An Interview with “Downfall” Host Chris Jericho

ABC’s Downfall debuted last week to pretty decent numbers and the next episode will air tonight at 9:00PM ET on ABC, directly after Wipeout.  The show gives contestants the chance to win a million dollars plus some great prizes.  The catch is the show takes place on a tall building in Los Angeles and if the contestant loses the contestant will drop off the edge.  It’s a fun show and most other people agreed.  Another thing agreed on was that the host, Chris Jericho, did a great job out of the gate.  I recently got the chance to talk to Chris about his job as a quiz show host, being an entertainer, and what it’s like on the set.  He also tells us if he took the drop or not.  I’m labeled as AD and, obviously, Chris Jericho is bolded and CJ.  I hope you enjoy.  Be sure to watch Downfall tonight at 9:00PM ET on ABC.

AD: How did you get involved in this?

CJ: Well, I mean, my agent said that I was brought up as one of the potential hosts…got invited to audition.  When I got there I didn’t realize how expansive the show was, how big the set was going to be, and how much was behind it…how much weight ABC and Fremantle was putting into it.

There was around 100 people going for the gig and about 20 of us were put on tape, so it was a pretty intense, meticulous process to get it.  I had to go through two or three auditions to bang it home.  And as I said once I got there I said, “Wow.”  Because, first off, I figured, “Whatever, it’s a game show…comme ci, comme ca.”  And then I saw the enormity of this and then I really saw how much was going into this.

AD: Did you ever see yourself hosting a game show?

Image courtesy of Epiphone

CJ: It’s not that I didn’t see myself hosting a game show.  I’ve hosted a few things before, like Redemption Song for Fuse, I did Golden Gods Awards for VH1 – so I’ve done a few awards shows and one reality show.  It stems from one thing…being an entertainer.  That’s how I always treated wrestling, that I was a conduit to make sure people had a great time and be the party host, if you will.

That’s what I do Downfall; keep the game flowing, keep people involved, throw in few jokes when the time is right, be kind of sympathetic…a shoulder to cry on when the time comes.  I always kind of wanted to have a talk show and this is a similar type of thing.  You’re interviewing your guests but they are playing a game at the same time.  It’s just a natural next step in what I do as an entertainer, as a showman.

AD: Was it easy to get into the role of game show host?

CJ: There really wasn’t any mode to get in to.  I went in as myself.  You know, going through the rehearsals to patch things together and get the rules down and get the bits and bobs together.  We shot 6 episodes in 3 nights and when we do more episodes it will be much easier since I know the rules, I know the flow, I know what works and doesn’t work.  It’s like anything else, once you get a few under your belt it’s much easier.

But as far as preparing, I really had nothing to fall back on for how to prepare.  I know the rules and I have my sense of humor.  That’s pretty much all I could do.  I was just going out there similar to what I was doing with the Groundlings; just improv comedy.   Go out there and do that and the way to make it work is be yourself.  I guess that’s probably one of the reasons I got the gig out of all the other people because they saw I could be quick on my feet and ebb and flow with the tide when it’s knee deep.

AD: Whenever anyone hears a quiz show is coming on everyone goes, “Oh, it’s just a quiz show.”  But then they hear they are throwing people off a skyscraper essentially and then people perk up.  Did you have a similar moment?

CJ: Well, that was the interesting part.  First, I didn’t even know that.  I thought the idea of prizes going over was kind of cool and when I saw the people could go over, that was interesting as well.  To me, where it really kind of clicked is when I saw how the game worked and how it was played.  It’s not an easy game.  Sure, throwing the stuff off the edge is the gimmick but like anything else once you get the gimmick there has to be a good foundation or it gets cheesy pretty quickly.  You know, KISS wears paint on their face.  OK, great, but if the music isn’t good that would get boring quickly.  Same thing with Downfall.

The strategy of the game will come out more as more people see it.  For the next round of shows we do there will be a lot more people who understand this and can do this.  The difference is, though, it’s easy for you and I to be armchair quarterbacks so you know the “secret”, but when you get on that building and you look down and you’re standing on that edge, it’s easy to get scatterbrained.  You don’t have that sense of calm.  Someone can go up there completely calm and have then have issues with the movement and crowd and lights and that sort of stuff.  That takes a lot of intense concentration to get up there.

AD: How mentally and emotionally involved do you get into the game and contestants?

CJ: have a little bit of an advantage because I’m up there.  I understand what happens.  I’m hooked in, too, like you

Image courtesy of ABC

saw.  When those contestants go up there that’s the first time they’ve been on the set.  That’s the first time they’ve seen it.  Now people have seen it on TV, but still, getting up there is a whole different world.  For me, I have a lot more poise because I know what’s going to happen and what to expect.  Even, playing along with the game, there’s times where I’m mentally shouting the answer to myself and saying, “I could have totally gotten 10 out of 10 on that category.”  That’s what it’s going to take to get the million…10 out of 10; and I’m a pop culture fanatic anyway so it’s right up my alley.

It gives you a little more insight because I’m up there all the time.  But when I’m up there and see people on the edge…there’s been a few times when someone gives an answer and you’re really trying to pay attention to the answers but then you see this giant gum ball machine go over the edge and it’s hard.

AD: Have you taken the drop?

CJ: No I haven’t and that’s one of the reasons it’s good to be host.  Unless the show gets canceled…in that case I’m sure I’ll be the first person to go over.

AD: This show is set up drastically different than most other shows.  Nothing like this has been tried before.  What’s the atmosphere on the set like?

CJ: We’re just putting together this thing and the set is this impressive monstrosity.  It’s like being at a giant stadium.  Beyond that, when you’re on the set, it’s a bit slower because you have to load the prizes on and off and that takes time.  But when the game is actually rolling and going and people are back and forth and jumping up and down, like you said, there was some great moments…when people press the panic button and put their personal item on or their family member on.  There’s teamwork…you see a really cool bit of human nature and human element going on.  It is a really cool atmosphere.

The studio audience is really in to it.  It’s hard not to get in to it.  It’s not like you’re waiting for someone to open the right briefcase and if they don’t open it they go.  In this one if you get it wrong you zip up into the air and go over the edge and down you go.  There’s a little more at stake than just having someone shake your hand and saying, “Here’s a fine parting gift.”  The parting gift here is the thrill ride of a lifetime.