Valerie Bertinelli Talks ‘Bingo Blitz’ & the Surprises of Game Show Hosting

Valerie Bertinelli is one of Hollywood’s most adaptable talents, and now she’s taking on a new role as host of Game Show Network’s Bingo Blitz. The new series combines bingo play with trivia challenges and offers a grand prize of $10,000 to the winners.

Bertinelli has been in show business since she was just a child, with her first award-winning role in One Day at a Time coming when she was just a teenager. Since then, she’s made many different career moves, including hosting cooking shows for Food Network and being a brand ambassador, and Bingo Blitz is her latest pivot to something entirely new.

So what can we expect from Bertinelli’s turn as game show host? What were the challenges and rewards of this new TV adventure for her? Here, the Hollywood legend gives us a preview.

What drew you to Bingo Blitz?

I love games. I probably have almost every board game that’s ever been made… I love a good game show that you want to play at home. This had all the ingredients of the fun. I love trivia. It was perfect for me.

What board games do you love most?

Love Monopoly. I love playing Rummikub… And I have a bunch of games on my phone that I play way too often and shouldn’t spend money on, but I do.

How does it compare to hosting cooking competitions?

I don’t have to judge anybody, which makes me feel a lot better…It’s also really nice to see someone go home with $10,000!

Can you talk about the format?

It’s a little bit of a cross between Jeopardy! and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? It gives you a chance, and the trivia is so fun… It’s definitely the kind of thing that you’re you’re gonna love to play at home.

Were there any surprises to hosting that you didn’t expect?

I was surprised at how much fun it is because I was a little intimidated by all the talking that has to happen, all the information that you have to give, all of the trivia, and getting the words right. I am a queen of mispronunciation!

What other game shows do you enjoy?

Hollywood Squares — always loved that. I’d actually done Hollywood Squares when I was a teenager, a lot of fun. I loved Family Feud. That was always fun. I loved Password. Watching Password, some of the old clips of Betty [White], so amazing… And of course, who doesn’t love watching Jeopardy!?

Did Betty ever give you advice about game shows?

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No, not really. She wasn’t apt to give advice. It was just just being around her and seeing just her gratitude for life and the world and the life she was living, that was all the lessons I needed. Just to watch that woman move in the world of television. And I got to be with her for five years, working with her [on Hot in Cleveland], and it’s like having a master class every day on what it’s like to be a comedian and a woman and in this business. She was just a phenomenal, phenomenal, phenomenal human.

How do you make banter with contestants?

Well, I was lucky, because there were only two contestants, so I could really get to know them. But we did do six shows a day, so I was meeting a lot of new people every day. And it’s just fun to see where they’re from… see what they do for a living, see where they live. I just find people interesting anyway. So that was kind of the easiest part for me.

Sony / GSN

Which game show hosts are your favorites?

I love Michael Strahan. I think he’s just adorable… I have a soft spot in my heart for Wink Martindale. I loved his name, and I was at the Rose Bowl parade when he was on one of the floats, and I just like a little girl. I thought that was so cool to meet somebody famous… Alex Trebek, he was amazing. And we actually did an episode of Hot in Cleveland — super fun man to be around.

So you’ve always been at the edge of game shows before this?

I definitely feel like a newbie in this world… It’s the first time I’ve been on Game Show Network. I love everybody that works there. They’re really great people. So I feel like I’m a new kid on the block a little bit, yeah.

You’ve done a lot in your career. What does it mean to try yet another new thing?

It’s kind of amazing that they let me just go wherever I want to go and have fun there. I’m a very lucky girl. The gratitude is not lost on me.

You’ve been in show business since you were a child. How does it feel to look back at everything you’ve done?

I can’t believe I’ve been doing this for as long as I have. It’s kind of shocking because I live my life daily, and I try to stay in the present as much as possible. But then someone will bring something up like, “Oh, yeah, that happened.” That’s wild! Or I’ll think about just the ’80s alone and the stress that I went through and the people that I got to meet, it’s kind of amazing. I can’t believe that I actually live this life. It’s a little surreal.

Bingo Blitz, series premiere, April 14, GSN