Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek’s network of contributors
Colin Jost, the host of the upcoming Jeopardy! spinoff Pop Culture Jeopardy!, admitted that he’s not very good at trivia.
On Tuesday, December 3, the 42-year-old comedian sat down with Savannah Guthrie on Today to discuss the new game show.
Guthrie, who appeared as a guest host on Jeopardy! in 2021, gushed about how this hosting gig is an excellent fit for the Saturday Night Live cast member. “It’s quite perfect for you. I’m sure you have exhaustive knowledge of celebrity trivia,” Guthrie, 52, remarked.
However, Jost disagreed with the Today anchor, telling her, “I’m not that great with trivia. I feel like I know a lot of stuff, but when I’m under the pressure to say it, as you know, it’s a hard thing.”
“It’s kind of intimidating being on that set; he [Trebek] did it so well; [Jeopardy! champ and host] Ken [Jennings] does such a great job; you don’t wanna mess it up. You don’t wanna like disgrace this hollowed ground,” the New York native remarked.
“It was great, the energy was really fun…They all had their weird personalities a lot of them had very insane costumes they wore,” Jost recounted. “They auditioned as a team they have to all take quizzes [to get on the show]. I think it was something like 70,000 people applied, and only 90 people made it, so it was really crazy selective.”
Despite all the fun, Jost said the quiz show was still challenging as contestants played for $300,000. “As a regular Jeopardy! watcher, I thought Pop Culture Jeopardy!, was harder than regular Jeopardy!,” he added. Jost also noted that viewers would see some former Jeopardy! contestants appear on the spinoff.
According to the Jeopardy! website players must be well-versed in all things pop culture, as it states, “Contestants, playing in teams of three, will need to be experts in categories from Alternative Rock to The Avengers; Broadway to MMA; Gen Z to Zendaya.”
Pop Culture Jeopardy! premieres on Wednesday, December 4, on Prime Video.
