If you are a dedicated video game player, you are probably already well acquainted with Kristin Holt. She is the hostess of the hottest video gaming show on television ?Cheat!? If video games aren?t your thing, then maybe you remember Kristin Holt from American Idol seasons one and two. She was the Dallas Cheerleader who made it to the top thirty finalists.Kristin Holt first appeared on American Idol Season 1 as the unforgettably bubbly girl that slipped in front of judges Paula, Simon and Randy and crashed into the table while attempting to give them a hug. This moment will forever be remembered in reality television history. Lately, the former reality star, former Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader and Stuff model has been holding her own in the television and new media world. Currently, Kristin is the host of a popular television show on G4TV called ?Cheat? where she dishes advice to gamers on how to beat their favorite video games. She also has her own channel on V-Cast where she is an entertainment correspondent who interviews featured celebrities.
Still don?t watch a lot of television? You might have also seen Kristin Holt on your cell phone and even on your last cross country trip. This busy girl really is everywhere, so we were thrilled when we had a chance to catch up with her.
Hey Kristin!
Hey!
You have so much going on right now, tell us a bit about your day to day.
Well I?m not a big morning person so I usually sleep in if I can until at least 9 or 9:30. Then I hit the gym, you know, try to stay in shape and what not. If I?m shooting that day I go to the set, get made up and shoot a couple of shows. For night time, I?m really a homebody. I?m not into going out and partying all the time so if I?m not working I?m at home watching Netflix and grilling stuff on my patio.
Tell us about your show on G4TV, ?Cheat!? It?s become really popular with a lot of guys we know, how did you get picked as the host?
I?ve been lucky enough to be with G4TV for about two years now. I hook up all the gamers out there with cheat codes to their favorite video games. It was one of those auditions that I went on and I honestly wasn?t too familiar with the network at the time, but when I came onboard I was quickly submersed into world of gaming, and adapted quickly. I love the show, the network, and all the gamers I?ve met It?s a fun show to be a part of right now since it?s the fastest growing cable network in America. So many people are out there are?liking it, so that?s been really good.
Is it weird being a girl in the world of gaming?
You know ten years ago I think it would have been weird being a girl in the world of gaming, but now the gamer fan base has expanded so much, chicks are really into games now. Every time I go to gaming conventions, or any of these gaming type venues I am amazed at how many girls are into it. It?s not weird at all I love it.
Do you consider yourself a gamer girl?
I have to admit I am a lot more into it now that when I first started hosting two years ago. You kind of have to be (gaming is) like speaking another language when you are talking about cheat codes. It?s not very fun to talk about a game if you don?t know about it. So if I know we are doing a show on the game ?Call of Duty? or ?Halo 2? I usually play the game and get to know it before talking about it.
We also heard that you?re the in flight video girl for American Airlines flights. How did that happen?
They actually saw me on another show that I host on Verizon Phones called ?V-cast?. The casting director for the American Airlines gig watched me on her cell phone and thought I would be perfect for American so she brought me in. It was the easiest fastest audition. The next week I was in Seattle shooting the first round of stuff for that. It?s been one of the best gigs I?ve ever done, I go to Seattle a few times a year, work with amazing people and the show I host for American is about a video game called ?Scene it?, so once again I am submersed into the gaming world.
So you?re kind of like the video game guru now?
Exactly!(Laughing) Well I didn?t move to Los Angeles wanting to be the queen of all things gaming, but I?ll take the title if that?s what is happening. You know?
You certainly have become well known for your work in the video game industry. So, I think it?s fair to call you a video game queen. Looking back, when you first auditioned for American Idol did you think that you would actually one of the very few former contestants to have a successful career in Hollywood?
Absolutely not, when it was the first season of American Idol I didn?t even really know what American Idol was when I auditioned for it. I was in college at the time getting my bachelors degree in Political Science and Spanish, and all of a sudden my friends were like ?Hey, you should go audition for this show.? I took my books with me and was studying in line and I kept making it to the next round, next thing I knew I was flying to LA.
What was it like working with the judges?
You know, Simon wasn?t ?Simon? at the time, he was just like this mean British guy and we didn?t know who he was. I was just so hyped about Paula Abdul being a judge. I grew up listening to her so it was whirl-wind for me throughout that whole show.
What did you think would happen to you after you were voted off of American Idol?
From then I just expected to go back to school and you know live my life on campus as I was doing before the show. Then, I got the job as a correspondent for the second season. So before I knew it I was moving out to LA and starting my career as a television host, which I absolutely love and is my passion. It?s definitely a lot more fun than studying political science. It?s hard to believe that I have been working non-stop since American Idol, I?ve been very fortunate.
Do you have any goals within the entertainment industry, or even personal ones that you would like to accomplish?
Well, like any girl that loves music, movies, and things like that I definitely have a secret desire to be a pop star. Also I went through this phase where I wanted to be Barbara Walters and you know interview the most interesting people in the world. I just thought that would be the raddest stuff ever, but it just never seemed right. Not that I don?t go for my dreams or encourage others to do so, but you know, you kind of play it safe, like it?s all cool and great but I thought I need to get my degree and have something to fall back on and so I ended up doing that. But this is far more fun than I ever thought it would be. I do feel I am living out those childhood dreams that I had. I didn?t realize there were so many jobs in the entertainment industry. I never thought I would host a gaming show or be on in flight entertainment, or have my own shows on cell phones. I mean those didn?t even exist when I was little. It?s fun to be part of the entertainment world right now because it is changing so much.
