Teresa Strasser
Encyclopedia
Teresa Lynn Strasser is an American
writer and television personality known for hosting the first season of the home makeover show While You Were Out
on TLC. She also co-hosted The Adam Carolla Show.
, with her mother. She attended Lick-Wilmerding High School
on a low-income scholarship. She went on to study journalism
at New York University
.
Teresa attended Anorexia Anonymous
for more than seven years.
Strasser married Daniel Wachinski, an IBM accountant, in a small ceremony at the Venetian in Las Vegas, Nevada
, on June 25, 2008. The couple's first baby, a boy named Nathaniel "Buster" James, was born on September 24, 2009.
in 1997, winning a Daytime Emmy Award
, and also had several small film roles and writing jobs, including a writing credit for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
.
on The Adam Carolla Show on May 8, 2006, as the news anchor for the radio program She had previously served as a fill-in before Perry officially left the show. In 2010, she left the show and was replaced as "radio co-host and News Girl" by Alison Rosen.
On August 26, 2011 Teresa did her last show on KABC in order to focus on her TV, commercial voiceover and camera work.
writer and The Sarah Silverman Show actor Steve Agee
and a marketing executive named Brandon, discussed why their relationship failed. Normally, the skit is embarrassing for Strasser and her ex, such as when she claimed Agee cried after sex. The segment first debuted September 6, 2006 with writer Greg Lee, whom Strasser dated for eight months.
During the segment with Agee, Strasser also admitted that she had once been conned by a sexual pervert. She said a man stripped and masturbated in her apartment after she had invited him in, mistakenly thinking one of her friends had bought her a Strip-o-gram
.
Strasser is also known to have dated former American Idol
host Brian Dunkleman
.
in 2000. She was also a feature story
reporter for several episodes of Good Day New York
in 2004, while also being the New York
correspondent
for both Good Day Live and On-Air With Ryan Seacrest. Strasser worked as a “love coach” along with Shop 'Til You Drop
host JD Roberto
on the 2006 ABC
series How to Get the Guy until its cancellation. In October 2006, she replaced Debra Wilson
as the co-host of the TV Guide Channel
show TV Watercooler. She frequently appears on VH1
and E!
's various "list" shows. She also guest starred on Alicia Silverstone
led dramedy, Miss Match
. Strasser served a brief stint as a correspondent on the entertainment and gossip news show TMZ on TV
which premiered in September 2007. She quit TMZ due to a time conflict with the Adam Carolla Show. In addition, she has covered the red carpet
for the Emmy Awards and the Tony Awards, for E! and TV Guide Network, respectively.
, and won an award on June 24, 2006, for columnist of the year from the Los Angeles Press Club. Strasser is currently a regular contributor for the calendar section of The Los Angeles Times.
She also is publishing a book titled, EXPLOITING MY BABY: Because It's Exploiting Me which was published in January 2011.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer and television personality known for hosting the first season of the home makeover show While You Were Out
While You Were Out
While You Were Out was an hour-long American television reality program that aired episodes on the cable channel TLC. The format of the show is similar to TLC's Trading Spaces...
on TLC. She also co-hosted The Adam Carolla Show.
Personal life
Strasser grew up in San Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, with her mother. She attended Lick-Wilmerding High School
Lick-Wilmerding High School
Lick-Wilmerding High School is a college-preparatory high school located in San Francisco, California, United States.-History:Lick-Wilmerding was founded on September 21, 1874 as the California School of Mechanical Arts by a trust by James Lick. George Merrill was hired to manage the school as the...
on a low-income scholarship. She went on to study journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
.
Teresa attended Anorexia Anonymous
Overeaters Anonymous
Overeaters Anonymous is a twelve-step program for people with problems related to food including, but not limited to, compulsive overeaters, those with binge eating disorder, bulimics and anorexics...
for more than seven years.
Strasser married Daniel Wachinski, an IBM accountant, in a small ceremony at the Venetian in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, on June 25, 2008. The couple's first baby, a boy named Nathaniel "Buster" James, was born on September 24, 2009.
