‘Deal With It’ host on his B.R. days

Name: Theo Von
Age: 34
Here: LSU student; clerk at the LSU campus bookstore; referee for LSU REC flag football.
There: Host of TBS’s hidden camera game show Deal with It and YahooTV’s Primetime in No Time.

When did you move away from Baton Rouge?
I left in like 2002. I hitchhiked up to Charleston because I was in love with this young lady.

What do you miss most about it?
LSU home football games in November. The trees. The people. And now my family, as they all live there now. My brother is an arborist and tree service provider there—Biggz Tree Care—and he has two beautiful boys. I miss them.

What don’t you miss about the city?
The bad drivers. The crime. Some of the old-boy mentality and people being stuck in their ways.

What’s the first thing you think of in L.A. that B.R. lacks?
Perfect weather. Los Angeles has no sense of community and little tradition, but the weather is always perfect. I’ve lived here for nine years and never once have I looked at the weather report, because I always know what it’s gonna be like—perfect.

When was the last time you visited Baton Rouge?
At Christmas. I come back four times a year usually. Sometimes five. I will catch the red eye after work Thursday and then fly back Sunday. Just to see my nieces or nephews or to have some oysters. The food out here [in California] is weak. It’s not even food; it’s more just like glorified sustenance.

What are your B.R. essentials when you visit?
Have a beer with friends at The Chimes. Run the lakes at LSU. Hit the gym at the YMCA. Drive down Government Street. Everyone loves Highland Road, and it’s beautiful, but Government has such a feeling of history, and I feel like I’m traveling up and down a timeline when I’m driving it.

What’s the strangest thing you’ve asked someone to do on Deal with It?
We asked an African American pastor to get way too close to a healthy little Jewish man’s nude butt. It was cool though.

Is there a key to making people laugh at awkward situations?
Make sure it’s not mean. It can be edgy, but you have to keep it away from mean. I think [producer] Howie Mandel and our executives are masters at that.

You’ve had many guests on the show. Who was the most inventive or twisted comedically?
Comedian and actor Mo Mandel was great, as was Moshe Kasher. They are comedians, which intrinsically makes them a bit twisted. Guiliana Rancic and her husband were very funny. But Heidi Klum is my favorite because, well—because she is Heidi Klum, and not only is she gorgeous, but she has a sweet dark side that makes this game perfect for her.

Do you do any stand-up bits that originated from growing up in Louisiana?
Yes indeed. I have jokes about family and dialect and growing up in rural Louisiana that will never change. My funniest friend, Scott Satchfield, used to work at WBRZ and now newscasts in New Orleans. I always thought he’d go into comedy before me. All the accents and impersonations I know and do come from Louisiana.

Many fans first saw you on MTV’s Road Rules and The Challenge. You haven’t been on one of those in a while. Miss it?
I miss the competition of it all for sure. It was like elementary school “Field Day” but as adults and with booze and tons of money as prizes. But I had to let go of that to be taken seriously as a comedian. I miss it, but I’m glad I stayed the course I’m on. From time to time, in my mind, I’m still climbing nets or hiding oatmeal in my pants for prizes.