Keke Palmer, Jimmy Fallon talk 'Password' Season 2, best celebrity guests

Keke Palmer may be a game show host, but she's not playing when it comes to how seriously she takes games.

The host of NBC's "Password," who made Emmy history this year for her role by becoming the first Black woman to win for outstanding game show host, isn't messing around with games of any kind ? especially her childhood favorite board game: "Monopoly will have people cussing you out; it's worse than Spades!"

"Monopoly I still play on my phone," Palmer says. "My family had stopped playing with me because I was always taking up their property and putting them in bankruptcy. But I absolutely love that game to this day."

Back for Season 2 Tuesday (10 EDT/PDT and streaming the next day on Peacock), "Password" and Palmer are turning out new games, new fashionable looks and new gags.

Executive producer and star Jimmy Fallon, who pairs with contestants to compete against another celebrity-civilian duo for a chance at $25,000, says viewers "are going to fall in love with these contestants this year."

This season's celebrity guests are an A-list lineup of talent, including Wiz Khalifa, Jimmy Kimmel, Johnny Knoxville, Chance the Rapper, Meghan Trainor and Lindsey Vonn.

Who's best? Comedian and former "Daily Show" correspondent Roy Wood Jr. was "amazing at the game," Palmer says. "Down to the wire, he was getting everything."

Joe Manganiello, who appears in the season premiere ? "a stud, and everyone just goes crazy, the audience loves him," Fallon says ? was also a favorite. "I think by the end of the game he thought that he might be a psychic," Fallon says.

Fallon says Kimmel "comes on the show just to prove to everyone that there are two Jimmys that are white guys hosting a talk show that are different. We actually are two different people. But he's very funny."

The season adds new wrinkles, including a special theme for all the passwords in the second round and the option for competitors to "Shoot the Moon" and earn extra points for trusting their partner to correctly guess the password in one try.

"I've gotten really good at the game," Fallon says. "So much so that people are like: 'Are you cheating? This rigged?' And I'm like, 'Dude, not only is it not rigged, these are regular people I'm playing with.' Legally I'm not even allowed to see the script. I don't know anything going in."

For tiebreakers, fans will see Palmer "perform" the clues in her own voice until a contestant buzzes in with an answer.

Palmer's animated rendition of her catchphrase "And the gag is …" had Fallon in shambles throughout taping of the show. "I just had to giggle so much that we had to stop taping, and I had to calm down because I was like, 'Stop it, it's so unprofessional,'" he says.

Fallon also praises Palmer for her fashion sense ? and her commitment to staying true to herself. "For the last two episodes she walked out with the heels and then changed to these like platform of Ugg boots," Fallon says. "She's real."

"I had so much fun with my glam," Palmer says. "I hope people really just enjoy the fashions."

Season 2 was a juggling act for Palmer as she builds her KeyTV Network around Black creators and continues being a businesswoman, hosting and acting (and yes, she confirms fans can expect a "True Jackson, VP" reboot!), all while being a new mom to son Leo, who recently turned 1.

"I'm a very resilient person, and before getting to this point in my life ? being 30, having my son ? I don't think I always realized how I kind of felt bad about" feeling empowered, says Palmer, who marks 20 years since landing her first roles. "There's nothing to be ashamed about just because I know what I want in my life. That's something that I should be happy for."

Having her son on the set of the show was a joy for Fallon as well.

"Her baby is really cute. Oh, he's so adorable. And I got a good laugh out of him, too. He likes me," Fallon says.

Palmer's love of Monopoly could rub off on her son when he's old enough to play, but he could also fall into her family's tradition of playing games that are entirely made up.

"My family makes up games," Palmer says. "And what I mean by that is (once) when we were driving to California … we played a movie game where we'll all get a chance to yell out a movie quote," she says, quoting Angela Bassett as an example in her signature impression of the movie star. "And then the person that gets that right will then do another movie line. We were always doing games that would allow us opportunity to showcase our love for film and TV."

How to watch 'Password'

"Password" airs Tuesday on NBC at 10 p.m. ET/PT. It also streams the next day on Peacock.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Keke Palmer, Jimmy Fallon on 'Password' NBC Season 2, celebrity guests