5 Real-Life Love Stories

Deborah and Carlo Pann

Burbank, California
Ages 57 and 59
Married 26 years, with two sons, ages 23 and 22

Carlo: In the fall of 1978, I was selected to be a contestant on Jeopardy! When I walked into the greenroom, a dozen other players were also waiting.

Deborah: I was one of the few women there. I had just killed it on my trial show, where they determine if you can go on the real program. I remember one of my clues had been “Longest song title of ASCAP record.” The answer was “How Could You Believe Me When I Said I Loved You When You Know I’ve Been a Liar All My Life?” I was telling the other contestants that I was only the second person in the show’s history to answer that correctly when this tall, skinny man with curly hair and a terrible brown suit put his hand out for me to shake and said, “I was the first.”

Carlo: Deb had these great, bright eyes with such a vitality behind them.

Deborah: Carlo kept butting in to the conversation. He had something to say about everything. And yet we ended up flirting with each other.

Carlo: I didn’t have a problem with self-confidence back then.

Deborah: A network representative from standards and practices noticed that we were flirting, and she wouldn’t allow us to participate on the same show.

Carlo: I had already won on the show, but the next taping day I went on and lost. Before I left, I gave Deb my phone number.

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Deborah: I didn’t think much about it because it was finally my turn to compete. I did terribly.

Carlo: I watched the episode at home. I remember yelling at the screen, “Come on! You know that!” I knew how smart she was.

Deborah: Three weeks later, I called Carlo (we both lived in the L.A. area). He had mentioned he worked at a movie theater and I thought, Hey, free movies! We spent our first date prowling around old book and record stores. I was surprised that we shared so many interests: We both liked the Andrews Sisters as much as Pink Floyd.

Carlo: I was smitten. We began dating and married in 1985.

Deborah: We’ve had our ups and downs. In 2007 I was laid off from my managerial position. Then we lost our home to foreclosure. I thought, We’re smart! How did we sign up for such a lousy mortgage? We’re now in a two-bedroom apartment. Carlo is a freelance writer, and I’m working as a receptionist. There has been a lot of yelling, but a lot of back rubs as well.

Carlo: We hold each other to high standards. God help you if you tell a joke you’ve told before. And when we watch Jeopardy!, we both try to guess the response from the final-category name instead of waiting for the clue.

Deborah: Through the years, we have kept each other interesting and interested.
Carlo: I would like to think I know everything there is about Deb, but I don’t. She’s always giving me new things to learn, and I love her for that.