1:59

as an illusion. Life

2:02

is a game that plays us." The

2:08

comedic shtick was simple. Fame

2:10

is not usually a contest of wits,

2:13

and Hollywood is not usually seen

2:15

as the smartest town in America.

2:18

But it was more than that. The sketch was playing

2:20

off the idea that celebrity rewards things like

2:22

looks and charm, whereas

2:25

Jeopardy has always been a celebration of

2:27

knowledge over everything.

2:31

In

2:31

many of the celebrity Jeopardy sketches, Will

2:34

Ferrell as Alex Trebek held extremely

2:37

low expectations of the contestants.

2:40

Let's take a look at the board. The

2:43

categories are Continents,

2:46

Theatre, Po-Pourri,

2:49

Potent Potables, Numbers,

2:53

Words That Rhyme With Dog, and

2:56

finally The Renaissance. And

3:00

you know what, let's just replace that last

3:02

category with Shapes. Even

3:06

with the host dropping hints, the contestants

3:09

usually ended up in the red. But

3:11

as much as his SNL counterpart was

3:13

fed up with celebrity contestants, the

3:15

real Alex Trebek saw

3:17

the real celebrity

3:19

Jeopardy for its true value. And

3:22

potential. Putting celebrities on the

3:24

Jeopardy set gave actors, comedians,

3:27

news anchors, and politicians the

3:29

chance to step away from their everyday

3:31

roles and be seen in a new light

3:33

as Jeopardy contestants.

3:36

Luminaries of the silver and small screen

3:38

could dominate the buzzer. Star athletes

3:41

could put their intelligence to the test. And perhaps

3:44

most importantly,

3:45

fans could enjoy the novelty of seeing

3:47

a loudmouth comedian, White House press

3:50

secretary, and bestselling novelist

3:52

face off against each other.

3:55

Sometimes these appearances would even

3:57

open up a new portal of fandom.

4:00

them,

4:00

allowing celebrities to be seen in a whole new

4:02

way.

4:03

If regular Jeopardy was for everyday smart

4:05

people to make it big, Celebrity

4:08

Jeopardy was a chance for famous folks to

4:10

show they had smarts too. If

4:12

going on David Letterman was a way for a celebrity

4:14

to arrive, so was

4:16

an appearance on Celebrity Jeopardy.

4:19

Plus, think about those ratings.

4:23

I'm

4:24

your host Buzzy Cohen, and from Sony

4:26

Music Entertainment and Sony Pictures TV,

4:28

this is Jeopardy, the story of

4:30

America's favorite quiz show. This

4:33

week, we revisit some of the

4:35

most star-studded Jeopardy

4:37

games of all time, and hear from

4:39

one champion who's never lost a game

4:42

of Celebrity Jeopardy.

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5:54

Back in the Art Fleming days of Jeopardy, sometimes

5:56

for a funny stunt, famous faces would

5:58

make appearances.

6:00

Here's Art Fleming introducing a special

6:02

guest. Now, my friends, I'd

6:04

like you all to meet a very devoted

6:07

fan of Jeopardy! He's also

6:09

one of the most talented men in the entertainment

6:11

business. Here he is in his

6:13

most famous comic creation, the

6:16

2000-year-old man, Mr. Mel Brooks! Awwww!

6:22

By the way, Mel Brooks and Carl

6:24

Reiner originally created this comedic sketch

6:26

about a 2000-year-old man back in the

6:28

50s. This clip is from 1972,

6:32

when Brooks came onto Jeopardy! to celebrate

6:34

the 2000th episode of The

6:36

Beloved Quiz Show. Thank

6:39

you Mr. 2000-year-old man. By the way, did

6:41

you have television game shows 2000 years ago? Pulling

6:44

my cane. Are you kidding? We had this show!

6:46

This show 2000 years ago, we had Jeopardy!

6:52

Jeopardy? 2000 years? It wasn't

6:54

such a hippie-pippy happy game then. Well,

6:56

how did you play Jeopardy? It was a very serious game. The

6:58

minute you left your cave,

7:00

Jeopardy! Today,

7:02

Celebrity Jeopardy! is hosted by Mayim Bialik.

7:04

It's a full-fledged tournament

7:07

with its own time slot. But

7:09

how did it all begin?

7:16

1992 marked the very first Celebrity

7:18

Jeopardy! tournament. It was the brainchild of

7:20

Jeopardy! producers and Alex Trebek.

7:23

Well, Celebrity Jeopardy! came about because

7:26

all the producers and Alex really

7:29

realized that there were and are

7:31

very bright celebrities out there that

7:34

wanted to or might be interested in

7:36

showcasing that fact.

7:38

That's longtime supervising producer Rocky

7:41

Schmidt. At this time, Alex

7:43

was purely the host who is no longer

7:45

one of the producers on the show, but he

7:47

did have a few people in mind to cast.

