About 20 years ago, Ike Barinholtz played Alex Trebek in one of his early sketches on MADtv. Now, he’s wiping his competition clean on the actual Alex Trebek Stage. Barinholtz has advanced to the semifinal round of Jeopardy!’s Tournament of Champions, coming out victorious in a thrilling quarterfinal match that aired on March 4. Facing off against formidable competitors Ray Lalonde and Melissa Klapper, Barinholtz sat in second position going into Final Jeopardy, a score that was driven by smart Daily Double wagering and calm gameplay. But it was the last clue that sealed his fate: His memory of a certain Stanley Kubrick film compelled him to write down the correct answer about an ancient Roman poet, which brought his final tally soaring well ahead of the others. What is … incredible stuff?
The actor and comedian qualified for the ToC tournament after winning last year’s Celebrity Jeopardy!. His $1 million winnings went to charity, as will his earnings now, in an initiative spearheaded by the game show’s new legion of executives. It’s about time some newer blood got the chance to buzz in. If the teacher and college tournaments were previously granted a seed, why not the primetime players of Hollywood? Especially if it’s a hot guy with a fancy job? The semifinal match airs on March 7. “I’m very, very happy to talk about it,†Barinholtz says in the meantime. “I’m telling strangers on the street. I still can’t believe this happened.â€
I’d love to learn more about your relationship with the show. Has it always been appointment television for you and your family?
Growing up, my folks were big Jep! heads. I have so many fond memories of sitting with them, watching it, and seeing them answer almost every question. I would be like, Damn, they’re smart. We’ve always loved it. It’s the show I’ve seen the most, really. I’ve seen thousands and thousands of episodes. I loved Alex Trebek so much. It’s wonderful to see Ken Jennings coming in and redefining what it means to be a great Jeopardy! host. I’m in it for the long haul with that show.
This is the first time a winner from the celebrity tournament has been invited to participate in the Tournament of Champions. Why do you think it took so long for the show to acknowledge you fancy Hollywood folks for this?
I’m unsure. Michael Davies, the executive producer, saw an opportunity and wanted to see if there was anyone who would want to jump in there. When he offered it to me, I couldn’t have been more excited. I love Celebrity Jeopardy! and it gave me some of the most fun days of my life, but as such a fan of the show, I wanted a bite of those big apples, the real tough questions. Listen, Celebrity Jeopardy! has to be a little bit easier than regular Jeopardy! because celebrities’ brains are built a little bit differently. We have a special part of our brain that we need reserved for walking on a red carpet or knowing when to take a nap on set. Normal people could put knowledge in that, but we put being a celebrity in that, so it needs to be a little bit easier. Anyway, when Michael asked me if I wanted to do it, I responded, “Yes, sir!â€
Did the other contestants seem surprised by your inclusion when you all arrived at the studio?
I think they knew I was going to do it, but when I walked into the room, I was the last one to arrive because of traffic. There was a second of everyone being like, Oh, that’s the celebrity. But then I was the one geeking out. I watched all of these people. I watched all of them win. I was like, “Cris Pannullo, man, great to meet you! Juveria Zaheer, I love you! Andy Tirrell, I can’t believe when you beat Pannullo!†I was nerding out a little bit and excited to talk to these people. People in the Jeopardy! world are inherently kind, gentle, smart, and lovely. It was such a thrill to be in that room with them.
Beating 13-time champion Ray Lalonde carries a different weight than beating Patton Oswalt when it comes to trivia.
Patton Oswalt is no slouch, but Ray Lalonde? Wow. I had watched his insane run and was blown away. You can tell by watching him that he seems like the kindest man in the world. They didn’t tell us who we were going up against until a few minutes before game time. We’re all in this one waiting room and I’m trying to size everyone up, but every single person I’m sizing up I’m thinking, Oh yeah, they’re going to beat me. So when they said I’d be going up against Melissa Klapper, who’s literally an academic, I was like, Great. And then they read Ray’s name, and I was like, You know what? I’m just going to enjoy myself. I have zero chance. I’m going to have some fun out there and try not to embarrass myself.
James Holzhauer has described his strategy as “strategically aggressive.†Matt Amodio swears by the term “cautious.†How would you define the Ike Barinholtz method?
I’m a little more in the Matt camp. My one rule, which I really tried to abide by, and I failed a couple of times, was I was only going to ring in if I was 95 percent sure I knew the answer. I don’t quite trust my guesses enough. I missed two in a category for five-syllable words. I tried the Holzhauer method, but right away I was like, No, I’m guessing, this isn’t a category that is benefiting me in any way, stop it, you’re losing money. So I’m team Matt — I was a little bit more conservative and cautious. It’s such a difference at home, when you’re sitting there with your kids and wife and guessing at answers. You don’t mind getting a ton wrong. Now there are ramifications. You need to be sure.
