Anthony Michael Hall’s greatest lesson from Nation’s Dumbest may just be never to judge the fun of reality TV.
“It’s so funny because this is the karma for me talking so much smack about reality shows because my wife is all about it,” Anthony, 58, exclusively shared with Us before he was eliminated from the Wednesday, September 9, episode of Fox’s hit summer series. “Love Is Blind, Love on the Spectrum. When you get married, you got to have at least two TVs. Now I’m on one all summer.”
While competing on Nation’s Dumbest, the National Lampoon’s Vacation actor appeared in a “Family Teacher Conference” episode where family members come to witness their loved ones’ intellectual demise.
Anthony knew he had to call on his wife, Lucia Hall, because of her love for all things reality TV. Anthony and Lucia, 35, have been married since November 2020 and welcomed their first child together in June 2023.
“I had to pull her in, so she’s like, ‘Oh my god!’” he recalled about his wife’s reaction to the show. “And then my mother was watching our son, and we really had a lot of fun. And she really did save my butt a couple times.”
While competing on Nation’s Dumbest, Anthony had the pleasure of filming with a variety of reality TV pros, including JoJo Siwa and former Dancing With the Stars contestant Hilaria Baldwin.
When asked if he would consider doing more reality TV in the future, Anthony said he would “never say never.”
“Right after this, I did get a call from Fox. ‘Come to Dublin to do an episode of Name That Tune,’” he shared. “I was busy on a project. I couldn’t do it, but I was very happy they invited me. Never say never. Don’t judge a book by its cover. Don’t assume you know somebody.”
Anthony continued, “The chemistry between everybody was cool. … Everybody was really supportive, and I have to say, shout out to BBC and Fox. They produced it so well. There was a point where I was doing the show, and I’m going, ‘This show’s going to be a hit.’”
Although Anthony wasn’t the last man standing in the game show where the goal is to avoid being the worst in class, he remains grateful for the experience — even if “my dumb ass failed every logic test for 12 weeks.”
“These people were fun,” he said. “I had a great time with it. It was a trip to be there.”
Nation’s Dumbest airs on Fox Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET.
