This Paul Rudd Movie Forced ‘Pop Culture Jeopardy!’s First Score Change

Jeopardy! has delighted viewers for generations, airing as one of broadcast TV's longest-running and most popular game shows. The quiz competition series that demands contestants respond in the form of a question has become one of the most iconic cultural touchstones in game show history. With its popularity, it should come as no surprise that producers have been eager to take advantage of a seemingly unending appetite for the quiz competition series by adapting several different spinoffs.

Celebrity Jeopardy! premiered on ABC in March 2022 as a stand-alone spinoff based on the special celebrity episodes that once aired in regular Jeopardy! seasons. Celebrity competitors are paired against each other in episodic tournaments, where the prize total is donated to the charity of the winner's choice. The newest spinoff of the beloved quiz show switches things up even more, with a shift towards topics in pop culture and a new team-based format. Pop Culture Jeopardy! premiered in December 2024 with host and SNL comedian Colin Jost. As the new spinoff has just started to gain its following, it has already joined the other Jeopardy! shows in a longstanding tradition, and it involved a clue about a Paul Rudd movie.

'Pop Culture Jeopardy!' Has Its First Scoring Controversy Over This Paul Rudd Movie

With Jost and his wry wit at the helm of this new venture, viewers certainly shouldn't expect this to be their grandma's Jeopardy!. Especially with the change of format: shifting from individual contestants in the original series' format, to a team-based model with three players to a team. This change helps to keep the mood light, as Jost has a larger audience to riff with, and the players work together to build their point base.

But, in the show's second episode, the team aspect added another crucial element as well. In the category "It's All Relative," the clue came up: "Elizabeth Banks, Emily Mortimer, & Zooey Deschanel play the sisters to Paul Rudd, the title character of this familial film." One team's apparent wrong answer led to confusion, as one teammate stood firm in their belief they had the right answer, while another team had the chance to steal the clue. But after the commercial break, and a vigorous defense from a knowledgeable teammate, a change to the score was made.

'Our Idiot Brother's Alternate Sundance Title Saved "Tinker Tailor Quiz Show Guys"

That's right, in just the second episode of the season, Jost informed the viewing audience that during the commercial break, an adjustment to the scores had been necessary. A player from the team "Tinker Tailor Quiz Show Guys" had buzzed in with the response, naming My Idiot Brother as the Rudd film in question. Confusion arose when Jost informed the contestant this was incorrect. The response cost the "Tinker Tailor Quiz Show Guys" 1200 points, lowering their score from 12,600 to 11,400, leaving the team in second place. The team "Little Pocket Monsters" then buzzed in with the correct answer, the final title of the film, which was Our Idiot Brother.

However, one of the teammates on "Tinker Talor Quiz Show Guys" happened to be someone who was used to citing his sources, as he works as a freelance writer for Entertainment Weekly. This alert team member pointed out that the original title of the film at the Sundance Film Festival had at first been My Idiot Brother, before it was changed to the plural "Our" for distribution. Jost informed the audience that this unknown alternate correct response meant that the "Tinker Tailor Quiz Show Guys" points were reinstated, bumping them from 11,400 back up to 13,800, while the other team was allowed to keep their 1200 points for their original correct answer.

Ultimately, the point adjustment did not change the outcome of the game, as the "Little Pocket Monsters" maintained their lead, and cinched the win with their correct answer to the Final Jeopardy question. Though the "Tinker Tailor Quiz Show Guys" also knew the correct response to the clue about John Cena's catchphrase was "You can't see me," it was not enough for them to overtake the "Little Pocket Monsters," whose 27,601 points led them to the win. But, the "Tinker Tailor Quiz Show Guys" can rest easy knowing they made Pop Culture Jeopardy! history by delivering the series' first score adjustment in just the second episode of the season, while also demonstrating the importance of teamwork — especially with a good research team who are quick to confirm alternate answers to clues when they do come up.