ABC Confirms New Game Show Hosted by Nate Bargatze

Nate Bargatze can officially add game show host to his resume.

Deadline reports that the stand-up comedian will be hosting The Greatest Average American for ABC.

News comes just days after the first episodes were taped at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium. The series, which has the same title as one of Bargatze’s stand-up specials, is set to premiere on Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 9 p.m. ET. It “celebrates the power of being perfectly average.” Each round of The Greatest Average American is “packed with laugh-out-loud challenges and trivia as contestants try to guess how everyday Americans think and live. In the end, one lucky 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.”
(Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)
Produced by Walt Disney Television Alternative in association with Nateland and Da Da Production, The Greatest Average American was created by executive producers Bargatze and John Quinn. The series is the latest project under Bargatze’s Nateland Entertainment media company. He is also set to star in his first feature film, The Breadwinner, which he co-wrote with Dan Lagana. It’s set to release in March.

The Greatest Average American joins the game show lineup on ABC that also includes The $100,000 Pyramid, Celebrity Family Feud, Celebrity Jeopardy!, Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy! Masters, Match Game, Press Your Luck, and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. This will be Bargatze’s first time hosting a game show, but he’s previously hosted two episodes of Saturday Night Live and, most recently, the 77^th Emmy Awards in September.
Pictured: Nate Bargatze Photo: Jon Morgan/CBS
In addition to the game show, Nate Bargatze is preparing to head back out on the road for his Big Dumb Eyes World Tour in January, with dates across the U.S. and Canada through August. He also hosts The Nateland Podcast with Brian Bates, Aaron Weber, and Dusty Slay.

ABC announced its midseason 2026 schedule in October. The Greatest Average American will be in pretty good company, as the show will be premiering immediately following the much-anticipated Scrubs revival, which premieres on Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 8 p.m. ET with two episodes. As of now, it’s unknown what the game show’s episode order is, but there will certainly be a lot to look forward to when it premieres in February.