‘Jeopardy!’ Viewers Think This Contestant Is the Spitting Image of Steve Martin

This… Is… Jeopardy!

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Fans could have mistaken Wednesday’s Jeopardy! for a celebrity edition, given that one of the contestants was the spitting image of Steve Martin.

Sam Buttrey, an associate professor of operations research at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, bore a striking resemblance to the iconic stand-up comedian and actor. And it wasn’t just the silver hair and pleasant smile; viewers even thought Buttrey sounded like Martin.

“Not gonna lie Sam in tonight’s #Jeopardy looks and sound just like Steve Martin…” tweeted one fan. Meanwhile, another viewer commented that “Sam Buttrey could pass off as Steve Martin’s double.”

Not gonna lie Sam in tonight’s #Jeopardy looks and sound just like Steve Martin…

— rp 🏳️‍🌈 (@raynapatricia) December 8, 2021

Sam Buttrey could pass of as Steve Martin’s double 😂 #Jeopardy

— bigboss2020 (@bigboss202011) December 9, 2021

Oh we got Steve Martin on the show tonight?? #Jeopardy

— Emma (@Emmy415) December 9, 2021

Um…
Is #SteveMartin playing #Jeopardy?#Sam is @SteveMartinToGo lookalike!@Jeopardy
“Category: planes, trains, and doppelgängers” pic.twitter.com/qwKX83aFQ2

— SkeeterBombay (@SkeeterBombay) December 9, 2021

The learning never stops, especially on #Jeopardy! 😉 #ProfessorsTournament pic.twitter.com/yUXlujMBY1

— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) December 9, 2021

In a freaky coincidence, one of the categories in the opening round was King Tut, a character that Martin famously played on Saturday Night Live.

“So not only is Steve Martin on #jeopardy, but King Tut is a category,” observed one fan, while another jokingly said, “It doesn’t seem fair that @SteveMartinToGo is on #Jeopardy and there’s a King Tut category.”

So not only is Steve Martin on #jeopardy, but King Tut is a category. pic.twitter.com/kkNjs3OC6S

— Skip Awesome (@SkipAwesome) December 9, 2021

It doesn’t seem fair that @SteveMartinToGo is on #Jeopardy and there’s a King Tut category… pic.twitter.com/M00retEsXd

— Kevin Ivy McLeod (@KevinIvyMcLeod) December 9, 2021

However, it wasn’t just Buttrey receiving the celebrity comparisons, as some viewers thought that Hofstra University professor Lisa Dresner looked like American Horror Story star Kathy Bates.

“Everyone’s saying that Sam looks like Steve Martin, but what about Lisa looking like Kathy Bates!?” asked one Twitter user. And they weren’t the only one thinking along those lines. “Sam is Steve Martin and Lisa is Kathy Bates,” said another viewer.

Everyone’s saying that Sam looks like Steve Martin, but what about Lisa looking like Kathy Bates!?#Jeopardy

— Franny Di (@FrannyDiP) December 9, 2021

Sam is Steve Martin and Lisa is Kathy Bates. #Jeopardy pic.twitter.com/7vzteMlLZm

— Kathy Bennett 🙈🙉🙊 (@KatBenn1plus2) December 9, 2021

Lisa really reminds me of the great Kathy Bates in Fried Green Tomatoes! #Jeopardy

— Patti M (@mamapatti55) December 9, 2021

Lisa Dresner, a faculty member at Hofstra University, will compete tonight at 7 on ABC7 in the first “Professors Tournament” on “Jeopardy!” after auditioning since the late 1990s. https://t.co/kmerVTCkAG pic.twitter.com/gVpxLFTJ1v

— Eyewitness News (@ABC7NY) December 8, 2021

Celebrity doppelgangers aside, it was Buttrey that came out on top in Wednesday’s episode, winning the game and advancing to the semi-finals of the Professors Tournament. The tournament, which runs through next week, sees the winner walk away with a cash prize of $100,000.

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