Celebrity Jeopardy!

For the Saturday Night Live parody, see Celebrity Jeopardy! (Saturday Night Live).

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. For example, 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.

In the Jeopardy! Million Dollar Celebrity Invitational, which aired during the 2009-2010 season, 27 celebrities who performed well in previous appearances competed for charity, with the winning celebrity, Michael McKean, winning $1,000,000 for their favorite charity or charities. Over $2.5 million was donated to various charities.

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. 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).

List of participants

The following is a list of contestants and the charities they played for, arranged per season. Bold indicates the contestant who won his or her game.

Contestant	Charities
Alex Trebek Era (1984–present)
Season 9 (October 26–October 30, 1992)
Cheech Marin	CARESA
Carol Burnett	amfAR
Regis Philbin	Cardinal Hayes High School
Beau Bridges	Pearl White Theatre of Performing Arts of Venice, California
Robert Guillaume	amfAR
Ed Begley, Jr.	ECO: Earth Communications Office
Emma Samms	Starlight Children's Foundation
Luke Perry	National Multiple Sclerosis Society
Donna Mills	ECO: Earth Communications Office
Rosie O'Donnell	Children of the Night
Alan Rachins	PRASAD
Judith Ivey	Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
Andrew Shue	Rock the Vote
Dean Stockwell	Nuclear Information and Resource Service
Steven Weber	Friends of Choices Sober Living Scholarship Fund
Season 10 (November 8–November 12, 1993)
Jerry Orbach
Leslie Nielsen	The Free People, The Motion Picture Relief Fund
Kelsey Grammer
Pat Sajak
Paula Poundstone
Teri Garr
Sinbad
Tim Daly
Ed Asner
Harry Anderson
Elayne Boosler	Lange Foundation
Dean Cain	The Amanda Foundation
Michael Feinstein
Tabitha Soren
Jay Thomas
Season 11 (November 7–November 11, 1994)
General H. Norman Schwarzkopf	Boggy Creek Gang
Stefanie Powers	William Holden Wildlife Foundation
Jason Alexander
Marilu Henner
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Alexandra Paul
David Hyde Pierce
Lou Diamond Phillips
Larry King
Markie Post
Tony Randall	National Actors Theatre
Kathy Mattea
Doug Savant
Michael Sabatino
Tim Matheson
Season 12 (November 6–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 11–15, 1996, April 28-May 2, 1997)
Laura Innes	L.A. Youth Action
Isaac Mizrahi	Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
Melissa Gilbert	March of Dimes
Sandra Bernhard	Haven House, Vista del Mar
Beverly Sills	National Multiple Sclerosis Society
John Mahoney	Bonaventure House
Carl Lewis	Wendy Marx Foundation for Organ Donor Awareness
Jon Lovitz	Project Angel Food
Matthew Fox	Make-A-Wish Foundation
Brett Butler	?
Buzz Aldrin	?
Eartha Kitt	New York City Police Department Athletic Club for Inner-City Children
Robert Loggia	Motion Picture & Television Fund
Renee Taylor	National Organization of Italian American Women
Alicia Witt	Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
Mark McEwen	Community Services for Autistic Adults & Children
Kirsten Dunst	Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
Sam Waterston	Refugees International
Joseph Gordon-Levitt	Zero Population Growth
Rob Schneider	Laguna Salada School District Music Foundation
Robin Quivers	Child Abuse Prevention Program
Chris Hardwick	Hospice of the Treasure Coast
Sharon Lawrence	Starlight Children's Foundation
Patrick Duffy	Pacific Northwest Museum
Benjamin Salisbury	Alzheimer's Association
Carey Lowell	Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
Benjamin Bratt	American Indian Friendship House
Reggie White	Urban Hope
Donna D'Errico	Olive Crest Homes for Abused Children
Mike Piazza	Children's Hospital Los Angeles
Season 14 (November 17–21, 1997, January 23, March 2, April 27–May 1, May 5, 1998)
Oliver Stone	Rock the Boat
Oliver North	Freedom Alliance, Youth for Tomorrow, The Salvation Army
Al Franken	Congressional Hunger Center
Tim Russert	Boys & Girls Club of Washington D.C.
Jack Ford	Alzheimer's Association
