My Days With Mario Lopez - Before He Made It Big - by Mark Schulze

Mark Schulze and Mario organize Mario's cue cards - Photo by Patty Mooney

This little girl had a Chihuahua (pictured below); she was enthralled with Mario - Photo by Patty Mooney

Many people don't realize or remember that before he was the face of Extra, Mario Lopez was once Animal Planet's Pet Star Search "ringleader." He and his "dog and pony show" used to come to San Diego every Spring in search of the world's funniest, most talented and videogenic animals. The first year there was a horse that could stamp out the answer to various math questions. There was also this amazing dog that ended up winning the prize for best talent that year. After that, no more horses showed up, and the level of talent seemed to decline. All in all it was a good three-year run and we are happy that Mario has been doing so well with his career since those happy and innocent days.