Interview with Rich Eisen from TNT’s The Great Escape

The new show The Great Escape on TNT is amazing. It’s by the creators of The Amazing Race, and it definitely brings just as much suspense to this show as we see on that one.

In The Great Escape, three teams of two are given the task of freeing confinement and completing tasks to ultimately be the first to escape the place they were being held and claim the $100,000 prize.

Recently, the host, Rich Eisen, took some time to chat with me about the show, the reasons he got involved, and even a little about himself. Jump ahead to read the interview with this interesting guy.

Rich has been working in the sports world for ages, so I was curious as to what attracted him to this project. He seemed surprised I would even have to ask but quickly recovered to explain that he looked at “a sizzle reel from Ron Howard” and he was hooked. Later, he found out that it was from the people behind The Amazing Race, and he knew there were definitely “all the makings of a big opportunity.”

He’s a wise man because this show is exciting from start to finish. I love the way they were able to incorporate places of historic relevance, such as Alcatraz—which we saw in the first episode. Rich promises that “every other place is pretty incredible, as well.” There are a couple coming that he didn’t even know existed and will give us a “spooky setting.”

While watching, I had to say I loved how real the people were, and Rich agreed that it was incredible to watch them go through the experience. When asked if he was surprised by any of the team’s performances, he said that “some were stupefying, others were down right fun.” I have to agree with him that what makes this show interesting is “how the human condition is pressed in these competitions.”

At the end of the day, he had nothing but fabulous things to say about his hosting job and how much he loved getting to “give away cash and prizes”—comparing it to being at the Super Bowl.

When he’s not talking sports or hosting adventure shows, he admits to enjoying Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones. If we were to drive with him, we’d be singing along to Kids Bop, but his iPod is more classic with some Coldplay, Frank Sintra, and John Legend.

There really isn’t a better choice for a host for such a unique show that promises to continue upping the anty and keep us on the edge of our seats.

Be sure to tune in to TNT on Sundays at 9/8c to watch Rich Eisen give money away to the team that completes The Great Escape first. You’ll be surprised at how addictive this show is, but don’t take my word for it—TUNE IN!