9 ‘Jeopardy’ alums miss Denzel Washington clue on ‘Pop Culture Jeopardy’

How many Jeopardy contestants does it take to identify Denzel Washington? Turns out, more than nine!

In the third episode of Pop Culture Jeopardy, all three of the competing trivia-trio-teams were composed of players who had appeared on the flagship game show before — but despite their experience, none of them were able to pull out a correct Final Jeopardy answer at the end of the episode.

In the category “Acting directors,” Pop Culture Jeopardy provided the following clue: “He’s directed himself in movies in which he played a professor, a sanitation worker & a psychiatrist.”

The Punny Goddesses, who entered the round with 4,800 points and wagered 0, incorrectly guessed Jerry Lewis. The legendary comedian did direct himself as a professor in The Nutty Professor, and also directed a movie about a psychiatrist, Cracking Up, but didn’t play the physician himself.

Next, the Esprit Top 3, who entered Final Jeopardy with 10,800, incorrectly guessed “Shyamalan” — and lost all of their points after wagering their entire score. M. Night Shyamalan has acted in almost all of his directorial efforts, though his appearances are almost all quick cameos. He played a doctor in his breakthrough film The Sixth Sense (not a psychiatrist, however), which may have been the role that prompted the team to mark him down as the final answer.

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly’s free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

The Personality Hires — who all placed second in their previous solo appearances on Jeopardy — entered the round with 30,600 points, so they still maintained a commanding lead when they wagered a meager 139 points and incorrectly answered “Clooney.” George Clooney has directed a number of films in which he also acted, but he’s largely cast himself in flashier professions than the ones in the clue: a CIA agent, a TV news producer, a football player, a presidential candidate, an Army lieutenant, and an astronomer.

Host Colin Jost finally revealed Washington as the correct response, noting that the two-time Oscar winner played a professor in The Great Debaters, a sanitation worker in Fences, and a psychiatrist in Antwone Fisher. (Washington’s only other directorial film, A Journal for Jordan, does not feature him on screen.)

Washington most recently appeared in Gladiator II, currently in theaters, and dropped quote-worthy bombshells left and right as he promoted the movie. Over the last several weeks, the Malcolm X star made headlines for saying he “got bitter” after losing an Oscar to Kevin Spacey, admitting he made “some real clunkers” in the 1990s, claiming that his gay kissing scene was cut from Gladiator II, and announcing his retirement… after appearing in several more movies, including Black Panther 3.

The first three episodes of Pop Culture Jeopardy are now streaming on Prime Video.