# Jeopardy! Contest of the Titans **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 8, 2020, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-contest-of-the-titans/846097 "2020-01-08T00:51:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2020, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-contest-of-the-titans/846097/101 "2020-01-28T18:14:38Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > I’m not sure he’d “have to know” that he wouldn’t be good at Jeopardy! There’s really no way to know that until you’re there. Nobody gets on Jeopardy! by accident. Every contestant made a deliberate decision to try out for the show, so they all presumably thought they might be pretty good at it. Do the celebrity contestants try out for the show? I’d think they’re invited on, at least partly because the producers think they might do well at it. Of course, their celebrity is a factor as well; everybody enjoys watching their favorite personality competing in a match for charity. But I’d also think a senior network newscaster would be expected to do very well indeed. ---
**Author:** ![McDeath\_the\_Mad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a3d4f5/32.png) [@McDeath\_the\_Mad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/McDeath_the_Mad)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2020, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-contest-of-the-titans/846097/102 "2020-01-28T21:34:16Z")
I remember years ago watching Cheech Marin and he was pretty good. I think he ran some obscure column on Spanish Impressionists or something. Did not see that coming! MtM ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2020, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-contest-of-the-titans/846097/103 "2020-01-29T00:00:07Z")
> [@McDeath\_the\_Mad](#): > > I remember years ago watching Cheech Marin and he was pretty good. > > I think he ran some obscure column on Spanish Impressionists or something. > > Did not see that coming! > > MtM I remember him being _very_ damn good, and wondering why I was so surprised by it. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2020, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-contest-of-the-titans/846097/104 "2020-01-29T14:32:38Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > I remember him being _very_ damn good, and wondering why I was so surprised by it. Could it possibly be because he and Tommy Chong spent years portraying characters who were idiot potheads? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2020, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-contest-of-the-titans/846097/105 "2020-01-29T14:49:05Z")
As a side note, Cheech Marin just released his autobiography. In it he talks about his time on Jeopardy! and how much fun it was playing against Jane Curtain and Michael McKean in the million dollar tournament. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2020, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-contest-of-the-titans/846097/106 "2020-01-29T20:21:48Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > Could it possibly be because he and Tommy Chong spent years portraying characters who were idiot potheads? Possibly, but only if at a subconscious level, because I’d known for ages that Cheech in real life wasn’t an idiot pothead and only played one professionally. I knew he was smart, but was surprised by just _how_ smart he was on J. Dunno why. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeopardy-contest-of-the-titans/846097.md?page=5)