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Celebrity Jeopardy! is a special edition of the television game show Jeopardy!, featuring celebrities as Jeopardy! contestants who play for charitable organizations of their choosing (or, in the cases of public officials, relevant charities chosen by Jeopardy!). While exceptions exist (see full listing below), celebrity games have by tradition been broadcast annually as a weeklong event, and on occasion have been called Power Players Week (featuring personalities in politics and journalism).
Each player is guaranteed a minimum winnings amount to distribute to his or her charities, and with a higher guaranteed amount going to each game's winner.
Unlike in regular play, in which a player finishing the Double Jeopardy! Round with a zero or negative score is disqualified from playing Final Jeopardy!, any such player in a celebrity match is granted a nominal score with which to wager for Final Jeopardy!
More recent Celebrity Jeopardy! episodes feature category names that are puns on the celebrity contestants' names and/or works. In a 2006 episode featuring Curt Schilling, Jane Kaczmarek, and Doug Savant, three of the categories were SHILLING, MALCOLM X IN THE MIDDLE, and SAVANTS. [1]
[edit] Origins in the Fleming era
The tradition of celebrity matches dates back to the Art Fleming days of Jeopardy! in the 1960s, with appearances by such notable names as Rod Serling, and, for the 2,000th show, Mel Brooks in character as the 2000 Year Old Man.[2] Other notables known to have played the game during the NBC era included game show hosts Bill Cullen, Art James, and Peter Marshall (sometime in the early 1970s).[3]
[edit] List of participants
The following is a list of contestants and the charities they played for, arranged per season. Bold indicates the contestant won his or her game.
| Theme |
Contestant |
Charities |
| Alex Trebek Era (1984–present) |
|
| Season 9 (October 26, 1992–October 30, 1992) |
|
Cheech Marin |
|
| Carol Burnett |
amfAR |
| Regis Philbin |
Cardinal Hayes High School |
| Beau Bridges |
|
| Robert Guillaume |
|
| Ed Begley Jr. |
|
| Emma Samms |
The Starlight Starbright Foundation |
| Luke Perry |
|
| Donna Mills |
ECO: Earth Communications Office |
| Rosie O'Donnell |
|
| Alan Rachins |
|
| Judith Ivey |
|
| Andrew Shue |
Rock the Vote |
| Dean Stockwell |
Nuclear Information and Resource Service |
| Steven Weber |
|
|
| Season 10 (November 8, 1993–November 12, 1993) |
|
Jerry Orbach |
|
| Leslie Nielsen |
|
| Kelsey Grammer |
|
| Pat Sajak |
|
| Paula Poundstone |
|
| Teri Garr |
|
| Sinbad |
|
| Tim Daly |
|
| Ed Asner |
|
| Harry Anderson |
|
| Elayne Boosler |
|
| Dean Cain |
|
| Michael Feinstein |
|
| Tabitha Soren |
|
| Jay Thomas |
|
|
| Season 11 (November 7, 1994–November 11, 1994) |
|
H. Norman Schwarzkopf |
|
| Stefanie Powers |
|
| Jason Alexander |
|
| Marilu Henner |
|
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
|
| Alexandra Paul |
|
| David Hyde Pierce |
|
| Lou Diamond Phillips |
|
| Larry King |
|
| Markie Post |
|
| Tony Randall |
|
| Kathy Mattea |
|
| Doug Savant |
|
| Michael Sabatino |
|
| Tim Matheson |
|
|
| Season 12 (November 6, 1995–November 10, 1995) |
|
David Duchovny |
Children's Defense League |
| Lynn Redgrave |
Edwin Booth's Place
Preservation Association for Tudor Hall |
| Stephen King |
Bangor Public Library |
| Jeff Foxworthy |
|
| LeVar Burton |
Somalia Foundation |
| Noah Wyle |
|
| Bill Maher |
|
| Swoosie Kurtz |
|
| Charles Shaughnessy |
|
| Melody Thomas Scott |
Save the Earth Foundation |
| Dan Jansen |
