As Homer Simpson would say, “Mmmmmmmm Bacon”, Google is now saying the same with its new “Bacon Number”, Yes the “Bacon Number”. We’re not talking about the food, albeit bacon is one of the most delectable foods on the planet. We are talking about the actor Kevin Bacon and the popular game of “6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon”. If you are not familiar with the game, you must have been living under a rock for the past 18 years. The game created in early 1994 by 3 Albright College students, challenges movie buffs to find the shortest path between an arbitrary actor and Hollywood legend Kevin Bacon.
Google has now integrated this classic pop culture game into its search results. Yes, it’s true. Want to find the “Bacon Number” of any actor, just start your search with “Bacon Number” followed by the actor’s name. I search for Bill Cosby, “Bacon Number Bill Cosby”.
The search results actually give you a “Bacon Number” – In Bill Cosby’s case it’s a two. This means that you can get to a movie that he has been in with another actor in two steps. Another cool thing about the “Bacon Number” results is that it also gives you the breakdown of steps to get back to Mr. Bacon. With the Google “Bacon Number”, the challenge is, not so much to see if the arbitrary actor is connected to Kevin Bacon, but more to get the highest “Bacon Number”. I gave it a shot with a few oddly famous actors.
One of my Favorites: Carrot Top-Bacon Number=2
Remember Young Einstein? Yahoo Serious: Bacon Number=3
And yes, the always unforgettable Pauly Shore: Bacon Number=2
Try the “Bacon Number” challenge on Google for yourself and see what score you can achieve.