# Life imitates an SNL skit; or, the utter idiocy of Celebrity Jeopardy! contestants **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 9, 2007, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-imitates-an-snl-skit-or-the-utter-idiocy-of-celebrity-jeopardy-contestants/415077 "2007-08-09T23:31:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-imitates-an-snl-skit-or-the-utter-idiocy-of-celebrity-jeopardy-contestants/415077/1 "2007-08-09T23:31:04Z")
God help us, there’s another **_Celebrity_ Jeopardy!** tournament in progress. Considering how the answers are dumbed down for the celebs, about the only thing anyone will actually learn from these shows is that Martin Short was apparently born without a cerebellum. And how funny is it when a Broadway performer is beaten to the punch on several B’way questions? Even successful authors aren’t immune. At the top of the hour, F. Scott Turow goofed up a question by selecting as his question an offering that wasn’t listed in the multiple-choice format of the answer. (In other words, given the choices of A, B, or C, he made up a “D” choice – which is something that happens in those **SNL** Jeopardy! skits a lot.) Somebody else must be watching this (or, as in my case, not actually _watching_ it but having it on in the background while sitting at the computer) and also be wondering, why oh why didn’t I try to become a rich and famous entertainer myself, given that 90% of these people come across as complete nincompoops and since they managed it, _how hard can it be_? Honestly, there are moments in these shows that give me that give me a feeling of deja vu, with **SNL** flashbacks. I thought I detected a glimmer of exasperation in Trebek’s demeanor the other day… or was that just my imagination? Do you have a favorite “Celebrity Jeopardy!” head-smacking moment? ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-imitates-an-snl-skit-or-the-utter-idiocy-of-celebrity-jeopardy-contestants/415077/2 "2007-08-09T23:39:41Z")
[Here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82o_Hdk0Iro) are some fun clips of Nancy Grace on CJ. ---
**Author:** ![Typo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5fc32e/32.png) [@Typo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2007, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-imitates-an-snl-skit-or-the-utter-idiocy-of-celebrity-jeopardy-contestants/415077/3 "2007-08-10T00:22:19Z")
My favorite was when Kirsten Dunst couldn’t name the author of “Interview With the Vampire” - and she was Claudia in the movie version. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2007, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-imitates-an-snl-skit-or-the-utter-idiocy-of-celebrity-jeopardy-contestants/415077/4 "2007-08-10T00:23:08Z")
As an aside, the ones running now are from earlier this year. They’re just reruns to fill in Jeopardy’s season break. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2007, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-imitates-an-snl-skit-or-the-utter-idiocy-of-celebrity-jeopardy-contestants/415077/5 "2007-08-10T00:30:21Z")
[QUOTE=ArchiveGuy] [Here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82o_Hdk0Iro) are some fun clips of Nancy Grace on CJ. [/QUOTE] I assume all her questions have to do with missing white women in their 20s. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Hildo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@Johnny\_Hildo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Hildo)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2007, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-imitates-an-snl-skit-or-the-utter-idiocy-of-celebrity-jeopardy-contestants/415077/6 "2007-08-10T01:00:47Z")
Watched the episode today and Paul Shaffer really came off as being dumber than a bag of hammers. Alex: Ok, all of the answers to the clues in this category have the letter L in them. Letters that are not lower case are this. Paul: Upper case! I remember an old episode where Camryn Manheim was in the negative for the last question in the 2nd round, so Alex made the other two contestants put their buzzers down and then had to tell her the correct answer just so she could make it to Final Jeopardy. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2007, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-imitates-an-snl-skit-or-the-utter-idiocy-of-celebrity-jeopardy-contestants/415077/7 "2007-08-10T01:02:23Z")
My favorite Celebrity Jeopardy moment: Jason Alexander (of Seinfeld) and two other contestants. The Answer is (paraphrased) > [@](#): > > The spleen is sometimes shaped like this, the 10th letter of the alphabet Once you parse away the spleen bit, it’s about as simple as the questions they ask on SNL. But here’s the best part. Alexander is in the middle position, and starts obviously mouthing the letters while counting off on his fingers. The other two contestants didn’t realize what was happening until he had started, and get flustered trying to ring in first. They _both_ get it wrong. One of them guesses ‘K’. Now, granted, it’s close to the 10th letter. But, bringing back the actual question again, does anyone really think that the spleen could be shaped like a ‘K’? Jason Alexander gets it right. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2007, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-imitates-an-snl-skit-or-the-utter-idiocy-of-celebrity-jeopardy-contestants/415077/8 "2007-08-10T01:11:07Z")
On the flip side, every once in awhile a celeb will compete on the show and completely wow me. Did anyone here see \*\*Andy Richter \*\* own his game? IIRC, he had enough of a lead going into Final Jeopardy where he could wager nothing and still win. He got it right. And he’d bet every thing he had. I forget his total winnings but I think it was over $25k. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2007, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-imitates-an-snl-skit-or-the-utter-idiocy-of-celebrity-jeopardy-contestants/415077/9 "2007-08-10T01:12:56Z")