Catherine Crier	Boys & Girls Club of Westchester County
Dee Dee Myers	Share Our Strength
Andrea Mitchell	University of Pennsylvania
Tom Clancy	The Kyle Foundation
Arianna Huffington	Center for Effective Compassion
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.	Riverkeeper
Jesse Jackson Jr.	2 colleges in Illinois's 2nd congressional district
Wolf Blitzer	American Cancer Society
Bill Maher	Best Friends Animal Society
Patricia Schroeder	Publishers' Literacy
Greg Gumbel	March of Dimes
Jim Lampley	Happy Hairston Youth Foundation
Al Michaels	Starlight Children's Foundation & Make-A-Wish Foundation
Jane Curtin	UNICEF
Naomi Judd	American Liver Foundation
Teri Garr	AIDS Service Center in Pasadena, California
Regis Philbin	Ara Parseghian Medical Research Foundation
Jerry Orbach	The Bide-a-Wee Home Association, Inc., Animal Medical Center, Berkshire Humane Society
Cheech Marin	Los Cenzontles Mexican Arts Center
Jason Alexander	Scleroderma Research Foundation
Mark McEwen	Community Services for Autistic Adults and Children
Robin Quivers	Child Abuse Prevention Program
Sinbad	Children's Defense Fund
Stephen King	YMCA of Bangor, Maine
Jack Ford	Women's Center of Monmouth County
Carol Burnett	The Hereditary Disease Foundation
Jeri Ryan	St. Jude's Hospital
Dan Cortese	Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh
Fred Savage	Children's Hospital Los Angeles
Melissa Joan Hart	Starlight Children's Foundation
Alicia Witt	Covenant House
Rebecca Lobo	Children's Miracle Network
Dot Richardson	Altamonte Youth Club
Summer Sanders	UNICEF
Season 15 (November 6, 1998, February 5, March 22, March 29, April 5, April 12, May 17–21, 1999)
Thomas Gibson	ASPCA
Stephen Collins	Habitat for Humanity, Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation
David James Elliott	The Dream Foundation
Reggie Jackson	The Mr. October Foundation for Kids
Martina Navratilova	PETA, Kidstuff Foundation
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	Athletes & Entertainers for Kids
Bob Costas	Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center
Robin Roberts	Genesis Foundation
Keith Olbermann	Damien Social Welfare Center
Wallace Langham	Shane's Inspiration
Kathy Kinney	Project Angel Food
Dave Foley	Greenpeace
Scott Hamilton	Make-A-Wish Foundation
Greg Germann	Ocean Park Community Center
Jodi Applegate	Sisters of St. Joseph
Star Jones	East Harlem School at Exodus House
Jeff Greenfield	Reedland Center for Children & Families
Al Franken	Congressional Hunger Center
Graham Nash	Nicolette Larson Pediatric Foundation
Jane Seymour	City Hearts
Shannon Sharpe	Cerebral Palsy Association
Kari Wührer	Kelly & Cal Ripken, Jr. Foundation
Gil Bellows	Cure Autism Now
Alyssa Milano	American Red Cross
Holly Robinson Peete	HollyRod Foundation
Catherine Bell	The Buoniconti Fund, The Miami Project
Michael McKean	Multiple Sclerosis Society
Camryn Manheim	International Rescue Committee
Richard Kind	City of Hope
Mike Farrell	Human Rights Watch & Death Penalty Focus
Wendie Malick	Drop in the Bucket
Steve Harris	Hale House
Garry Marshall	Saban Free Clinic
Season 16 (November 15–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–February 9, 2001) at the Las Vegas Hilton in Las Vegas, Nevada (first show outside of Culver City studio)
Eric Idle	Friends of the Los Angeles Free Clinic
Martha Stewart	College of the Atlantic
Jeff Probst	Beagles & Buddies
Charles Barkley	Cornerstone School
Jodie Foster	Hollywood Education & Literacy Project
Nathan Lane	Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
Harry Connick, Jr.	The Jimmy Fund
Wayne Brady	Avon Breast Cancer Crusade
Dana Delany	Scleroderma Research Foundation
Mike Piazza	Leiters Landing
Jane Krakowski	Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
Kevin Sorbo	A World Fit For Kids!
Steven Page	Seeds of Peace
Brandi Chastain	Children's Cancer Research Fund
Seth Green	Turning Point Transitional Housing
Season 19 (April 28–May 2, 2003)
Wayne Brady	Animal Avengers
Ashton Kutcher	University of Iowa Hospital
Hal Sparks	Doctors Without Borders
CCH Pounder	Artists for a New South Africa
