Simon Cowell's Embarrassing TV Debut  4/12/07

Reality TV judge Simon Cowell may wow millions of TV goers with his charismatic performances on American Idol and Pop Idol, but it's a far cry from his small screen debut in 1990 - he appeared as a contestant on a cheesy daytime quiz show.

The acid tongued talent judge left his withering put downs at home when he appeared on British game show, Sale of the Century. He was the perfect gentleman on the show as he successfully answered general knowledge questions to scoop a #20 ($39) set of kitchen utensils.

Unfortunately, Cowell didn't win the star prize - a Fiat Uno car.

Fellow contestant Barbara Humphreys recalls, "Watching the video now I remember thinking Simon was quite posh and handsome. He had a good sense of humor, but I would never have put him down as a future superstar."