Along with Elizabeth Banks being a prolific actor, producer, and director, she has been the game show host for Press Your Luck on ABC since 2019. Ahead of the series’ expected to return for Season 5 this fall, Banks got honest about the time she threw the most f-bombs on live television while getting invested in the show’s big prizes.
When Banks spoke to TVLine ahead of the SAG-AFTRA actors strike about Press Your Luck, she was reminded of moments while hosting the show where she got so into the players’ journeys that she let some expletives slip. In her words:
I for sure have. I’m pretty sure in Season 2. Actually the most I ever swore was when somebody almost got the million dollars. Like, they hit two Teslas and before we turned over the amount of money, I. Was. Freaking. Out. I was like, ‘What do I have to set up here? Are we about to shoot off some air cannons? What the fuck is about to happen?’ And I couldn’t wait, so I said to my control guys, ‘Bleeping tell me what’s about to happen, oh bleep, bleep bleep….’ And then [the contestant] missed it, but just barely!
Can you imagine winning a million dollars on national television after playing Press Your Luck? It’s truly a dream of an experience that so many players who go on the show hope for. You never know how things are going to shake out in the trivia game show, but when Elizabeth Banks experienced one player about to win the big prize she couldn’t help but throw some f-bombs out.
Considering how thrilling watching the show itself is, we can see how being the host can really stress and excite one all at once. And hey, Press Your Luck is one of those game shows that has been around since the ‘80s, so obviously if it’s been able to stay relevant this long there’s a lot of thrill in the format.
Press Your Luck was previously expected to return starting on September 18 and air on Thursdays at 9 p.m., but right now considering the WGA writers strike and SAG-AFTRA strike, it’s unclear when the game show will return. While other game show hosts might be swift in returning to their TV duties, Elizabeth Banks is an actress as well and it’s possible she could bow out of the series like Mayim Bialik did for Jeopardy back in May, but we’ll have to wait and see.
Along with Banks being the Press Your Luck host, she recently helmed comedy horror film Cocaine Bear and is a producer on R-rated comedy Bottoms coming out this August 25. You can stay updated on the future of Press Your Luck by checking on the 2023 TV premiere dates calendar here on CinemaBlend.