‘Jeopardy!’ Contestants Bomb Denzel Washington Question—and I Can’t Believe They Missed it

Denzel Washington’s resume is filled with award-winning roles and underrated gems. While some films are better than others (let’s not talk about his worst movie ever made), he always delivers a scene-stealing performance. He even turned his most recent project, The Piano Lesson, into a family affair. Despite his widespread popularity, the 69-year-old actor’s accomplishments aren’t known to everyone (especially these Jeopardy! contestants).

Last week, Prime Video released a brand-new episode of Pop Culture Jeopardy!, which is an entertainment-themed spin-off of the popular game show that’s hosted by SNL star Colin Jost. In the installment (see the clip here), the contestants were given a final Jeopardy! question about Washington’s career, and they were totally stumped. 

The final category was “Acting directors,” and the clue read, “He’s directed himself in movies in which he played a professor, a sanitation worker & a psychiatrist.”

The first group revealed their answer as “Jerry Lewis” (The Nutty Professor), which is incorrect. The next trio offered up “M. Night Shyamalan” (The Sixth Sense), which is also wrong. The last team guessed “George Clooney” (Ocean’s Eleven), even though they knew it wasn’t the right answer.

Right on cue, Jost revealed that Washington is the correct person. He portrayed a professor in The Great Debaters, a sanitation worker in Fences and a psychiatrist in Antwone Fisher.