Emma Stone applies to be on regular 'Jeopardy!' every year: 'I want to earn my stripes'
Here's to the fools who dream of "Jeopardy!" glory.
In an interview with Variety's "Awards Circuit" podcast, Oscar winner Emma Stone revealed she aspires to be a contestant on "Jeopardy!" and applies every year.
To be clear, the "Poor Things" star isn't talking about "Celebrity Jeopardy!," the show's prime-time spin-off for famous contestants. No, she's aiming higher and wants to get on the regular, syndicated show to compete with the non-famous trivia lovers of the world.
"I apply every June," Stone said. "I don't want to go on 'Celebrity Jeopardy!' I want to earn my stripes."
To become a contestant on "Jeopardy!," potential players must first take an online test, and a random selection of applicants who pass it may then be invited for an audition, according to the show's website. Those who perform well in their audition then enter the contestant pool.
As Stone noted, though, "you can only take the test once a year with your email address." So far, she has never been selected to compete.
But she sounds quite prepared for the big day should her name ever be called. Stone told Variety she watches the quiz show "every single night" and marks down "how many answers I get right." She added, "I swear, I could go on 'Jeopardy!'"
"Celebrity Jeopardy!," a standalone spin-off of the game show, is currently airing its second season on ABC. "Jeopardy!" has also previously aired special celebrity editions of the daily show. This season has featured famous contestants like Christopher Meloni, Lisa Ann Walter, Brian Baumgartner and Cynthia Nixon.
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But the celebrity spin-off typically features much easier questions than the syndicated show, not the same clues that a civilian would face in the daily game. Winnings are donated to a charity of the celebrity's choosing. Comedian and actor Ike Barinholtz won the first season in 2023 and was awarded a $1 million prize for charity.
But should Stone's dream ever be realized, she wouldn't be the first known star to enter the regular "Jeopardy!" player pool. In 2018, Jackie Fuchs, who played bass in the rock band The Runaways, competed on the non-celebrity version of the quiz show. She won four games and took home $87,089.
Paris Themmen, the actor who played Mike Teavee in "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory," also competed on "Jeopardy!" in 2018, though host Alex Trebek simply introduced him as an "entrepreneur" and "avid backpacker."
If it makes Stone feel better about not being chosen, though, her name has appeared in "Jeopardy!" clues numerous times since 2011, according to the fan website J! Archive.
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