The Snap Seen 'Round The World

600K views for this moment of Jeopardy fierceness.

Since the clip has gone viral, contestant Louis Virtel has written a piece for Hit Fix. An excerpt:

In the history of "Jeopardy!", I can think of only one contestant who explicitly mentioned his gayness on air, and that was season 28 premiere contestant Glenn Edwards. He discussed singing with the New York City Gay Men's Chorus during his chat with Alex. I will never forget Glenn Edwards. "Jeopardy!" is a show where in a given week you hear a handful of contestant anecdotes about how some guy met his wife, or how some woman met her husband.

You hear clues about straight romance in literature and celebrity straight couples. For whatever reason, you never hear gay contestants open up about their lives and you don't hear much about the lives of gay celebrities and luminaries either. While I don't believe "Jeopardy!" is at all anti-gay (Did you see that clue about gay marriage a few weeks back? Slightly shady!), it makes straightness seem far more acknowledgeable than gayness.

Heteronormativity is an intoxicating comfort for some, especially in remote, internet-challenged areas; in that context, folks like Glenn Edwards are basically my Carrie Nation -- disturbers of the peace who are righteous in their self-ownership. Wish I could've joined him in that distinction. As much as I represented my gayness, I didn't say the word. As a kid growing up in the suburbs who venerated everything about "Jeopardy!", I would've loved seeing an expressive gay contestant own his homosexuality as well as the buzzer.

Hit the link for more.

The Sanctity Of Game Show Marriage

In a The Price Is Right episode that aired on Friday, host Drew Carey conducted a mass wedding of audience members. Via People:

When producers pitched the idea to Carey, he was immediately on board. "I thought it was funny, not crazy," Carey tells PEOPLE. "It was a good chance for me to have a Reverend Moon moment." And lest anyone think this is just a gimmick for TV, Carey stresses that the contestants are legally tying the knot. "Someone in the production office got me signed up on the Iinternet to do it," he says. "And poof, I was authorized to officiate weddings!" The episode, which taped earlier this year, went without a hitch. But there's one thing Carey says he forgot: He'd have to personally fill out the paperwork. "I had to fill out each and every wedding certificate," he says with a laugh. "That was a pain; there were so many of them." 

It's looks like that might be a lesbian couple at 0:46.

RELATED: Carey sits on the board of the libertarian Reason Foundation and supported Ron Paul's 2008 presidential bid. But unlike Ron Paul, who cosponsored the Marriage Protection Act, Carey supports same-sex marriage and advocated against Prop 8.

Let's Make A (Marriage Proposal) Deal

(Tipped by JMG reader John)

TV Abbreviations For $200

None of the contestants got it right.

Jeopardy! Mocks Civil Unions

Via Slate:

You might not typically think of Jeopardy! as a source of opinion on the hot-button political issues of the day, but on the Jan. 21 edition of the game show, a saucy clue challenged that perception. Under a category called “Civil” the $800 clue read as follows: “Some opponents of same-sex marriage say, hey gay folks, how about these? Wouldn't these be good enough?” The correct answer, of course, is “What are civil unions?” The clue writers’ flippant tone in the rhetoric attributed to gay marriage opponents is clear evidence of how they—like most gay people—feel about civil unions as an alternative to full marriage equality: They are a weak attempt at placation that suggests second-class citizenship, if not a kind of segregation.

Anderson Cooper, Game Show Host?

Via TVNewser:

CNN is producing a political game show, TVNewser has learned. The blocking and testing of the show is happening this week at CNN’s New York studios. Insiders tell us the show will be hosted by Anderson Cooper and will air on Presidents’ Day, Feb. 16. If it’s successful, further episodes would go into production. We hear the program will be a quiz style game show, focused on presidential politics. As the Sony email hacking story unfolded last month, one of the more interesting TV news stories to emerge was that CNN Worldwide chief Jeff Zucker had asked a Sony TV executive if the company would consider producing “Political Jeopardy!” for CNN. That was a nonstarter. But now it appears Zucker is going his own way on a quiz show.

Alex Trebek: I'm No Pat Sajak

"I consider myself a social liberal and a fiscal conservative. I believe that climate change exists, and is contributed to by human activity. I have seen firsthand the effects of climate change, in trips to Antarctica and Mt. Kilimanjaro, both of which are showing huge changes due to global warming. I’m in favor of equal pay for women, and the Lilly Ledbetter act. I believe in equal rights for the LGBT community; in fact, this winter, I braved the Minnesota winter weather to attend a gay wedding (which was officiated over by my wife)." - Alex Trebek, responding to an inquiry by Salon.

Bob Barker Slams Obamacare

Click the image to stop the loop or start the audio.

Actress Marcia Wallace Dies At Age 70

Actress Marcia Wallace has died at the age of 70. Wallace gained fame as the secretary Carol on The Bob Newhart Show and voiced the Simpsons character Edna Krabappel.

