Copyright Deadline
EXCLUSIVE: Nate Bargatze is getting into the game show business. The stand-up comedian, who was the highest-grossing stand-up comic in 2024, with over a million tickets sold, is to host The Greatest Average American for ABC. Bargatze had previously teased his interest in game shows to Deadline and will now have the chance to show his studio wares with the series launching midseason. It will debut on Wednesday February 25 at 9pm. The Greatest Average American, which shares a name with one of his stand-up specials, “celebrates the power of being perfectly average”. Each round features challenges and trivia as contestants try to guess how everyday Americans think and live. In the end, one player will be crowned the Greatest Average American and get the chance to win the ultimate grand prize: the average American salary of $67,920. The series was created by Bargatze and The Price Is Right showrunner John Quinn, who also exec produces Press Your Luck for ABC. It is produced by Walt Disney Television Alternative in association with Nateland and Da Da Production. Bargatze has been growing his Nateland Entertainment media company. He told Deadline that he intends to build “a world” of his own. It comes as Bargatze, who recently hosted the Emmys, is set to star in feature film The Breadwinner, which he co-wrote with Dan Lagana. The film, a family comedy for TriStar, will be released in March 2026. Bargatze is best known for his stand-up work; he broke through on Netflix’s The Standups before releasing The Tennessee Kid in 2019. He launched The Nateland Podcast in 2020, and put out The Greatest Average American in 2021 and Hello World in 2023. It is ABC’s latest game show; the network is also behind The $100,000 Pyramid, Celebrity Family Feud, Celebrity Jeopardy!, Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, Match Game, Press Your Luck and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.