7:50

While Rocky and Alex were in Hawaii doing

7:52

a contestant search, they went out to dinner

7:55

at a restaurant in Honolulu.

7:57

And at the table next to us was Carol Burnett.

8:00

they started talking and he said,

8:02

if we do Celebrity Jeopardy, would you play? And

8:04

she was game for it and said, yes, absolutely.

8:07

And was I think the first solid booking

8:09

we had.

8:10

And with that, what was just an idea

8:13

became reality. This

8:17

is Celebrity Jeopardy!

8:20

Now entering the studio are today's celebrity

8:23

contestants. The co-host of televisions

8:25

live with Regis and Kathy Lee, Regis

8:28

Kildan. Abby in

8:30

the long running, not landing. And the star

8:33

of the TV movie, the president's child,

8:35

Della Mill. And

8:38

actress, comedian, star of stage,

8:40

screen and television, Harold

8:42

Burnet. And now

8:45

here is the host of Jeopardy! Alex

8:48

Trebek. For that

8:50

first game, the Jeopardy! contestant department

8:52

had also fulfilled one of Alex's

8:54

wishes by casting the legendary

8:57

presenter, Regis Philbin.

8:59

They came out of the same era.

9:02

That's former executive producer of Jeopardy,

9:04

Harry Friedman.

9:05

They were like-minded in

9:08

their respect for the audience.

9:11

And both of them came from that school

9:13

of hosts that started out as broadcasters.

9:17

And they wore that title with great pride.

9:19

So they had a lot in common. And Regis

9:22

was just a lot of fun. You could not be around

9:24

Regis and not have fun.

9:26

What's the charity you're playing for? Cardinal

9:29

Hayes High School. Are you a graduate of that school? Yes,

9:31

I am a South Brown. Why do you say that

9:33

with a question in your voice? Yes,

9:35

I did graduate from high school. I

9:37

never had any doubts about that,

9:40

Regis.

9:41

The notion that Alex hated celebrities, that

9:43

was purely an invention of the

9:46

SNL writers.

9:47

Alex loved the celebrity version

9:49

of the show. It gave him a chance

9:52

to meet some people that he had always

9:54

wanted to meet. So he was a fan

9:56

of theirs. They were a fan

9:59

of his.

10:00

Alex was at the peak of his

10:02

Jeopardy! fame, and as the sleek, mustachioed

10:05

host of America's favorite quiz show, he

10:08

was excited about a new iteration

10:10

of the game. But

10:11

it was also very interesting to see

10:13

how some of these immensely powerful

10:16

people came to the set,

10:18

and they were a little nervous

10:20

around Alex. I think he intimidated

10:23

them a little bit. One celebrity

10:25

said, I kind of feel like I've come

10:28

to the principal's office, and I better have the

10:30

right answers.

10:31

That wasn't the case for Regis. They

10:34

were peers. He wasn't intimidated

10:36

by Alex, but he was experiencing

10:39

other challenges in the game.

10:41

Regis was not doing very well

10:43

with the signaling button. Plus, he

10:45

came up against two contestants

10:48

in that episode who were legitimately

10:50

very smart, Donna Mills and Carol

10:52

Burnett, who just seemed to know something

10:55

about everything. Italian

10:58

food for 300. The Italian word

11:01

for spring. It describes pasta

11:03

dishes made with fresh vegetables.

11:06

Donna.

11:06

What is primavera? And Alex

11:09

just departed. This was so unusual

11:11

for him. He departed from his usual

11:14

rhythm of the show and

11:17

asked Regis, excuse me, Regis,

11:19

could you press that signaling button

11:21

for me? Before you get to select again, I

11:24

would like to ask a favor of Regis.

11:26

Can I ask a favor of you, Regis? Is this thing working?

11:30

Thank you for checking. Good.

11:32

It works.

11:34

Sure. But I'm talking about all the game.

11:37

It works. You don't. Donna. Donna,

11:42

select. I can think of a... I

11:45

can think of an answer. I'd give it to him. Italian food

11:47

for 400. As Celebrity

11:49

Jeopardy found its groove in subsequent seasons,

11:52

the production team realized that their potential

11:55

contestant pool was particularly

11:57

busy. Bookings were

11:59

difficult.

12:00

A lot of times it came down to them saying

12:03

yes, because a lot

12:05

of them were scared to do it. And we

12:07

certainly understood that. They didn't want to

12:09

look stupid.

12:10

As actor Simu Liu put it,

12:13

I'm very nervous because I feel like

12:15

there's no game show that exposes stupidity

12:17

the way that Jeopardy does. And

12:20

so I feel like the stakes are very high here.

12:23

For those that weren't scared to test their

12:25

knowledge in front of the whole nation, Harry says

12:28

it was a win-win-win.

