The vaccine rush is a dark game show hosted by Fauci on the 'SNL' cold open

It's funny because it's true. Or that's the idea, anyway.
 By 
Adam Rosenberg
 on 
The vaccine rush is a dark game show hosted by Fauci on the 'SNL' cold open
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Have you tried getting in line for a COVID vaccine yet? Did you notice how difficult it is to navigate a labyrinthine online process that's hard to keep up with even for people who were raised on the internet?

Well, you're not alone. The latest Saturday Night Live reimagined vaccine lines as a full-on game show, hosted by Anthony Fauci (Kate McKinnon) and featuring three notable state governors as judges: California's Gavin Newsom (Alex Moffat), New York's Andrew Cuomo (Pete Davidson), and Michigan's Gretchen Whitmer (Cecily Strong).

The sketch is ostensibly about mocking the difficulties faced in the United States as vaccination efforts have ramped up. There are bits about young people dressing up like old people, about creatively interpreting eligibility guidelines, and about the challenges faced by older Americans who aren't tech-savvy enough to make the system work for them. All of which is horrible in reality, but hey, SNL.

You'll never convince me that the real purpose of this sketch wasn't to bring back Aidy Bryant's Ted Cruz and Davidson's Cuomo one week after they debuted both characters, with hilarious results. They're not quite as funny in a second helping, but that could also be because the show is making light of a real source of pain for a huge number of Americans right now.

Topics SNL

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Adam Rosenberg

Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.


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