Celebrity Jeopardy! (Saturday Night Live) facts for kids

Celebrity Jeopardy! is a funny and popular sketch from the TV show Saturday Night Live. In these skits, the actor Will Ferrell plays Alex Trebek, who was the real host of the game show Jeopardy!. Another actor, Darrell Hammond, often plays the famous actor Sean Connery. The sketches show Trebek trying to host rounds of Jeopardy! with three celebrity guests. One of these guests is usually Connery, who often misunderstands the game and makes funny comments. These regular sketches were shown on TV from 1996 to 2002. A few new ones appeared later, including one for Saturday Night Live's 40th anniversary.

What Is Celebrity Jeopardy!?

The Celebrity Jeopardy! sketches are a parody, which means they are a funny imitation of the real Jeopardy! game show. On the real show, smart contestants answer questions to win money. In the Celebrity Jeopardy! skits, the celebrity contestants often give very silly or wrong answers. This makes the host, Alex Trebek (played by Will Ferrell), feel very frustrated, which is part of the humor.

Main Characters in the Skits

• Alex Trebek (played by Will Ferrell): He is the host of the game show. In the skits, he tries to keep the game going, but the celebrities make it very hard.
• Sean Connery (played by Darrell Hammond): He is a famous actor. In the skits, he often misreads the categories and makes jokes about Trebek.
• Other Celebrities: Many other Saturday Night Live cast members played different famous people. These included Burt Reynolds (played by Norm Macdonald), Bill Cosby (played by Kenan Thompson), and Kathie Lee Gifford (played by Cheri Oteri). Each celebrity had their own funny way of playing the game.

How the Skits Became Popular

The Celebrity Jeopardy! sketches became very popular because they were so funny. Viewers loved seeing famous actors make fun of themselves and the game show. The humor came from the silly answers, the misunderstandings, and Alex Trebek's reactions. These skits are still remembered as some of the best from Saturday Night Live.

Impact of the Sketches

The real Alex Trebek, who hosted Jeopardy! for many years, actually liked the Celebrity Jeopardy! sketches. He found them very funny. However, he once said that he thought actor Eugene Levy did an even better job of playing him in a different parody sketch.

Images for kids

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  Will Ferrell plays Alex Trebek in the skits.