Joel McHale Tells What He Would Do for a Klondike (Exclusive)

Joel McHale put his Crime Scene Kitchen to good use when he teamed up with Klondike over the summer. The Community alum partnered with the popular ice cream company to take their iconic slogan, “What would you do for a Klondike?” to the next level. During the last few months, fans had a chance to participate in the brand’s Hometowns Contest, which asked “What would your hometown do for a Klondike?” With a group of three people or more, fans could send a photo or video to show their “hometown pride” and what they would do for the delicious treat.

The winner would win a block party and have their hometown featured on limited-edition Klondike packaging. Harlem, New York came out on top, chosen by McHale himself. While the contest is officially over, the comedian did speak to PopCulture all about the contest and even told what he would do for a Klondike. It might make you crave some ice cream, but take a look at what the Animal Control star had to say.

PopCulture: All summer, you’ve been working with Klondike for the Hometowns Contest. Could you talk a little more about it and what that consisted of?

Joel McHale: I think it started out of Klondike’s, well, obviously, scrumptious, chocolatey, and ice cream goodness. But, “What would you do for a Klondike?” is literally one of the best catchphrases in, I don’t know, company history. I think it was like, “What would your hometown do for a Klondike?” And it was a pretty open contest to be like, “Send a video or send a photo. You have to have more than three people in it and just show your hometown pride and what you would do for a Klondike Bar, and we’ll throw you a party, and you’ll be on the package of a Klondike Bar.” If that is not a dream come true, I don’t know what is.

Really, what was so cool about it was what they allowed, what you could do, and whatever you wanted to do, and then Harlem won. So this photo from Harlem won, and on Sept. 23, we’re going to throw this block party. I want to be there. I wish I could be there, but it sounds like it would be fun. It probably won’t be sweltering. It’s calmed down. It was really bad during the U.S. Open, where it was like 94 and humid, but I think the weather’s calmed down. Still hot enough to eat ice cream, thank God. But it was really fun to do. It was really fun to go through the submissions. It reminds me of competitions, things like this when you were a kid in the summer. It was cool that the Klondike mobile went through a bunch of states. You know, Oscar Meyer Wiener has that truck, and I remember the Pepsi Challenge going way back when.

Klondike sent me a couple of hats because I did this video where I was in my pool with one of my sons, and my wife wore the hat. Then this one woman, she was like, “I love your hat.” Basically, I had to buy it off my wife. Gave it to her, and because she was like, “Oh, whenever I go on a road trip, I grab four Klondikes.” So it’s really cool. It’s such an iconic brand. Obviously, the level of quality is as good as it has always been. So I get very excited about ice cream.

When I see people that are lactose intolerant, I become sad for them. And then I’m like, “I don’t know, just fight through it.” Don’t fight through it if you have a real aversion to it. I understand. But no, I think ice cream, it’s so Americana, and it’s so a part of our summers. It was a really cool contest, and people were so enthusiastic. I hope they didn’t get injured jumping in the air in some of the photos they sent in, some of the videos. They got really creative. Now, as I said it, Klondike culminating this huge block party. They’re going to have a fun time in Harlem.

PC: Aside from the obvious and delicious reason, what made you want to team up with Klondike?

McHale: When Klondike comes to you and are like, “Would you want to do this?” I was like, “Yeah. Would I want to do it? Yeah. Can you send me some ice cream?” And they did. “No-brainer” is a completely overused phrase, but that really was the perfect no-brainer. I’m like, “Yeah, I would do this. I’ll do it right now. What do you want me to do?” So I jumped in my pool with Parker to show my way. If I were to be a part of the competition, that’s what I would do. I had my 18-year-old son swimming in the background, and he held his breath. He doesn’t put his head up until the very end. They’re really fun partners. My freezer is stuffed with Klondike Bars, and so my wife’s like, “Don’t we have a frozen chicken in here somewhere?” And I’m like, “Not anymore. Not anymore, hun.”

They were really fun partners to hang out with. It’s a fun thing to work on. This is one of those jobs where I’m like, this is just good fun, and we get to do all this fun stuff. Going through the submissions was really fun. I feel like America always needs a fun way to come together. What better way than with ice cream and block parties? And you get your own exclusive Klondike packaging. It was just great fun. Now, we’re going to have that ultimate block party on Sept. 23, so it’ll be a blowout.

PC: Of course, I have to ask, what would you do for a Klondike?

McHale: Well, my 18-year-old literally held his breath. He’s really good at that. I worked in Canada, and it was freezing, and I bought the largest… I literally looked up the warmest coat in history. I have that coat, and I put on a toque and then gloves, and I got in the pool, and it was like 95 degrees out. I’ve made my own insulated jacuzzi. But boy, if I got to do anything. That’s a good question. I mean, other than jumping in the pool, I don’t know. Maybe have somebody on a suspension bridge take a shot of me in a canoe going down the rapids of the LA River, which is not the usual river. And then, believe me, it’s all cemented in from Greece. I would just go down there screaming, “This is what I would do for a Klondike. Come to Studio City, let’s throw a party!” And then, hopefully, they’d let me select some of the music. It would be a lot of dance hits from the ’90s. It’d be great.