Dan Jansen Foundation |
| Shawntel Smith |
|
| Thomas Haden Church |
|
| Charles Kimbrough |
|
| Yasmine Bleeth |
|
|
| Season 13 (November 11, 1996–November 15, 1996 April 28, 1997-May 2, 1997) |
| Competition 1 |
Laura Innes |
|
| Isaac Mizrahi |
|
| Melissa Gilbert |
|
| Sandra Bernhard |
|
| Beverly Sills |
|
| John Mahoney |
|
| Carl Lewis |
|
| Jon Lovitz |
|
| Matthew Fox |
|
| Brett Butler |
|
| Buzz Aldrin |
|
| Eartha Kitt |
|
| Robert Loggia |
|
| Renee Taylor |
|
| Alicia Witt |
|
| Competition 2 |
Mark McEwen |
|
| Kirsten Dunst |
|
| Sam Waterston |
|
| Joseph Gordon-Levitt |
|
| Rob Schneider |
|
| Robin Quivers |
|
| Chris Hardwick |
|
| Sharon Lawrence |
|
| Patrick Duffy |
|
| Benjamin Salisbury |
|
| Carey Lowell |
|
| Benjamin Bratt |
|
| Reggie White |
|
| Donna D'Errico |
|
| Mike Piazza |
|
|
| Season 14 (November 17, 1997–November 21, 1997 January 23, 1998 March 2, 1998 April 27, 1998–May 1, 1998) |
| Power Players (Power Players Week, in Washington, D.C.) |
Oliver Stone |
|
| Oliver North |
|
| Al Franken |
|
| Tim Russert |
Boys & Girls Club of Washington D.C. |
| Jack Ford |
|
| Catherine Crier |
Boys & Girls Club of Westchester County |
| Dee Dee Myers |
|
| Andrea Mitchell |
|
| Tom Clancy |
The Kyle Foundation |
| Arianna Huffington |
|
| Robert F. Kennedy Jr. |
|
| Jesse Jackson Jr. |
|
| Wolf Blitzer |
|
| Bill Maher |
|
| Patricia Schroeder |
|
| Celebrity Sportscasters Night |
Greg Gumbel |
March of Dimes |
| Jim Lampley |
|
| Al Michaels |
|
| Celebrity Ladies Night |
Jane Curtin |
|
| Naomi Judd |
|
| Teri Garr |
|
| Celebrity Invitational |
Regis Philbin |
|
| Jerry Orbach |
|
| Cheech Marin |
|
| Jason Alexander |
|
| Mark McEwen |
|
| Robin Quivers |
|
| Sinbad |
Children's Defense Fund |
| Stephen King |
|
| Jack Ford |
Women's Center of Monmouth County |
| Carol Burnett |
|
| Jeri Ryan |
St. Jude's Hospital |
| Dan Cortese |
|
| Fred Savage |
|
| Melissa Joan Hart |
|
| Alicia Witt |
|
| Olympic Champions Night |
Rebecca Lobo |
|
| Dot Richardson |
|
| Summer Sanders |
|
|
| Season 15 (November 6, 1998 February 5, 1999 March 22, 1999 March 29, 1999 April 5, 1999 April 12, 1999 May 17, 1999–May 21, 1999) |
| Leading Men Night |
Thomas Gibson |
ASPCA |
| Stephen Collins |
Habitat for Humanity, Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation |
| David James Elliott |
The Dream Foundation |
| Legends in Sports Night |
Reggie Jackson |
The Mr. October Foundation for Kids |
| Martina Navratilova |
PETA
Kidstuff Foundation |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
Athletes & Entertainers for Kids |
| Celebrity Sportscasters Night |
Bob Costas |
|
| Robin Roberts |
|
| Keith Olbermann |
|
| Sitcom Stars Night |
Wallace Langham |
|
| Kathy Kinney |
|
| Dave Foley |
|
| Celebrity Night 1 |
Scott Hamilton |
|
| Greg Germann |
|
| Jodi Applegate |
|
| Celebrity Night 2 |
Star Jones |
|
| Jeff Greenfield |
|
| Al Franken |
|
| Celebrity competition |
Graham Nash |
|
| Jane Seymour |
|
| Shannon Sharpe |
|
| Kari Wührer |
|
| Gil Bellows |
|
| Alyssa Milano |
|
| Holly Robinson Peete |
|
| Catherine Bell |
|
| Michael McKean |
|
| Camryn Manheim |
|
| Richard Kind |
|
| Mike Farrell |
|
| Wendie Malick |
|
| Steve Harris |
|
| Garry Marshall |
|
|
| Season 16 (November 15, 1999–November 19, 1999) at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City |
|
Andy Richter |
Southern Poverty Law Center |
| Nathan Lane |
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS |
| Brian Dennehy |
New York Foundling Hospital |
| James McDaniel |
52nd Street Project |
