“Jeopardy!” is paying tribute to Regis Philbin Monday night, airing the longtime “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” host’s first appearance on “Jeopardy!” in 1992.
What’s going on
- Philbin, who spent 60 years in the TV industry, died of natural causes at the age of 88 on Saturday.
- “Jeopardy!” is airing Philbin’s appearance on the inaugural “Celebrity Jeopardy!” episode Monday.
- Producers made the decision before Philbin’s death. The show recently announced it dug through an archive of 8,000 episodes to help fill the schedule. “Jeopardy!” has run out of new episodes amid the coronavirus pandemic.
- “The episode was chosen weeks ago as a way of expressing our gratitude to Regis for his friendship to the show for so many years,” a statement from the show reads. “We proudly present it now in memoriam and with love.”
- Philbin’s episode kicks off a week of “Celebrity Jeopardy!” episodes airing July 27-31, the Deseret News previously reported.
About the episode
- The episode — featuring Philbin, Carol Burnett and Donna Mills in an “entertaining and spirited competition,” aired on Oct. 26, 1992.
- Philbin’s appearance came during the show’s ninth season. He later appeared in two other “Jeopardy!” episodes — one in the 14th season and the other in the 23rd season, according to Pop Culture.
- The episode features significant banter between “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek and Philbin.
- One example, according to OK Magazine, at one point in the game, Philbin struggled to keep up with the other contestants. “I would like to ask a favor of Regis,” Trebek said, to which Philbin responded: “Can I ask a favor of you, Alex? Is this thing (buzzer) working? Thank you for checking.” Trebek added, “Good, it works.”
- In a later conversation with Trebek, Philbin said he was “very nervous” to be on “Jeopardy!” according to OK Magazine.
- “Being a contestant is a different kind of tension,” Trebek told Philbin.
Missed questions
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According to “Jeopardy!” archives, six questions during the game stumped all three contestants.
First round
- “His family became Christian, but this Viking explorer nicknamed ‘the red’ remained a pagan.”
- “In Italy, these shellfish found in pasta sauces are known as vongole.”
- “The pecan is the state nut not of Georgia but of this neighbor to the West.”
- (Answers: Erik the Red, clams and Alabama)
Second round
- “Charley Grapewin, who played Grandpa Joad in “The Grapes of Wrath,” played Uncle Henry in this 1939 classic.
- “Someone who dabbles in deltiology collects and studies these ‘greetings from’ around the world.”
- “This term for a coin collector comes from a Greek word meaning ‘what is sanctioned by law.’”
- (Answers: “The Wizard of Oz,” postcards and numismatist)
‘Celebrity Jeopardy!’ full schedule this week
- July 27 — Philbin, Burnett, Donna Mills
- July 28 – Jodie Foster, Nathan Lane, Harry Connick Jr.
- July 29 — Jeff Probst, Charles Barkley, Martha Stewart
- July 30 — Wayne Brady, Dana Delany, Eric Idle
- July 31 — Michael McKean, Cheech Marin, Jane Curtin