Cheap Seats without Ron Parker, commonly shortened to Cheap Seats, is a television program broadcast on ESPN Classic hosted by brothers Randy and Jason Sklar. The brothers appear as fictional ESPN tape librarians who amuse themselves by watching old, campy sports broadcasts and wisecracking about them. Cheap Seats debuted on February 4, 2004, with an episode that showed ESPN sportscaster "Ron Parker" getting buried under a shelf full of tapes, forcing the Sklars to fill in, as they were behind Parker on the "hosting depth chart". The founding production team behind "Cheap Seats" included Mark Shapiro, Showrunner, Todd Pellegrino, James Cohen and Joseph Maar. Cheap Seats was originally an hour-long program. There were about 10 one hour-long episodes in the first season, all of which were subsequently cut down to fit a 30 minute time slot.
Mid South Wrestling 1980
Feb 4, 2004
Randy and Jason delve into the bygone era of Pro-Wrestling, when a pair of Speedos and a potbelly virtually guaranteed you a spot on the show. The Iron Sheik headlines the Main Event. Guest appearances by: Jon Benjamin, Ian Roberts and Michael Showalter.
Stanford-Cal: The 1982 Big Game
Jan 1, 2004
Witness the startling similarities uncovered between the 1982 Stanford-Cal college football game featuring 'The Play' and the 1984 screen epic, 'Revenge of the Nerds.' John Elway and Ted McGinley are more alike than you think.
Wide World: Part 1
Jan 1, 2004
Globe-hop with legendary announcers Keith Jackson and Al Michaels in ABC's Wide World of Sports. It's Cliff Diving from Acapulco, Wrist-Wrestling from Petaluma and Ice Boat Racing from some frozen lake somewhere.
Garvey/Bonilla Celebrity Night
Jan 1, 2004
It's Steve Garvey's Celebrity Billfish Tournament and Bobby Bonilla's Celebrity Bowling Tournament. Find out which not-quite-Hall-of-Famer gets the bigger stars, and who abuses the term ""benefit"" as a facade for a free vacation.
1997 Spelling Bee
Jan 1, 2003
Check out the most memorable Bee in recent history as 13-year old Rebecca Sealfon takes the Spelling community by storm as she battles youngsters from across these United States for the much-coveted title.
Roller Derby
Apr 7, 2004
It’s the once-great sport of Roller Derby reduced to a place where divorced dads can bring their kids on the weekend and get drunk.
1978 World's Strongest Man
Jan 1, 2004
It's the second ever World's Strongest Man competition. From Universal Studios, see events like the Girl Lift and the Tram Pull. Featuring NFL players, Olympic power lifters, and the legendary Polish Hammer Ivan Putski, it turns into a battle of Good vs. Evil.
Superdogs! Superjocks
Jan 1, 2004
Travel back to the Golden Age of 1994 when ESPN aired this most breathtaking of sports hybrids. Witness the searing drama when three former Olympic Gold medalists join forces with the canine superstars of their day. Quite possibly the most important event held at Marine World in Vallejo, CA.
1978 Superstars
Feb 1, 2004
It's the event that inspired Battle of the Network Stars. Randy and Jason watch the biggest sports stars of their day—Steve Garvey, Deacon Jones, Dwight Stones, and Wayne Grimditch (that's right, Wayne Grimditch!) as they battle for a cash purse equivalent to A-Rod's dry cleaning bill.
Wide World, Part 2: Real Men
Jan 1, 2004
What makes a real man? Cheap Seats turns to the Wide World of Sports archives in search of true masculinity. Is it the he-men of the 1971 World Weightlifting Championships? Is it Arnold Schwarzenegger and the muscle-men of the 1975 Mister Olympia Competition. Or is it fearless NBA Hall of Famer Calvin Murphy? Find out on Cheap Seats.
1994 World Series of Poker
Jan 1, 2004
Cheap Seats heads to Binion's Horseshoe in Vegas for the Silver Anniversary of the World Series of Poker. The competition heats up as the winner of this tournament takes home his weight in silver in addition to the $1 million plus prize. Pass the cheese-fries!
1979 Oilers vs Redwings
Jun 24, 2004
Party Canadian-style as Cheap Seats features Wayne Gretzky's second NHL game ever and the first NHL game played in Edmonton. You'll also meet the man who Gretzky replaced in the starting lineup. Guest appearances by: Mike Bleiden.
