No surprises here! Michael McKean, who has never lost a game of Jeopardy! (and that includes an appearance on Rock & Roll Jeopardy), kept his streak alive last night, defeating Jane Curtin and Cheech Marin. McKean walks away with $1,000,000 in prize money for his charity, the International Myeloma Foundation.The game itself was very close, and Jane Curtin came close to winning it all. The Final Jeopardy question stumped both Curtin and McKean, so it really came down to wagers. Curtin was left with only $1 to add to her total from Thursday's game, while McKean wagered a lot more conservatively (unusual for him). Cheech Marin had erred the day before, making it almost impossible for him to catch up. Curtin finished with $250,000 for her charity, the U.S Fund for UNICEF, and Marin earned $100,000 for the Hispanic Scholarship Fund.
The Celebrity Jeopardy Million Dollar Invitational was certainly entertaining all the way through, but the most important part of the event is the sheer amount of money that went to many worthy causes. In addition to the finalists' winnings, here's the breakdown of where the money was allocated:
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Skyhook Foundation Literacy & Learning Through Sports, $25,000
- Wolf Blitzer, American Cancer Society, $25,000
- Julie Bowen, Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, $25,000
- Anderson Cooper, Friend Indeed, Inc., $25,000
- Dana Delany, Scleroderma Research Foundation, $25,000
- David Duchovny, UNICEF, $25,000
- Hill Harper, Manifest Your Destiny, $25,000
- Neil Patrick Harris, Food on Foot, $100,000
- Jane Kaczmarek, Clothes Off Our Back, $100,000
- Rebecca Lobo, Saint Mary's School, $25,000
- Joshua Malina, The Archer School for Girls, $25,000
- Chris Matthews, LaSalle College High School, $25,000
- Christopher Meloni, Smile Train, $25,000
- Isaac Mizrahi, Good Shepherd Services, $100,000
- Soledad O'Brien, The Soledad O'Brien and Brad Raymond Family Foundation, $25,000
- Elizabeth Perkins, Doug Turner Memorial Scholarship Fund, $25,000
- CCH Pounder, The African Millennium Foundation, $25,000
- Robin Quivers, The SEED School of Maryland, $25,000
- Andy Richter, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, $68,000
- Pat Sajak, Vietnam Veterans of America, $105,300
- Doug Savant, St. Vincent Meals on Wheels, $25,000
- Charles Shaughnessy, 1736 Family Crisis Center, $100,000
- Harry Shearer, Common Ground Relief, $100,000
- Aisha Tyler, The International Rescue Committee, $25,000
Photo courtesy 'Jeopardy' Productions, Inc.
Comments
They should invite Ken Jennings, Brad Rutter and Michael McKean to play against each other for charity. We can see if America’s Smartest Celebrity can beat the two all time Jeopardy champs!
@Jason S. – McKean and Curtin were impressive enough, but don’t forget that celebrity questions are gopherballs compared to the fastballs on the regular shows. Oklahoma! as a Final Jeopardy answer? Riiiiight.
Too bad just like regular contestants, they didn’t know how to bet–Jane Curtain could’ve won.
Trebek made a point of highlighting McKean’s “winning streak” as well, but it’s worth noting that his single-day total on Friday was not the highest….