A Wolf in Bad Game Show Contestant’s Clothing
posted by Dan SkinnerTuesday, September 22nd, 2009
Answer: This television news anchor appeared on a popular game show to win money for charity and in the process damaged the credibility of his network. Question: Who is Wolf Blitzer?
OK, “damaged the credibility of his network” might be an overstatement, but surely CNN executives were wincing last Thursday as they watched one their most visible personalities completely fall apart during an episode of Celebrity Jeopardy! Blitzer didn’t just finish a distant third to Tonight Show sidekick Andy Richter and actress Dana Delany, he stumbled home with a deficit of $-4,600 after Double Jeopardy. Not surprisingly, the blogosphere had a field day with the poor showing by the host of The Situation Room.
When the three contestants were first introduced, I’m sure I wasn’t alone in thinking Blitzer would cruise past the Desperate Housewife and Conan’s cohort. And while he struggled through the opening round, I was willing to chalk it up to a man who was simply slow with the buzzer. But when Wolf started to chime in late in the game, confusing fettuccine with mostaccioli and making an absolute mess of the “E Times 3” category, it was clear that this test of random knowledge was not for him.
So was the Blitzer blowout a black eye for CNN? It certainly doesn’t help. While there are no shortage of TV news personalities who are hired to be a pretty face that reads a teleprompter, Blitzer comes across as an intelligent man with thoughtful insights. That intelligence betrayed him during a 30-minute game show appearance. For a few weeks, many CNN viewers will see Blitzer and be unable to shake the comical image below. As time goes on, the incident will fade into a mere mention on his Wikipedia bio. But don’t expect CNN to encourage Anderson Cooper or Larry King to join Alex Trebek on the Celebrity Jeopardy! set anytime soon.
