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Hirsch can testify to television’s ability to prod its subjects into revealing more than they want. He outed himself to a national audience during E! Television’s 50 Most Outrageous TV Moments.

“I was an ‘expert’ commenting on the moments,” says Hirsch. “I outed myself while talking about Geraldo Rivera getting hit in the face by a White Supremacist in the early ‘90s. The show got really heated, and somebody smashed Rivera in the nose with a chair. I said, ‘I’m a gay Jew, and even I would have hit Geraldo.’”

Hirsch is quick to report that he never regretted his statement. “I’m very proud of being gay and of being Jewish, and I was more than happy about getting that out on national TV.” Then he adds, “I like ruffling feathers. I hope that pissed off people in Middle America, and everywhere, you know?”

But does the inclusion of gay subjects--whether politically correct or not--really matter to a program’s success, especially for a remake from the ‘50s?

Probably not, Hirsch confesses. “The interaction amongst the panel is what’s crucial,” he says. “It’s not a show that really has a structured game. A guest comes out with a secret, and the host tells the panel what category the guest’s secret falls under. Then they proceed with the standard Q&A. It’s a game of deduction and conclusion. That’s the bottom line.”

Then Hirsch adds, “But (a gay game-show) hasn’t been tried before.” And that’s this show’s twist.

“Personally, I think gay guys are inherently funny. They poke fun of themselves, and everybody else. Maybe that’s stereotypical of my thinking, but it makes a great concept, and will make a great show.”

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