As part of the breathless build-up to next Sunday’s (Feb. 19) 500th episode, a pair of fans of “The Simpsons” earned a place in the Guinness World Record book with a marathon viewing last week.
FOX boasts that Jeremiah Franco and Carin Shreve wrapped up 86 hours and 37 minutes of “Simpsons” watching early Sunday morning, setting a record for longest continuous television viewing, topping the previously held mark of 86 hours, 6 minutes and 41 seconds.
The marathon started with Episode 1 on Wednesday at 5 p.m. and the winners made it up to the 11th episode of the 11th season, or through 239 total episodes. For their troubles, Franco and Shreve each won $10,500 and the right to mock friends and loved ones when they try to make it sound like watching three or four hours of primetime TV is a lot.
Franco and Shreve have also experienced the glory and accomplishment usually only known to professional TV critics.
“Simpsons” luminaries including stars Nancy Cartwright and Yeardley Smith, plus veteran writer-producer Al Jean attended the marathon’s kickoff, while myriad writers stopped by during the marathon to make sure that the contestants were still alive and awake.
Attempts to confirm the smell at the end of the marathon were unsuccessful.
The 500th episode of “The Simpsons,” titled “At Long Last Leave,” premieres on Sunday, February 19 at 8 p.m. on FOX.