No one could come near me without a mask and a shield on their face.
I had to wash my hands every time I touched anything.
They were sanitizing me."
Credit: Eric McCandless/ABC
I was really excited about having interaction with the contestants seeing some wins, seeing some losses.
That part was really fun.
How does being a game show host compare to doing stand-up or being onSaturday Night Live?
Eric McCandless/ABC
How did you put those skills to use here?
Its a lot of crowd work.
But its a lot of reading.
So, yeah, it was difficult.
But because of stand-up, I was able to make it… through Leslie Jones eyes.
Youve said you always wanted to be a contestant on the old version of this show.
And youve been a celebrity player on shows includingThe $100,000 PyramidandMatch Game so you understand whats at stake.
There were a lot of game shows I wanted to be on.
I wroteWheel of Fortuneso much that they sent me a letter saying, Hey, we know.
I know grocery stores, and I know what the hell is expensive and whats not.
Its just a show for regular people.
[Its not like]Jeopardy!
Nah, ‘cause I got a bad knee, man.
They should’ve got me when I was in my 30s.
I don’t know if I would run it, especially the way it is now.
I forgot about the bonuses and all of that.
To watch it, I was like, no, I’m too old for this!
I might get hurt.
[Laughs]
These contestants could win a lot of money up to $100,000.
In a preview, you said to some contestants, Do not make me cry!
It sounds like the emotional stakes are as high as the financial?
Im proud of my game show.
Im proud of us coming up with this in this time.
I’m proud of us being able to help people.
[Laughs] These people are winning real money and it’s just absolutely wonderful.
Its heartwarming and exhilarating and fulfilling.
Tell me about that decision.
Were there any difficulties involved given how we’re supposed to wipe off our groceries?
We just need to see that it can be done.
We need to see that we can actually fix stuff.
We can make it right.
I can’t even imagine the work that went into that.
Man, oh, man, it’s just craziness.
COVID changed a lot of stuff.
We went to the Santa Monica Airport and got a hangar there.
It was crazy and, yes, very stressful.
The people worked to get that to happen.. .wow.
I’m always very astounded at how people can make things happen like that.
The newSupermarket Sweepdebuts Sunday, Oct. 18 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