12:30

The

12:30

first win is for

12:32

the audience because they

12:35

get to see celebrities do

12:37

their best to

12:39

impress Alex and the other players

12:42

and the viewers. The win is for

12:44

the celebrities because they

12:47

get to demonstrate that they are more

12:49

than just even the sum

12:52

of the roles they've played or

12:54

of the success they've achieved. And

12:57

then the third win is for the charities

13:00

that the celebrities are playing for.

13:03

This is one of the coolest things about

13:05

Celebrity Jeopardy. Movie stars

13:08

don't need extra cash. So on Celebrity

13:10

Jeopardy, the winnings go to a charity

13:13

of their choice. To date, more

13:15

than 250 celebrities have competed and

13:17

the show has raised close to $11 million for

13:21

charity.

13:22

Like Harry said, it's a win-win-win. And

13:25

Celebrity Jeopardy has historically

13:27

delivered some of the highest ratings in

13:29

the quiz show's history. But

13:31

look,

13:32

not everybody likes it.

13:34

There's a contingent of the Jeopardy

13:36

fan world that doesn't think it takes knowledge

13:38

seriously enough. And to be fair,

13:41

when it comes to the game material on Celebrity

13:43

Jeopardy, Harry Friedman said it plainly.

13:46

Yeah, it is

13:48

easier.

13:49

Okay, so Celebrity Jeopardy clues

13:52

are easier than what you'll find on the regular

13:54

show.

13:55

We have some general

13:57

idea what some of the celebrities know.

13:59

and what they don't know. But we try

14:02

to base it on general knowledge.

14:05

But if you've seen Celebrity Jeopardy, you'll

14:07

know certain famous folks have

14:10

struggled just as much as any

14:12

other Jeopardy contestant, whether they're being

14:14

bested by the buzzer, struggling with

14:16

stage fright, or just don't know the answers

14:19

to the clues. Some prepare, others

14:21

don't. Some of them are longtime

14:23

Jeopardy fans and they know how it works.

14:26

Others aren't as familiar and it

14:28

sometimes shows. In

14:30

regular Jeopardy, you've probably seen

14:33

how easy it is for super smart

14:35

people to not do so

14:37

well on set.

14:39

And for celebrities with big profiles, a

14:41

Jeopardy loss can set them up to fall even

14:44

faster and harder.

14:46

Take this moment from a 2022 game with

14:50

comedians Reggie Watts and Eliza Schlesinger

14:52

playing against chef Eddie Huang.

14:55

The hungry eye in North Beach in this California

14:57

city helped begin the tradition of a red brick

14:59

wall behind the comic. Reggie.

15:03

What is the improv? No.

15:05

Okay. Eliza. What is Hermosa Beach? No.

15:08

What? I'm pretty sure it is. Eddie,

15:12

what is San Francisco?

15:15

But keep in mind, many celebrity

15:17

contestants are serious contenders

15:19

on stage 10, like actor Brandon

15:22

Hunt, who plays the lovably gruff Coach

15:24

Beard on Ted Lasso. Before

15:27

that show really took off, Brandon wasn't

15:29

really a celebrity. He was just another actor,

15:31

writer, living in Los Angeles, trying

15:33

to make it in Hollywood. He qualified

15:36

for regular Jeopardy and made it into the contestant

15:38

pool, but wasn't called up to compete.

15:41

Remember, many more people qualify

15:43

for the regular show than can be used each

15:46

season.

15:47

Then when Ted Lasso premiered at the height of the

15:49

pandemic, Brandon Starr soared,

15:51

and he finally made it onto celebrity

15:54

Jeopardy in early 2023, and

15:56

he acquitted himself very well.

16:00

Here's one other way celebrity

16:03

Jeopardy! differs.

16:04

When you have public figures on stage, the Jeopardy!

16:06

writers often have more fun with

16:08

the clues. It's a different sort of ballgame

16:11

when you can have fun with a household name through

16:13

the writing of a clue. Washington

16:16

Post star reporter,

16:18

journalist, Bob Woodward was on the show,

16:20

and as well as was

16:22

Peggy Noonan. She was Ronald

16:24

Reagan's speechwriter.

16:26

And a question went to her about

16:29

Watergate. D for 800 please. He's

16:33

the shadowy Watergate source. Two

16:35

words, four letters and six letters.

16:38

Peggy.

16:39

Who is Deep Throat? You are right. Now

16:42

let's not pause. Wait a minute, we're going to pause here, but let's

16:44

not go away just yet. Bob, we've been waiting over 30

16:47

years for this.

16:48

Who

16:49

is Deep Throat? Come

16:52

on, you can make headlines once again on national

16:55

television. How

16:58

much do I get if I answer? An

17:02

inconceivable amount of money. He

17:06

is an inconceivable person.

17:10

Alright, well done. Here's another example

17:13

of how the writers play with celebrity contestants.

