For those who argue that "Weakest Link" is inseparable from its British sourpuss host, Anne Robinson, George Gray must disagree. The Emmy-nominated host of TLC's "Junkyard Wars" is taking over the syndicated version of the popular game show, and to hear him tell it, his version may just be an improvement on perfection.
"The syndicated version needs to be more accessible," he said, "because you're in everybody's home � every day."
Although literally hundreds of names were bandied about to host to syndicated version of the NBC game show, including original "Survivor" winner Richard Hatch, Gray landed the job thanks to his special brand of je ne sais quoi.
"He just absolutely nailed it," said Linda Finnell, the executive in charge of production on the series.
Since production started in early November, Gray has wrapped 60 episodes � that's four per day. While the work is long, and surely at times grueling, he's not complaining.
As to how he got over the Ms. Robinson factor, Gray says that one of the nice things about the show's producers is that they made no attempt to make him act like the prime-time version's host.
"I come from the world of comedy � stand-up, sketch and improv. So my natural gut reaction is to go for the funny," he explained.
Instead of using Robinson's approach, which has been described as biting and, occasionally, nasty, Gray's funny smile puts viewers in an odd sense of ease. However, get a question wrong and he's right there to point out how stupid you are.
The syndicated version of "Link" debuted Monday on local stations.
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