Atlantic City teacher teams up with Jimmy Fallon and Jonathan Groff on 'Password' holiday special in exciting game show debut.
Brittany Smith, a dedicated second-grade educator from Atlantic City, traded her chalkboard for the coveted hosting role on NBC's "Password," alongside celebrity guest Jimmy Fallon and Tony-winning actor Jonathan Groff. The unlikely trio will compete for a grand prize of $25,000 in the holiday special episode, which airs Monday night.
Smith, 32, credits her decade-long experience teaching elementary school students with preparing her for the fast-paced wordplay that dominates "Password." "Teaching young kids forces you to constantly think on your feet and communicate clearly," she notes. "Those skill sets definitely came in handy during my time on 'Password.'"
The Jersey Shore native stumbled upon the show while browsing TikTok, where NBC posted a casting call for its holiday special episode. Intrigued by her favorite childhood game, Smith submitted an application, only to be selected from a sea of enthusiastic contestants.
To prepare for the taping, Smith created a makeshift "Password" boot camp in her home, binge-watching past episodes and practicing with her boyfriend using Taboo as inspiration. Stepping into the show's set was nerve-wracking, but the crew helped ease her nerves by cracking jokes between takes.
On-set camaraderie was reported to be warm and welcoming, with Fallon and Groff displaying their own unique strengths on the show. "Jimmy brought a level of familiarity with the game that gave him an edge," Smith explains. Meanwhile, Jonathan Groff's Broadway background lent itself well to the dramatic flair required in some puzzle answers.
When asked about her experience, Smith admits it was overwhelming but exhilarating: "It was like being part of something special... once-in-a-lifetime sort of opportunity." Her co-workers and friends at home will be watching the episode together on Monday night – fueled by coffee and energy drinks. Meanwhile, her students remain oblivious to her star turn, although she's already planning a fun reveal with them when they discover it.
For Smith, this chance appearance is just another milestone in an eclectic journey that includes traveling the world and working on children's books.
Brittany Smith, a dedicated second-grade educator from Atlantic City, traded her chalkboard for the coveted hosting role on NBC's "Password," alongside celebrity guest Jimmy Fallon and Tony-winning actor Jonathan Groff. The unlikely trio will compete for a grand prize of $25,000 in the holiday special episode, which airs Monday night.
Smith, 32, credits her decade-long experience teaching elementary school students with preparing her for the fast-paced wordplay that dominates "Password." "Teaching young kids forces you to constantly think on your feet and communicate clearly," she notes. "Those skill sets definitely came in handy during my time on 'Password.'"
The Jersey Shore native stumbled upon the show while browsing TikTok, where NBC posted a casting call for its holiday special episode. Intrigued by her favorite childhood game, Smith submitted an application, only to be selected from a sea of enthusiastic contestants.
To prepare for the taping, Smith created a makeshift "Password" boot camp in her home, binge-watching past episodes and practicing with her boyfriend using Taboo as inspiration. Stepping into the show's set was nerve-wracking, but the crew helped ease her nerves by cracking jokes between takes.
On-set camaraderie was reported to be warm and welcoming, with Fallon and Groff displaying their own unique strengths on the show. "Jimmy brought a level of familiarity with the game that gave him an edge," Smith explains. Meanwhile, Jonathan Groff's Broadway background lent itself well to the dramatic flair required in some puzzle answers.
When asked about her experience, Smith admits it was overwhelming but exhilarating: "It was like being part of something special... once-in-a-lifetime sort of opportunity." Her co-workers and friends at home will be watching the episode together on Monday night – fueled by coffee and energy drinks. Meanwhile, her students remain oblivious to her star turn, although she's already planning a fun reveal with them when they discover it.
For Smith, this chance appearance is just another milestone in an eclectic journey that includes traveling the world and working on children's books.
! It's like, you don't always think about your teaching experience translating to game shows, but it totally makes sense when you think about it - being able to think on your feet and communicate clearly are super valuable skills in both the classroom and on a show like Password. And can we talk about how cool is it that she got to team up with Jimmy Fallon and Jonathan Groff? It's like they're all just having so much fun together, which makes for a really entertaining show. I'm also loving how down-to-earth Brittany seems - I mean, she's still super nervous but she's handling it in the best way possible. And isn't it awesome that her students have no idea what's going on? She's totally earned some serious cool points with them after this! 
that have like, interactive art and stuff on them. I mean, can you imagine walking along this beach and suddenly your feet are like, "Hey, we're part of a bigger work of art!" 
It's so trippy. And what really got me was they used recycled materials in the construction process, which is just wild to think about. Like, how something that's literally trash can become something beautiful again? 
The fact that she was able to tap into her teaching skills and bring them to the game show is just amazing 
. And can we talk about how cool it is that she's a Jersey Shore native? 
It's like, her hometown pride is shining through on this awesome holiday special episode 
! Anyway, I'm definitely gonna tune in on Monday night with a cuppa joe and some comfy vibes 
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Brittany Smith sounds like an absolute rockstar, all those years of teaching has definitely given her some serious people skills 
it's so cool that she's been able to tap into that skillset and crush it on the show 
her boot camp sessions must've been a blast binge-watching past episodes and practicing with her boyfriend 
teaching 2nd graders is all about thinking fast, so i'm not surprised she killed it on the show