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'Family game night is a huge thing': Self-professed trivia fanatic Tom Cavanagh on hosting the new show 'Hey Yahoo!'
Complete this phrase: “Tom Cavanagh stars in ______.”
Ed
The Flash
Scrubs
The new game show Hey Yahoo! where contestants try to fill-in-the-blanks and guess what America is searching for online.
Okay, the answer is “all of the above,” but the question is — what would America say? Starting Monday, June 12, Hey Yahoo!, with Cavanagh as host, will air weekdays at 8pm ET on the Game Show Network. But don’t expect any supervillain reveals like his famed character on The Flash. This time, the actor is playing “hero” to real-life contestants as they compete for big money by guessing what America is searching for.
The game features two teams of three players each who work together to guess what millions of people are searching for on Yahoo Search. The contestants are given the beginning of a phrase like "Which state has the most ___ ?” or "Where is the best place to see ___ ?," and have to guess what Americans were searching for when they typed in that specific question or phrase on Yahoo. (It's National parks and Northern Lights for those playing along at home!)
The teams are given letters to help fill-in-the-blanks, with each correct answer adding to their bank. The catch? The more hints they need, the less money they win. And these answers aren’t based on random surveys; this is data straight from the source — Yahoo's most popular and hilarious search results.
So, how did the affable Ed star and father of four end up hosting a game show? “I’ve been interested in doing a trivia-based show. I’m a massive Trivial Pursuit and Jeopardy guy,” he tells Yahoo Life. Cavanagh initially worked on an idea with the Game Show Network, but he felt something was missing. “We wanted to build the show like a sports event — something with a fourth quarter,” he explains. “When Yahoo came on board, that gave it direction. Our tag line is, ‘What is America searching for' and the show really expands on that."
Cavanagh’s early foray into competition was anything but typical. “I spent part of my childhood in Africa without television or film, so moving to North America was neophyte city — everything was new,” he says. When it came to sports, he was surprised to find that, “instead of raiding coconut farms and chasing snakes, you’d divide in two teams and put something in a net — I thought it was the greatest thing ever invented!” His introduction to game shows came in the form of a Kevin Bacon scene in the movie Diner. “I remember myself in the moment, yelling out the answers.” And when he moved to America and saw The Price is Right, he realized, “Oh wait, these game shows exist?”
From there, his passion and expertise bloomed. “I come from a game-loving family. I enjoy games, my closest friends all love to play games. Family game night is a huge thing,” he says. And his skills? “I will say this, amongst my group of friends, nobody wants to play me in Trivial Pursuit.”
But Cavanagh’s expertise comes up short when the internet is brought into play (literally), a la Hey Yahoo! “I’m very good with digital age stuff when it comes to the creative,” referencing his directing experience, “but, I think I only check my email once a week. It sounds like an exaggeration, and it isn’t.” In fact, as soon as he begins asking contestants questions, he turns into an amazed viewer just like the rest of us. “What I do find is how fast the contestants get to an answer that I would not get to because they’re more well-versed in the [Yahoo] search room. And I’m like — wow!”
Add in the element of television, and trivia becomes that much harder. “When we don’t have a ticking clock bearing down on us, answers sometimes seem relatively simple. But when there is the pressure of winning a lot of money, and time elapsing, it becomes a thrill.”
Luckily on Hey Yahoo!, the teams are made up of three players — which can be friends, family, co-workers and more, and they all lean on each other. “We’ve got cops vs. librarians, surfers v chefs — from all different parts of America, or the world,” Cavanagh says. “Teamwork on this show is paramount — nobody wins because one player is good,” the host says. “The teams absolutely have to depend on one another. I love that teamwork aspect. I think that’s joyous, and when they succeed and have a good time together, it only strengthens the bonds they come in with.”
As for acting vs. hosting, Cavanagh said he still sees this job as a role — and a supporting one at that. “I’m not playing myself. I play the Yahoo game show host. I’m there to facilitate the experience, make sure the contestants have a good time.” He also works to keep the spotlight on the teams. “This is their moment. This is for them. I am going to do hundreds of these, but this is their one [chance]. I want them to do well, I want them to have a happy experience. One of the teams will lose, but I want those three members to walk away thinking ‘that was great, that was fun, those people treated us well.’”
Cavanagh’s dedication to a friendly set stems from his time on Ed with co-star (and Modern Family superstar) Julie Bowen. “We always tried to welcome people, whether they were coming in for a half-hour or for a year. I remember Julie walking up to everyone saying, 'Hi, I’m Julie,’” he said with a laugh. “Of course, they would always say, ‘I know who you are,' but it makes a difference.” He tries to echo the same sentiment on Hey Yahoo!, saying, “I think there is something ephemeral about that attitude that translates to the screen.”
And his approach certainly seems to be working. The actor describes the final bonus round — which he calls “very hard” — in an almost magical way. “When the team gets on a flow, when the audience feels they have a real shot, the pressure builds, and everyone is leaning in. And then when they do pull it off, it’s one of the most enjoyable things for me as a host. They’re all over each other, crying, screaming, jumping up and down. We have to sign off, and they couldn’t care less about the fact that they’re on a game show — it’s a genuine, exhilarating moment.”
The show always ends with Yahoo’s signature “yodel,” something Cavanagh is quite familiar with. “The producers and I went on a deep dive about the Yahoo yodel— it’s such an interesting story,” he said while imitating the yodel himself. “I’d hum it to myself and everyone on set would laugh and I’d realize I just did it out loud. The contestants would laugh, too. Fortunately, I find it catchy!”
Hey Yahoo! airs weekdays at 8pm on the Game Show Network. Go to GameShowNetwork.com for more information on the show and Cavanagh, plus how to become a contestant on an upcoming episode.