Early years
Strasser began writing for Win Ben Stein's MoneyWin Ben Stein's Money
Win Ben Stein's Money is an American television game show that ran from July 28, 1997 to January 31, 2003 on the Comedy Central cable network with episodes airing until May 8, 2003. It featured three contestants who competed in a general knowledge quiz contest to win the grand prize of $5,000 from...
in 1997, winning a Daytime Emmy Award
Daytime Emmy Award
The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming...
, and also had several small film roles and writing jobs, including a writing credit for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (US game show)
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire is an American television quiz show which offers a maximum prize of $1,000,000 for correctly answering 14 consecutive multiple-choice questions of random difficulty. Until 2010, the format required contestants to correctly answer 15 consecutive questions of increasing...
.
While You Were Out
In 2002, Strasser hosted fifty episodes of While You Were Out when former host Anna Bocci left the show. Strasser had previously served as a writer for the show. She did not consider herself handy, but she compensated with her dark sense of humor and empathy, as she cried after several renovations. Strasser left the show after one season.The Adam Carolla Show and The Adam Carolla Podcast
Strasser replaced Rachel PerryRachel Perry
Rachel Perry is a Canadian TV personality currently working in the United States. The former MuchMusic VJ is the host of All Access on VH1, and is the narrator for Web Junk 20, and the host of "The Stash" on Playboy TV...
on The Adam Carolla Show on May 8, 2006, as the news anchor for the radio program She had previously served as a fill-in before Perry officially left the show. In 2010, she left the show and was replaced as "radio co-host and News Girl" by Alison Rosen.
The Parent Experiment Podcast
From February to August 2010, Strasser and Lynette Carolla (wife of Adam Carolla) co-hosted a weekly hourlong podcast on their parenting experiences. Strasser left the Parent Experiment due to other commitments, and was replaced by Susanna Brisk.Peter Tilden Show
On August 19, 2010, KABC announced that Strasser would be joining the Peter Tilden Show as Tilden's female co-anchor. Strasser began her work there on August 23, 2010.On August 26, 2011 Teresa did her last show on KABC in order to focus on her TV, commercial voiceover and camera work.
Teresa’s Ex-Files
A segment on the show in September 2006 focused on Strasser’s past relationships. Her past boyfriends, such as Jimmy Kimmel LiveJimmy Kimmel Live
Jimmy Kimmel Live! is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and broadcast on ABC.The nightly hour-long show made its debut on January 26, 2003, following Super Bowl XXXVII. Jimmy Kimmel Live! is produced by Jackhole Productions in association with ABC Studios...
writer and The Sarah Silverman Show actor Steve Agee
Steve Agee
Steve Agee is an American actor and comedian, best known for his supporting role as Steve Myron on the Comedy Central series The Sarah Silverman Program....
and a marketing executive named Brandon, discussed why their relationship failed. Normally, the skit is embarrassing for Strasser and her ex, such as when she claimed Agee cried after sex. The segment first debuted September 6, 2006 with writer Greg Lee, whom Strasser dated for eight months.
During the segment with Agee, Strasser also admitted that she had once been conned by a sexual pervert. She said a man stripped and masturbated in her apartment after she had invited him in, mistakenly thinking one of her friends had bought her a Strip-o-gram
Strip-o-gram
A Strip-O-Gram is a form of message delivery in which a woman or man will perform a striptease while singing or dancing. The word is a combination of telegram and striptease. This type of entertainment became popular in the 1970s in the US and spread to the UK and Europe during the 1980s...
.
Strasser is also known to have dated former American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
host Brian Dunkleman
Brian Dunkleman
Brian Dunkleman is a comedian and actor. He is best known as being co-host with Ryan Seacrest on the first season of American Idol on the Fox Network.-Career:...
.
Other television work
After leaving While You Were Out, Strasser hosted Lovers Lounge, a dating game show on the Game Show NetworkGame Show Network
The Game Show Network is an American cable television and direct broadcast satellite channel dedicated to game shows and casino game shows. The channel was launched on December 1, 1994. Its current slogan is "The World Needs More Winners"...
in 2000. She was also a feature story
Feature story
- Published Features & news :While the distinction between published features and news is often clear, when approached conceptually there are few hard boundaries between the two. It is quite possible to write a feature in the style of a news story, for instance...
reporter for several episodes of Good Day New York
Good Day New York
Good Day New York is a weekday morning news and entertainment feature show which airs on WNYW, the New York City flagship television station of the News Corporation-owned Fox Broadcasting Company...
