Nate Bargatze to Host ABC Game Show ‘The Greatest Average American’
ABC has picked up a game show from comedian Nate Bargatze that shares a title with one of his stand-up specials. Bargatze will host and executive produce The Greatest Average American, a show that will ask contestants to “guess how everyday Americans think and live” through trivia questions and challenges. It will reward winners with…
ABC has picked up a game show from comedian Nate Bargatze that shares a title with one of his stand-up specials.
Bargatze will host and executive produce The Greatest Average American, a show that will ask contestants to “guess how everyday Americans think and live” through trivia questions and challenges. It will reward winners with a cash prize of $67,920 —the average annual salary in the United States. The show is set to premiere Feb. 25.
The Greatest Average American is also the title of Bargatze’s 2021 Netflix special, where he riffed on doing homework with his daughters, accidentally buying a reversible jacket twice and other topics.
The game show will also fill a hole in ABC’s midseason schedule. When the network announced its premiere dates for the first part of 2026, the 9 p.m. Wednesday spot was empty; The Greatest Average American will follow the premiere of the Scrubs revival on Feb. 25.
Bargatze’s last high-profile TV gig was hosting the Emmys in September, which earned some negative reviews for a running bit that tied the length of winners’ acceptance speeches to a donation to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. He’s the highest-earning touring comedian in the world, however, having sold more than a million tickets to his shows in 2024.
Bargatze and John Quinn (The Price Is Right, Press Your Luck) came up with the concept for The Greatest Average American and will executive produce the series. The show comes from Walt Disney Television Alternative in association with Bargatze’s Nateland Entertainment and Da Da Production.
