Though they only appeared on the show once, the Popsicle Twins were one of the most notorious acts in the history of a show which gave new meaning to the word notorious,
The Gong Show.
Host
Chuck Barris had many a run in with
network censors, and employed a common but effective tactic: censor bait. He booked acts that he knew the censors would disapprove of and would not make it on the air to distract them from the milder but still objectionable things that he wanted to slip by them. This time, however, the censors didn’t take the bait and let this act slide.
The Popsicle Twins, called “Have You Got a Nickel?” on the show, were two teenage girls, barefoot and wearing shorts and T-shirts. To the tune of “
I’m in the Mood for Love”, they sat crosslegged on the
stage and began eating orange
popsicles. What caused the furor was
how they consumed the popsicles. It was most likely the first time in network history that audiences saw simulated
fellatio.
Amazingly, they didn’t get the
gong. The judges gave mixed reviews.
Phyllis Diller gave them a zero and
Jamie Farr a 2.
Jaye P. Morgan, however, gave them a 10, saying that their act was precisely how got her start. You do the math. (She would later get tossed from the show for flashing her
breasts at the
camera.) The twins gave her a popsicle and you can guess what she did with it.
Audiences across the Eastern timezone were mesmerized and complaints rolled in.
NBC pulled the plug so no one else saw it.
The Gong Show Movie also featured the twins.
Sources include: http://www.salon.com/people/bc/2001/03/06/chuck_barris/index.html