Skip To Content

    Natalie Morales And Willie Geist Give Us Their Brutally Honest Opinions

    The two TODAY show anchors take our Q&A!

    When we found out Willie Geist and Natalie Morales — two people we happen to watch every morning in our N.Y. offices — were coming to our office we decided to put them through the ringer. In honor of their hosting this weekend's Skyscraper Live with Nik Wallenda we wanted to discover their thoughts on scary movies, fall, and what they're most afraid of. And then we also had to grill them on some of the topics BuzzFeed is most passionate about: bacon vs. Nutella, Britney vs. Christina, dogs vs. cats. Here's what we found out.

    Do you scare easily?

    Natalie: Do you watch our show?

    BuzzFeed: Has it always been this way?

    NM: Yes! Willie's Mr. Tough Guy.

    Willie Geist: I grew up watching Friday The 13th from the age of 7 or 8 so I kind of got it out of my system then. Although I'm still pretty sure Jason's real. So if I saw him I'd be pretty stressed out.

    NM: A guy in a hockey mask tends to freak you out.

    WG: Exactly. He lives in the woods and walks really fast.

    NM: That would freak me out too.

    What are you most afraid of as an adult?

    NM: What scares me? A bad meal!

    WG: I wrote, "Natalie after a bad meal."

    BuzzFeed: Do you have bad meals often?

    NM: I just have no tolerance for it.

    What about as a kid?

    NM: Still actually to this day. Not just a child. Scared of clowns.

    WG: I hate to keep coming back to this, but this is it. And I'm going to use his full name out of respect.

    NM: He has a last name?

    WG: Yeah, a lot of people don't know.

    NM: I had no idea!

    WG: Jason Vorhees. He had a grave that said "Jason Vorhees" but he wasn't in it.

    NM: Where were your parents that let you watch these?

    WG: I think they were out in the city at Studio 54.

    What’s your favorite scary movie?

    WG: So, which Friday The 13th movie, then.

    NM: I think in terms of THE scariest movie I would go with The Exorcist. No question. [to Willie:] Again?

    WG: Part 3. It had a nice nuance to it, more of a subtle performance from Vorhees. And then it kind of got ridiculous after that. When he took Manhattan in Part 7 it was like, "Stop it." Jason doesn't go to Manhattan!

    NM: How many are there!

    WG: I think seven or eight. They had Jason vs. Freddie, which was kind of a dream matchup for a lot of us but it didn't work for me.

    NM: We're wasting paper, here!

    WG: And time.

    What’s the scariest thing that’s happened to you inside of 30 Rock?

    NM: The day they hired Willie.

    WG: The night I ran into Belushi's ghost in an elevator...

    BuzzFeed: Is that true?

    WG: No, I was just trying to think of a good answer.

    NM: The time you and Al [Roker] kissed?

    WG: That wasn't scary, that was beautiful. We did, we kissed on the TV.

    NM: I got one.

    NM: That was technically outside of 30 Rock but it still haunts me.

    WG: Is it true that the Ewoks had been partying before the segment?

    NM: I think so. They were drinking from whatever punch that was not supposed to be kids'.

    WG: You gotta YouTube that — they just got on Al's leg while we were on the air and started grinding it.

    NM: It's a Halloween classic.

    WG: That no family can afford to miss!

    NM: "Where are they now?" I think they got fired. And that [answer] wasn't scary, that was sweet!

    WG: You didn't see where Al's hand was. We interviewed Nick Offerman in a canoe when his book came out, nice and snuggly. And I'll be honest, Al's hand drifted.

    Do you have a favorite curse word?

    NM: Can I do mine in Spanish?

    WG: What does it mean?

    NM: "Balls."

    [Laughter]

    NM: Maybe it's "Ball-less," like, having no balls is more the technical definition.

    WG: Mine's pretty basic. Like, on the borderline of harmless and defensive.

    When someone asks you truth or dare, which do you pick?

    NM: Dare.

    WG: Yeah, I do too. Truth can be dangerous.

    NM: Like, do you lie a lot?

    WG: Well let's say you're playing with a group of friends and your wife is there. And they ask you something — it's just not a good road to go down.

    NM: Like about another woman.

    WG: My wife and I played on a long road trip once the game I'd recommend no one play with their wife or husband. I've known her my whole life. It was, "Let's think of something we don't know about each other." Why would I agree to play this? One of the things I told her she brings up at least once a month — and this was years ago. So don't play that game. She was surprised.

    NM: See! You can still surprise her, though. That's the takeaway.

    WG: Yeah, it was a bad surprise, though. Flowers are a good surprise.

    What kind of Halloween candy do you prefer to give out?

    NM: Cool candy. Like, you have to go find some of the, you know, unique candy. Not just the fun-sized candy.

    WG: Oh, Ring Pops! That's a good house.

    NM: What did you say?

    WG: Whatever's closest to the register at Duane Reade. It's usually the assorted pack.

    What's the crappiest thing to get on Halloween?

    NM: Pretzels. I mean, come on let's not be heathy one day. Like, the little bag of pretzels, who eats them?

    WG: I'd open the door and hear, "You get one spoonful kids." So you'd get like 8 cents. What do I do with 8 cents? I'm 9!

    NM: Quarters are good. I ran out of candy one year because every year my town gets mobbed. One year I ran out and I literally went through my kids' change.

    WG: You stole your kids' allowance!

    NM: They don't know! I took their candy. I took their change. That's bad. I gave them more allowance the next time around, though.

    WG: So you made up for it.

    What was your favorite candy to get as a kid?

    NM: We're on the same page.

    WG: Full-size candy bars.

    Are you afraid of the dark?

    WG: We went to a haunted house with Al and Tamron [Hall] in Jersey for the show.

