Staying Fit
Fitness instructor and TV personality Brooke Burke’s career has taken a magical turn. She’s currently hosting the latest season of the CW series Penn & Teller: Fool Us, where magicians perform tricks and compete to win a guest appearance at Penn & Teller’s Las Vegas show. Burke, 52, shares her secrets to being a good host, her health and wellness priorities, and her bucket list wish.
Is there any chance Penn & Teller will ask you to get in a box so they can saw you in half?
My fingers are crossed, I gotta tell you. We watched that trick come to life this season. If we have another season, the boys are teasing me, threatening me, enticing me that we’re going to do some tricks that have never been done before. The cool thing about our relationship is I’m kind of game for all of that. I like thrilling adventures, and I like to get a little bit uncomfortable and to do some daring things. If we're lucky enough to have another season, which it looks like we will, we’re going to definitely push the envelope and do some dangerous and exciting and hopefully never-before-seen tricks.
What’s the secret to being a good TV host?
Really learning how to be present and learning how to listen has been probably the most powerful tool that I know. There are so many hosts that have an agenda. I love the energy of a live audience; I love the spontaneity — to be on with an audience and to be able to interact. I even love when things go wrong on a live show. That’s real life.
Do you like to host at your home?
I love to host parties. I am always setting the scene and setting the stage for interaction, connecting. I love the holidays. I love family dinners. I love to entertain outside. Malibu [California, where Burke lives] lends an opportunity to do all of that. I actually never connected the dots between home and entertainment [hosting], but I guess they go hand in hand. It’s very visual. I believe in ambience. I believe in energy.
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