The premiere of All Star Blitz, the game show which launched the Hernandez’ future!
Louise Good Hernandez
Is it luck, skill, or knowledge of trivia which helps game contestants win? Maybe it’s a combination of all three, but in any case, Louise Good Hernandez says it was her husband Gene’s appearance on the short-lived game show, All Star Blitz which enabled them to put a down payment on the house they still live in. The show aired on ABC from April to December 1985, with competition from The Price is Right and Family Feud. Peter Marshall was the host.
Louise Good, 1968
Louise writes: Our first daughter was born in 1970 and our son was born in 1972. Our youngest daughter was born in 1985. My husband, Gene (1967 BHS grad), took a few weeks off from work at that time and tried out for a game show—All Star Blitz. He won cash, a trip to Las Vegas and the Pocono Mountains, plus a bedroom set. We used the cash ($20,000) as a down payment on the house we still live in. That amount of money wouldn’t get anyone too much in real estate these days!
On the show in which Gene appeared, he remembered that the stars were Barbara Eden, Dennis Weaver, Nancy Dussault, and Charles Nelson Reilly. Gene won by identifying the phrase, “A Stickler for Detail” in a puzzle.
“It really was fate that Gene even had the time to go to Hollywood for the taping…and that he even agreed to do it. I have to thank my sister, Margaret, for talking him into it,” Louise continues. “Gene was a short-lived contestant on Concentration, too, without a win. Our family was on Family Feud back in the late 80s—without a win but having had so much fun. It’s tough being under pressure.”
Real lions — no cages!
Meanwhile, Louise is retired as a self-employed medical transcriber, and she and Gene took the trip of their lives in 2014 with safaris to Botswana. “We are both retired and spend 65% of our time volunteering for non-profit organizations (Yorba Linda Woman’s Club, YMCA, Rotary, Church, etc.) We love to travel and went on safaris in Botswana in 2014. That trip was probably the most exciting of our travel experiences.
Yes, the animals were THIS close!
“We stayed at three camps in Botswana —Duba Plains, Abu and Mambo Camp. Our rooms were raised canvas tents with all the bells and whistles of a five star hotel. By no means was this considered “camping.” HA HA! We started our day with a wake-up call at 6:30 a.m. and ended at 10 p.m. —no WiFi, just good old-fashioned fun! To see nature in the raw was incredible. We ended the trip in Cape Town.”
This camp was similar to the one Louise and Gene went to:
Camping, indeed!
Petting a baby elephant
Safari transportation
More wildlife.
Burbank High Class of 1968 
[…] Maybe Mary should team up with retired classmate, Louise Good Hernandez, who went on a safari last year! See my post, “It started with a game show!” […]
[…] has some experience with game shows, as you may remember a previous post I wrote, “It started with a game show!” Gene’s winnings on “All Star Blitz” enabled them to put a down payment on a […]