Howie Mandel Reveals Why 'Best Guess Live' Is a Game Show You Can't Beat with AI (Exclusive)

After being a TV star for years, Howie Mandel is now hosting Netflix's Best Guess Live, a live game show that users can play at home and win real money. During an exclusive Men's Journal interview, Mandel shared what he loves about hosting the game and explained why players can't use AI to beat it. He also discussed several other aspects of the show, including his co-host, Hunter March.

Why Howie Mandel Loves Hosting 'Best Guess Live'

Men's Journal: What attracted you to Best Guess Live?

Howie Mandel: I love games. I love going live. I love riddles. And not to compare because I think this is even better. But I've played HQ all the time. I was amazed by the fact that you don't have to go out and get an audience. Everybody is carrying the show in their pocket or on their desk. You can have an audience right there. You can take 15 minutes of your time and just try to guess. Give your best guess, compete, have fun, smile, and disappear from real life for a minute. And win.

I just did an episode last week. In the course of the 17 minutes, we had over 5,000 winners. A single person has won up to $200,000, and other people have won lesser amounts. But 5,000 winners in 17 minutes. Where else can you do that? Sometimes we give things away just for playing, including coupons, gifts, and Netflix monthly payments. And it's just fun. I'm always attracted to fun. There's no downside to wanting to be a part of it.

Men's Journal: I loved HQ when it was still around. So I'm glad that somebody's picked up the baton, even though it's obviously not the same thing, but a similar idea.

Howie Mandel: HQ is not doable anymore because of AI. This is a real game where you can't use AI. It's fun. It's really about guessing. You really can't use ChatGPT to put it in. There's a clock. I love that kind of tension. I love that kind of competition. You know, I have ADHD. I love that I can go have fun and play, and then go do whatever I have to do. I'm not going to miss work. I'm not going to miss dinner.

The other thing about the game is that it can be a group effort. I get videos that people send me where they're in a bar somewhere, and it's like, "Okay, everybody, gather around. We've got 20 seconds on it. Let's do it." It's fun that it can be social. You can do it alone. There are no rules about the specific way to play. But the keyword is play. You can just play. Who doesn't want to take a moment and play?

Today, I'm sitting here and talking to you, and I'm doing press, and I'm doing whatever I'm doing. But then, even as a host of it, it is such a joy. It's such a kind of a mindless party where it's just a happy place. I love that. It's a good breath of fresh air at the end of a day. A lot of people have tough days, and it's a great escape.

Men's Journal: How would you compare hosting Best Guess Live to hosting Deal or No Deal?

Howie Mandel: It's the easiest thing in the world. You know, it's the easiest. You're getting five clues with 20 seconds on each clue. The joy and the beauty of what they've set up here is that I can actually see people's answers. I see how many people are playing. I see that maybe it's someone's first time joining. I like engaging an audience. So, even if the person is not standing in front of me, their digital presence is very apparent to me. I see your name. I see your guesses. I can make fun of your guesses. I can still make the tension that I created on Deal or No Deal by saying things like, "I know you got it right, Bob 101. Are you the first one to get it right? We're going to do it." I can still play with people like I do on Deal or No Deal, but it's faster. There's more. I'm not dealing with one contestant. At any given time up to, I'm dealing with 80,000 contestants live.

Men's Journal: That must be thrilling to have so many people watching you and have the control of the game they're playing in your hand like that.

Howie Mandel: It's thrilling. It's exciting. It's fun. It feels like the shortest little surprise party of the day.

Men's Journal: Have there been any answers from people playing that you've seen that really stuck with you because they were funny or entertaining?

Howie Mandel: More than the answers being funny and entertaining. The fun for me is the riddles and the clues, because sometimes I'll give a clue that seems to be so out of left field. Going into it, obviously, I know what the answer is. But when you read the clues and then reveal them and see the reactions. People have shared those reactions with me.

It's amazing when I do a read-through, and they show me what the clues are going to be because there may be something incredibly obscure in there. But then you go, "Oh my God, it's an, Oh, I get it. I would have never thought of it that way." That's the fun. The twist of the riddle and thinking of it in kind of an obtuse way and then it makes so much sense. I think that even the people who are producing it are having fun coming up with the clues.

