Local woman to compete on 'You Bet Your Life'

Feb. 24—HIGH POINT — As a comedian, Khristin Brooks is accustomed to standing in the spotlight to win laughs, but this evening she'll be in the spotlight trying to win money.

The 35-year-old High Point woman will be one of the featured contestants on "You Bet Your Life," a revival of the classic television quiz show originally hosted by Groucho Marx. The revival is hosted by Jay Leno, along with his sidekick, former "Tonight Show" bandleader Kevin Eubanks.

"I did get to speak to Jay Leno on the set, and he was very nice," says Brooks, who performs up and down the East Coast and will be opening for popular comedian Orlando Jones in May. "I told Jay that I hope to perform for him one day, and he said, 'Wow, that's great.' He wished me the best of luck and said, 'I'll look forward to seeing you.' "

Back-to-back episodes of the show will air at 6 and 6:30 p.m. on WMYV (Channel 48), the local ABC affiliate, but it's not clear which episode Brooks will be in.

Brooks applied to be a contestant on the show after seeing a Facebook ad soliciting potential contestants.

"They contacted me to do a preliminary interview with the producer," Brooks says.

"They liked my energy and my personality, and they chose me to be on the show. They flew me out to LA and put me up in a hotel while I was there for filming. They also gave me a per diem (daily payment), and I had some time to do some exploring."

The filming took place last July, before the December fire that burned Leno's face when he was working on one of his vintage cars.

On the show, two randomly paired contestants work together to answer a series of pop culture questions for money.

And how did Brooks and her partner do?

She's not allowed to say, so you'll have to tune in to find out.

jtomlin@hpenews.com — 336-888-3579