How confident did you feel going into Final Jeopardy, especially after seeing the category would be “Poets of Ancient Rome� What was going through your mind?
I knew a couple of Roman poets. I knew Virgil and Horace. But for some reason, the first name that popped into my head was Ovid. I’m definitely someone whose strengths are more aligned with art, literature, movies, and media. Have you ever seen Eyes Wide Shut?
Yeah, but it’s been a while.
There’s a first scene where Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman go to the party. That creepy Hungarian guy starts hitting on Nicole Kidman and is like, “Have you ever read Ovid and The Art of Love?†For some reason in my mind I was like, Well, Ovid is a poet, and I thought of that line. Maybe that could be okay as an answer. I was incredibly nervous. I was definitely sure Ray and Melissa were going to get it right.
So we have Stanley Kubrick to thank for your victory.
We do. My takeaway is watch Eyes Wide Shut.
Ken joked that “celebrities often think†about Ovid. Does Ovid consume your thoughts?
It’s in all of our text chains. All we’re doing is quoting Ovid to each other. Me and the bros kick back and talk about ancient erotic literature. It’s funny, when I was watching the game with my wife the other night — and I didn’t realize it when this happened — she was like, “When you revealed your answer, Ken shouted!†The celebs do think about Ovid! It was such a crazy moment. The room dropped out from under me, and it’s a moment I’ll never forget.
You nailed a Daily Double about “Numeric Movie Titles†in Double Jeopardy, which propelled you to victory since you bet all of your winnings. There’s a lot of differing ideology when it comes to Daily Doubles. Did you give much thought to how you would wager if you landed on one?
One of my co-workers is friends with Andy Wood, who was a multiday champion a while back. We were texting before I did Celebrity Jeopardy! and one piece of advice he gave me was, “If you get a Daily Double and it’s a category you’re confident about, it’s high up on the board, or it’s during Single Jeopardy, go all in.†The odds are you probably know it, and it’s the only way you can start to pull away from the herd. There were a few moments in Celebrity Jeopardy! when I went all in, and I knew it was true.
So when I hit one in the Tournament of Champions for “Numeric Movie Titles,†it was a category I knew more about than others. Even though I didn’t get the 50/50 question. My friend Jonathan Levine, who directed 50/50, texted me after the episode aired and was like, “Really? You don’t know my movie?†As soon as I heard the Daily Double sound, I knew that I had to bet it all. It’s the only way to give myself some oxygen against Ray and Melissa. So I went all in and Federico Fellini bailed me out.
One thing I’ve always found interesting about contestants is the preparation they do for the buzzer. Did you do any training in advance of the tournament, for the sake of either quickness or composure?
Oh yeah. Whenever I watch Jeopardy! now I hold a click pen in my right hand, and I practiced that before the tournament began. I used to answer a question the second I knew it by reading it aloud. But when I’m watching it at home, I wait until Ken stops speaking, because that corresponds with the time the board lights up, which unlocks the buzzers. I try to listen to his voice a little bit and I click that pen to ring in. It makes watching the show with me very enjoyable for my family.
Emma Stone, a massive Jeopardy! fan, recently went on record saying she wants to be on the show through the standard contestant pool — the celebrity edition wasn’t going to cut it. Did the thought ever occur to you to take the test for the regular show?
I took the test about two decades ago. All I remember was it consisted of 50 questions and you needed something like 35, at least, to qualify. I remember walking away thinking, I got exactly 35 right, maybe more. But they never called me, so I guess I didn’t. I think Emma Stone should go on Jeopardy!. She’s amazing and would do very well. She should try to get into the Tournament of Champions, too.
Do you have a lot of other peers in the industry who would like to go on Jeopardy!, regardless of the way they want to enter?
A lot of my friends in this business would love to go on Celebrity Jeopardy!. I know a few who would entertain the idea of going on the real one. I think celebrities are always a little afraid of looking dumb. There might be some trepidation. A friend of mine was like, “Ike, how do you know that shit? I don’t know any of this stuff. What was your Final Jeopardy question?†And when I told him the question, he responded, “Oh, Ovid.†See? People know. Oh God, back to your point, me and my friends are talking about Ovid again. It’s all coming back to Ovid.
You joked during your Q&A with Ken that certain people who gave you well wishes before the tournament carried a tone of thinking you were dumb. Have you sufficiently proved them wrong?
I hope so. Some of my most beloved characters are Morgan on The Mindy Project and Jimmy in Neighbors. They were real dummies. I think that was the bias. Now when people hear my name, or I’m talking to someone, they’ll think, Oh, that guy won Jeopardy!, he’s not that stupid. And if they haven’t heard that I won Jeopardy!, I’ll pull out my phone and make them watch the entire episode while I stand there.