"I was tremendously saddened to learn this morning of the passing of the brilliant and gracious Marcia Wallace," said Simpsons executive producer Al Jean in a statement. "She was beloved by all at The Simpsons and we intend to retire her irreplaceable character." The actress' popularity spanned generations. She appeared on The Merv Griffin Show over 75 times, and earned fame playing Carol Kester, the clever, sarcastic secretary on The Bob Newhart Show. She later nabbed an Emmy nomination for a turn on Murphy Brown as 'Secretary 66' in 1994. Wallace won an Emmy for voicing Bart Simpson's dry teacher on the Fox animated series. As THR notes, the 1992 Simpsons episode for which she won found Ms. Krabappel giving Bart a month of detention. He exacted revenge by responding to her newspaper singles ad. Wallace would go on to star in 177 episodes of The Simpsons, her character's iconic "Ha!" a familiar echo.

He Didn't Know

Gareth Thomas Dances On Ice

Openly gay rugby champion Gareth Thomas competed last night on Britain's Dancing On Ice. And he did so surprisingly well, at least one website is saying that he has emerged as the contest's front-runner.  

Gareth Thomas On Dancing On Ice

Openly gay rugby champion Gareth Thomas is a contestant in the new season of Britain's Dancing On Ice.  I can't find a clip of his performance (readers?) but you'll spot him in the opening sequence below. The first to be eliminated this week was Pamela Anderson, whose wardrobe malfunction has turned into a hot internet topic.

Gay Couple Wins Amazing Race

Via Hollywood Reporter:

The Amazing Race season 21 has crowned a winner. Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Brent Ridge, goat farmers and life partners from Sharon Springs, N.Y., won the $1 million prize in CBS' reality competition. The duo were considered underdogs for most of the race, having never won a challenge and even coming in last in a non-elimination leg. But they prevailed in Sunday's two-hour finale part thanks in part to their performance in a memory challenge at the end of the race. Josh and Brent beat out the teams of Lexi Beerman and Trey Wier, a couple from Texas, and James Davis and Jaymes Vaughan, Chippendale dancers and best friends from Las Vegas, to take home the prize.

UPDATE: My apology for the spoiler, but since the winners were announced on all the major networks and news sites this morning and were interviewed on CNN etc, it didn't occur to me that the some of you would take offense.

What Do You Bid On This Showcase?

The Price Is Right has named its first-ever male model. More possibly not work-friendly photos can be seen at Buzzfeed.

One Million Moms: Please Watch American Bible Challenge For Jesus

One Million Moms wants everybody to watch American Bible Challenge, which starts tomorrow on the Game Show Network. Via press release:

Teams are made up of family members and friends. These are people who are truly making a difference. They are real life heroes. Amazing testimonies are shared on the program as well. The tournament starts with 18 three-person teams-three teams in each of the first six episodes. The winning teams from each of those six episodes will advance to play in two semi-final games. During the final round, one team will be named champions of "The American Bible Challenge." Let us support this program by watching and make sure they have excellent ratings so future seasons will be produced. By tuning in Christians will have their voice heard and the result will be additional shows similar to this will be produced that can be viewed together as a family.

Chuck Woolery's Mexican Fence

He's still not funny. He's still a douchebag.

GSN To Launch Bible Quiz Show

GSN (formerly the Game Show Network) will launch an hour-long Bible quiz show hosted by Jeff Foxworthy.

GSN said the questions will be “designed to acknowledge and celebrate the Bible’s continuing importance in contemporary life and culture.” Can’t wait for the stoning-of-adulteresses question. It appears contestants will be selected on the basis of their backstories, because GSN says contestants are going to share them with viewers at home and the studio audience. And teams of contestants will represent “worthy faith-based organizations,” said GSN, without elaborating as to how it planned to weed out the unworthy ones. “I am excited to be hosting a show about the best-selling book of all time,” Foxworthy, who already hosts GSN’s “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” said in Wednesday’s announcement.

Q: How do we know the Bible is true?
A: Because it says so in the Bible!

You just won a BRAND NEW CAR!

Asshat Of The Day - Chuck Woolery

"Majority rules. We were born with natural rights. We don't need civil rights. [African-Americans] don't need civil rights. They don't need them. They have inalienable rights granted by God in the Constitution. I mean, I'm discriminated against all the time. I don't care. It doesn't bother me. [I'm discriminated against] because I'm old. I'm too old to get a job as a game show host. They say, well, the guy's 71 and in five years he'll be 76. And I’m a one per center, and I'm absolutely discriminated against as a one per center." - Chuck Woolery, speaking today at CPAC. (Via Michelangelo Signorile)

That Just Won Her $10,000

FAMILY FEUD: Name Something You Put In Your Mouth But Don't Swallow