audio track consisting of a lecture or comments by one or more speakers, that plays in real time with video...
on the show for a later rebroadcast of the series. In 2004, Gould taped an unaired cameo appearance
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
for Joe Schmo 2 as a pizza delivery
Pizza delivery
Pizza delivery is a service in which a pizzeria delivers a pizza to a customer. Delivery is normally made with an automobile, motor scooter, or bicycle.- Ordering :...
man, and appeared as a referee on 10 Things Every Guy Should Experience.