17:15

Sometimes they'll write out a whole category

17:18

of clues that sound like they're directly

17:20

referencing the celebrity. But then it turns

17:23

out the category is a red herring.

17:26

How about the time comedian Joel Kim Booster

17:28

was on? Those sneaky writers

17:30

titled the category Fire Island. You'd

17:33

think it was about Booster's film of the same name,

17:35

or maybe the vacation destination in

17:37

New York where it was set, but the clues

17:40

all featured islands that have experienced high

17:42

temperatures. Who doesn't love a bait

17:44

and switch in the form of wordplay?

17:47

More after the break. Stay with us. Thanks

17:50

for watching.

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The

18:57

democratic spirit of jeopardy,

19:00

the idea that anyone with a penchant

19:02

for knowledge can make their way to

19:04

stage 10 and maybe even

19:06

succeed, that's what keeps the

19:08

game engaging, timeless, and accessible

19:11

really for anyone with a mind for

19:13

trivia.

19:14

Yeah, there are professors, doctors, and lawyers,

19:17

but there are also administrative assistants,

19:19

ride-share drivers, and bartenders who dominate

19:22

the game. But there's also

19:24

something funny about seeing extremely

19:27

familiar faces behind the lecterns,

19:29

whether the famous folks are jockeying for Daily

19:31

Doubles, sweating through their face powder,

19:34

or nervously bumbling through an interview

19:36

with Alex Trebek.

19:38

Here's host Mayim Bialik.

19:40

The rhythm of the game is very different because they banter

19:43

a lot. It definitely changes

19:45

the rhythm for me because I

19:47

was often having to stifle laughing

19:50

really hard because there's some really,

19:52

really funny people that we had on. And

19:55

also sometimes with actors, when they get things wrong, they get

19:57

funnier.

19:58

celebrity

20:00

Jeopardy! game with actors Michael Cera, Brianne

20:03

Howie, and Zoe Chow, when Brianne

20:05

brought her fellow contestant in on the final

20:07

Jeopardy! action.

20:08

Calling him the embodiment of pure

20:11

intellect, in December 1999, Time

20:14

Magazine named him Person of

20:16

the Century.

20:17

You have 30 seconds, good luck.

20:20

["The Star-Spangled Banner"] ["The

20:25

Star-Spangled Banner"]

20:30

Let's begin with Brianne. Oh,

20:32

fabulous. What

20:36

did you come up with?

20:38

Who is Michael Cera? ["The Star-Spangled

20:41

Banner"] Unfortunately,

20:43

that is not correct. The

20:46

correct response? Albert Einstein.

20:49

Like

20:51

with any game of Jeopardy, you can't predict

20:53

how every game will go and which celebrities

20:56

will rise to the top of the contestant

20:58

pool. It seemed even more so in

21:00

the early years that the

21:03

athletes wanted to disprove

21:06

the dumb jock

21:08

stereotype, and they usually did that extremely

21:11

well.

21:12

That's former EP, Harry Friedman.

21:14

He's one of the greatest NBA

21:17

players in history. Here's all

21:19

of Famer and the NBA's all-time

21:21

leading scorer, Karim Abdul-Jabbar.

21:26

Not only is Karim Abdul-Jabbar considered one

21:28

of the best basketball players of all time,

21:31

but he's a well-known author and public

21:33

intellectual and thrice-over

21:35

contestant on Celebrity Jeopardy.

21:38

This man's 1807 steamboat

21:40

run up the Hudson led to an 1824

21:43

Supreme Court decision on interstate commerce.

21:47

Karim. Who is Fulton? Robert Fulton

21:49

is right, you're back on the bus. He was awesome,

21:52

just absolutely awesome in

21:54

the realm of his knowledge, being

21:56

a voracious reader that he is and just innately

21:59

smart.

22:00

Plus, you've got to think about how often

22:02

an athlete can just kill it on the buzzer.

22:05

Reaction time, am I right?

22:07

But it's not just jocks proving their

22:09

smarts, as Harry remembers.

22:11

Probably the best example of that

22:13

is Cheech Marin,

22:16

who came on the show and everyone

22:18

thought what is he doing on Jeopardy? And

22:21

he's just a comedian and a stoner.

22:24

Actor Michael McKeon thought the same thing

22:26

when he competed against Cheech too.

22:29

You know, you go, man, this guy's been smoking

22:31

pot since 1961. How

22:34

hard is this going to be? Not

22:36

so fast. Biblical consent, 600. In

22:38

Genesis, he tells God, I

22:40

heard thy voice in the garden and I was afraid

22:43

because I was naked.

