A couple who appeared on the popular game show *Supermarket Sweep
in 1991 has found renewed fame decades later, thanks to a viral social media post.
Tim Leach and Mark Dammann, who identified themselves as "business partners" who "designed sets for plays" on the show, have been together for 41 years. A recent rerun of their episode sparked a flurry of online discussion, with many viewers pointing out the couple's seemingly subtle way of representing their true relationship.
"I love watching old episodes of Supermarket Sweep because these two just said they're 'business partners' who 'design sets for plays' and I'm like oh I'm sure," wrote one user on X, formerly known as Twitter, alongside a picture of the duo. The post went viral, racking up over 4 million views and generating a wave of positive responses.
Leach, now 64, told PEOPLE that he and Dammann were "moved and touched" by the reaction. "A lot has changed since we were on that show as far as gay couples and being on TV and things like that," he said. "So it's not surprising that people have some interest in that, and it's been kind of fun, actually."
The couple, who met in Galveston, Texas, and later relocated to Southern California, explained that they appeared on *Supermarket Sweep
because they were looking for ways to make extra money.
"While we were just getting to know California, it was very exciting to see in the *Los Angeles Times*, there were listings in the newspaper for game show contestants," Leach recalled. "It is different than it is now, I guess. And we just said, this would be kind of a fun way to make some money. Let's just go on these shows and see if we can try to win something. That was the first one. And then, actually, Mark was on *Win, Lose or Draw
too."
Leach revealed on Facebook that the pair got married in California in 2008 and ran a business designing and painting backdrops for sets for 27 years.
On *Supermarket Sweep*, contestants answered trivia questions to earn time to race around a grocery store set, piling items into their carts. Despite not winning that day, Leach and Dammann have fond memories of their experience on the show.
"People always joke about how fast everyone grabs the hams," Leach said, referencing a common meme associated with the show. "Those hams and all the meat that are on there are frozen every night and then thrown into the set coolers every day. So while they're under the hot lights of the television, they thaw a little bit. So when you go reach in to grab one, they're about a half an inch of thawed gross ham and frozen in the center. When I went to grab the turkeys, it felt like that and I was like, 'Oh, just keep going.'"
While their *Supermarket Sweep
experience was a long time ago, Leach and Dammann are grateful for the renewed attention they've received. "We were just really moved that that many people had so many positive comments to make and we're moved and touched by the story," Leach said. "You tend to forget that being together for 41 years is kind of a big deal for anybody."