Participating in Jeopardy! clue has got to be a sign to any celebrity that they’ve made it. Kaley Cuoco appeared to believe so when she was Name-checked on the classic show gameFor The Flight Attendant. You would expect, though — or at least hope — that if that time ever came, you’d at least know the answer to the clue you’re featured in. Unfortunately for Katharine McPhee, that wasn’t the case when her name popped up in one recent Jeopardy! episode.
This category was “Before & After TV,”It was the $2,000 clue. Ken Jennings hosts the show and is sharing his full-time. Mayim Bialik will be hosting the season’s host dutiesRead the clue. “Spooky HBO show with references to H.P.’s works, with Katharine McPhee along as the singing nanny.”Jennings revealed that the answer was a combination of Lovecraft CountryAnd Country Comfort. The actress shared a video clip showing her reaction to the question.
The Jeopardy! contestants shouldn’t be too hard on themselves for not guessing this one, especially if the Smash star didn’t even know it. The Before & After category can be tricky, because it requires contestants to actually figure out two answers to combine. Anyone who wasn’t familiar with HBO’s one-season wonder Lovecraft Country and/or Netflix’s short-lived musical comedy Country ComfortKatharine McPhee and the starred Katharine were already at extreme disadvantage.
H.P. Lovecraft’s last name couldn’t be used in the clue because it was part of the answer, but you try putting all of that information together in 3 seconds. It is easy to see why $2,000 was chosen as the clue.
Of course I’m sure many at home — other than Katharine McPhee — knew the answer and were shouting it at their TV screens, because that’s the fun of being an armchair contestant. It’s especially satisfying to get an answer right that wasn’t guessed by the reigning champion, and it’s always a little shocking when the history-making Amy Schneider happens upon a clue she doesn’t know. Schneider has a 38-game winning streak which tied her for second place with Matt Amodio. The record is held by Ken Jennings In consecutive games, the winnerWith 74.
This wasn’t the first time Amy Schneider was stumped on a pop culture question, however, as she and her fellow Jeopardy! contestants recently couldn’t identify Machine Gun KellyHis initials “MGK,” despite the quiz show adding a photo of Megan Fox’s fiancé to the clue. This is not a judgement! It just proves that different people are experts in different areas of trivia — a fact that seems to dispute fans who think the recent winning streaks are a product of Jeopardy!’s clues getting easier.
Perhaps Katharine McPhee would have had a better chance if they’d referenced her recent stint with David Foster, husband The Masked Singer? Perhaps next time. To find out when, check your local listings. Jeopardy!Check out the airtimes in your local market and find out what other shows are coming up with our 2022 TV Schedule.