Melissa McCarthy reveals what she was actually chugging during SNL Hidden Valley Ranch sketch

Would you chug a bottle of ranch dressing for $50? Melissa McCarthy did — all in the name of comedy, for a memorable and messy Saturday Night Live sketch.

During an interview on EW's 3 Rounds video series, McCarthy looks back on the 2011 sketch — one performed during the first of her five times as host — where she plays an enthusiastic Hidden Valley Ranch fan named Linda, one of three consumers asked to taste test some new products. To prove her dedication as a ranch lover — and to earn a little cash — Linda eventually squirts the bottle of ranch all over her face, chugging a portion of it large enough to cover a salad bar. While Linda was shouting "There's a Hidden Valley Ranch party in my mouth" multiple times, McCarthy reveals that she wasn't really drinking ranch.

McCarthy is "a big fan of the HVR," she tells host Alexis Wilson, but when she discovered the probiotic yogurt drink Kefir, she decided to use it as a ranch substitute, acknowledging that "when you're shotgunning it down your throat," the difference isn't that significant.

"When I think about it, I kinda really love ranch," McCarthy adds. "So I don't know that I couldn't have just [drank ranch dressing]… but there's a lot of logistics to that."

And McCarthy only has herself to blame: She created the character, writing and performing a version of the sketch when she was part of L.A.'s Groundlings. "At the time I was like, 'This will be a great idea,'" she recalls. "And then doing it three times a week, I was like, 'Hmmm, this is difficult to get down the third time.'"

Ultimately, though, McCarthy — who won an Emmy in 2017 for guest-hosting SNL — aimed to please the audience, even if it meant dousing her face in yogurt...and drinking huge amounts of it. "If people would laugh, I would do it more," she reflects, adding that her husband, Ben Falcone, tried to get her to pull back on the bit, telling her there's "no pride" in her comedy game. She didn't disagree: "None. None, and never has been."

You can watch the SNL sketch above, and check out the entire 3 Rounds with Melissa McCarthy below.

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