Julie Bowen	Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation
Chris Matthews	La Salle College High School, College of the Holy Cross
Paul McCrane	Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Children's Hospital Los Angeles
Vivica A. Fox	Breeding Tabernacle Church
Linda Park	Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, UNICEF
Brad Paisley	The Michael J. Fox Foundation
Will Estes	New Leash on Life, CARE
Lauren Graham	Oxfam
Jeff Probst	ALS Association
Joshua Malina	Bet Tzedek Legal Services - The House of Justice
Paige Davis	Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
Season 20 (May 10–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 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–November 21, 2006) at Radio City Music Hall in New York City (taped October 5, 7, and 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	Actors' Fund
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
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
Margaret Spellings	ProLiteracy Worldwide
Scott Turow	Literacy Chicago, Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago
Sam Waterston	Refugees International, Oceana
Season 25 (March 10, 2009) at Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas (taped January 8, 2009)
Tom Bergeron	Muscular Dystrophy Association
Elizabeth Perkins	New England Learning Center for Women in Transition
Aisha Tyler	Doctors Without Borders, International Rescue Committee
Season 26 - Million Dollar Celebrity Invitational
(September 17, 2009) Game 1
Wolf Blitzer	American Cancer Society
Dana Delany	Scleroderma Research Foundation
Andy Richter	St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
(October 15, 2009) Game 2
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	The Skyhook Foundation
Soledad O'Brien	The Soledad O'Brien & Brad Raymond Family Foundation
Michael McKean	International Myeloma Foundation
(November 19, 2009) Game 3
Julie Bowen	The Michael J. Fox Foundation
Jane Kaczmarek	Clothes Off Our Back
Robin Quivers	SEED School of Maryland
(December 17, 2009) Game 4
Christopher Meloni	Smile Train
Harry Shearer	Common Ground Relief
Joshua Malina	Archer School for Girls
(January 21, 2010) Game 5
Pat Sajak	Vietnam Veterans of America
Elizabeth Perkins	Doug Turner Memorial Scholarship Fund
Doug Savant	St. Vincent Meals on Wheels
(February 18, 2010) Game 6
Chris Matthews	La Salle College High School
David Duchovny	UNICEF
Charles Shaughnessy	1736 Family Crisis Center
(March 18, 2010) Game 7
Anderson Cooper	Friends Indeed, Inc.
Aisha Tyler	International Rescue Committee
Cheech Marin	The Hispanic Scholarship Fund
(April 15, 2010) Game 8
Neil Patrick Harris	Food on Foot
Rebecca Lobo	St. Mary's School in Simsbury, Connecticut
Hill Harper	MANifest Your Destiny
(April 16, 2010) Game 9
Jane Curtin	U.S. Fund for UNICEF
Isaac Mizrahi	Good Shepherd Services
CCH Pounder	African Millennium Foundation
(May 3–5, 2010) Semifinals
Jane Curtin	U.S. Fund for UNICEF
Neil Patrick Harris	Food on Foot
Jane Kaczmarek	Clothes Off Our Backs
Michael McKean	International Myeloma Foundation
Cheech Marin	The Hispanic Scholarship Fund
Isaac Mizrahi	Good Shepherd Services
Pat Sajak	Vietnam Veterans of America
Charles Shaughnessy	1736 Family Crisis Center
Harry Shearer	Common Ground Relief
(May 6–7, 2010) Finals
Michael McKean	International Myeloma Foundation
Cheech Marin	Hispanic Scholarship Fund
Jane Curtin	U.S. Fund for UNICEF

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 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.

Parodies

Main article: Celebrity Jeopardy! (Saturday Night Live)

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 featuring a round 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. When Ferrell hosted SNL in 2005 and 2009, he reprised his portrayal of Trebek.

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.

External links

• Official Jeopardy! website
• 2009 Celebrity Jeopardy!
• Jeopardy! Million Dollar Celebrity Invitational
• J! Archive - An archive of Jeopardy! games past and present, including Celebrity Jeopardy!