If you're like me, Demi Lovato, or Jimmy Fallon, Dateline is not just a thrilling, makes-you-jump-out-of-your-seat television show about real-life mysteries — it's a way of life. In my opinion, the only plans that ever matter on a Friday night are watching Dateline on the couch while eating Chipotle in a snuggie (and occasionally crying over an intense episode). So we jumped at the chance to chat with the show's host, Lester Holt, about all things ~mysterious~. Holt stopped by BuzzFeed New York to play an eerie round of word association, and here's what happened.
1. Crime scene
Lester Holt: This tends to be the assumption many people have of some of the stories we tell. It's not always the case. But, we just give them this and then we surprise them.
2. Witness
LH: Very often, the witness — if you stick around till the second half-hour — turns out to have something to do with the crime.
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3. Guilty
LH: There are misdirects in our program — just when it seems we got the guy, that he or she's guilty, well, a twist!
4. Murder mystery
LH: No comment. (laughs)
5. Cliffhanger
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6. Missing
7. Cold case
LH: Generally a cold case means somebody is starting to give up the dirt. Suddenly they remember something, they made a call, and we got a show!
8. Confession
LH: You did what?! What did you tell them?
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9. Life insurance
LH: I mean come on, really?! You take out life insurance on her or him? Like the cops are never going to discover that!
10. Evidence
11. Keith Morrison
12. Secret
13. Dateline
Tune in to an all-new Dateline tonight!
