SOME LIKE IT HOT
Comedian/actor enjoys being the voice behind the scenes in Netflix series
Desiree Burch has traveled the world as a performer. Yet, it’s her turn as the narrator to Netflix’s reality series, “Too Hot To Handle” that has her profile rising.
“As long as my name is out there,” Burch laughs during a recent interview. “I’ve done comedy specials and toured as part of ‘Welcome to Night Vale,’ but it’s this show that has turned people’s heads. It’s pretty great.”
Audiences all over the world fell in love with Burch’s witty personality when she appeared as the narrator of the Netflix series.
The show follows sexy singles on a tropical island who are challenged not to hook up with each other with a $100,000 award for not breaking the rules. No contestant was safe from her voiceover zingers and she instantly became the voice of the viewer on the sofa — snarky, relatable, and nonjudgmental.
The new season premiered on June 23.
Being part of the series is fun for Burch because she gets to see these “beautiful babies” in their early 20s living their life.
“All these contestants lucked out in the puberty draw,” she quips. “They sell products on Instagram and have an image to uphold. I think they are all sweet. It’s interesting to see how the show plays out because it’s encouraging these people to stop and think. We could use a lot of that in the world today.”
Burch also wanted to be aware of the contestants’ feelings on the show.
“For me, I want to make sure all the people feel safe,” she says. “All of them are putting themselves out there and when they watch it back, I don’t want them to feel down about it.”
Though her schedule is busy, Burch jumped at the chance to narrate the show.
“It was like Netflix said, ‘Do you want this job?,’” she says. “Umm. Yes. I’ve done stuff with them before and I got to know the nonscripted folks in there. They were looking for an American voice to go with this international show.
After graduating from Yale University, Burch moved to New York where her artist aesthetics were honed as a founding member of the New York experimental theatre group Neo-Futurists.
While in NYC she also developed her talents on the theater stage.
In 2015, she made the move to London where she produced her solo show “Tar Baby” that tackles the story of race in America and received a Fringe First Award for new writing at the Edinburgh Fringe.
In addition to the series, Burch is also going to appear on “Taskmaster,” as well as starring in “Drunk History: Black Stories” and is host of the podcast, “Escape: The Underground Railroad.”
“I remember touring with ‘Night Vale’ and we did a show in Albuquerque,” she says. “We were at this historic theater and it was so gorgeous. I hope to make it back maybe to eventually live there if there’s a great comedy scene.”