‘Jeopardy!’ Viewers Love Quirky Contestant and His Funny Final Jeopardy Answer

Martin Holmes
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Joel Levinson on Jeopardy!
Jeopardy!/YouTube

There are certain ways one can become a Jeopardy! icon. Usually, that is by going on an impressive winning streak or succeeding in the Tournament of Champions. Or, you can just be really funny, like a contestant on Thursday’s episode.

Joel Levinson, a content strategist from Ohio, was obviously on Jeopardy! for a good time, not a long time. He immediately won viewers over with this curly hair and mustache, which drew comparisons to Sacha Baron Cohen‘s popular character Borat. Levinson was playful from the start, giving a nod and shrug to the camera like a character in the intro to a 1980s sitcom.

At one point in the episode, Levinson adopted a high-pitched voice when answering the clue, “Put on your gauntlet and wire-mesh mask.” The sudden change in inflection took host Ken Jennings by surprise. “Never heard that voice before, Joel,” Jennings said.

The highlight, however, came in Final Jeopardy!, when Levinson gave a humorous answer that he obviously knew was incorrect. Answering the clue, “This 1962 classic was dedicated to Albert Schweitzer, who predicted that man ‘will end by destroying the earth.’,” Levinson wrote down Judy Blume’s 1970 novel Are You There God? It’s me, Margaret.

“I’m afraid that’s not correct,” Jennings said with a chuckle.

Commenting on the moment on social media afterwards, Levinson wrote, “Bucket list checked – name checked my beloved @judyblume in final – if you’re not gonna know the answer you might as well call to god for help.”

The correct answer was actually Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. Levinson didn’t mind, though, as he was smart enough not to bid on his joke answer. And even though he wasn’t successful on the show, he can rest assured that he won over a lot of hearts in the process.

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Check out the reaction to Levinson’s Jeopardy! performance below.

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