Tiffani Thiessen Dishes on Her New ‘Deliciousness’ Hosting Gig on MTV

What do you get when you combine a collection of viral videos involving food, a collection of funny foodies and a beloved television staple? The recipe for Deliciousness, the upcoming spinoff of MTV’s Ridiculousness. 

Tiffani Thiessen, fresh off her Saved by the Bell reunion on Peacock, hosts the festive clip series. She is joined by panelists Angela Kinsey (The Office),  Kel Mitchell (All That, Kenan & Kel) and Tim Chantarangsu (Basic to Bougie). Thiessen certainly has the credentials for the job, as she’s written a cookbook and hosted Dinner at Tiffani’s on the Cooking Channel for three seasons. 

Here she chats about how Deliciousness will feed your appetite for holiday laughs. Plus, we make room to talk about the experience of bringing Kelly Kapowski back to Bayside.  

How did Deliciousness end up on your plate?

Tiffani Thiessen: I was actually doing Alexa & Katie when I got a call asking to meet with MTV. They were looking to do a food-related spinoff of their big show Ridiculousness. My husband loves that show and watches it religiously. Knowing food is a big part of my life, they asked me to host it. We have had so much fun making it. We started with two episodes, and from what I was told, it tested so well they wanted to turn around an entire season they could premiere for the holidays, which is perfect to do right now with everyone at home. 

When was filming?

We just finished around two weeks ago. They have been banging out the editing like crazy. I shot the first two episodes in August, early September. I was actually just finishing my couple of episodes of Saved By the Bell and went into this. They turned it around and picked it up for the full season. 

Tiffani Thiessen

How is filming under these unique circumstances?

It has been different. Not so much for Deliciousness because it’s not an acting show where you have to be super close with other actors. It’s much more separated. That one felt more normal than anything. My first show back during the pandemic was Saved by the Bell. It was odd at first. At the same time, it was really great to go back to work. There was definitely some anxiety going in. Saved by the Bell was really one of the first shows back. A lot of eyes were on our production to see how we did it. Knock on wood, not one person got sick. We were tested everyday with all the strict protocols. 

What fed your love of viral videos?

I remember when I first started dating my husband we made it a thing to sit down on the couch and watch America’s Funniest Home Videos. I think this year out of all years we want the ease of watching something and not having to overthink it…It’s nice to have something to take your mind off the to-do list you constantly have. Monday I’m going to put the kids to bed and snuggle with my husband on the couch and giggle.

There is a fun dynamic between you and the panelists. Did you enjoy working with them?

If you are a fan of The Office, you will love Angela. She has a food element in her life. Her husband is a big chef and baker. They have a cute YouTube show that has become popular. Everyone knows Kel. Really funny guy, also in the food world. Tim Chantarangsu was new to me. I didn’t know who he was. He has a huge following in the food world. He is just a smart, funny guy. I almost felt guilty taking the paycheck. We literally chuckled as we watched these clips mostly for the first time just like the audience is. We had a good time. 

Tell me about a time where you wished you had a camera to document a scene at your house during the holidays.

It was Thanksgiving probably 15 years ago. I just moved into the house I’m in now. Kitchen was old and nothing worked. I had to put on Thanksgiving for my entire family. I remembered my neighbor was out of town, but I asked to borrow her kitchen. I had to go back and forth from our house to their house using their kitchen. It was nuts. I pulled it off. I’m sure I said some, we’ll say, nice words quite a few times throughout the day. 

What are your favorite types of clips the audience will see?

Because I’m a mother, I respond to the kids. The videos of the kids trying to swallow something their parents made, but it’s not tasting so great and their gag reflexes are getting the best of them, I can watch over and over again. There is a little girl on the trailer who tries probably seven times to swallow what she has in her mouth, but she keeps gagging. She finally gets it down and is so proud of herself. She is my spirit animal. I love her. 

Mark-Paul Gosselaar as Zack Morris, Tiffani Thiessen as Kelly Kapowski — (Photo by: Trae Patton/Peacock)

People crave comfort TV and nostalgia right now, which the new Saved By the Bell provides. What was it like to step back into your famed role and reconnect with the gang?

There seems to be a lot of reboots happening the last few years. I definitely can say this one hits a good mark. Creator Tracey Wigfield did an amazing job giving you enough nostalgia to please the older fans and doing a great job introducing these new kids. They are so unbelievably funny and charming. Mark-Paul [Gosselaar] and I are only in three episodes. We were doing other things at the time, but the show is very funny and witty. I’m glad people are liking it.  

When you come to sets and people know how much you love to cook, do you bring anything?

On Deliciousness, we have a debate about cheesecake, whether it’s a pie or cake. I actually bring my famous cream cheese pie. The recipe is in my cookbook, and I bring one to set. It made everyone very happy. 

Deliciousness premieres a week of episodes starting December 14, 7/6c, MTV