Adam Scott Makes Hosting Wacky Game Show ‘Don’t’ Into An Absolute Do

Sometimes it’s harder to not do something than it is to do something. Especially when someone tells you not to do it. And it’s infinitely harder when someone offers you money not to do it. 

This is the premise behind Don’t, a new game show hosted by Adam Scott. 

During the competition, contestants work in teams with family and friends tackling hilarious tasks in the hope of winning $100,000.  Challenges include things like upside-down baseball catching and slingshot fire-extinguishing. These games have titles such as “Don’t Be a Wiseguy,” “Don’t Play with Matches,” “Don’t Lose Your Grip,” and “Don’t Budge.”

Scott, of Parks and Rec fame, says that the thought of hosting a game show had really never occurred to him. ”I never considered it, nor did I ever consider anyone would want me to, which is why I was so thrown when they called me in the first place. So my instinct was [to say] a very polite and confused, ‘no, thank you.’” 

But then the producers explained that they had Ryan Reynolds, well known for his sarcastic comedy chops, was onboard.

Scott admits to being a big fan of Reynolds, and that he was also drawn to the premise of the show. “That Ryan was going to be narrating the show, in a sort of overlord voice, which was very unusual, and weird and sounded really fun, and that it’s a game show that sort of makes fun of game shows – these are the things that got me excited about it.”

Scott quickly realized that wanting to do something and actually doing it are two very different things. “The moment I stepped on the set, I realized just how difficult the job is.” He says that he quickly surmised that it was, “a skill set that I didn’t have.”  

He credits Reynolds, along with the writers and producers with rescuing him. “They make me look better than I am,” he said with a laugh. 

Explaining the writing process, Scott says, “Well, there were writers that were focusing on comedy ,and then there were the people who create the challenges and those are two separate things. Once they were both established we melded them together and came up with this bizarre hybrid.” 

Citing some of his influences, Scott mentions former late-night host David Letterman as having a big impact on his choices. “I grew up idolizing [him], and still do. So when this came around, that’s who I immediately thought of.”

Scott is also fond of a more obscure game show host. “I also really loved Colin Quinn, the host of a Remote Control on MTV. I thought he was hilarious. So in-between [my] fits of panic, if you see any influence from those two, I wouldn’t be surprised.” 

In an interesting twist, Scott revealed that for a while his family didn’t have a television, but that when he was finally allowed to have one, he was all in. “It was a little TV I kept in my room, five inch black and white TV. I would turn it on at 7pm, which I guess is when I was allowed to watch, and I’d watch it straight through until sign of, which was like 1:30 in the morning. That’s all I wanted. I was a pretty patient kid just as long as I got my TV fix.”

Choosing what game show he’d like to be a contestant on, Scott is quick to say Jeopardy. “I don’t know how good I would be at it, but that’s the one.”

But then, doing a fast pivot, he adds, “Oh, you know what? Survivor is one of my favorite shows. I don’t know if it’s exactly a game show, but I think that’s just an incredible game. I’ve fantasized my strategy over and over again over the years and I feel like I have a good strategy in mind that’s ready to go. “

When it comes to the contestants on Don’t, Scott admits that he’s in awe of their abilities.

“I marvel at all of [them] and what they were able to do. Something’s spinning around and making them dizzy and then they have to like shoot basketballs or dance and stuff like that. I would just vomit. I get carsick so easily, And the spicy food one, I enjoy spicy food as much as the next person, but these are things that I would not be able to do. So I had such respect for these contestants.”

An unexpected joy for him, he says, was watching some of the families win significant amounts of money. “You can tell this is gonna make a huge difference in their lives ,so I was rooting for them. I would get emotional about it..”

As for his own family, Scott says that this might finally be the show that gets his kids to watch him on TV. “They’ve never really shown an interest in watching stuff that I make, I hope that ends with this. I feel like they could like it.”

He adds, “There’s a billboard for the show right down the street from our house, and that’s been deeply embarrassing to them. They are not happy about that, but I think they would like it the more if they could get a blooper reel. That’s them. They like watching me screw up. That’s what would amuse them the most.”

Overall, making Don’t clearly has been a “Do” for Scott. “I’m really happy with the end result. It was a lot of fun. I hope we get to do more, because I feel like I was just getting the hang of it.”

‘Don’t’ airs Thursdays at 9e/8c on ABC.