It looks like Ryan Seacrest may be adding one more job to his resume. The host is reportedly in talks to front NBC's upcoming new game show The Million Second Quiz. And if everything goes through as planned, he'll not only host the series, but he'll also executive produce it.
Ryan Seacrest is good at what he does. And what he does is a lot of hosting, among other things. He knows how to dial his sense of humor to a level that's suitable for network TV and radio, and he can handle the pressure of live TV with seemingly effortless grace. He also knows how to express a genuine level of empathy and compassion toward American Idol contestants who've just had their dreams dashed on live television. These are behaviors and attributes that take a combination of experience and natural charisma to perfect, which is something Seacrest has been doing for over a decade now.
Ryan Seacrest doesn't need me to gush about his talent. His resume speaks for itself. And Variety reports that he may be adding The Million Second Quiz to that list as both a host and an executive producer. As one might expect, the hold-up with negotiations involves Seacrest's schedule, which includes American Idol responsibilities throughout the year, and his radio show On Air with Ryan Seacrest. Variety said the show is set up for a 12-day stretch in September, which may be hard to finagle for Seacrest's schedule. But it sounds like the deal is close to going through, so they may be working it out.
“The Million Second Quiz” is a state-of-the-art, electrifying new live competition where contestants test the limits of their knowledge, endurance and will to win as they battle each other in intense bouts of trivia for 12 consecutive days and nights. Live from a gigantic hourglass shaped structure in the heart of Manhattan, this setting will also serve as the living quarters of the reigning champions – the four players who have remained in the game the longest. The show will be the first fully convergent television experience, where viewers will be able to play along at home in real time and sync to the live primetime broadcast. When the million seconds draw to a close, the champions will battle it out and the ultimate winner could claim an unprecedented cash prize of up to $10 million.
Air dates are set for Monday-Saturday, September 9-14 from 8-9 p.m. ET. And then Monday-Wednesday, September 16-18, 8-9 p.m. ET and the finale is scheduled for Thursday, September 19 8-10:00 p.m. ET. And all of that seems perfectly timed to lead into the start of NBC's fall schedule, so we might expect plenty of promos for new and returning NBC series during the game show's run.
Back to Seacrest, as Variety points out, the hosting gig at NBC would give Seacrest a presence on three of the major networks - American Idol at Fox, the New Years Eve special at ABC and The Million Second Quiz for NBC. And that's not even factoring in the shows he executive produces, like Keeping Up with the Kardashians and its offshoots over at E! and Shahs of Sunset on Bravo.
