Telethon 2023: The most hilarious moments from the Slumber Party overnight broadcast

The magic (and at times horror) of live TV is that anything can happen, and Perthians will be all too familiar that many of the best Telethon moments happen after dark.

The Telethon Slumber Party took over the broadcast again on Saturday night from 2am to 7am, featuring Famous Sharron and some other guy (who happens to be The West Australian’s Ben O’Shea).

Joined by another well-known special guest, Sunrise correspondent Matt Tinney, the Slumber Party was “the loosest TV you’ll ever see,” according to Tinney, and featured many classic hilarious Telethon antics between some of Perth’s most talented performers taking the stage.

What’s said at the slumber party stays at the slumber party. . . or so the hosts thought.

In case you’re not one of the die-hards who pulled an all-nighter to watch the broadcast, we’re spilling the secrets of what went down live.

Assassination attempt

“The OGs” team of O’Shea and Australian air guitar champion Billy Damage were challenged by the Ginger Assassin and Famous Sharron to an epic battle that showcased a lack of traditional talent, but an entertaining show of confidence.

Ginger Assasin’s performance was seemingly the winner as he was crowned with a pair of undies, labelled with the newly re-minted Lord Mayor’s name, thrown from the crowd.

Take it off Matt Tinney!

While Tinney was raring to do whatever it took to secure a donation, a golden Telethon rule was broken by Ben O’Shea.

If you’re a bloke with a nice rig, or even a loveable dad bod, if someone offers to up a donation if you take your shirt off you have to do it.

Tinney earned another $35 for Telethon by showing off his hard-earned abs, gleefully choosing that option over the alternative of giving his best rendition of the song Let it Go.

But O’Shea was less keen, even after a bidding war where Tinney offered to donate $560 for him to do it.“No one has to pay you to take your shirt off, I’ll say that right off the top,” O’Shea quipped.

The audience had to settle for the spectacle of him and Sharron butchering the song while Tinney gave the people what they wanted.

They’ve got some junk in the trunk

O’Shea was the surprising winner of the game Tinney brought to the party, made up of ping pong balls in tissue boxes tied onto the hosts’ backs.

Famous Sharron had to pay up as the person with the most balls in her box after 15 seconds of twerking to get them out.

“Ben’s been practising,” speculated Tinney.

Benny Ray Cyrus

In a bid to become famous himself and to win Famous Sharron back onto the panel after she left, O’Shea decided to put his lack of musical talent on display and try and capture the glory of a Telethon lip/guitar-synch with the help from some local dancers with some actual talent, Ambience Dance.

I’m just Ben

Famous Sharron presented that other guy she was hosting with an “I am Benough” shirt to up his Kenergy, and show him that even though he isn’t famous like her, he is Benough.

(Don’t) hold me close

In a bid to finally outshine Famous Sharron, with all the other segments starring her according to him (our best of list begs to differ) O’Shea pulled out all the stops to finally do “something for him.”

O’Shea was trying to take the lesson from Studio P pottery seriously, but Sharron couldn’t let him steal her spotlight.

The least sensual reenactment of the famous scene from the movie Ghost followed.

That other guy is such a Drag

Could the real Famous Sharron please stand up?

To end the party, O’Shea put all the lessons Sharron gave him on being famous for no reason into practice and debuted a new fabulous look.

We’re not sure he’ll have time to do the full glam before hosting The West Live every morning, but now he’s finally famous it doesn’t matter.

Those were the funniest moments of the 2023 Telethon Slumber Party, the safe-for-work ones anyway. We’ll see if the crew, particularly Tinney, is welcomed back to the overnight broadcast again next year. . .

To donate, call 1300 737 507 or visit telethon7.com/donate.