Introducing a new Press Your Luck – and a new host

Press Your Luck has returned to the air in a new revival series and has welcomed Elizabeth Banks as the show’s new host.

The revived Press Your Luck may be fast becoming one of ABC’s most popular new unscripted shows, but this is not the first iteration of this high-stakes game show.

The very first version of Press Your Luck started airing on CBS all the way back in 1983 – and, the show’s first revival happened a few years later in 2002 under the name “Whammy! The All-New Press Your Luck.”

Press Your Luck’s new host

Every new version of Press Your Luck which has reached the air has brought with it a brand new host.

First it was Peter Tomarken, who hosted the game show for three seasons during its original run, and thereafter it was Todd Newton, who only lasted a year with the first Press Your Luck revival.

Fortunately, it seems like the third time is the charm when it comes to the Press Your Luck revivals, as the all-new 2019 revival has already blown both of the previous iterations of the show out of the water.

This most recent version of Press Your Luck (which peaked at 4.2 million viewers in 2022 and is still maintaining an average of over 2 million viewers per episode, to this day) is hosted by the actress and comedian, Elizabeth Banks.

Banks has already won over game show audiences all around the country with her natural charm and incredibly quick wit.

Everything new about the Press Your Luck revival

Elizabeth Banks being the first women to host Press Your Luck through the course of its now-decade on the air is not the only thing that has made the revival feel brand new and fresh.

This revival has also outlasted both previous iterations of the show, has found its home on a brand new network, and even features a few other new behind-the-scenes faces, as follows:

Elizabeth Banks’s impressive resume

Before Banks was chosen as the host that would lead Press Your Luck into its new era, she was best known for her work as a comedic actress.

Banks got her big break in the independent film, Surrender Dorothy back in 1998, but has now starred in hundreds of other television shows and films through the years, and has even become a celebrated writer, director and producer over the course of her career.

This includes several notable television roles in shows like Mrs. America (2020), Random Acts (2019), Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp (2015) – as well as shows like The Boys (2022), Curb Your Enthusiasm (2017) and even Saturday Night Live (2015) – in which she played herself.

Banks has also starred in films like The Beanie Bubble (2023), Charlie’s Angels (2019) and the Pitch Perfect franchise.

Other projects

When Banks is not filming for new episodes of Press Your Luck (or any of her many other television and film projects) she usually takes to social media to share news about all of her other projects.

Outside of the world of television and film, Banks is the co-owner of a wine and spirit company called Archer Roose Wines.

She also makes the occasional appearance on a podcast (this includes Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy, and Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, Will Arnett’s SmartLess) and is an avid supporter of various charitable causes.

Will Elizabeth Banks return as the host of Press Your Luck season 6?

The Press Your Luck revival has now officially been on the air for longer than both of its previous versions combined. And the show continues to be one of the most popular unscripted shows in ABC’s lineup to this day.

So, while Press Your Luck is still finishing up its fifth season (as of January 2024) and the network has not yet confirmed whether it will be returning for another season – there is little doubt that Press Your Luck will return for a sixth season by the end of the year.

And although nothing is official yet, it also does not seem likely that Banks will decide to throw in the towel after so many successful years.

At this point, it is highly likely that you can look forward to seeing Banks, the Big Board and even a few Whammys, in a new Press Your Luck season very soon.