The CW’s Legends of the Hidden Temple has found its host.
Cristela Alonzo will guide contestants through the reboot of the beloved 1990s Nickelodeon game show. The comedian, actor and author is a self-professed fan of the original series.
“Having grown up on ’90s pop culture and actually being a fan of the original Legends of the Hidden Temple, I am thrilled to be hosting the new updated version of the show,” said Alonzo. “The biggest challenge for me on this show will be trying to simultaneously host it and contain my geeked-out excitement at the same time.”
The CW’s take on the show will retain a number of elements from the original game — including Olmec the talking Mayan idol, the Steps of Knowledge and the Temple Run — but will scale up challenges for adult competitors (the Nick version featured kids). The series will be filmed on an outdoor “jungle” set.
“When we decided to revisit Legends of the Hidden Temple, we wanted a host with stature who also had the humor of a stand-up and the energy of a camp counselor,” said creator and executive producer Scott A. Stone. “That’s Cristela Alonzo — she’s perfect.”
Alonzo made TV history in 2014 when she became the first Latina to create, produce and star in a network sitcom, ABC’s Cristela. Her credits also include Cars 3, Steven Soderbergh’s The Laundromat and HBO’s His Dark Materials. She is repped by WME, Artists First and Jackoway Austen.
Legends of the Hidden Temple, set to premiere Oct. 10, is based on the original created by David G. Stanley, Stone and Stephen R. Brown. Stone and Marcus Fox executive produce.
