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Joel McHale stole the college football spotlight this Saturday morning as the celebrity guest picker on College GameDay. The Seattle native and renowned actor and comedian arrived in purple and gold body paint, demonstrating unwavering support for his alma mater alongside Pat McAfee, Kirk Herbstreet, Lee Corso, and Rece Davis. This electrifying moment set the stage for Washington’s nail-biting 36-33 victory against their arch rivals, the University of Oregon Ducks.
You likely recognize McHale from his notable roles in NBC’s Community, the Mortal Kombat movie, FOX’s Animal Control, and his 11-year run as the quick-witted host of TalkSoup. During his time at the University of Washington, he ventured into acting, honing his skills through a sketch comedy show aired on KING-TV in Seattle and participation in an improv group.
What you might not know is that McHale, standing tall at 6’3″, had a taste of D1 college football himself. In 1992, encouraged by his Theta Chi fraternity brothers, he became a tight end for the UW football team, earning a spot as a walk-on player, even though he never saw the field during Don James’ tenure.
Nevertheless, McHale had the unique opportunity to travel with the team to the 1993 Rose Bowl, where the Huskies faced the University of Michigan under Gary Moeller’s leadership. Interestingly, this game marked Don James’ final appearance as the Huskies’ head coach. He stepped down due to NCAA sanctions against the program the following season.
Even though McHale may have been more of a sideline supporter than a star player, football still holds a special place in his heart. McHale is taking on a new role as a judge in the Dos Equis® CFB Tailgate Throwdown, the beer brand’s search for the ultimate tailgating expert. Dos Equis, an official beer sponsor of the College Football Playoffs, is on a quest to discover a genuine tailgating pro, someone who regards college football Saturdays as a sacred ritual, where the sizzle of grilled brats and the aroma of barbecue hold as special a place as their school does in both their heart and stomach.
Now the ultimate tailgate is in America’s hands. Starting today through October 25th, college football fans across the country can review the tapes on Dos Equis® website , learn more about the finalists and their epic tailgate ideas, and vote to decide which is worthy of being brought to life this November.
In his third-ever interview appearance on BroBible (previously here and here), I talked to Joel McHale about his search for the ultimate tailgate spread and putting on all that body paint at his parents’ house in Seattle for College GameDay.
Appropriately enough, McHale was still finding dried speckles of body paint in unspeakable places two days later…
Joel McHale on his College GameDay Body Paint Extravaganza
BroBible: Joel, that body paint on College GameDay was amazing. How long did it take to apply it with such attention to detail?
Joel McHale: Well, it started pretty early. I was on the West Coast in Seattle, and as you probably know, GameDay starts pretty early. I had to be there by 7:00 AM, but at 5:15, I was at my parents’ house. I grew up in Seattle, so it made sense to start there. My wife and my two kids were also there.
“I got up, and here’s the fun part: I applied the body paint. First, I ran a piece of packing tape down my face and my chest. I was sitting in the back of the house, and it’s not a huge place. So, I covered one side of my face, and that’s when my wife woke up and was like, “What the hell is happening?”
I calmly assured her, “Don’t worry, it’s gonna be great.” So, I continued painting the front, making sure everything was perfect.
Then, I got into a car, and the guy driving was like, “Oh, hey, it’s the lunatic. How are you doing?” And I replied, “I’m well, thank you. Go Huskies!”
It didn’t end there. A very nice lady from Wisconsin, who travels with GameDay, approached me and said, “I could put a ‘W’ on your back.” I thought, “This would be great.”
So, all in all, it took about 90 minutes to complete the body paint transformation. I felt like Martin Sheen in Apocalypse Now.
It’s amazing. What did your kids say when they saw you?
Well, they hardly reacted. You see, they’re so accustomed to the crazy things I do that they’d be more surprised if I just woke up, made myself a cup of tea, and read the paper or something normal like that. They had a good laugh at my expense, especially my older one. He warned me not to get anything of his dirty, saying, “If you get anything of mine dirty, I will be pissed.” I reassured him, saying, “I understand.”
As for the aftermath, the bed that night and the following night, well, the purple paint had turned into a weird maroon red. It made it look like I was slowly bleeding out while I was sleeping. It was quite the sight.
And all this happened at your parents’ house?!
Yes, indeed. This is at my parent’s house, who also are so not surprised by these kinds of things. They’re the kind of folks who are entirely unphased by my antics. My mom even commented, “Well, the paint looks pretty good.” When I asked about me screaming and yelling, she simply replied, “Yeah, that was fine.”
Someone just handed me their dog too.
I saw
It was a cute dog named Kai, and the owner casually walked past us. Kai was super cool, and I couldn’t believe it. I mean, I was having so much fun, and I couldn’t believe I was there witnessing all this.
Joel McHale on Washington’s big win against Oregon
Also, you played a part in setting the stage for an amazing win against Washington’s biggest rival.
Absolutely, that win was something special. I felt like I was witnessing something extraordinary. Thank goodness we won! Oh my gosh, if we had lost, it would’ve been tough. I had predicted Oregon was going to lose 14 times, I think. So when it came down to just kicks, it was nerve-wracking. It’s like what happened with the 49ers yesterday. When it all comes down to kicks, it’s thrilling when it works, but if it doesn’t, well, the celebration at Huskies Stadium was so intense.
After the game, we headed to the elevators because all the students were on the field. So my son and I took an elevator down to get to the parking area. Inside the elevator, there was a Huskies player in full gear. I couldn’t resist saying, “Hey man, great job!” [laughter] He responded, “Thanks. I’m just trying to get to the locker room. It’s a little busy.” I told him, “You’re very resourceful, and that’s why you guys won.”
How amazing is Washington’s head coach Kalen DeBoer? Like, what he has done with the program?