I keep hoping Ben Stein will go on this one day. That really would be worth watching. ---
**Author:** ![SSG\_Schwartz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SSG\_Schwartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SSG_Schwartz)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2007, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-imitates-an-snl-skit-or-the-utter-idiocy-of-celebrity-jeopardy-contestants/415077/10 "2007-08-10T01:30:48Z")
It looked like at one point Turrow was trying to answer wrong (he had enough of a lead) to give Shaffer a chance at the music category. That didn’t work out as Lucci got the question right. I really feel for Trebeck, but I would like to see Burt Reynolds, Sean Connery, and Adam Sandler compete for real on the show. SSG Schwartz ---
**Author:** ![brownie55](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f14d63/32.png) [@brownie55](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brownie55)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2007, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-imitates-an-snl-skit-or-the-utter-idiocy-of-celebrity-jeopardy-contestants/415077/11 "2007-08-10T01:34:09Z")
[QUOTE=HelloNinja] On the flip side, every once in awhile a celeb will compete on the show and completely wow me. Did anyone here see \*\*Andy Richter \*\* own his game? IIRC, he had enough of a lead going into Final Jeopardy where he could wager nothing and still win. He got it right. And he’d bet every thing he had. I forget his total winnings but I think it was over $25k. [/QUOTE] Dana Delany owned hers also, GO DANA! On the other hand, is Scott Turow gayer than Liberace? I ask because he tripped my gaydar like an ice review and my wife, who is usually astute in these matters said no. What say the Dopers? ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2007, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-imitates-an-snl-skit-or-the-utter-idiocy-of-celebrity-jeopardy-contestants/415077/12 "2007-08-10T03:53:07Z")
I saw Yale-educated David Duchovny on Celebrity Jeopardy several years back, and of course he owned the game. He looked almost bored, but was a good sport as he aced everything. He could easily hold his own on “real” Jeopardy. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2007, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-imitates-an-snl-skit-or-the-utter-idiocy-of-celebrity-jeopardy-contestants/415077/13 "2007-08-10T04:00:20Z")
Cheech Marin was another surprisingly powerful player. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2007, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-imitates-an-snl-skit-or-the-utter-idiocy-of-celebrity-jeopardy-contestants/415077/14 "2007-08-10T06:05:46Z")
Just for the heck of it, I’ll mention that eight _Star Trek_ actors set the record on U.S. version of _The Weakest Link_. ---
**Author:** ![aclubs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e68b1a/32.png) [@aclubs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aclubs)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2007, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-imitates-an-snl-skit-or-the-utter-idiocy-of-celebrity-jeopardy-contestants/415077/15 "2007-08-10T07:08:26Z")
Also, Norm MacDonald tore up Celebrity Millionaire. A good episode, if you have seen it. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2007, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-imitates-an-snl-skit-or-the-utter-idiocy-of-celebrity-jeopardy-contestants/415077/16 "2007-08-10T07:41:03Z")
Michael McKean blew the other contestants out of the water as well. Go Lenny! ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2007, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-imitates-an-snl-skit-or-the-utter-idiocy-of-celebrity-jeopardy-contestants/415077/17 "2007-08-10T07:55:57Z")
This thread wouldn’t be complete unless someone mentioned [Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings losing to some sort of actor.](http://wonkette.com/politics/margaret-spellings/education-sec-loses-to-dude-from-earth-girls-are-easy-216691.php) ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2007, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-imitates-an-snl-skit-or-the-utter-idiocy-of-celebrity-jeopardy-contestants/415077/18 "2007-08-10T11:59:21Z")
[QUOTE=Big Bad Voodoo Lou] I saw Yale-educated David Duchovny on Celebrity Jeopardy several years back, and of course he owned the game. He looked almost bored, but was a good sport as he aced everything. He could easily hold his own on “real” Jeopardy. [/QUOTE] Ah, but how about David Duchovny playing Jeff Goldblum on either Celebrity or regular Jeopardy? ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2007, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-imitates-an-snl-skit-or-the-utter-idiocy-of-celebrity-jeopardy-contestants/415077/19 "2007-08-10T13:34:28Z")
Not exactly Celebrity Jeopardy, but VH1’s short-lived **Rock & Roll Jeopardy** had some memorably stupid contestants. My favorite episode featured **George Clinton** (Parliament/Funkadelic), **Moon Unit Zappa** (Frank’s daughter) and **Dave Mustaine** (Megadeth). It was laughably lopsided: while Mustaine is well known as an intelligent, well-read guy, George was just too old and too fried to grasp the gist of the game, and Moon was about as bright as you would expect someone named Moon Unit to be. At the end of _single_ Jeopardy (the first round), the score was something like Dave 3700, George 0 (not having buzzed in a single time) and Moon -1100. It was ghastly. The whole episode is on YouTube. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2007, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-imitates-an-snl-skit-or-the-utter-idiocy-of-celebrity-jeopardy-contestants/415077/20 "2007-08-10T13:45:38Z")
[QUOTE=Little Nemo] Cheech Marin was another surprisingly powerful player. [/QUOTE] I’d love to see a match between Cheech, Chong, and George W. Bush. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-imitates-an-snl-skit-or-the-utter-idiocy-of-celebrity-jeopardy-contestants/415077.md?page=2)