*Brand New* Chris Jericho Interview

**Schlomey** · 06-23-2010, 12:58 PM

Before you get into reading the interview please know that the best stuff is towards the end. I kinda skimmed over the game show questions and got to the wrestling questions. He is a brilliant mind and this kind of puts my mind at ease. Also, his views on the Attitude Era totally change the way I feel about it. Enjoy the read fellas!

Chris Jericho has always said that he is much more than just a WWE superstar. He's your party host and the most entertaining person to be on your TV screen.

Now, he's getting another chance to prove that as he hosts the new game show Downfall which debuts Tuesday at 9PM ET on ABC. It's just the latest evolution for him in entertainment to go along with his successful wrestling career, being the lead singer of the rock band Fozzy and writing his first autobiography which was a New York Times bestseller.

On Monday, FanHouse spoke with Jericho about Downfall, what's next for him in the world of entertainment, how much longer he would like to wrestle, the WWE moving to PG rated content and more.

Brian Fritz: Tell me about the show Downfall and your role as the host.
Chris Jericho: Yeah, I'm hosting the show for ABC called 'Downfall'. It's produced by Free Mantle Media which is the people who do American Idol and America's Got Talent so it's a pretty big time show. The premise of it is we shot it on the top of a skyscraper in downtown LA 100 feet from the ground on the roof. There's this giant conveyer belt and you put all your prizes and money on the belt which starts moving. If you answer the questions in the category you pick correctly in time, all the stuff that is on the belt is yours. The longer you take, the more stuff topples off the edge and lands on the street below. If the money goes over the edge, then you go over the edge as well. The contestants are hooked up to a harness, like a zip line. If they don't answer the questions in time, they go over the edge. If things get too panicky and too crazy, you can hit a panic button which resets the game. If you do that, you have to put something on the belt like a personal item that you brought from home. People brought like golf clubs or their china set that their grandma gave them. Or you can actually put your supporter on the belt which would be like your friend, your family, whoever you brought with you to help you out. They can help you answer questions but if things go wrong, they go over the edge as well. It's quite a dramatic, suspenseful kind of a show. There's a lot of human element behind it which is what attracted me. Obviously, the smash up derby part is cool too but it's the game itself that's actually the fun part.

Did you watch a lot of game shows growing up?
Yeah, I was a big fan of game shows. I love The Price is Right, Let's Make a Deal, Match Game and then recently I was a real big fan of Deal or No Deal and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. That's why when this opportunity came up, it's kind of a natural progression from what I do in the WWE anyways as fan as the party host. You're leading the flow, the ebb and tide of the show and making sure people have a good time, make sure people are involved and that's what I do. You've got to be a little standup comedian, a little bit psychiatrist and best friend to these people on the top of this building. When you're up there, talking about it is fine and dandy but when you're actually up there looking down it's very, very intimidating. It's stressful to have to answer these questions when you know that these things you really want are about to fall over the edge. It's quite exciting of a show and it's very exciting for me to be involved with it.

06-23-2010, 12:58 PM	#1
Schlomey Black Sheep Jew Posts: 8,859	Brand New Chris Jericho Interview Before you get into reading the interview please know that the best stuff is towards the end. I kinda skimmed over the game show questions and got to the wrestling questions. He is a brilliant mind and this kind of puts my mind at ease. Also, his views on the Attitude Era totally change the way I feel about it. Enjoy the read fellas! Chris Jericho has always said that he is much more than just a WWE superstar. He's your party host and the most entertaining person to be on your TV screen. Now, he's getting another chance to prove that as he hosts the new game show Downfall which debuts Tuesday at 9PM ET on ABC. It's just the latest evolution for him in entertainment to go along with his successful wrestling career, being the lead singer of the rock band Fozzy and writing his first autobiography which was a New York Times bestseller. On Monday, FanHouse spoke with Jericho about Downfall, what's next for him in the world of entertainment, how much longer he would like to wrestle, the WWE moving to PG rated content and more. Brian Fritz: Tell me about the show Downfall and your role as the host. Chris Jericho: Yeah, I'm hosting the show for ABC called 'Downfall'. It's produced by Free Mantle Media which is the people who do American Idol and America's Got Talent so it's a pretty big time show. The premise of it is we shot it on the top of a skyscraper in downtown LA 100 feet from the ground on the roof. There's this giant conveyer belt and you put all your prizes and money on the belt which starts moving. If you answer the questions in the category you pick correctly in time, all the stuff that is on the belt is yours. The longer you take, the more stuff topples off the edge and lands on the street below. If the money goes over the edge, then you go over the edge as well. The contestants are hooked up to a harness, like a zip line. If they don't answer the questions in time, they go over the edge. If things get too panicky and too crazy, you can hit a panic button which resets the game. If you do that, you have to put something on the belt like a personal item that you brought from home. People brought like golf clubs or their china set that their grandma gave them. Or you can actually put your supporter on the belt which would be like your friend, your family, whoever you brought with you to help you out. They can help you answer questions but if things go wrong, they go over the edge as well. It's quite a dramatic, suspenseful kind of a show. There's a lot of human element behind it which is what attracted me. Obviously, the smash up derby part is cool too but it's the game itself that's actually the fun part. Did you watch a lot of game shows growing up? Yeah, I was a big fan of game shows. I love The Price is Right, Let's Make a Deal, Match Game and then recently I was a real big fan of Deal or No Deal and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. That's why when this opportunity came up, it's kind of a natural progression from what I do in the WWE anyways as fan as the party host. You're leading the flow, the ebb and tide of the show and making sure people have a good time, make sure people are involved and that's what I do. You've got to be a little standup comedian, a little bit psychiatrist and best friend to these people on the top of this building. When you're up there, talking about it is fine and dandy but when you're actually up there looking down it's very, very intimidating. It's stressful to have to answer these questions when you know that these things you really want are about to fall over the edge. It's quite exciting of a show and it's very exciting for me to be involved with it.