Meet the woman behind 'You are the weakest link'

By Bill Keveney
USA Today

BURBANK, Calif. — It's time to say hello to that woman who keeps saying goodbye.

The host of NBC's newest game show, "The Weakest Link," has already garnered attention with her clipped catch phrase: "You are the weakest link. G'bye." Associated Press

NBC has peppered its airwaves with the harsh pronouncement in preparation for "The Weakest Link," a new hourlong

BBC game-show import that premieres tonight.

"The Weakest Link" could be described as "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" meets "Survivor." The trivia game starts with eight players, who can amass a large

jackpot with consecutive correct answers to pop-culture and general-knowledge questions. Ominous music and lighting will be featured.

After each round, contestants vote off one of their own, often the poorest performer. The final two contestants compete for a winner-take-all prize that could hit $1 million, a much larger pot than the 20,000 pounds available on the English show.

Those dumped along the way receive Robinson's signature dismissal, along with her ad-libbed wrath.

"How did you do in that round?" Robinson asked a player during one BBC installment.

"Terrible," the chastened competitor admitted.

"That's one question you answered correctly," the host quipped.

So, who is this voice that launched a thousand farewells? A 56-year-old British consumer reporter and London Times columnist whose autocratic TV style and harsh put-downs have captivated Britons. Many have become fans of her style, but some call it rude.

"I'm probably the most direct and certainly very different" from other hosts, says Robinson, adding that any other approach would be "patronizing." But "rude is putting it a bit hard."

During a visit to NBC in March, Robinson wears gray. It's a softer hue than the black ensemble she sports on TV, part of an imperious persona that comes across as Big Sister in NBC promotional commercials.

NBC executives considered Robinson integral to the show's success. She expresses confidence.

"The Weakest Link" is "intelligent, dramatic, absurd, extraordinary, exciting, infuriating," she says. "It's the chance for real smartness to triumph over education."

(It also allows for strategy, as players can vote off smart competitors who pose threats. When a contestant did that, however, the host called him a coward.)

Executive producers Stuart Krasnow and Phil Gurin hope to spice up the U.S. version by picking contestants who might stand up to Robinson.

"Unlike other game shows, we'll be able to cast the show" from applicants who will try out at various locations around the country, Gurin says. Contestants will be of different ages and backgrounds, and will be chosen based on personality, as well as quiz skills. (For information about becoming a contestant, go to nbci.com or call 1-800-416-9191.)

In England, the catch phrase has spread quickly since the show's August debut, with politicians even using it to excoriate Prime Minister Tony Blair, the host says.

Robinson is relaxed and charming during an interview, leaning back and putting her feet up on a couch. She is more cordial than her on-camera self.

(However, her interviewer tempts fate, challenging her to show her no-nonsense side just when his tape recorder stops working. "How dumb do you have to be to not bring a second tape recorder?" she chides.)

Robinson, who is married and has a daughter who lives in New York, eagerly contrasts herself with the contestant-friendly manner of America's game show king, "Millionaire's" Regis Philbin. She might be the anti-Regis, if she bothered trying to get his name right.

She dismisses "Millionaire," too. "That's sort of Boy Scout stuff. We're the Green Berets," she says.