Blundo: 'Celebrity Jeopardy!' is the answer. The question: 'What quiz show makes Joe testy?'
It’s dumbed down, too long and devoid of the high-stakes tension that makes the original so watchable.
I’ll put the answer in the form of a question: Why do I dislike “Celebrity Jeopardy!”?
Don’t get me wrong: I’m not a “Jeopardy! “ fundamentalist. I’ve rolled with the changes over the years: The abolishment of the five-day limit on appearances, the weird “rotating hosts” thing that followed the death of Alex Trebek.
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But this prime-time spinoff, with celebrities clicking buzzers where everyday folks traditionally compete, doesn’t work for me.
“Celebrity Jeopardy!” debuted on ABC-TV last week (Sept. 25) and will continue for many more as famous people compete to win money for their favorite charities.
It’s not a new concept: There have been celebrity "Jeopardy!" tournaments in the past where stars played for charity, although not in prime time. The charity part is fine; it’s the fame element I can’t abide.
One of the charms of regular old "Jeopardy!" Is that it puts non-performers in a high-pressure situation where everything rides on how much they know. They might not look like homecoming royalty. They might have some idiosyncrasies. But none of that matters if, when Final Jeopardy arrives, they know the name of the literary character who becomes king after his cousin Heardred dies in battle. (Beowulf, the correct response in a recent final round).
I’m pretty sure “Celebrity Jeopardy!” will never challenge its contestants with Beowulf.
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To accommodate the telegenic folk who play the celebrity version, the producers made the game easier. How easy? Well, how many people would be stumped if asked to identify the holiday song in which “five golden rings” appear? I mean it’s only repeated eight times in the “12 Days of Christmas.”
The performers on last week’s debut — actors Simu Liu, Andy Richter and Ego Nwodim — are appealing TV types but obviously don’t have the Jeopardy! chops of the quirky Matt Amodio or the relentless Amy Schneider or any number of other champs who came out of nowhere — as they all do — to wow us with their smarts.
Second, the show feels stretched because it features a “Triple Jeopardy” round that seems added only to give the contestants time to banter. I don’t want banter. I want a tight, tense half-hour of Science, Literature and Word Origins.
Third, even when celebrity contestants lose, they win by advancing their careers thanks to the prime-time exposure. They’re not Ryan Long, a recent “Jeopardy!” champ who forgot to bring his glasses to the show taping. He squinted his way to $299,000 — life-changing money for the unpretentious ride-share driver with a formidable arsenal of facts at his command.
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But lest I leave the impression that I have nothing good to say about “Celebrity Jeopardy!” I’ll offer this:
For all its flaws, it’s got to be better than the prime-time game show that follows it: “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune.”
Joe Blundo is a Dispatch columnist
@joeblundo
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 'Celebrity Jeopardy!' all about the stars, not the smarts