| Meredith Vieira |
Larchmont Friends of the Family |
| Sandy Duncan |
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS |
| Jon Stewart |
American Red Cross |
| Shawn Colvin |
NARAS |
| Rosie O'Donnell |
Children Have All Rights Legal, Emotional & Educational Foundation of Miami |
| Carol Burnett |
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS |
| Peter Krause |
Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation |
| S. Epatha Merkerson |
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids |
| Noah Wyle |
Habitat for Humanity, Best Friends Animal Society |
| Michael Boatman |
Port Chester Caver Center, Children's Aid Society |
| Andrea McArdle |
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS |
|
| Season 17 (February 5, 2001–February 9, 2001) at the Las Vegas Hilton in Las Vegas, Nevada (first show from Culver City studio) |
|
Eric Idle |
|
| Martha Stewart |
|
| Jeff Probst |
|
| Charles Barkley |
|
| Jodie Foster |
|
| Nathan Lane |
|
| Harry Connick, Jr. |
|
| Wayne Brady |
|
| Dana Delany |
|
| Mike Piazza |
Leiter's Landing |
| Jane Krakowski |
|
| Kevin Sorbo |
|
| Steven Page |
Seeds of Peace |
| Brandi Chastain |
Children's Cancer Research Fund |
| Seth Green |
Turning Point Transitional Housing |
|
| Season 19 (April 28, 2003–May 2, 2003) |
|
Wayne Brady |
|
| Ashton Kutcher |
|
| Hal Sparks |
|
| CCH Pounder |
|
| Julie Bowen |
|
| Chris Matthews |
La Salle High School, College of the Holy Cross |
| Paul McCrane |
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Children's Hospital of Los Angeles |
| Vivica A. Fox |
|
| Linda Park |
|
| Brad Paisley |
|
| Will Estes |
New Leash on Life Animal Rescue And C.A.R.E. |
| Lauren Graham |
Oxfam |
| Jeff Probst |
|
| Joshua Malina |
|
| Paige Davis |
|
|
| Season 20 (May 10, 2004–May 14, 2004): Power Players Week in Washington, D.C. |
|
Ashleigh Banfield |
Child Abuse Prevention Center of Dallas |
| Maria Bartiromo |
National Italian American Foundation
Columbus Citizen's Foundation |
| Aaron Brown |
Make-A-Wish Foundation |
| Gretchen Carlson |
MacPhail Center for the Arts
American Cancer Society's Taking A Step |
| Tucker Carlson |
American Camp Association
Wawenock Scholarships |
| Anderson Cooper |
American Heart Association |
| Ari Fleischer |
March of Dimes |
| Al Franken |
Congressional Hunger Center |
| Kweisi Mfume |
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Maryland |
| Peggy Noonan |
The Sisters of Life |
| Keith Olbermann |
Ed Randall's Bat for a Cure |
| Tim Russert |
Boys & Girls Club of Greater Washington, D.C. |
| Tavis Smiley |
Tavis Smiley Foundation |
| Christine Todd Whitman |
Upper Raritan Watershed Association
Far Hills Country Day School |
| Bob Woodward |
Sidwell Friends School |
|
Season 23 (November 8, 2006–November 21, 2006) at Radio City Music Hall in New York City
(taped October 5, 2006 October 7, 2006, and October 8, 2006) |
|
Mario Cantone |
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS |
| Dana Delany |
Scleroderma Research Foundation |
| James Denton |
Peyton Manning's PeyBack Foundation
Mothers Against Cancer benefiting the Texas Children's Cancer Center |
| Kathryn Erbe |
JusticeWorks Community
Planned Parenthood Federation of America |
| Miguel Ferrer |
Los Angeles Police Memorial Foundation |
| Joely Fisher |
Dream Foundation |
| Nancy Grace |
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children |
| Hill Harper |
MANifest Your Destiny Foundation |
| Neil Patrick Harris |
Food On Foot |
| Jane Kaczmarek |
Clothes Off Our Back |
| Carson Kressley |
The Trevor Project |
