FullScrim

I asked this somewhere else in the thread but it got buried, so maybe I'll find some help here:

My mother swears up and down that in the early 90's, she caught the best Mike Rowe moment ever. She had turned on QVC at some stupidly late hour because she couldn't sleep. Mike Rowe was on-air, obviously displeased with having to sell things to an audience of practically no one. She claims that he walked off-set, and showed back up holding an ice cube with a string tied around it. He then proceeded to try and sell it with a straight face.

I've never been able to find a single clip or video that confirms her story, but I want to believe it so badly. If anyone can find proof of this, you'll be my internet hero.

oh my god...

I had no idea I'd actually be getting an answer to this. For nearly two decades, I stuck to my guns that this never really happened.

That woman has earned some apologies...

She'll be ecstatic to hear that her story was validated by the man himself. I really appreciate you taking the time to come back and answer this.

Even if it means I'm earning myself almost a lifetime's worth of retroactive "I told ya so"s after telling my mom.

Mr. Rowe, I have a deep, dark question about your past.

My mother has been an avid watcher of QVC for as long as I can remember. Whenever you show up on another show or something, she always brings up this one anecdote about your time on the channel:

She claims that one night she had turned on the TV at some ridiculously late hour because she couldn't sleep. As was standard, it was tuned to QVC. She said they had you hawking some crappy jewelry, and you clearly weren't happy with doing this at roughly four in the morning for the non-existent audience. This led to you walking off-set, returning with an ice cube on a string, and attempting to sell it with a completely straight face.

I have never seen a shred of evidence to suggest this is true, but she swears to this day that it happened. I figured I'd take the chance to ask the man himself.

I've gotta know, is this true? Because I want so, so badly for it to be true.

EDIT: You guys are so awesome. I caught this AMA late, and had pretty much resigned myself to a fate of never having this resolved. But even after it was over, you got me voted up enough to catch someone's attention, and I got a response from Mike Rowe himself. The only reason he came back hours after it was over was because you guys liked my silly question enough to bring it near the top. Seriously, thanks. :)

This AmA is the first I've heard of the work you've been doing, and I stuck around because I liked the real, honest answers about an industry that seems totally alien and nebulous to someone from the outside.

And then you go and hook me with the most interesting TL;DR I've had the pleasure of reading.

"Division A! You'll be on the frontlines, first in, last out! The gunfire will be beyond deafening, and, realistically, you will face many losses."

"Division B! Grab that sled and have some fun for a while!"

• The best CO ever.