Carrie Ann Inaba and Chris Harrison on the Hosting the Emmys Red Carpet, 'Dancing With the Stars' and 'The Bachelor'

Memorizing the bios of 16 celebrities and dancers for 'Dancing With the Stars' and roughly 30 contenders for 'The Bachelor' is a breeze compared to the homework that judge Carrie Ann Inaba and host Chris Harrison are doing this week.

The ABC reality folks are researching dozens of nominees and multiple categories in order to handle hosting duties for the TV Guide Network's Red Carpet coverage of the 2009 Primetime Emmy Awards set to air Sunday, Sept. 20 (6pm EST - 8pm EST). AOL TV caught up with the duo at a press reception at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel to get the scoop on their Emmy strategy and what's coming up this season on 'Dancing' and 'The Bachelor.'Memorizing the bios of 16 celebrities and dancers for 'Dancing With the Stars' and roughly 30 contenders for 'The Bachelor' is a breeze compared to the homework that judge Carrie Ann Inaba and host Chris Harrison are doing this week.

The ABC reality folks are researching dozens of nominees and multiple categories in order to handle hosting duties for the TV Guide Network's Red Carpet coverage of the 2009 Primetime Emmy Awards set to air Sunday, Sept. 20 (6pm EST - 8pm EST). AOL TV caught up with the duo at a press reception at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel to get the scoop on their Emmy strategy and what's coming up this season on 'Dancing' and 'The Bachelor.' -- By Michael Maloney

How much Emmy research are you doing?
Chris Harrison: [Laughs] You have no idea! I liken it to cramming for college. I had Monday Night Football on the other night and literally two binders of information [on nominees] in front of me.
Carrie Ann Inaba: The binders are five inches big!
Chris: The good news is we're both TV fans. But I don't want to talk storylines with the nominees. I want to ask them what viewers don't know about them.

It's a great deal of information to have in your head – especially during live TV!
Carrie Ann: We've been on the other side. We don't want to make it boring, but it's nice when the hosts know what's going on.
Chris: We want them to know we respect their work. We've seen it when the interviewers have no idea who they are or what show they're on.

Here's a tip: You can always say to a dressed up star, "You're certainly dressed differently than your character usually is!" Hopefully, they take it from there.
Chris: [Laughs] I like that one!
Carrie Ann: [Laughs] I might use that one.

What's your goal as hosts of the TV Guide Network's pre-Emmy show?
Carrie Ann: I think my role on the red carpet is similar to my role on 'Dancing' in that they're both supporting roles. I love the business and the excitement, but it's so much more fun being supportive. As a host, I ask questions that help them get out what they want to.
Chris: I think that to be successful as a couple we need to set a standard and a tone – [celebrities and their publicists] have to come to us. They'll give us the benefit of the doubt once, but if you treat someone badly ... this is a small town. Word spreads quickly.
Carrie Ann: I'm on a mission to learn more about fashion. It's a new area for me. I'm going to be asking a lot of questions. I think people at home want to know about [that stuff].
Chris: I hope that people turn off our show, turn on the Emmys and say, "I just felt like I hung out with Carrie Ann and Chris. They asked what I wanted to ask!" It's live TV. We're going to make mistakes, but if they get the idea that we're being respectful then we'll be cut some slack.


There are some changes to the new season of 'Dancing' including a double elimination in some shows in the middle of the season. That's just when fans don't want to see anyone leave because they've started to get so much better.
Carrie Ann: We want to keep people engaged. We want to keep the audience entertained. We've changed some of the judging, too, in a big way. The judges will have a little bit more of a say this season.

Would you like to see Chris on 'Dancing With the Stars?' Who would you pair him with?
Carrie Ann: I would love that. After we did a promo [for the Emmys] I learned that Chris can dance. I'd pair him with Edyta Sliwinska.
Chris: Thanks! I would not turn that down.

Chris, what would you tell a buddy if he asks you, 'Should I go on 'The Bachelor?'
Chris: I'd say, yes, absolutely. It's fun. Whether it works out or not, people have a great experience.

Chris, 'The Bachelor' starts airing again in January. When do you start shooting that?
Chris: We start in the middle of October. We'll be done before the holidays.
Carrie Ann: So you'll know who's chosen? How do you keep that secret?
Chris: I'll know over the holidays. I get [grilled] by my family.
Carrie Ann: I'm so glad 'Dancing With the Stars' is live. I don't have to keep any secrets.