‘Celebrity Weakest Link’ brings Jane Lynch and sarcasm to metro Atlanta

A quarter century ago, British journalist and TV host Anne Robinson landed stateside to host the NBC game show “The Weakest Link.”

For a hot moment, Americans embraced Robinson’s sharp-tongued insults, haughty demeanor and clipped farewell to each losing contestant: “You’re the Weakest Link, goodbye!”

Today, Jane Lynch, her American spiritual doppelganger, is now hosting a celebrity version of the game show on Fox, which moved to Trilith Live in Fayetteville in the spring after taping its first season in Los Angeles.

The “Glee” star spent two weeks residing in the Town at Trilith, a creation of Chick-fil-A chairman Dan Cathy. The pre-planned neighborhood geared to creatives features soundstages, apartments, townhomes, single-family homes, parks, restaurants, retail and a hotel.

“I’m not in Atlanta. I’m in Fayetteville, or as I call it, ‘Pleasantville,’” Lynch told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution during a set visit in June. “It’s fantastic. We all go to work at the same time so you see everyone on the street. All the shops are great. It’s a utopia and I adore it.”

“Celebrity Weakest Link” is part of a cavalcade of game shows and competition shows that were not eligible for tax credit breaks in Los Angeles but are taking advantage of Georgia’s film and TV tax credits. Other shows that have moved to metro Atlanta over the past year include ABC’s ‘Shark Tank,” “American Idol,” “Celebrity Family Feud” and “Press Your Luck.”

Stuart Krasnow ― the showrunner who also worked on the original NBC version of “Weakest Link” in the early 2000s and the reboot with Lynch on NBC from 2020 to 2024 ― said Atlanta production went smoothly, with about half the 100 show employees coming from Los Angeles and half hired locally.

“What has been great is blending the cultures together,” Krasnow said. “It’s a lot of work to bring 80 celebrities here, but (filming here) is easy. They don’t have to go downtown. They’re here to work. There’s a sense of ease about it.”

The stark, semicircular, chilly blue “Weakest Link” set was transported 2,200 miles east from Television City in Los Angeles to Fayetteville.

“The show,” Lynch said, “feels exactly the same.”

Its 10-episode second season, which launched last month and also airs on Disney+ and Hulu, features themes like reality show villains, friends of Lynch, a reunion of original “Baywatch” cast and horror movie icons. Celebrities include Kim Zolciak’s daughter Brielle Biermann, “Apprentice” villain Omarosa, “Survivor” winner Richard Hatch, “Community” star Yvette Nicole Brown, soccer icon Brandi Chastain and “Glee” alum Kevin McHale.

The AJC in June watched an episode tentatively scheduled to air Nov. 2 themed “Ladies who Laugh” with eight female comics battling for charity. Two were Atlanta stars: Ms. Pat (Paramount+’s “The Ms. Pat Show”) and stand-up comic Heather McMahan.

The atmosphere was more congenial than competitive, though some players noted Nicole Byer (host of Netflix’s baking competition “Nailed It!”) and “Saturday Night Live” alum Sasheer Zamata co-host a podcast together and were in possible cahoots not to vote each other out.

Taping also took far longer than the 42 minutes seen on air.

Outside of actual game play, which was in real time, producers massage other aspects of the show. For instance, to get all eight contestants to provide a pithy bio of themselves in one single tracking shot is so difficult, the show will sometimes air the mistakes for the final cut. Between rounds, makeup and hair stylists scurry around to ensure the stars look good under the lights.

And getting players to decide who to vote out eats up time not seen on air.

Wendi McLendon-Covey of “The Goldbergs” fame told the AJC she just liked talking to the other women. “We kept screwing around between rounds,” she said.

Lynch on set also plied the ladies for amusing autobiographical anecdotes and there were plenty, many of which will end up on the cutting room floor.

Atlanta’s Ms. Pat recounted being a drug dealer, getting shot twice and hit by a dump truck. Mary Lynn Rajskub of “24″ fame recounted making out with Tom Cruise for the film “Magnolia,” a scene that didn’t end up in the movie. Judy Gold bonded with Lynch over auditioning for the same acting roles decades ago since they both possessed a similar tall, commanding presence.

After McMahan incorrectly answered an odd question related to a female kangaroo’s reproductive anatomy, she complained, “I have a theater degree. I’m not a chemist!” (This is doubly funny because she referenced the wrong scientific field.)

In the green room after the competition, McMahan joked, “When I got that wrong, my soul left my body. I was devastated!”

McMahan, who won an episode of “Celebrity Jeopardy” in 2023, was also mock-offended that Gold answered a Home Depot question incorrectly: “I hope that never gets back to Arthur Blank that she came down from New York and disrespected our city!”

Gold said she lives in New York City and never sees Home Depot. (“Liar!” McMahan responded. “There is one on 23rd Street!”)

At one point during the game, Ms. Pat, admitting trivia wasn’t her strong suit, asked out loud: “How the hell am I still here?”

When Ms. Pat had trouble pronouncing fellow comic Zarna Garg’s name, Lynch asked, “Would it help to put it in the prompter?”

“Hell naw!” Ms. Pat replied. “It’s the way I talk!”