Karl Stefanovic loses the plot after cracking 'elevation' joke with Ironman Ky Hurst on air

HE'S the ultimate prankster, but Karl Stefanovic's foot-in-mouth moment on air this morning with Ironman Ky Hurst was far from planned.

HE'S the ultimate prankster, but Karl Stefanovic's foot-in-mouth moment on air this morning was far from planned.

The Today show host was chatting to Ky Hurst and fellow competitor Wes Berg ahead of the Nutri-Grain Ironman series in Perth and commented that Hurst was going in as the favourite. "I'm elevating you," Stefanovic joked.

"I'm elevated," the 32-year-old Ironman champion replied, before quickly adding: "Not literally. You get me excited Karl, but not that excited!"

From this point it was all over for both Karl and Ky, who fell about in hysterics at the awkward blunder.

"It's turned into a debacle already," was all the brekkie show co-host could manage.

The Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Ironman series kicks off in Perth this weekend. Hurst is the only man to have won seven Australian Ironman titles and is a hot favourite leading into the first race at Smiths Beach.