Cat Deeley is a busy lady these days. First, there’s her hosting gig on So You Think You Can Dance, which is she incredible at, but that wasn’t enough for her. Cat is hosting a new dating game show, The Choice, also on FOX, where sexy singles compete to win the hearts of four single celebrities.
The Choice runs on the premise that each contestant has 30 seconds to impress the celebrities with their voice alone to get the celebrities to turn around and put them on their team. (Yes, I know… Sounds a lot like The Voice, except with dating not singing.) It’s a fun summer show, and Cat is brilliant on it.
Recently, Cat took the time to chat with us about her shows, her life, and love.
Jump ahead to see what this lovely lady had to say.
I was lucky enough to get quite a few questions in, so we’ll start with those.
Megan: I just had a chance to watch the premiere episode of The Choice, and I found myself surprised at times by which girls the guys chose. Were you ever shocked by their choices?
Cat: Yes, very much so, because I think the whole thing about it is with anybody within the public eye, you have preconceptions of what they’re going to be like and what their personality is going to be, and what types of girls they’ll go for, and I had the misconception that people like Pauly D and Rob Kardashian, would go for real party girls and wild girls and girls that were really out there, and actually they went for quite family-oriented girls. It’s really, really interesting. There was another guy, a footballer on the show, Ndamukong Suh, and we’re used to him being a real tough guy on the football field and no one gets past him and he’s super tough, and he was so shy and cute with the girl he chose, it’s actually really interesting. And that’s the great thing about the show is it’s fun, it’s interesting, it’s silly, it doesn’t take itself too seriously, and its tongue is firmly in its cheek, so I think everybody at home is going to really enjoy watching it.
Megan: Now for those that haven’t had a chance to see The Choice yet, we saw the guys this week. Now there is going to be girl celebrities picking boys?
Cat: Absolutely, we’re going to flip it around. In fact, that one, there was one where chemistry behind Carmen Electra and the guy that she chose was literally palpable, it was like thunderbolt city, it was electric, and I felt like a bit of a gooseberry on the stage.
Megan: It’s the ninth season for So You Think You Can Dance, and we’re going to change up the format this year. How do you feel about the new format?
Cat: Do you know what? I’m very excited about it because I think it’s going to make it so much more exciting for everybody at home because it’s going to add that new layer of jeopardy to the performance show, because obviously at the end of every show, someone is going to go home. And if everybody’s sitting at home, it’s going to be so exciting to watch.
Megan: About The Choice, was there any times when a contestant came out to introduce themselves in the 30 seconds that you were shocked by what they had to say?
Cat: Was I ever shocked? No, because everybody was so unique and so different. That’s the whole point of it is that they have to be just completely unique and completely different and they have to express their personality. It was never like, oh my goodness, that is insane. There wasn’t really anything that was supremely standout. It’s all about having some fun with it, I think.
Megan: What’s it like hosting two different shows?
Cat: It’s busy, put it like that, very, very busy. Most people at this time of year are off having vacations and oiling themselves up on some tropical island, and the most difficult decision they have to make is whether to have a Pina Colada or a margarita with lunch, but I’m hosting two shows, which is pulling double-duty, so thankfully what’s really nice is they are different, as well. My role on SYTYCD is more a cheerleader, a big sister, putting a comforting arm around contestants if the judges are a little bit negative, and on The Choice, it’s a little bit more cheeky, a little bit more naughty, there’s a bit of a twinkle in the eye, and I can be cheeky with some of the guys. It’s fun, actually. It’s really nice to be able to show both sides of my personality.
Megan: Finally, for So You Think You Can Dance, if you could pick one routine from beginning of the show until now, what’s been the one that stuck with you the longest?
Cat: I really liked Travis Wall’s routine that he did with Kent and Neal, that was kind of like a, it was the kind of record stabbing in the back by a friend, it was sensational. And what I liked so much about it as well, I loved the fact that it was two guys dancing together in a super masculine way, and it was really amazing, but also the fact that Travis had choreographed it, because I think he’s definitely one of the dancers I’m most proud of. He didn’t win his season, but he used the platform that we gave him and has become a sensational choreographer now and been nominated for an Emmy, and I feel incredibly proud of that journey that he’s gone with. So that would be my favorite routine.
Megan: It was amazing. Thank you again for your time.
Cat: Thank you, hon.
That’s all of my questions. Here’s a few more moments from the rest of the interview.
Her view on relationships
Cat: Do you know what, I think it’s all about having some kind of connection, and for me that’s all about being able to make me laugh. Everything else kind of disappears, the face falls off, everything heads south, we all get old, and I think the one thing that you always have is somebody’s personality and their sense of humor and being able to have fun with somebody, and I think that’s the key to everything. That’s the most important thing, I think.
On what to expect from The Choice
Cat: It’s really fun. It’s just a really fun, slightly silly, entertaining dating show that doesn’t take itself too seriously. And it’s just really interesting to watch the celebrity bachelors and bachelorettes meet these people for the first time. It’s hilarious.
On which of the celebrity bachelors she would turn around for
Cat: On the show, I almost got taken out by one of the chairs, we had a bit of a chair malfunction, and I clung on to Taylor Hicks’ chair like a lunatic because otherwise I would have broken my neck. It literally spun around this chair and would have knocked me straight off the platform, and I think they’re keeping it in the show as well, so you’ve got to watch it just to see me be kind of richly humiliated in front of everybody, but I laugh about it. Anyway, it would be him because he was so gentlemanly afterwards, he’s got this Southern charm to him, and he made sure I was okay and sat me down on his lap and he was just a real gentleman. So it would be him. He rescued me. He was my knight in shining armor.
On the biggest differences between American and British bachelors
Cat: We don’t multiple date in England. We don’t do that at all. We go out with somebody and if we like them we go out with them again. And if we don’t like them we don’t go out with them again and we’ll move on to somebody else. Whereas, here we quite like to keep our options open over in the States and I think what it is, is that English men can’t be bothered with more than one woman. I think they’re like, ooh, one woman’s enough for me to put up with. Yes, that would be the major difference, I’d say.
That’s all for now with Cat Deeley. She really is as charming and adorable to speak with as she is on the show.
Be sure to tune into FOX on Wednesday nights at 8/7c for So You Think You Can Dance and again on Thursdays at 9/8c for The Choice.