Men's Journal: Do you have any input on any of the clues?

Howie Mandel: I don't because I get there late in the day. I'll show up like a half hour before, so they have to go over everything and brief me on what the clues are.

I'll give you something somewhat surprising to me is the security involved. It's not completely surprising because I come from Deal or No Deal. People always said about that show, "Did you know what was in the case?" I never knew what was in the case. When it comes to game shows, it's like working at a bank. For Deal or No Deal, if on the way to the stage, a girl tripped and fell, and a case latch opened, they had to go away and completely reorganize.

I'm sure there are people in a room right now, as I speak to you, mulling over all the clues and the answers for tonight. Once it is locked in, nobody's allowed near the clues and answers. There is security even outside the building that I walk into. There is security that makes sure the screens are totally draped as I walk onto the set. It is like Fort Knox. They are very strict. The level of security has been an incredible surprise to me.

Men's Journal: I always find it funny when people think game shows or reality shows are rigged. But, after the quiz show scandal during the 1950s, I know they take these things very seriously.

Howie Mandel: Really seriously! You know, you hear people using that word, and I'm here to tell you, "No, this is real." They take it really seriously.

I'm talking to you at 11 o'clock in the morning. The game is at five o'clock on this coast. I would imagine that right now they're mulling over what the clues are. I don't know how long before the show the questions are locking in. You'd have to talk to somebody who's more involved with the technology to know for sure. But, I think the questions are fully locked in pretty close to showtime.

Men's Journal: Do you ever want to play along when Hunter March is the one who is hosting Best Guess Live?

Howie Mandel: I do! I'm not allowed to win. But I do play. I love the show. I told you, I loved HQ. I love Best Guess Live. So I try to play. I have probably only missed maybe five of the games that Hunter has hosted. I know the game, but I love playing it. I love riddles. I love clues. I love the challenge. I can't win anything. I'm not allowed to. But I still feel like a winner because I won the opportunity to be a small part of this game. For me, the challenge is, "Can I get it? Can I guess it? And how fast can I guess it?"

Men's Journal: How do you like being one of Best Guess Live's two hosts?

Howie Mandel: I love it. I think it's a real joy. My buddy, who is a good friend and producer extraordinaire, Jeff Apploff, is at the helm. He's the guy behind Shazam with Jamie Foxx, Don't Forget the Lyrics, and many, many other titles that people have seen on network TV for years and years. I've been dying to work with him. He runs an incredibly tight ship. I think Netflix did great for themselves by tying up Jeff and letting him do this. So, when he called me and said, "Hey. Do you want to do this?" I went, "Absolutely."

Men's Journal: How would you compare Hunter to the other people that you've worked with on shows like America's Got Talent?

Howie Mandel: Hunter is so personable and just well-suited to be a host. Anybody who's good at hosting a game has to love games, like I do. I think Hunter is a game lover. He's also incredibly likable. Listen, you don't have to spend too much time with us. But you want to spend some time with Hunter. Everybody can spend some time with Hunter for 15 minutes every weekday, just by downloading the app.

Men's Journal: For somebody who hasn't seen Best Guess Live, how would you sell it to them?

Howie Mandel: If you like a challenge, you want to have fun, you want to do a game, you like riddles and clues, and you have 15 minutes in your day, play Best Guess Live. Anybody can play, no matter where they are and no matter who they're with. Everybody has access to this game. It's unlike a TV show. If you don't have access to a TV or you're not in the studio where the game takes place, everybody can still play. It's on your phone. It's on your mobile device. Wherever you are, if you're sitting in your car, you can play. I will give you five clues and put 20 seconds on the clock after each clue. All you have to do is give your best guess, and you know what? If you don't get it, it's still fun to try. But, if you do get it, we give you stuff. Sometimes you can get stuff just for trying, even if you don't win. There are days that we give everybody who played a gift just for playing. You never know what's up that day until you, you know, log on. And it's great.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 14, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published May 14, 2026 at 9:08 AM.