1990 Dog Show-1990 Cheerleading
Jul 8, 2004
Which bitch barks the loudest? You be the judge when our nation's finest canines go at it at the International Kennel Club of Chicago Dog Show and our nation's finest universities sic their cheerleading squads on each other.
Bowling-Running of the Bulls
Jul 28, 2004
Bowling? Sure, have a few drinks. Running from a thousand pounds of angry bovine? You're probably better off with a Shirley Temple. Will the contestants in this episode agree?
Wide World of Sports- Part 3
Aug 4, 2004
It makes perfect sense—horses speeding around tight curves… on a sheet of solid ice. Plus Jim McKay, doing his best Sherlock Holmes impression—tooling around England in a car older than he is and chicks ramming each other.
1995- Strongman-Ms. Galaxy
Aug 19, 2004
Watch abstract events determine concrete titles. It's a show where successfully pulling a fire truck with a harness attached to your chest improves your chances of being deemed world's strongest man, and scaling a net in a skimpy outfit makes you worthy of being the sole Ms. for a galaxy. Some consider this the best episode in the solar system.
NFL Billiards & Darts
Aug 26, 2004
What happens when you try to spice up two sports that should only be played and never watched? You get NFL players teamed up with Billiards players they could swallow and a young Berman calling a sport he learned during the telecast, Darts.
Wide World of Sports- Part 4
Sep 2, 2004
In their 4th installment of this ABC Sports staple, Randy and Jason delve into the worlds of Lumberjacking and Cyclo Ball. Chopping, oiling, log rolling, and a little tree-climbing mixed with a touch of soccer on bicycles ... on a basketball court? Guest appearances by: Eric Slovin and Leo Allen.
Putt-Putt
Jan 1, 2004
"Putt-Putt" Would you believe that professional mini-golf players can make over a million dollars a year? If so, then you're gullible because they can't; although that doesn't stop them from pursuing their dreams. Join commentators Jay Johnston and former Putt-Putt champion Judy Ward as they take this event far more seriously than anyone every should. Guest appearances by Kerii Kinney-Silver and Jerry Minor.
1973 Superstars
Sep 23, 2004
Join the sports superstars of their day, and Joe Frazier, in chilly Rotonda, Florida, as they battle each other in such extreme sports as golf, bowling, and ping pong in a bid to be named 1973's most super superstar. With Johnny Bench, Evlin Hayes, Johnny Unitas and many more.
Bullriding-Lawn Mower Racing
Sep 30, 2004
Just eight seconds to glory—that's all Luke Perry ever asked for. Take the bumpy ride with Randy and Jason at the George Paul Superstar Bullriding Classic. Then we bring it waaaaaaaay down for some Lawnmower racing, where eight seconds can feel like a lifetime.
1994 Spelling Bee
Oct 21, 2004
They're young, they're awkward, they're geeky. In short, easy targets. So join us as we shamelessly take aim at some of the smartest kids in the world as they compete in the 1994 National Spelling Bee.
High School Cheerleading
Oct 28, 2004
In this episode, the guys watch women compete in a sport that began as an activity to root on the men. Watch as high school students shake their pom poms in an effort to get the big trophy.
ICW Wrestling
Nov 4, 2004
Yeah, it's fake, but it's how they fake it that matters. Join a bunch of out-of-shape middle-aged men that include Dick "the Bulldog" Brower and "Tex" McKenzie as they struggle with body hair, identity crises, and irrelevance on the world stage known as International Championship Wrestling.
Roller Derby 1986
Nov 11, 2004
It’s the once-great sport of Roller Derby reduced to a place where divorced dads can bring their kids on the weekend and get drunk. Join 110-year-old Ralphie Valladeras as he and the LA T-Birds battle the Golden State Bombers in a fight to the end of the match. Guest appearances by A.D. Miles and Ed Helms.
Utilityman: The Quest for Cooperstown
Aug 16, 2004
Randy and Jason Sklar, hosts of the ESPN Classic series "Cheap Seats" and die-hard St. Louis Cardinals fans, meet Jose Oquendo, the man they wish to see enshrined forever among baseball's greatest players. Having secured his blessing, the Sklar brothers' journey to a number of cities to compile research in support of their quest.