| Drew Lachey |
American Cancer Society |
| Susan Lucci |
Little Flower Children
Family Services of New York |
| Michael McKean |
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
International Myeloma Foundation |
| Christopher Meloni |
Big Apple Circus Clown Care Program
Montefiore Advocacy Center |
| Brian Stokes Mitchell |
The Actors' Fund of America |
| Isaac Mizrahi |
ASPCA |
| Bebe Neuwirth |
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS |
| Soledad O'Brien |
Christ Church on Quaker Hill
Hearts of Gold |
| Regis Philbin |
Cardinal Hayes High School in New York City |
| Doug Savant |
Desi Geestman Foundation |
| Curt Schilling |
Curt's Pitch for ALS
SHADE Foundation of America |
| Steve Schirripa |
Poly Prep Country Day School September 11 Memorial Scholarship Fund |
| Paul Shaffer |
The Breast Cancer Research Foundation |
| Harry Shearer |
Tipitina’s Foundation |
| Martin Short |
DeBartolo Performing Arts Center at the University of Notre Dame |
| Harry Smith |
The Harlem School of the Arts |
| The Honorable Margaret Spellings |
ProLiteracy Worldwide |
| Scott Turow |
Literacy Chicago
Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago |
| Sam Waterston |
Refugees International
Oceana |
[edit] Season 23 notes
Alex Trebek announced Julie Bowen as a contestant in a KABC 7 news report aired August 12, 2006, but she did not appear on the press release of confirmed contestants. Cookbook author Rachael Ray, host of Rachael Ray, did appear on the press release, but did not play; Harry Smith took her place.
The winner's charity is guaranteed at least $50,000, while the charities for the non-winners will be guaranteed at least $25,000. $1,000,000 has been given to the charities of the 30 celebrity participants.
[edit] Parodies
Celebrity Jeopardy! has been spoofed numerous times in Saturday Night Live sketches, with Will Ferrell appearing as Trebek, and SNL cast members and guest hosts impersonating various celebrities. Sean Connery, as portrayed by Darrell Hammond, appeared recurringly, functioning as Trebek's nemesis. In 2001, Jeopardy! acknowledged the spoof by selecting a set of references to the skit, including THERAPISTS (which Connery interpreted as "the rapists") and THINGS YOU SHOULDN'T PUT IN YOUR MOUTH as Double Jeopardy! categories. Will Ferrell's final episode as an SNL cast member featured a Celebrity Jeopardy! sketch in which Trebek himself appeared. Ferrell portrayed Trebek once more in 2005, when Ferrell hosted SNL.
A Celebrity Jeopardy! parody with impersonated celebrities has also been a recurring skit on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. These skits usually include an impersonator playing President George W. Bush as a contestant. Clues are sourced from current events. In a twist on the SNL parody, even when celebrity contestants supply accurate responses, they are judged incorrect, with the given correct response being the punchline of a joke, in the fashion of the answer-and-question format of Johnny Carson's Carnac the Magnificent character.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
|
Jeopardy! |
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| Annual tournaments/competitions |
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| Defunct tournaments |
|
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| Special tournaments |
|
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| Related TV series |
|
|
| Cast and crew |
|
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| Miscellaneous |
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