‘Jeopardy! Fans Stunned as ‘Cheers’ Question Becomes Triple Stumper
Spoiler Alert
[The following post contains MAJOR spoilers for the Tuesday, March 18, episode of Jeopardy!]
Jeopardy! fans couldn’t believe that a question about a popular TV show was a triple stumper and in Final Jeopardy at that. Fans want to watch a show where everybody knows the name of Cheers.
Alex DeFrank from Brooklyn, New York, returned for his third game against two new opponents. The game show contestant’s two-day winnings total was $56,401. He faced Lily St. Laurent from Bakersfield, California, and David DeBacker from Ypsilanti, Michigan.
The first part of the game became a battle between DeFrank, an inventory specialist, and DeBacker, an architectural designer, as they went back to back correctly answering questions. Eight questions in, St. Laurent, a student assistant, buzzed in but she was wrong, so she dropped down to -$1,000.
During the interview round, St. Laurent shared that she had a very short spelling bee career in the fourth grade when she spelled the first word in the competition incorrectly. DeBacker said being on the game show is huge for him because his grandmom is obsessed with Jeopardy!, Alex Trebek, and Ken Jennings. His grandmother told him when she found out he got on Jeopardy! that she could “die happy now.” DeFrank, the returning champion, revealed that he also won Sports Jeopardy! 10 years ago.
St. Laurent was still in the hole until she found the first Daily Double of the game. She wagered $1,000, even though she had -$400. The clue in the category “Disney Villain” read, “‘The daughter of the great sea king is a very precious commodity.'” “Who is Ursula?” she answered, which was correct and gave her a total of $600.
By the end of the first round, DeFrank had $4,000. St. Laurent was in third with $600, and DeBacker led with $6,200.
About halfway through the round, DeBacker found the first DD of the game. In the category “‘Authors,” the clue read, “She worked as a journalist in Chile before she was forced to flee to Venezuela in 1975, her last name being a big problem.” “Who is Allende?” he answered correctly, adding $5,000 to his bank.
It was a tight game between DeFrank, who had $10,400, and DeBacker, who had $12,000 when DeFrank found the second DD. He wagered $6,000, which would put him in the lead if he got it correct. The clue read, “This cat burglar asset is also an attribute of the B-2 bomber.” “What is stealth?” he answered correctly, bringing his total to $16,400.
For the last few questions in the round, DeBacker was on a roll answering almost everyone, but it still wasn’t enough to catch up to DeFrank. He led with $25,200. DeBacker had $15,600, and St. Laurent had $2,200. Final Jeopardy! could change everything, but it also brought a shock to viewers.
The category was “Classic TV Shows.” “Posted over the door of this show’s setting was a notice reading, ‘Maximum Room Capacity 75 Persons,'” the clue read. St. Laurent wrote down, “What is a TV show I don’t know.” She wagered $2,198, giving her a final total of $2. DeBacker wrote down, “What is MASH?” which was also wrong. He wagered $11,111 and ended with $4,489. It all came down to DeFrank’s answer and wager. He also answered MASH. DeFrank wagered $6,001, giving him a total of $19,199, making him the night’s winner. The answer was “What is Cheers?”
This makes DeFrank a three-day champion with a total of $75,600. He will be back on Wednesday, March 19, to face two new opponents. DeFrank is the first three-day champion since the regular game show returned this year.
Reddit users were stunned that none of the contestants knew Cheers.
“Flabbergasted that FJ was a triple stumper,” one fan wrote.
“I’ve never seen Cheers, but I know about it through pop culture. It’s one of the longest-running and most popular shows of all time and is famously set in the titular bar,” said another.
“Hopefully they at least know Cliff Clavin,” wrote one Reddit user.
St. Laurent commented on the thread and explained why she answered the way she did. “Pop culture is probably my strongest forte, so when Classic TV Shows appeared as the category, I assumed I had it in the bag. My mind blanked when the clue appeared, and, although I’ve watched four or five seasons of Cheers, I couldn’t come up with the answer. I want to offer my sincerest apologies to Ted Danson, Shelley Long, and most importantly Cliff Clavin,” she wrote.
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Conversation21 Comments
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Comments are closed on this story.
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R
The fact that the first contestant's answer mirrored Cliff's answer in the episode that he's on jeopardy, is ironic
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C
That's not the definition of irony, it's coincidence.
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G
“People who have never been in my kitchen”
$22,000 Big Ones!
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P
I never watched Cheers, but I got the answer correct!!! Based on the category alone!!!
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C
I got it right off the bat and I still don’t know how. Cheers just popped into my head.
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G
I'm certainly familiar with the show Cheers, but simply knowing about it or having seen it doesn't mean one would automatically get the question. There are a dozen classic shows that could have featured such a sign.
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G
Sorry patient #76, we know it's a war and all, but you'll have to wait outside.
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O
To be honest, my first thought was Central Perk, the coffee shop on Friends. Then the bar at Cheers came to mind. Not sure which I would have written down had I been a contestant.
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C
Well. I watched many "Cheers" episodes "in the day", but this clue about "maximum room capacity" could apply to different settings for many sitcoms. Though, "MASH" wouldn't have been my guess.
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O
I'd describe myself a borderline Cheers fanatic, and it didn't come to me automatically. I have partaken (generously) of the noble weed... still.
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G
I got it right off the bat. I was shocked when none of the players did. Mash ? A 75 person occupancy sign , in the tent Just seemed logical to me that it would be a bar type show. 🤷🏻♀️
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O
Cannot believe they all missed that. And the fact that two of them gave the terrible answer of MASH is mind blowing.
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O
I've seen every single episode of Cheers.....and even I wouldn't have gotten that right. Guess I'm a fake fan.
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G
Nah, not a fake fan. I'm sure the sign was kind of obscurely placed. (I'd love to see a pic of the sign on-set.)
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C
Could've been Cheers
Could've been Alice
Could've been Archie's Place
Could've been Happy Days
There are a lot of classic shows it could have been
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G
Could've been Andy Griffith Show
Could've been Perry Mason
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As I said in previous post, there are a dozen shows it could've been.
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C
Have they completely changed the format of the show? Jeopardy has always provided answers and the contestants provide the questions, not the other way around.
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G
Forget the triple stumping. Like Ken said, I couldn't believe Jeopardy actually considered an 80s show "classic TV." It most certainly is not. Classic TV is from the 50s, 60s and maybe some 70s shows. 80s and 90s shows are NOT classic TV, no matter how many years it's been.
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G
Just curious - how old are you? Seriously. Knowing that would help put your comment in perspective. Also, how would you define "classic" TV? What criteria do you believe makes a show "classic" TV? You say it doesn't matter how many years it's been. I'm not trying to be argumentative; I'm just trying to understand your point of view.
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B
Lol. Yeah they are.
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R
I grew up in the 40-50s and I would certainly call Cheers classic TV.
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