22:45

Cheech was Adam. Correct. Well,

22:47

it turns out he's an accomplished artist

22:49

and world-class art collector

22:52

and

22:52

very smart. Cheech

22:56

Marin wasn't just good. Remember

22:58

that very first Celebrity Jeopardy tournament, that

23:01

game with Regis Philbin, Carol Burnett,

23:03

and Donna Mills? Cheech

23:05

fleeced the competition in that tournament

23:07

and took home the crown, becoming the first

23:10

Celebrity Jeopardy Grand

23:13

Champion. Michael McKeon isn't

23:15

the only contestant to underestimate Cheech.

23:18

News anchor Anderson Cooper has been on the show

23:20

four times and played against Cheech in

23:22

a quarterfinal game of the 2009-2010 Million Dollar Celebrity

23:24

Invitational.

23:28

After that game, Anderson went on the Ellen

23:30

DeGeneres show to relive his worst

23:33

moments. I was against Cheech Marin

23:36

from Cheech and Chong and

23:38

I got really cocky because I was

23:40

like, I mean, come on, Cheech Marin, he's,

23:42

you know, the synapses

23:45

can't, you know, he's been smoking a lot. The synapses

23:47

can't be really sharp. I'm going to kill him.

23:49

I went on. He destroyed me. He's

23:52

just, he is so fast

23:54

on the buzzer and so smart.

23:56

He knows everything.

23:58

Cheech credits his Jeopardy!

23:59

appearances for more than just the

24:02

glory of the win and the donations

24:04

to charity.

24:05

He has said many times

24:07

that his appearance on Jeopardy changed

24:10

his life, sent his career in

24:12

a different direction.

24:14

Cheech has said that being on Jeopardy

24:16

made people take him more seriously.

24:19

They realized he was a true Renaissance

24:21

man. He even began to take on new roles outside

24:23

of comedy, like in the 2016 thriller Dark Harvest

24:27

and the 2023 historical drama

24:30

The Long Game.

24:31

For Harry Friedman, a lot was on the line

24:34

in 1997 for the very first

24:36

Celebrity Jeopardy Power Players Week

24:38

in Washington, D.C.

24:43

From Washington, D.C., this is Power

24:45

Players Week on Jeopardy! Here

24:51

are tonight's celebrity gifts. Power

24:54

Players was like any other Celebrity Jeopardy

24:56

tournament, but with some extra meat

24:58

on the bone. It was set in the nation's

25:00

capital and populated by plenty

25:03

of pundits and politicians,

25:05

and all the pressure for a successful week

25:07

was sitting on Harry's shoulders.

25:10

We did have a lot to prove. We needed

25:13

to prove that we could successfully do Jeopardy!

25:15

on the road and do it without

25:18

a lot of technical glitches, that

25:21

the show could attract some really, really big

25:23

names from the world of politics

25:25

and the media.

25:27

Some of those big names, they included

25:29

Reverend Jesse Jackson Jr., former

25:31

White House Press Secretary Dee Dee Myers,

25:34

novelist Tom Clancy, and Colorado

25:36

Congresswoman Pat Schroeder.

25:40

Since Power Players was taping in D.C.,

25:42

there were even opportunities for some

25:45

extra special cameos like

25:47

this Final Jeopardy!

25:59

I'm not qualified to do that, so I'm going to need some

26:02

help. I need somebody who is recognized,

26:04

somebody who has the credentials, somebody who has...

26:07

Well look at that. Here is Senator McCain. The

26:09

category is U.S. Senate.

26:17

In 1958, the U.S.

26:20

Senate was made up of this

26:22

many members. You have 30 seconds.

26:28

By the way, that answer is 96. But

26:32

none of the contestants got this final Jeopardy.

26:35

Not Tavis Smiley, not Christy Todd

26:37

Whitman, or Tim Russert.

26:40

Just like on the regular show, they

26:42

just couldn't summon that right response in

26:44

time. We've

26:47

talked about a few winners in Celebrity Jeopardy,

26:50

but with over 250 names in contention, who

26:53

reigns undefeated? Whoever

26:56

it is must know a lot.

26:59

To not know what the little groove

27:01

underneath your nose is called, who

27:04

cares? More after

27:06

the break.

27:10

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are the greatest,

27:12

but let me play devil's advocate here. Let's

27:14

see, so... No, that's a good thing.

27:18

That's definitely not a problem.

27:21

Reese's, you did it. You stumped

27:23

this charming devil.

27:25

Barbie's influence has stood the test of

27:27

time. She's gorgeous. She's an icon.

27:30

She has a lengthy resume and perfectly arched

27:32

plastic feet. But her

27:33

legacy isn't as squeaky clean as you

27:35

think. This week on Fierce Rivalries,

27:38

listen as we uncover the not-so-girl-next-door

27:41

origin

27:41

story of Barbie and her

27:43

decade-long battle to stay on top as

27:45

the Brats enter the toy scene. Tune

27:48

into Fierce Rivalries every Tuesday on Apple

27:50

Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever

27:52

you get your podcasts.

