New York-based Jacquelyn Kenny is the first-ever winner of Rob Lowe’s game show The Floor. The Floor is a competitive trivia show, and Kenny was victorious in its debut season.
In the Q&A below, Jacquelyn Kenny tells Spotlight what it was like working alongside Rob Lowe, how she prepared for the show, and what’s next for her!
You are the first-ever winner of Rob Lowe’s FOX game show The Floor. Can you describe how this victory felt?
It’s been insane! The finale aired a few weeks ago and it still hasn’t really sunk in. The moment that it happened, I remember being in the duel and I was so focused on the clues in front of me—I wasn’t looking at the clock, I wasn’t looking at anything—I think I might’ve blacked out a little.
All I remember is Rob [Lowe] saying my name and I finally came in tune with myself and thought “Wow, I actually won.” It’s been such an incredible feeling. I’m a very competitive person so winning anything is so cool, but to be the first winner of something makes the victory even more sweet.
On The Floor, you went head-to-head with 80 other contestants to answer some difficult trivia questions. What steps did you take to prepare for being on the show?
To be honest, we didn’t have that much time to prepare. I think this was a good thing; sometimes when you have too much time to prepare you can psych yourself out a bit. Growing up, and even now, I played so much trivia. I am that crazy person in a taxi; if there’s a trivia game in it, I’m playing the whole ride. All my bar trivia led up to this moment!
We’re all dying to know, what was it like working alongside Rob Lowe? Do you have a favorite moment with him?
Rob Lowe is amazing. He is a great host to work with. He is so kind and funny. I was so impressed with Rob the whole time because he is the executive producer and the host. Obviously, when we were filming he was hosting but I also got to see him behind the scenes producing in real time, which was awesome.
Of course, it was nerve-wracking at first—I mean he’s Rob Lowe, and he’s gorgeous. When I gave him a handshake in the first duel, I fumbled a bit. I am really superstitious so in the next duel I was in, I told him we had to fumble our handshake again because it was good luck.
I wish there was behind-the-scenes footage of me absolutely botching my first handshake with Rob Lowe!
What was the most challenging part of being a contestant on the show? Tell us about it.
The most challenging part was not knowing what was coming next—the game changed by the second. There is no way to prepare too far down the line because the board changes every duel. There were a lot of duels where I thought someone was going to win and then there was an upset. It kept you on your toes and you just had to be ready and able to adapt.
It’s no secret that you have an incredible sense of style. What is your favorite trend right now? Tell us about it.
I am currently loving cropped trench coats! I wore one the other day to brunch and I had that moment where I was really feeling my outfit. I love a trench coat, I think they are so timeless and elegant. Now that they’re cropped, I think it adds a really fun element.
You can play with different proportions. They’re fun—I’m glad they’re having a moment!
What is one fashion trend you would leave in the past? Why?
Skinny jeans! I need skinny jeans to stay in the past. I feel like all trends come back around, and we finally got rid of skinny jeans, so I’m scared they are going to come back. I think there are some instances where you can pull off a skinny jean depending on the boots you’re wearing, but I really love more relaxed, wide-legged jeans.
If I put on a pair of skinny jeans right now, I think my legs would suffocate. I don’t know how we wore them for so long.
What can we expect from you in the future?
I feel like I have so much going on this year, which is really exciting. First and foremost, I am taking that vacation with my family that I talked about on the show. We’re in the planning process right now actually.
I’m trying to take all of my family’s opinions and requests into consideration, but at the same time I’m like, this is my trip [laughs]!
I have a lot going on with work this year as well which is really exciting. I am looking forward to connecting with more people on social media. The show has given me a lot of opportunities to continue to grow and show who I am on social.
Also, a game show might be in the casting process for season two…potentially! Hopefully, a season two is in the works because it’s such a fun experience!