It’s quite impressive, really. Maintaining a consistently strong college team is challenging because players come and go every four or five years, including redshirts and transfers. But he has managed to bring our receiver core together, and our defense performed admirably against a formidable Ducks offense.
Now, I have to admit, as much as I love to hate the Ducks, they’re always very competitive. That’s one reason why the rivalry is so intense.
I remember sitting in the stands with my 15-year-old, and I mentioned that our defense needed to show up. He responded, “No college team has a decent defense.” [laughter] It was a surprising comment, and I told him, “Well, I don’t necessarily think that’s true, but I understand what you mean, especially in a high-flying, high-scoring game like this.”
The energy in the stadium that day was incredible, enough to power New York City for a week and a half. I’ll never forget it. And on top of that, I had the privilege of poking fun at Kirk Herbstreit. I apologize, Kirk, for butchering your last name. He’s such a serious guy, but he knows his stuff inside out. I thought, “Why not make fun of him? He’s such a good sport.”
Indeed. And let’s not forget, you were the only person on GameDay to pick Iowa when you were knighted with the guest picking.
Yeah, that’s right.
And you were the only one to be correct!!! So, what else do you know?!
Well, you know, I do a lot of scouting, and every weekend, I’m talking to recruits. It’s funny because I asked my friend from Iowa, perhaps not the best person to ask, his name’s Dean. I said, “Do you think they’re going to win?” He confidently replied, “They’re going to win.” I questioned him, “Just because you went to school there?” He was quick to clarify, “No, because they have what it takes.” So, there you have it.
As for the celebrity picker list, I know that Dwayne Johnson is probably number one, I think. I’m not sure where I went wrong or if I got two wrong, but we might need to dig into those stats to be sure. I know that Ken Jeong went like five and six… [laughter]
Joel McHale on judging the Dos Equis college football Tailgate Throwdown
Which brings you an excellent segue to what you’re doing with Dos Equis!
Well, it’s kind of like a collaboration between me and Chef Chop Chappy. Oh, by the way, I mistakenly kept calling him Chef Choppy to his face, but it’s Chef Hoppie. The name “Hoppie” originated when he played college football and hurt his ankle; he started hopping around. His coach decided to call him “Hoppy” forever, and it stuck.
Then there’s Martin Ingram II, who’s been one of the standout football players of the last 20 years. They’re both incredibly nice guys. Together, we were part of a competition to envision the ultimate dream tailgate party. We served as the judges, and as you probably know, I’m sure you’ve tailgated before.
Many times.
It’s a uniquely American tradition, closely associated with college football and college sports. There’s nothing quite like it in America or anywhere else on the planet. While professional sports involve large crowds, the tailgate culture and unwavering loyalty to your school, or even if you didn’t attend, make it truly special.
When I was younger, I didn’t tailgate before games because I was on the field, and that would have been irresponsible. Plus, it involves consuming a lot of bratwurst. However, we encouraged people to come up with their own versions of the perfect tailgate party and impress us with their ideas. We had a great time, exchanged friendly banter, and they had some fantastic ideas. Dos Equis approached us with this fun opportunity, and in a world where not everything is fun, you’ve got to have these moments of celebration and joy. It was an absolute blast.
Joel McHale on Warren Moon
Awesome, now for one final question related to tailgating. If you could have any football player, whether a legend from the past or a present-day star, on Crime Scene Kitchen for a tailgating-focused episode, who would it be, and what would you be making?
Vince Lombardi.
[laughter]
Vince Lombardi, a big tailgater indeed.
Can we bring people back to life? Can we contact them?
Yes, we’re resurrecting people in this hypothetical scenario.
Knute Rockne. Or, if I’m hosting a tailgate party in Seattle, I’d have to say Don James, if he could come back.
Don James, a great choice.
Yeah, I mean, I would be loyal to my school. But wouldn’t it be amusing if I brought out Messi just for the wow factor?
Messi, the soccer legend!
Yeah, he doesn’t even like American football. Or maybe Ronaldo. But I’d also say Warren Moon. He’s a tremendous guy, and he brought us a Rose Bowl victory when we weren’t expected to do well. So, I’d love to have him on. In fact, I could probably make that happen. Let’s get Dos Equis involved. This is my dream. Max, I know you’re a big UCLA fan, but I hope you’ll win too. So, yeah, I’d say Warren Moon. Thank goodness for Curtis Stone and Yolanda Gamp, who know more about baking intricacies than me. I’m just there to taste and meet them. When they start talking about fondant and sugar, I’m just busy stuffing my face. “Seems good to me,” I’d say. So, Warren Moon it is. I actually ran into him at the Major League Baseball All-Star break recently. He’s always a really nice guy.
Joel McHale on legendary University Of Washington head coach Don James
He’s a total legend. Just one quick last question.
Of course.
You mentioned Don James, Joel, and I’ve always been curious. Many people have asked you about your own college football career at Washington, being a tight end, and all that. Did you ever have many conversations with Don James in the years after you left the team?
Not really. He was a man of very few words. He wasn’t the type to be overly extroverted or rah-rah. His quiet leadership was like standing on an aircraft carrier, where you could always feel the underlying strength. I did run into him a few years later and said, “Hey, coach.” He looked at me and said, “Oh yeah, I remember you.” I wasn’t a standout tight end like Mark Bruener, Ernie Conwell, or Aaron Pearson. I was more like a mascot, carrying water for those guys. So, I just greeted him with, “Good to see you, coach,” and he replied, “Alright, good to see you.” And that was that.
That’s amazing. He’s truly a legend. Thank you so much for your time, Joel. I really appreciate it. Best of luck.
Thank you, Brandon. Great to talk to you. Dos Equis!