Who is the host of Press Your Luck? Game show features popular actress Elizabeth Banks

The game show Press Your Luck was revived for 2019 after originally debuting in the early 1980s. With it comes a similar format for how the game works, but a brand new host. It’s none other than familiar face Elizabeth Banks, who you have probably seen in a number of movies.

Press Your Luck host Elizabeth Banks is a familiar face

Born Elizabeth Irene Mitchell, actress Elizabeth Banks was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts but now resides in Los Angeles. The 45-year-old actress is married to Max Handelman and has been since 2003. The couple has two children together.

Elizabeth Banks was involved with several minor roles earlier in her career. She popped up in episodes of All My Children, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Sex and the City. She also played Lindsay in 2001’s Wet Hot American Summer and Betty Brant in 2002’s Spider-Man. 

Here’s a clip of Banks describing that early role in the movie which also featured Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker/Spider-Man.

Elizabeth Banks also showed up in the smash comedy which introduced Steve Carrell to the masses. Banks was one of Carrell’s romantic interests named Beth in The 40-Year Old Virgin.

Over the years, Banks became more well known as she’d go on to appear as Dr. Kim Briggs on NBC’s comedy series Scrubs and Avery Jessup on 30 Rock. She picked up the role of Effie Trinket in the blockbuster film series The Hunger Games. 

Add the films Magic Mike XXL and Pitch Perfect 2 to her list of film roles too. She talked about those with Ellen DeGeneres several years back.

She also reprised her role as Lindsay in the 2015 revival of Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp. In addition, Elizabeth Banks will star in the upcoming remake of Charlie’s Angels as one of several Bosleys running things. She’s also playing Jill Ruckelshaus in the TV series Mrs. America, which is currently filming. Doesn’t that sound exhausting? Banks clearly loves staying busy with her work!

Banks now hosting Press Your Luck game show

If she didn’t sound busy enough, Elizabeth Banks has added game show host to her resume and current list of work. She’s now handling the host duties for the returning Press Your Luck game show on ABC. She’s posted a few times about the show’s return on her official Instagram account.

As mentioned, the original Press Your Luck game show first arrived back in 1983 and ran for about three years. It had a much different look, feel, and host.

The original host was Peter Tomarken, who hosted the short-lived show Hit Man on NBC before landing the gig. It was on the air right smack in the middle of two other hit game shows, The New $25,000 Pyramid and The Price Is Right.

The Game Show Network revived the show for their GSN in 2002 and it lasted another year there. This time it was hosted by Todd Newton. Now actress Elizabeth Banks has taken over for the ABC revival.

The game show features contestants seeing how much they can win as they “press their luck” and hope to avoid those dreaded “Whammys” scattered around the playing board.

Press Your Luck airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on ABC.