‘Today’ Anchor Recalls Mortifying and ‘Humiliating’ On-Air Moment

Savannah Guthrie flashed back on her own Olympic Games memories in honor of the ongoing Winter Olympics, and not all of those memories are worthy of a gold medal! The TODAY anchor recalled her “humiliating” on-air experience during the 2018 Winter Olympics in a new interview with PEOPLE, revealing how Olympic skier Gus Kenworthy had to come to her rescue.

“Every four years they try to trot us out on the ice,” joked Guthrie. “It’s a comedy routine. We can’t. Wobbly. Ankles hurt. Cold.” Kotb added, “We look ridiculous. We’re like Bambi, we can’t even stand up. I can’t do it anymore. I like my knees.” Guthrie, who helped host NBC’s Opening Ceremony coverage this year from the U.S., then shared one of her least graceful on-air moments.

“So the [producers] were like, ‘You’re going to learn to ski in PyeongChang.’ I never skied, because I grew up in the desert. We didn’t go on skiing vacations,” the Arizona native recalled. “That’s part of the reason the Winter Olympics are my favorite. Because we didn’t have snow [growing up], or ice hockey, or skating, and so it’s kind of magical to me.” When it came to showtime, however, Guthrie said putting on the ski boots and the rest of her equipment “was harder than anything.”

“Then I fell six times before I even got to the ski lift,” she said with a laugh. Things didn’t get better when she hit the slopes. “I was on the bunny slope, but I was so terrified, I couldn’t get down,” Guthrie remembered, adding, “Gus Kenworthy, who had just won the gold medal, literally had to put me on his back and ski down the bunny slope with me on his back. And I believe he still has back spasms to this day.”

Guthrie was quick to share the story to Instagram along with the “humiliating evidence” of Kenworthy’s rescue mission. “That’s hysterical, and I will never feel bad about my bunny hill pizza moves again!” one person commented on the video of the whole endeavor. “This was great! I got such a good laugh out of it. You two (three) are hysterical,” another added.