TOUGHEST GIG AROUND
It ain’t easy being a reality show host. Really. As the guide leading audiences through the bizarre and the ridiculous, a host has to be both a keystone and invisible, sometimes at the same time. But the best are also indispensable; without them the show would lose its uninvolved co-conspirator, the person the audience often most identifies with. So here, a chat with four of the business’ best emcees -- all potential Emmy nominees in the outstanding reality show host category this year.
-- Randee Dawn
ALISON SWEENEY
“THE BIGGEST LOSER” (NBC)
What’s one quality a good host has to have?
Being there for them to open up to. They’re baring their heart to you, and it’s up to me to make it a welcoming environment for them when they reveal to me -- and therefore America -- what their experiences are like.
What was your biggest faux pas?
One night I was supposed to say “double-edged sword.” My tongue was not doing it, and after eight or nine takes I tried to slip in another phrase, and the entire cast and crew busted up laughing because I was trying to be subtle.
What’s your pre-show ritual?
I’m very much into music, and it helps me center myself. So I have a mix for almost everything in my life -- I have one for [“Days of Our Lives,” in which she stars] and my husband and my maternity mix, and then I have weigh-in mixes. They all help me focus.
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PHIL KEOGHAN
“THE AMAZING RACE” (CBS)
What other reality show gig would you want?
In the beginning, I absolutely wanted “Survivor.” I went up for that gig with Jeff [Probst] and was disappointed when I didn’t get it. But, honestly, there isn’t one gig out there that matches the opportunity I currently have.
What’s one quality a good host has to have?
Listening, and understanding that you’re facilitating moments of television -- not making those moments about the host. I love people like David Letterman because he’s very skilled at generating great moments -- I find self-indulgent hosts annoying.
What’s your pre-show ritual?
I get myself in the best shape I can. I train really hard, boxing two, three days a week, riding [a bike] about 15 hours a week. The better physical shape I’m in, the better I am mentally.
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PADMA LAKSHMI
“TOP CHEF” (BRAVO)
What other reality show gig would you want?
I don’t really think of my show as a “reality” show; I think of it as a game show. If you add that to the context of the question, I would love to host “Jeopardy!” I used to watch it all through high school and college. You’d learn a lot and broaden your cultural knowledge a millionfold. That’s when reality shows are most meaningful, when they teach you something.
What was your biggest faux pas?
I started in Italian television; I used to do a live program that was the highest-rated show on all of Italian TV. There was no five-second tape delay. Now, when I learned Italian, I learned it by picking it up there -- and I once cursed without knowing I was cursing. I thought I was saying “jerk”. . . . But luckily it was in Italy and they’re more relaxed about that kind of thing.
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HOWIE MANDEL
“DEAL OR NO DEAL” (NBC)
What other reality show gig would you want if you could have it?
If you know anything about me, I’m a germaphobe. Most other shows have a lot more interaction and touching. My show seems to be the most antiseptic, so I wouldn’t want to be on any other show but mine.
What’s your pre-show ritual?
I don’t have a ritual. People always do that: Somebody will be backstage and I’ll be talking to them and the stage manager will go, “Five minutes, Howie.” And then they always go, “I’ll leave you alone to do whatever it is you have to do.”
And I always say, “Please don’t leave me alone. I don’t have anything to do. If you walk away from me I’m going to be standing here quietly, and that’s not really good for me.”
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