‘Jeopardy!’ Fans Go Wild Over Comedian on Upcoming Episode, But Have One Question

Jeopardy! Inc.

Jeopardy! fans are going wild over a comedian who will be in an upcoming episode. However, some are confused as to why he isn’t on a different version of the game show.

On Friday, April 4, comedian Guy Branum, from West Hollywood, California, will be competing on Jeopardy! against Mike Dawson from Portland, Oregon, and the current champion that day.

Reddit users noticed his name and face on the show’s website. “Comedian Guy Branum on Jeopardy! this week,” the original poster said.

“Checking the lineup for this week’s contestants, I was a bit surprised seeing the name ‘Guy Branum’- at first thought maybe it’s a coincidence and there’s two Guy Branums?… but nope! Especially seems to be the same Guy Branum since it lists ‘Writer & Comedian’ as the occupation.”

“This rules! Go, Guy,” said one Reddit user.

“I think he might win a few games,” said another.

“YAAAAAAAAAAAAY! I’m so excited for him,” wrote one fan.

“Guy rules!” said one Reddit user.

“My idol,” wrote a fan.

Branum, along with being a comedian, was a regular panelist and writer on Chelsea Lately, hosted Talk Show the Game Show, costarred in the movie Bros, was a recurring guest on After Midnight and Last Comic Standing, and served as a writer on multiple shows, including Unscrewed with Martin Sargent, G4tv.com, and The Mindy Project. He has also hosted and appeared on many podcasts. Branum is the author of the 2018 book My Life As A Goddess: A Memoir Through (Un)Popular Culture.

So, if Branum has enough credits to have a Wikipedia page with all of his onscreen appearances, why isn’t he a contestant on Celebrity Jeopardy!? That’s led to some debate among viewers.

“Why is he not on Celebrity Jeopardy?” a Reddit user asked.

“He must be smart enough to get onto normal Jeopardy!” a fan replied.

“So cool! I momentarily thought this meant he was on CJ, which to me wouldn’t be a stretch, though I know that would only solidify the complaints about the Cs on CJ,” said another.

“I’m thrilled he’s on Civilian J!, but I think he could just as easily been asked to be on Celebrity J!. Like, he’s not a household name, but a lot of folks on Celeb J! aren’t known to everyone but are still known amongst their niche,” wrote one fan.

Comedians tend to do well on Jeopardy!. Ike Barinholtz, a comedian and actor, won Season 2 of Celebrity Jeopardy!. He was also the first celebrity contestant to play in the Tournament of Champions, where he ended up in third place. Ironically, Barinholtz was a star of The Mindy Project, of which Barum was also a part.

Other comedians on the game show have included Fortune Feimster, Brian Jordan Alvarez, Roy Wood Jr., and W. Kamau Bell. Although celebrities don’t usually appear on the regular syndicated version of the game show, maybe Barum is a pathway for that to change. Emma Stone has expressed interest in the game show and said that she has applied multiple times.

On the Variety Awards Circuit Podcast in January 2024, the actress said, “I apply every June. I don’t want to go on Celebrity Jeopardy! I want to earn my stripes. You can only take the test once a year with your email address, and I’ve never gotten on the show. I watch it every single night, and I mark down how many answers I get right. I swear, I could go on Jeopardy!”

Tune in to watch Barnum on Jeopardy! on Friday.

Jeopardy!, Weekdays, check local listings