The Stars Are Out

2009–2010 Million-Dollar Celebrity Invitational Finals—Game 1

May 6, 2010

Contestants
Michael McKean
Cheech Marin
Jane Curtin

over the years, quite a few celebrities have tested their knowledge on Jeopardy!

“Viewers love to watch their favorite celebrities play the game,” said Harry Friedman. “But the majority of celebrities are scared to death.” The prospect of appearing on Jeopardy! can be intimidating—in a 2004 game with “Power Player” contestants, Bob Woodward goofed on his reply to a clue about All the President’s Men, a book he co-wrote.

“I had an interesting mistake,” recalled comedian Jane Curtin, who has a reputation as one of the better celebrity players. “The correct response was, ‘Who is Jacob Marley?’” the memorable ghost in A Christmas Carol. Instead, Curtin asked, “Who is Bob Marley?” the memorable reggae artist.

“You make silly mistakes,” she said. Curtin recalls how amazed the Jeopardy! staff was when she eagerly agreed to play. “I jumped at the chance because I thought it would be so much fun.”

Michael McKean, Cheech Marin, and Jane Curtin square off in the Million-Dollar Celebrity Invitational Finals.

Maggie Speak, the producer in charge of contestants, said she respects celebrities who take part in the show. “I think they’re really bold. I admire them for taking a chance by putting themselves out there.”

Speak thinks comedians and comic actors may have an edge in the game because of their quick wits. Regardless, she tells the celebs, the best approach is to relax and have fun. “When you loosen up, everything becomes more open, and you have a better chance of doing well on the show.”

Celebrities play for charity, but that’s only one of several differences between them and regular Jeopardy! players. Another is that they are not tested beforehand.

Producers suggest celebrities for the show. Then Jeopardy! hires a celebrity booker, an expert at reaching stars through their agents and managers.

Agents, managers, and publicists also coordinate publicity for their clients. “We can promote a celebrity’s current projects and the charity for which they are playing,” explained Rebecca Erbstein, Jeopardy! producer in charge of promotion. “We want to make sure the charities get the exposure they deserve as well as the chance to tell their stories.”

Speak is in charge of getting contestants ready to play. She has a special orientation just for celebrities. “I don’t usually need to get into how to act on camera. Or how to handle an uncomfortable situation. They know how to do that,” she said.

As editorial producer, Billy Wisse tailors the clues to reflect the type of information with which celebrities might be more familiar.

“They’re doing us a favor,” he said. “They’re playing for charity. We definitely try very hard to make them look good.

“The overall level will be easier. There probably will be more pop culture, assuming they are pop culture celebrities, as opposed to politicians. There won’t be complicated wordplay. We probably wouldn’t give them anagrams or anything like that. The material will be straightforward.”

The categories, however, may be playful. Said Rocky Schmidt, “If [Meet the Press host] Chuck Todd were on the show, we might have a category called ‘Meet the “Press”’ and all the replies would have the word press in them.”

Despite all the concessions, there’s still a number of celebrities who remain on the show’s wish list.

Among those at the top is MSNBC host Rachel Maddow. “We’ve asked her several times because we think she would be phenomenal on the show,” Schmidt said. So far, the best Jeopardy! has been able to do is get Maddow to present clues for a category.

“She said, ‘I’d be afraid,’” Schmidt said. “There’s a lot at stake, especially for news people. Most of them are going to do just fine, but they may get the timing of the buzzer wrong. Some celebrities worry that if they ring in at the wrong time, people are going to think they don’t know anything when, actually, they do.”

Fortunately, though, dozens of celebrities have been confident enough to step up to the podium and reach into their reservoirs of knowledge on behalf of worthy causes. As a result, Jeopardy! has donated millions of dollars to charity.

Perhaps the most memorable and generous event was the Celebrity Invitational Tournament played for $1 million by Michael McKean, Cheech Marin, and Jane Curtin.