    NM: If things jump out at me, yes. Grab your leg or say your name... without a head on their body. Yes.

    WG: Some of them wandered out from the dark from behind a door and just went, "Natalieeeeeeeee."

    NM: And then she grabbed me and that's when I was like, [screams].

    Are you superstitious about anything?

    Are you superstitious about anything?

    NM: I think, like, karma. Does astrology have anything to do with superstition?

    WG: Yeah.

    NM: OK, I check out my horoscope. I guess I believe in karma.

    WG: I have, like, little professional stuff. This says, "To succeed at something repeat what you did last time." So if an interview goes well or I did something right you sort of go through those motions again leading up to the next.

    NM: I do have certain things that I equate to good luck. So if I covered a story and it's a really good story I'm like, "Oh I should take that and bring it with me next time." And then you end up having little trinkets in your bag. Things my kids gave me or whatever. It's like, "That's good luck!"

    Do you believe in bad luck?

    NM: Oh gosh, yeah. Who doesn't?

    WG: I'm not a huge luck guy. I think you make your own luck. I don't really believe in some other force making your own luck.

    What's your favorite thing about fall?

    NM: That was goooooood. Pumpkin spice anything is good.

    WG: My answer is in three parts. All good things.

    Pick one: Twitter or Facebook?

    NM: I actually am not a fan of either and I'm late to the game on both but I think with Facebook I feel like I can keep in touch with my kids and their friends more. Twitter I feel like can be a shallow vessel of hate.

    WG: I was actually going to say Twitter because it's easier for me to keep up with all the people who hate me. And it's in real time. Very specific and concise. I treat Twitter like a news feed. I follow you guys, I follow every news organization — left, right, center, and everything in between — and it's like a ticker on my phone. For me it's that you have to wade through the people who wish you were dead — and I have to respect their opinions — but it helps me stay on top of the news.

    New York or L.A.?

    WG: WHAT?

    NM: I don't know! I've never lived there so maybe it's a grass-is-always-greener thing.

    WG: You're out! Boooooooo.

    NM: I could be a West Coast girl! I've lived on the East Coast for most of the time I've lived in the U.S., so I think I secretly crave that.

    WG: The only thing is the weather there, and I'll give them the weather. But none of their advantages has to do with people. It's the atmosphere.

    NM: The palm trees. The beaches.

    WG: New York, it's people. It's grit. It's diversity of people. It's diversity of industry. in L.A. everyone's looking over their shoulder because one of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills just walked in. They value the wrong things.

    NM: Well you'd look too, admit it!

    Christina Aguilera or Britney Spears?

    WG: Sophie's choice.

    NM: There's no competition there. In terms of sheer talent and just the ability to rock it. I mean, Britney is great, don't get me wrong —

    WG: Too late.

    NM: — but Christina's one of my people. She's Hispanic!

    WG: Christina clearly has the better voice, I agree with that. I'm getting back on Team Britney. She had the peak and then the valley where she was barefoot in the bathroom all the time. And now I think she's pulled herself together. It's not an easy road, as a lot of people have shown. I admire her pulling it back together. I like a comeback. I'm rooting for her.

    Coffee or tea?

    NM: He likes chai latte.

    WG: I never drink coffee, can you believe that? Works in morning television, doesn't drink coffee.

    NM: Does chai have any caffeine?

    WG: A little. But not enough to really get you going. I never liked the taste of coffee and I just never started.

    NM: I don't know. I like my latte. I have my morning latte and one espresso during the day and that's it.

    WG: I did get one of those Keurig coffee machines cause it's so easy and there's one that doesn't really taste like coffee, it's a froo-froo thing, and I do have that occasionally. It has like a caramel taste.

    BuzzFeed: So what do you to wake up in the morning?

    WG: Mostly Mountain Dew. Just mainline Mountain Dew every morning. No, I just have a chai tea. I know, I should have something stronger, shouldn't I?

    Puppies or kittens?

    NM: This is some serious hardcore questioning.

    WG: I actually don't have a dog but as an abstract question, puppies.

    NM: I have a dog and I have a cat but... I think the dog wins. I love 'em both but if I'm gonna have to pick one... sorry to my cat.

    WG: Now he knows where he stands.

    Bacon or Nutella?

    NM: Oooohhhh.

    WG: Those are so different.

    NM: So different but so decadent.

    WG: Bacon. Crispy. Salty. I could just eat a mountain of bacon for breakfast; it's so delicious.

    NM: We can't have breakfast together. See, the Nutella: You can do Nutella pancakes, Nutella waffles...

    WG: See, I don't believe in chocolate for breakfast.

    NM: It's hazelnut spread! It's better for you and less calories than peanut butter. And less fat than peanut butter.

    WG: It's like having dessert for breakfast. Wrong.

    Lizzie McGuire or Hannah Montana?

    NM: Just because she's got everybody talking. And keeps everybody talking.

    WG: You know, I'm sort of indifferent on this but I put her down because I've heard of her.

    NSYNC or Backstreet Boys?

    WG: Wowwww hold on a minute. You can't do this to a man.

    NM: I always get them mixed up!

    WG: If you don't know, you should have your late-'90s card taken away.

    NM: I'm a child of the '80s.

    WG: Timberlake was the NSYNC one. But, Backstreet Boys are way more successful in terms of number of albums sold.

    NM: Give me a song. "Bye Bye Bye"?

    WG: No, that's NSYNC!

    NM: What are they, then?

    WG: [sings] "Tell me why / Ain't nothing but a heart break."

    NM: OK, that's it then!

    Skyscraper Live with Nik Wallenda airs Sunday, Nov. 2, at 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET on Discovery Channel and is produced by NBCU’s Peacock Productions. #SkyscraperLive