in 2004, while also being the New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
correspondent
Correspondent
A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is a journalist or commentator, or more general speaking, an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, location. A foreign correspondent is stationed in a foreign...
for both Good Day Live and On-Air With Ryan Seacrest. Strasser worked as a “love coach” along with Shop 'Til You Drop
Shop 'Til You Drop
Shop 'til You Drop is an American game show that aired on various broadcast television networks from 1991–2006. The series was hosted by Pat Finn from 1991–2002, followed by JD Roberto from 2003–2005. Co-hosts/announcers included Mark L...
host JD Roberto
JD Roberto
John David "JD" Roberto is an American television personality, game show host and writer.-Biography:Born in White Plains, New York, Roberto went to the NYU's Tisch School of the Arts where he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Acting...
on the 2006 ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
series How to Get the Guy until its cancellation. In October 2006, she replaced Debra Wilson
Debra Wilson
Debra Wilson Skelton , professionally known as Debra Wilson or Debra Wilzon, is an American comedienne and actress. Wilson is likely most famous for being the second longest-serving original cast member on the sketch comedy series MADtv, having appeared for the show's first eight seasons...
as the co-host of the TV Guide Channel
TV Guide Channel
TV Guide Network is an American cable network owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation....
show TV Watercooler. She frequently appears on VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
and E!
E!
E! Entertainment Television is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by NBCUniversal. It features entertainment-related programming, reality television, feature films and occasionally series and specials unrelated to the entertainment industry.E! has an audience reach of...
's various "list" shows. She also guest starred on Alicia Silverstone
Alicia Silverstone
Alicia Silverstone is an American actress, author, and former fashion model. She first came to widespread attention in music videos for Aerosmith, and is perhaps best known for her roles in Hollywood films such as Clueless and her portrayal of Batgirl in Batman & Robin .-Early life:Silverstone...
led dramedy, Miss Match
Miss Match
Miss Match is a 2003 American television series created by Jeff Rake and Darren Star and produced by Twentieth Century Fox, Darren Star Productions and Imagine Entertainment. It aired in the U.S. on NBC, Australia on Network Seven, Arena and FOX8, and in the UK on Living, Channel 4 and is currently...
. Strasser served a brief stint as a correspondent on the entertainment and gossip news show TMZ on TV
TMZ on TV
TMZ on TV, or simply TMZ and TMZTV, is an American syndicated entertainment and gossip news television show that premiered on September 10, 2007. The program is generally aired on Fox, The CW and MyNetworkTV affiliates, though a majority of the stations that carry the series are Fox affiliates...
which premiered in September 2007. She quit TMZ due to a time conflict with the Adam Carolla Show. In addition, she has covered the red carpet
Red carpet
A red carpet is traditionally used to mark the route taken by heads of state on ceremonial and formal occasions, and has in recent decades been extended to use by VIPs and celebrities at formal events.- History :...
for the Emmy Awards and the Tony Awards, for E! and TV Guide Network, respectively.
Writing career
Strasser has worked regularly as a freelance columnist for The Los Angeles Times and The Jewish Journal of Greater Los AngelesThe Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles
The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles is an independent, nonprofit community weekly newspaper serving the Jewish community of greater Los Angeles, published by TRIBE Media Corp. The Journal was established in 1985. As of 2010 it had a verified circulation of 60,000 and an estimated readership...
, and won an award on June 24, 2006, for columnist of the year from the Los Angeles Press Club. Strasser is currently a regular contributor for the calendar section of The Los Angeles Times.
She also is publishing a book titled, EXPLOITING MY BABY: Because It's Exploiting Me which was published in January 2011.
Awards & recognitions
- Three Los Angeles Press Club Awards (2004 and 2005 for Columnist of the Year).
- Simon Rockower Awards for both Excellence in Feature Writing and Writing about Singles.
- Emmy AwardEmmy AwardAn Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
, writer, "Win Ben Stein's MoneyWin Ben Stein's MoneyWin Ben Stein's Money is an American television game show that ran from July 28, 1997 to January 31, 2003 on the Comedy Central cable network with episodes airing until May 8, 2003. It featured three contestants who competed in a general knowledge quiz contest to win the grand prize of $5,000 from...
"