A few years ago, Jaleel White got really into game shows.
The actor, most widely known for his role as the nerdy, suspenders-pulling neighbor Steve Urkel on “Family Matters,” began appearing as a celebrity guest on shows like “25 Words or Less,” Anthony Anderson’s “To Tell the Truth” and “Pictionary” with Jerry O’Connell.
“I just enjoyed winning the money for the people,” White says. “It’s strangely equally gratifying.”
In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends.
Soon, his longtime producer friend asked if he wanted to host a game show. He did. “Flip Side” is a survey-based competition in which two teamstry to determine how the majority of a crowd voted on various this-or-that questions for a chance to win $10,000. Its second season aired earlier this month.
White says that, in a way, hosting the show feels similar to being on a sitcom.
“When I did sitcom, I really felt the audience,” White says. “I really felt where the audience wanted to go emotionally in our storytelling, and I would play with it. I would consciously hear them and be like, ‘Milk that or dial that down.‘” He adds that he thrives off that “symbiotic” interaction, which is similar to engaging with contestants.
White is also developing a TV show based on his memoir, “Growing Up Urkel,” which was released last year.
While the Pasadena native’s Sundays during the NFL season are typically dedicated to Chargers games, he takes us along on his ideal day in L.A., which involves eating fluffy pancakes after church, checking out a show or game at the immersive venue Cosm and playing footgolf.
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
9:30 a.m.: Sleep in, then head to church
If I’m not shooting “Flip Side,” so man, I might not get up before 9:30 a.m. I typically stay up late. I’m just a late-night person by nature. My mom said that she would stay up late a lot while she was pregnant with me, eating Mexican food, so I think biologically that turned me into a night owl, and I really appreciate great Mexican food [laughs]. If I’m on my game, I like to go to Oasis church on Wilshire. Shout to Pastor Julian. I think he’s one of the most underrated spiritual voices in the city, and he’s a pastor who wears Js, so that’s just kind of cool in itself to get the word like that.
Noon: Time for pancakes
If you want to have the best pancakes in the city after you go to church, [go to] Redbird, which is near downtown L.A. Their pancakes are crazy with the char on the edges. Not everybody makes them like that. I also like Takagi Coffee on West Third Street. It’s a Japanese cafe and they have soufflé pancakes. Those are my two favorite pancake spots to hit after church. We get screwed in the cost of living in L.A., but the cultural exchange that we experience daily is so taken for granted. In L.A., I just gave you an all-American spot and a Japanese coffeehouse after leaving a very diverse church.
2 p.m.: Experience a game or a show at Cosm
I rarely get to the movies these days and I feel terrible. I want to try to be like Kevin Bacon and encourage people to go to the movies and experience communal entertainment again. But one of my favorite places is Cosm in Inglewood. They are revolutionizing the sports bar business model. You can catch Cirque du Soleil with your family. You can catch a game. It’s just a big screen. It’s an experience that actually puts you on the field, so you feel like you’re actually at the game. Sometimes they get wild and they start shooting T-shirts with the T-shirt gun into the stadium seats.
5 p.m. Play footgolf
But if you’re on a budget, a really fun thing to do actually is to play footgolf. One of the best footgolf courses is at Rancho Park. It’s literally golf with your feet, a soccer ball and an oversized hole. We’ll go out there, smoke some purple, grab some snacks and just be out there like kids, betting on each hole [laughs]. That’s the adult way of doing it, but you can also do it with the kids. You can hit up a good taco truck beforehand. I think Mariscos Jalisco is my favorite taco truck. They make a crunchy shrimp taco that is just ridiculous.
8 p.m.: Order in from Goop
At this point, we’re kind of scrounging for dinner. I got to admit it, Gwyneth Paltrow be killing it with the Goop [Kitchen] order in. ’Cause I’ve eaten junk all day, so now I gotta start cleaning it up. Get yourself a salad from Goop, and really at this point, I’m probably on my couch trying to catch up on some binge TV with the lady and prepare for Monday.
11:30 p.m.: Binge TV until bed
On a Sunday, I can probably do a little bit better, somewhere around 11:30 p.m. or midnight. I’m going to get my series binge on, and we have to watch the highlights from the games that we just attended. I recently finished up “Forever” on Netflix and “Wednesday” is back. I’m such a kid. I love Tim Burton. I’m all over the place in my film and TV appreciation. People would be really shocked by what I enjoy.
