Many viewers thought they recognized a player on Tuesday’s Jeopardy!, and quickly figured out his Hollywood connections.
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Fans figured out Mark Gagliardi’s Hollywood history after seeming ‘familiar’ on Jeopardy!Credit: X/Jeopardy
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The actor and podcaster was recognized from Comedy Central’s Drunk HistoryCredit: YouTube/DrunkHistory
On June 18, contestant Mark Gagliardi played against Colleen Matthews and Adriana Harmeyer.
Mark was introduced as an actor and podcaster, but the depths of his career weren’t given.
Soon enough, fans noticed that Mark had found fame on Comedy Central show Drunk History.
In one episode from almost two decades ago, Mark was seen working with film stars Michael Cera and Jake Johnson.
Mark announced that he’d be on the gameshow with a post on Instagram, and viewers quickly returned to the post to identify him after the show.
“I was like ‘Omg that guy looks exactly like Gags!” Then literally screamed when your name came up! So thrilled for you!” one fan enthused.
Many other viewers had similar reactions on Reddit, and listed several other roles Mark had on television and podcasts.
“I knew I knew Mark from somewhere and then remembered Drunk History. I told my husband that that dude used to get WASTED wasted,” one social media user wrote.
Jeopardy! player shares crew’s ‘special treatment’ of Adriana Harmeyer behind-the-scenes that ‘caught him off guard’
“Go Team Venture! (Mark did several bit voices on Venture Bros. in the final two seasons)” added a final fan.
IN THE DARK
While many fans identified Mark on Jeopardy!, some viewers didn’t even get a chance to watch it after an abrupt schedule change.
Many followers took to Reddit in confusion after the show didn’t air, claiming that it wasn’t available in some parts of the country.
“This episode didn’t air in the Tulsa market today. The one airing today is Adriana’s tenth win. Anyone know why?” one person asked.
Jeopardy! Host Timeline
Jeopardy! has had a tumultuous history regarding hosts after the death of the iconic Alex Trebek in 2020. Here are all of the hosts since the game show’s inception in 1964.
Art Fleming – 1964 to 1975, he was the original host of the daytime version of Jeopardy! on NBC.
Alex Trebek – 1984 to 2020, the late, great Alex hosted Jeopardy!’s modern iteration for 36 years until his death from pancreatic cancer.
Guest hosts – 2020 to 2021, Jeopardy! tested out a series of guest hosts for week or two-week stints, including Anderson Cooper, LaVar Burton, and Aaron Rodgers.
Mike Richards – 2021, he was named host for one week before resigning amid controversy. He was the show’s executive producer at the time.
Mayim Bialik – 2021 to 2023, when Mike was announced as the show’s new host, Mayim was chosen to host tournaments and primetime specials.
Mayim and Ken Jennings – 2022 to 2023, 74-time champion Ken (the longest-winning contestant ever) joined Mayim as a guest host and they split hosting duties.
Ken Jennings – 2023 to present. Last December, Mayim announced on Instagram that she would “no longer” host Jeopardy! after a lengthy hiatus, having stood with the writer’s strike, and Ken was named sole host.
Ken now helms all editions of Jeopardy! including Celebrity Jeopardy!, the nightly show, and other primetime specials like Masters.
“Same here in Nashville. Not the first time this has happened here,” another angry fan added.
Other commenters said that Baltimore and South Florida were also left out.
ON A ROLL
Mark’s celebrity links were slightly overshadowed by his contestant Adriana, who steamed ahead to secure her 15th win in a row.
Some fans voiced concern for Adriana toward the end of the game, when she seemed confused by the Final Jeopardy! clue.
“Adriana has been lights out on Final Jeopardy, but she looked at this one for a long, long time,” Ken Jennings commented after Adriana took a long time to write down an answer.
However, the returning winner once again got the correct answer, and will return to the next episode.
“She just keeps going! Great game from all three,” Ken praised at the end of the show.
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Film star Michael Cera even appeared in one of Mark’s drunken retellings of historical eventsCredit: YouTube/DrunkHistory
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Some fans missed out on the ‘gotcha’ moments after abrupt rescheduling meant the show was off-airCredit: ABC
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Mark was beaten to victory by Adriana Harmeyer, who secured her 15th winCredit: Jeopardy
