Cooper and Peyton Manning are one of the best brother duos on TV, and they’re returning for NBC’s Capital One College season 2 on September 9. Sixteen elite teams from the nation’s greatest colleges and universities will compete in the ultimate battle of the brains to win $1 million in life-changing scholarships.
HollywoodLife spoke EXCLUSIVELY with Cooper, who admitted that he and Peyton are a “little more seasoned” in season 2 as the co-hosts. “The game got a little changed a little bit. It just got more compact and better, faster moving. I think season 2 will be even better,” he added.
The oldest of the Manning brothers revealed what he and his brother decided to fix when coming back in season 2. “There were a couple of times where Peyton and I were together too much when we were getting the questions and answers, so we decided let’s go ahead and split up,” Cooper explained. “He goes into his room, makes sure he’s got all the pronunciations correctly because that can certainly alter how someone views a question if he’s announcing some sort of mountain in the middle of nowhere or some political ruler. He’s got to get all those right. And then I go into another room and try to figure out where I might be able to come in and add a little levity and kind of milk a little comedy out of some pretty mundane topics. Therefore, when we’re talking in the middle of it, whatever I’m saying is literally the first time he’ll be hearing it, so it’s authentic.”
Cooper pointed out that he is most definitely the “jester” in the Manning family. “It is the only real role I have,” he said. “I do help with a lot of comedy that both Peyton and Eli are involved in, and they do lean on me for judgment, which is frightening in itself.”
Cooper admitted that he’s thrilled to be able to work alongside his younger brother and spend quality time together while filming Capital One College Bowl. “Everybody’s going separate ways and going 100 miles an hour. I think all those years of taking road trips and sitting in the backseat with no phones and no iPads and just talking… I can remember us even having a long plane ride where neither one brought a Walkman, no books, we just talked. Therefore, we can kind of still when it comes to certain topics and finish each other’s sentences.”
He continued, “It’s a treat for us to be together for a week working hard, kind of 7 to 7. You don’t get to spend a week with your brother very much. We have breakfast, lunch, and dinner together, so that’s a treat. I look forward to it. I’m sure he’s sick of me about the time it’s over, but I’m glad we got it done,” Cooper said. Capital One College Bowl will air Fridays at 8 p.m. on NBC.