Alfonso Riberio has kept us entertained since age 8. He was the” Tap Dance Kid” on Broadway, played the sidekick to Rick Schroeder on “Silver Spoons” and introduced the Carlton Dance and on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”. Now, he’s hosting game shows like “Your Big Break” and GSN’s “Catch 21”. This time, Alfonso is bringing spelling back to TV with the upcoming ABC Family’s Spell-Mageddon. I had the chance to talk to Mr. Riberio to talk about the Art of S-P-E-L-L-I-N-G.

How did this whole game hosting gig come about for you? 

The producers contacted my management, my agent and to see if I can come in and be interested in reading or doing a screen test for the show. I felt like the idea was really interesting and intriguing to me. Then, ABC Family and the producers decided that I was the right one for it. We started filming literally like 10 days later. It was a quick jump-in but something that seems exciting and fun to do.

What did you do to prepare for the job?

You prepare yourself by listening. You ultimately learn how the game is played, what’s your part is driving the game and moving it along. Overall, you have to think on your feet and be ready for what’s coming up. It’s all about ad-lib. I bring us into the game and take us out of the game. In-between while the game is played, I am just ab-libbing with the contestants. I am rooting for them, laughing with them and laughing at them. I don’t think there is really any preparation for this until you get in there and kind of see what’s it going to be and you just go with your natural instincts.

We see the Spell-bound twist is that our spellers well have to endure some obstacles while spelling like being zapped, being dunked in a vat of ice cold water and squirted with water from the mic. Did you get a chance to try out the obstacles?

You see, I was smart enough to know you don’t have to actually experience something and act like you know what’s going on. That’s the whole acting thing. You’t don’t have to be a killer to play a killer. To be on a game show where they are doing all these things to the contestants, I learn that its better to not do it, but to experience it through their involvement. The only unfortunate thing was in one episode we were shooting these kickballs at contestants and this one kickball had a wonderful curve. It hit me dead in the face. So, I had experience it…not by choice. It almost knocked me out, I was staggered.

I hoped you kept your composure through the experience

Absolutely, absolutely, its a family show.

Do you have a favorite game show growing up? If so, who was your favorite host and what was your favorite show?

My favorite game show was Family Feud as a kid. Richard Dawson was my favorite host growing up because we watched that basically every night. It was the last show I watched before going to bed. I certainly loved him on the show but as a kid, we watched them all. I love Dick Clark, he was hosting Pyramid. This is my second game show and I really enjoyed the role of host in this genre.

I hope that you continue to host game shows for since I saw you on Catch 21, you were a perfect fit to host a game show

I hope that I don’t need a third show, I am hoping that the show Spell-Mageddon continues to go forever.

The new game show, Spell-Mageddon, premieres, this Wednesday, July 24^th, 9/8c only on ABC Family

About The Author

Dean Rogers

Editor-in-Chief/Entertainment Reporter

I knew early on that I wanted to take my place among the stars. One day, my mother saw me reading The Washington Post at a very young age. Who would have known that it would be the building blocks of my journey? Since that day, I dedicated my life to learn all that is learnable. I read everything from encyclopedias, to books, to dictionaries, to magazines. I’m also an avid consumer of television, with my favorite genre being game shows. If you’ve seen me on Who Wants to be a Millionaire or Wheel of Fortune, then you know that this interest has served me well!

My unique style of reporting began back in junior high school, when I started to chronicle the events that shaped my life. Whether it was the annual family vacation or the local science fiction convention, I shot numerous pictures and recorded my thoughts so I could truly appreciate the history. During my senior year at Friendly High, I wrote what was to be my first masterpiece, “Advanced Space Academy – A One Week Journey.” I sent the eleven-page article back to the U.S. Space Camp staff. The article was highly praised for being “one of the best written articles in the history of U.S. Space Camp.” From then on, I knew what I wanted to do for rest of my life — to be a reporter.

Since then, I have trained in Broadcast Journalism at Bowie State University (2008) in Bowie, MD earning a B.S. in Communications. I gained experience in news production and editing through field experiences with Bowie Community Media Corporation, Prince George’s Community Television, and Bowie State University Television. I also wrote scripts for a variety of quiz shows for over five years.

As a lifelong movie buff, I now see close to 100 films every year. I took this love of movies to the next step when I became a co-host for Eclipse Magazine TV in the fall of 2005. While at EMTV, I interviewed celebrities, worked red carpets, and attended a wide variety of movie screenings. In January 2009, I took a leap of faith and started my own entertainment news magazine, The Rogers Revue. Shortly afterward, my life-long journey of studying the silver screen and writing about what I learned finally earned me a place in the Washington Area Film Critics Association.

All of this has led me here, giving you the latest entertainment news for the DMV and the entire nation, and I am truly excited for whatever will come next.

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