27:59

There is something about it. out being

28:01

focused on

28:03

the chore, being focused on what you're there to

28:05

do, that kind

28:08

of takes all other responsibilities away.

28:10

My

28:11

name is Michael McKeon. I've been watching Jeopardy!

28:14

since I was in high school. Bernard Fleming

28:16

took us through the stone age of a set

28:18

platform. And I've

28:21

always watched the damn

28:22

show.

28:25

Years before actor, comedian, Michael

28:28

McKeon made his name in showbiz, he

28:30

was a nerdy, musically minded teen growing up

28:33

on Long Island.

28:34

When I watched Jeopardy!, I was generally

28:36

alone. And, you know, I was just this

28:39

kid, you know, with a lot

28:41

of time on his hands, a guitar and bad

28:44

skin. And that was my life.

28:45

Michael's career spans decades from his

28:48

breakthrough role as Lenny on Laverne and

28:50

Shirley in the 1970s. Hey, you

28:52

know, I'd be glad to hang around and help all you girls get these

28:54

decorations out. No, no, no, no. To his

28:56

appearances as a cast member on

28:58

Saturday Night Live in the 90s.

29:01

Not to mention his iconic roles in many

29:03

of Christopher Guest's mockumentaries from Waiting

29:05

for Guffman to A Mighty Wind and Best

29:07

in Show.

29:08

The palm was no problem. Oh no, palm

29:10

broke his gate. He might as well have taken a dump. That

29:13

little Yorkie, you know, I was amazed she finished out of the

29:15

money. Who knew? A year before Michael

29:17

McKeon would appear as Stefan Van

29:19

Der Hoof in the unforgettable Best

29:22

in Show,

29:23

the Jeopardy! contestant department reached out.

29:25

In 1999, they

29:28

approached me to do the show. I said, this is amazing.

29:30

And they said, well, hold on now. We got enough

29:32

people, but we just need a standby.

29:35

In the end, Michael made it off the standby

29:37

list.

29:38

From the Sony Pictures

29:40

Studios, this is

29:43

Celebrity Jeopardy! And

29:47

now, here are today's celebrity

29:49

guests. He plays Paul

29:51

Lasseter, the hard-pressed press secretary

29:54

to the mayor of New York on the ABC

29:56

sitcom, Spin City. Please

29:59

welcome, Richard Hye. She

30:04

won an Emmy for her portrayal of

30:07

Eleanor Frutt on the ABC legal

30:09

drama The Practice. Here's

30:12

Cameron Manheim. He's

30:17

the film and television comic who hosts Comedy

30:20

Central's uncomfortably close with Michael

30:22

McKeon. Here's Michael

30:25

McKeon. As

30:28

a contestant, Michael was cool, calm, collected, and

30:30

he knew his stuff. S-words

30:32

for 500. A complete sentence

30:35

needs a predicate and one of these.

30:38

Michael? What is a subject? Right.

30:41

This sushi ingredient must be extremely fresh

30:43

to be served raw. Michael?

30:46

What is shrimp? Yeah. Swords

30:48

for 800. The swords the Romans and Vikings used had this quality

30:51

which could probably work for them or

30:53

against them. Michael? What

30:56

is double-edged? And then the moment arrived.

30:59

It was time for final jeopardy.

31:01

I think Richard was in the lead

31:03

and the thing came up and it's sports.

31:07

And Richard turns to me and he goes, that's

31:09

it. I lose. I'm going to lose this.

31:12

And I said, Richard, I think we're both going to lose.

31:15

I don't know anything about international sports.

31:17

Here comes the clue.

31:18

Jan Ulrich, the

31:21

only German ever to win this event,

31:24

has been nicknamed Der Tourminator.

31:27

30 seconds. Good luck.

31:34

Now we come to Michael McKean. He had 8900. His

31:37

response was, what is the Tour de

31:39

France? Jan Ulrich won it in 1997. That

31:43

was Annette O'Toole, Michael's wife,

31:46

out there in the audience. He risked 6500. So

31:49

he has the lead with 15400 as we go to Richard.

31:53

In case you missed it, as Alex pointed out, that

31:55

shriek in the background was actress Annette

31:57

O'Toole, who is also Michael's wife.

31:59

and a fellow Jeopardy enthusiast.

32:03

To this day, Michael and Annette have

32:05

a nightly routine of sitting down for Jeopardy

32:07

together. When we watch Jeopardy

32:09

now, my wife and I, we

32:12

have equal blindness in some

32:14

of the same areas. Geography comes

32:16

up and we just go, no,

32:18

no, we're not gonna be able to answer any

32:20

of those. So, when it was time to

32:22

prep for his own turn on stage 10, he

32:25

knew just what to focus on.

32:27

I drilled myself on, you know,

32:30

state capitals, world leaders and all

32:32

these things I didn't have at the tip of my tongue. So,

32:35

I was ready to go.

