Meredith Vieira pranks her show's interns

Meredith Vieira's new talk show seems to be off without a hitch, and she's actually showing off her comedic skills that none of us knew she had.

To really start the show off right, she first arranged for a staff member to trick some interns. He was secretly being given feedback from Meredith, who was in a separate room.

"Sometimes you have to make liquor runs ... once you get past all the little rules, she's amazing ... when she's sober," he said.

And when asked what they knew about Meredith, the interns said they'd heard she loves her dog. So the host decided to use that to mess with them, too.

"It's not really her dog. It's her neighbor's dog."

"Jasper's not hers?"

Some other notable moments?

Interns were told not to look Meredith directly in the eyes ... and that she loves hugs, but don't touch her when doing so. How's that possible? The interns were confused, and possibly terrified, too.

Of course in the end, Meredith came out and let the interns in on the joke.

And although we enjoyed the moment, we are wondering ... are the odds stacked against Meredith's new show? The Washington Post seemed to ponder the same: "Vieira ... is trying to do what so many before her tried and failed to accomplish: Successfully host a daytime talk show."

To see more moments from Meredith's new show, keep an eye on her website.