Carson Daly, Chrissy Teigen and Leslie Jones.
[Screenshot via YouTube]

Why was Carson Daly's New Year's ball drop so awkward?

If you spent your New Year’s tuned to NBC, you likely caught Carson Daly and his small-screen celebration with Chrissy Teigen and comedian Leslie Jones. But while you might’ve been off toasting, snacking or kissing during the final seconds of 2018, one jaw-droppingly awkward New Year’s Eve ball drop played out for all of TV land to see.

Watch below as the televised trio count down the year’s closing ticks in New York City, only to lose the onscreen counter with 25 seconds left to go. (At least that’s how it appears to the viewer.) Daly and crew courageously pick the count back up in the last ten seconds, seemingly going solely by the chants of the surrounding crowd. And when we finally cut to the ball dropping, it’s…on fire? We’re not sure, because all you can really see is smoke.

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“Can’t see [the] clock,” Daly’s heard saying at one point, the former TRL figurehead understandably trying to keep the New Year’s ship afloat. Inside of the last ten seconds, he starts counting again at 7, only to give up after 4.

Did technical difficulties play a part in the awkward New Year’s Eve countdown? And did the apparent confusion in saluting Baby New Year contribute to Jones accidentally hitting Teigen in the face with her umbrella?

Indeed, all the excitement culminated in the Saturday Night Live star unwittingly knocking Teigen in the noggin while going in for a hug, showing just how unwieldy rain gear can get. Teigen joked on Twitter this morning that she was “heading back out to time’s square to find [her] eyeball” after confirming she’s actually OK after the New Year near-bludgeoning.

Needless to say, it all left us with this expression on our faces:

Did you watch this hot mess unfold on TV last night? Were you caught off guard by the Carson Daly countdown’s confusing final seconds? Sound off in the comments section, below, with your take on the apparent New Year’s Eve TV mix-up.

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