32:37

But besides prepping the way many other contestants

32:39

do, Michael just has a head for random

32:41

facts, like all great Jeopardy

32:43

contestants. Some knowledge is more important

32:46

than others. I mean, to not know what

32:48

the Nuremberg trials was about, that's

32:50

not a good thing. That's a whole linear learning.

32:53

To not know what the little groove

32:56

underneath your nose is called, who

32:58

cares? I mean,

33:00

I actually know what it is, of course, or else

33:02

I wouldn't have brought it up. It's called

33:04

the philtrim. You don't need to know that, but

33:06

if you just happen to remember it, you

33:08

go, philtrim is this, and the hard

33:11

things on the end of your shoelaces are aglets.

33:14

Now, there's no real use for that unless

33:17

you wanna tell somebody. Ha ha.

33:20

And Michael has what may be a

33:22

secret weapon. I cut

33:24

the end of my right thumb off with a table

33:26

saw, not intentionally, when

33:29

I was 18. And, you

33:32

know, there was too little of it to sew back on, so

33:34

they just kind of let it go. And I have this weird

33:37

gimp thumb, it's a little short. But

33:40

I think maybe having a little less weight, there's

33:43

not as much pull against the

33:45

downward movement. I listen, I'm not a physicist.

33:48

I mean, neither am I, but we dove

33:50

deep into Buzzerland on this show, and as you

33:52

probably know by now, any number

33:55

of things could be an advantage in terms of

33:57

buzzer speed.

34:01

In 2006, Michael took the

34:03

celebrity Jeopardy stage again, this

34:06

time facing off against actor Hill Harper

34:08

and Secretary of Education Margaret

34:11

Spellings. The Secretary of

34:13

Education.

34:15

He was up against it. One legend

34:17

says that this magician who helped King

34:19

Arthur used his powers to

34:22

build Stonehenge. Michael, who's

34:24

Merlin, right? Stonehenge 800.

34:27

Remember how Jeopardy writers liked to wink

34:30

at their celeb contestants with special

34:32

material? Well, Stonehenge

34:34

plays a famously comic role in McKeehen's

34:37

classic film, This is Spinal Tap,

34:39

which makes this category pretty

34:41

fun to watch. Today some

34:43

archaeologists believe that Stonehenge

34:45

was used to track and observe

34:47

these two heavenly bodies. Michael?

34:50

What are the sun and the moon? Yes. Uh,

34:53

Henge. During the summer

34:55

solstice, modern day people who act

34:57

like these Celtic priests hold

35:00

ceremonies at Stonehenge. Michael?

35:03

Who are the Druids? Druids, yes indeed.

35:05

I, I beat him pretty good as

35:07

I recall. I was just, I think it was

35:09

better on the button. Yeah, damn.

35:12

That is buzzer domination. In 2010,

35:16

the biggest moment of Michael's Jeopardy career

35:18

presented itself in the form of the Million

35:21

Dollar Celebrity Invitational, where

35:23

contestants would compete for a million dollars

35:26

to donate to the charity of their choice.

35:28

The stakes? They were higher than ever.

35:34

This is the Million Dollar

35:36

Celebrity Invitational. I

35:39

kept winning until I got

35:41

to the Million Dollar Show when

35:44

I was up against Jane Curtin and Cheech

35:46

Marin.

35:47

This Aussie actress had a daughter on

35:49

July 7th, 2008, a Monday, but named her Sunday Rose.

35:55

Cheech. Uh, who is Nicole Kidman? Yes. This

35:57

Asian country originated capstone.

36:00

hotels like the one seen here. Jane?

36:03

What is Japan? Yep. Exodus

36:05

chapter 16 verse 31 says, the

36:07

taste of this bread that rained

36:09

down on the Israelites was like

36:11

wafers made with honey.

36:13

Michael? What is manna? Manna, right you are.

36:16

Cheech and Jane are

36:19

just their sharks. They were very

36:21

tough.

36:22

At the end of the Jeopardy round, Cheech,

36:25

former celebrity Jeopardy champion from

36:27

the 1992 tournament was in the lead with $3,600. And even though Cheech was

36:29

the only one to get

36:33

final Jeopardy

36:35

correct, remember this was a two-day

36:37

total point affair for the finals. So

36:39

when Cheech, Jane, and Michael's points were tallied

36:42

up for the win, they went across both

36:44

days. And with all of that

36:46

and Michael's clever wagering,

36:48

Michael was crowned champion.

36:51

Yesterday he earned $31,600, which

36:54

gives him a two-day total of $35,700,

36:57

which means that his charity,

36:59

the International Myeloma Foundation,

37:02

will be receiving $1 million.

37:07

And Jane's US fund for UNICEF $250,000,

37:10

and Cheech, the

37:13

Hispanic Scholarship Fund, $100,000. Michael,

37:15

congratulations.

