Alec Baldwin made a surprise appearance alongside wife Hilaria Baldwin on Nation’s Dumbest, but the couple quickly discovered that working together on the show’s challenges was easier said than done.
During the Wednesday, September 9, episode, Alec, 68, stepped in to help Hilaria, 42, with a two-person puzzle. Before the challenge began, Hilaria admitted she wasn’t entirely confident about how their teamwork would go.
“Alec is very smart, but we are both artistic people. We are not really academics,” she said in a confessional. “So I don’t know if this is going to be good.”
Her prediction proved fairly accurate as the pair struggled to solve the puzzle.
Host Jack Whitehall even gave Hilaria the option of replacing Alec with another family member, prompting some playful tension between the couple.
Alec, however, defended his abilities by joking that he had “passed the CIA test.” Hilaria responded by teasing that bringing him onto the show might mean she would have to remain in the competition for another day.
Whitehall also joked about the possibility of the competition creating problems between the married couple.
“They have had several children,” he said. “If we are the thing that breaks their marriage, I don’t want that on my conscience.”
Nation’s Dumbest puts celebrities through a mix of mental puzzles, physical challenges and classroom-style questions. Each week, the strongest performer graduates from the competition, while the remaining contestants move closer to potentially receiving the unwanted title of “The Nation’s Dumbest.”
Ahead of the show’s debut, Hilaria also opened up about why participating in the competition felt particularly challenging for her.
She said that school had required a lot of effort when she was younger and shared that she has ADHD and dyslexia. Hilaria explained that she sometimes felt ashamed of those struggles growing up and often had to work harder than other students.
Because of those past experiences, joining a show centered around intelligence and academic-style challenges brought back some difficult memories.
Despite those concerns, Hilaria has continued competing — and Alec’s appearance gave viewers a humorous glimpse into how the couple approaches challenges together.
Nation’s Dumbest airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on Fox.
