Tonight, The Wall hits a major milestone: 100 episodes. It’s been almost 10 years since the hit NBC game show first arrived on our screens, and in the near-decade since, we’ve seen hundreds of ordinary people drop thousands of balls, all in the pursuit of millions of dollars. And it’s an accomplishment that host Chris Hardwick does not take lightly.“To get to do more than one season of any show is a really special thing,” he tells Parade in an exclusive interview. “But to just know that we’ve gotten to do it for you know 10 years and and over 100 episodes, it’s crazy. When I was growing up watching game shows or any television, 100 episodes meant, ‘Oh that show is like sticking around.’ It’s been weirdly emotional for me.”
?SIGN UP for Parade’s Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox ? Hardwick, of course, is no stranger to a long-running success. The 54-year-old hosted Talking Dead for over a decade, which helped popularize the on-air aftershow. And his work on the comedy show @midnight hit a whopping 600 total episodes. It was while he was working on both of these series that he was approached about The Wall — an offer that he almost refused due to his schedule. But Hardwick credits a meeting with the show’s creator, Andrew Glassman, with getting him on board.“He had basically mocked up the wall on a screen not much bigger than [a typical] wall,” he recounts. “The wall was like a computer graphic, and then there were colored balls that would bounce down. And we did it, and I was like, ‘Oh my god, this is really fun.'”What ultimately drew Hardwick onto The Wall, however, wasn’t the thought of getting to create the world’s most chaotic game of Plinko, but to instead highlight relationships in a very pressurized situation.“All the teams that came on were just these shining beautiful examples of humanity,” he explains. “I realized right away, ‘Oh my gosh, this isn’t just a flashy game show with big dollar amounts. It’s a really special human show.”Indeed, across 100 episodes, The Wall has shone a spotlight on a variety of relationships, from longtime married couples to siblings to parents and children. But, starting in the second round, the pair is separated, with one person going into isolation to answer trivia questions, as well as decide for both of them if they’ll take the contract Hardwick opens them, or go for the big prize. And the host says that element of isolation is crucial to the success of The Wall.Related: Two ‘Seinfeld’ Stars Are Competing on a Classic Game Show This Summer“We always have our devices usually no more than a foot and a half from us, right?” he says. “So all of a sudden, you’re in a situation where you might reflexively reach for your phone that’s not there. We’re just so used to having these external hard drives that have the sum total of human knowledge and history at all times. And all of a sudden you’re just in a room where you can’t ask anyone; you’re just stuck with your own brain. And so to be in that situation again, where you don’t have that security blanket, must be incredibly surreal now more than ever.”When asked about his favorite memory on the set of The Wall, Hardwick is hard-pressed to pick just one, considering the myriad people he’s interacted with on the set over the course of a decade.“It’s a live concert where I am,” he explains. “I’m experiencing it in real time, and I’ve spent hours with them. So many of these moments just imprint on me are just talking to people, just having regular conversations with them about restaurants in their hometown, trying to get to know them, trying to figure out what makes them tick. People who’ve been lifelong givers, people who are selfless, how they thrive in the face of adversity. So there are like an infinite number of moments to me that I collect, lessons that I try to remember. Because everyone who comes on is just some shining example of humanity.”One particularly luminescent example came in an episode from earlier this year. Steven Hardeman, an off-duty police officer who helped out during the events of 9/11, and his son Seth Hardeman competed in the Season 6 premiere. After ripping up the contract, the two went on to win over $1.6 million on the wall.
“The son was answering the trivia, and he was just convinced that he didn’t do a good job,” Hardwick recounts. “And I think he got most of the questions right. And [I loved] being able to tell him, ‘Hey, trust your gut, because you knew exactly what you were doing.” It was just that lesson of how easy it is for us to second-guess ourselves and talk ourselves out of things, and just learning that moment of just being present. It was just a joyful experience because he got to see how good he was, and he crushed it, and he they went home with all this money. It was just wonderful to be there for that, and also to remind ourselves of these moments when we can get down on ourselves, or we can second-guess, or we can have negative self-talk, give yourself a break, man! You’re doing okay.”Given The Wall has reached 100 episodes, with no endpoint in sight, there’s no second-guessing the success of the concept. And, with Hardwick lending his skills as the host, no matter who enters the fray, it’s sure to be a ball.
Related: NBC Sets Fall Premiere Dates for 2026-27 Season, Including OneChicago Shows, ‘The Voice’ and ‘The Traitors: New Blood’
Hence then, the article about chris hardwick gets emotional over 10 years of the wall and shares his favorite moment exclusive was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Chris Hardwick Gets Emotional Over 10 Years of ‘The Wall’ — And Shares His Favorite Moment (Exclusive) )
Also on site :
- Is This Food Network Legend Competing on ‘Dancing With the Stars’ This Season? The Internet Sure Hopes So
- 1968 Country Pop Ballad Billy Joel Wishes He’d Written, Is Ranked One of the ‘Greatest Country Songs of All Time’
- Iran-US war latest: Trump’s ‘economic D-Day’ arrives as Tehran threatens ‘earthquake-like’ retaliation