37:19

The streak is alive. He has never

37:21

lost on Jeopardy.

37:23

Michael McKeon is one of an elite

37:25

squad. He is a real beast,

37:27

almost untouchable, if only

37:30

Andy Richter had had a chance to best

37:32

him at the buzzer. Let's

37:35

do the

37:37

Wild West for 200. The

37:41

Oregon, Mormon, and Old Spanish

37:44

were famous these via which settlers

37:46

from points east reached the west.

37:48

Andy. What are trails? That's right. The

37:51

Wild West for 300. Seen

37:54

here, this vehicle that gave way to the railroad

37:56

was the subject of many a Western movie. Andy.

38:00

What is a stagecoach? Yes. Wild

38:03

West for 400, please. Deadwood

38:05

is in South Dakota. This other fatal sounding

38:07

town notorious for old west gun fights

38:10

is in Arizona. Andy. What

38:12

is Tombstone? That's right. Wild

38:14

West for 500. Based

38:16

on this nickname, Frontierswoman Martha

38:19

Jane Cannery must have brought trouble along

38:21

with her. Andy. Who is

38:23

Calamity Jane? That's her. The

38:25

Wild West for 100. The

38:27

autobiography of former slave Nat Love

38:30

tells of his days of riding, roping,

38:32

and shooting as a famous one of these. Andy.

38:35

What is Cowboy? That's right. You

38:37

just ran that category. That was. In

38:41

the 2010 million dollar celebrity

38:44

invitational, Andy had to leave prematurely.

38:46

Something to do with a little late night

38:49

TV situation. But I couldn't

38:51

come back for the semifinals

38:54

because Conan and

38:57

I had lost the Tonight Show and

38:59

he was prohibited from being on television. So

39:02

we went on tour in order to keep the band

39:04

paid, which was really fun. But

39:06

I would have liked to have played.

39:09

Andy Richter did get a second chance at Celebrity

39:11

Jeopardy in 2022. And he

39:13

finally got taken down in the quarterfinals.

39:16

He was dominating the game in

39:18

a ridiculous fashion, crushing

39:20

celebrity opponents left and right. But

39:23

in a stunning upset, actress Simu

39:26

Liu

39:26

took him out. What did you write down? What

39:30

is Vatican City? That

39:33

is correct. Surrounded

39:37

by Rome,

39:38

Vatican City is correct. Simu,

39:42

how much did you wager? I wager to all of it.

39:45

Wow. Yeah. Right. That

39:48

gives you $23,200 and puts you in the lead for the moment. Let's

39:52

go over to Andy Richter. Andy,

39:55

did you come up with Vatican City?

39:58

You did not put his liquor in. That

40:00

is not correct. And how much did you wager? 2200, that

40:04

gives you $18,900. Simu

40:06

Liu, you are our new CHEP

40:10

FREAKY CHAMPION! You

40:13

are advancing to the semifinals. Congratulations.

40:17

I don't think anybody was expecting that.

40:20

But that's the beauty of the game. Every

40:23

single game, every set of contestants is

40:25

different. So it leaves

40:27

open a lot of shoulda, woulda, and couldas.

40:30

And even today, Michael

40:32

McKeon still thinks about how things might have gone

40:35

if Andy's schedule had allowed. I would have

40:37

been toast. I watched him do

40:39

at least two games from the monitors. I watched him

40:41

just take them apart. I mean, he was just, he

40:43

knew everything. He was great on the

40:45

button. He threw himself into it. And he was

40:48

awesome. So he would have won

40:50

the million dollars. Rematch anyone?

40:58

Thank you so much for listening to

41:00

This is Jeopardy! The story of America's

41:02

favorite quiz show. This will be our last

41:04

episode for a little while. But please

41:07

check out any of the other episodes you

41:09

might have missed along the way.

41:11

This is Jeopardy! The story of America's

41:14

favorite quiz show is a production of Sony Music

41:16

Entertainment and Sony Pictures TV. It's

41:18

hosted by me, Buzzy Cohen. This

41:20

episode was produced by Mia Warren. The

41:23

series producers are Julia Doyle, Rob

41:25

Dozier, and Mia Warren. Associate

41:28

producer is Serena Chow. Our

41:30

series editor is Sarah Kramer. Executive

41:32

producers are Lizzie Jacobs, Tom Koenig,

41:35

Sarah Kramer, Michael Davies, and Suzanne

41:37

Prettie. Production management help from

41:40

Susanya Davenport and Tamika Balance-Kolozny.

41:43

Our theme song was composed by Hannes Brown.

41:45

Sam Baer engineered this episode. Special

41:48

thanks to Charlie Yetter and Steve Ackerman.

41:51

And a big, big thank you to the Jeopardy!

41:54

staff and crew for all of their time and help on

41:56

this. Shout out to Alexa Machia.

41:58

If you love the show...

41:59

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42:02

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