Thank god for SF Sketchfest! Seriously, if there’s one thing I hope we can all agree on in America right now, it’s this: we need comedy. Give us a reason to laugh. We may never see eye to eye or agree on who’s right and what needs to change, so there’s never been a better time for us to come together and soothe our uncertainties with the balm of a few hours’ worth of laughs. And last Friday night, that’s exactly what I did. I grabbed my cousin (and fellow Jeopardy! lover) and we headed to Club Fugazi for Jeopargay! with Spike Einbinder and Honey Pluton. It promised to be a fun night of trivia and humor.
As soon as the hosts had been announced and took the stage, Pluton mentioned that he’d initially thought the show should be called “Gaypardy!” but that it had sounded too much like “just a gay party.” (“That would have been too confusing – there are too many of those!) They ended up going with “Jeopargay” instead for this “queered” version of Jeopardy!-inspired trivia.
Before guests were announced, the hosts took time to regale the audience with tales of tour, as they’d recently been touring with their standup acts. The first story detailed a burp in a rideshare that apparently so offended the driver that, for the entire ride, speaking angrily in another language (on the phone, not to the riders). When the ride was over, not only was there negative feedback received from the driver, but they got a notification saying that their account was “up for suspension.” All over a burp? Wow! (They are now apparently back on the platform and not suspended, but “I’m scared!”)
After a mention of hecklers they’d encountered while on tour, Einbinder and Pluton introduced the contestants for the first round of play: Mx. Dahlia Belle, Caitlin Durante, and Kochina Rude. Before the game began, the contestants were asked to talk about themselves to determine who was the most boring (and who would go first to start the gameplay). Mx. Dahlia Belle spoke about cats, Durante about their experience at City Lights (though she was shamed into silence before she could finish), and Kochina Rude began with, “Hi, I’m Kochina, and I’m an alcoholic…” before admitting that Jeopardy! was her dad’s favorite show. After the introductions, Mx. Dahlia Belle turned to the audience behind her and apologized that they would “only see my ass.” After just a tiny beat, she quipped an apology to the rest of the audience because “you don’t get to see my ass!” And away we go.
For the first round, the not for the faint-of-heart categories were as follows: Serving Cunt, Rhymes with “Cum,” Notable Non-Binaries, Fuck Yeah, and Potent Potables (an actual Jeopardy! category). Before starting the game, there was a brief explanation of earning and losing points, with a sweet mention about why this particular version of the game doesn’t “go into negatives,” because “everyone is valid!” I love these kinds of little affirmations.
I wasn’t able to capture many of the clues specifically, because: the game moved pretty quickly, I was laughing too much, and the hosts were standing directly in front of the screen that showed the clues, so it was hard to read that half of the screen. But I also learned a new word (which also stumped all three contestants): volcel, a portmanteau of “voluntarily celibate.” I didn’t know this was a thing, or at least that there was a term for it. And this is why I love trivia: because it’s fun to learn new things! (You already knew I was a nerd, right?)
After round one, Mx. Dahlia Belle (who won the first round) stayed for round two while we said goodbye to Durante and Kochina Rude. The hosts then announced the remaining two players: Annie Rose Malamet and one of my all-time favorite Jeopardy! superchamps, Amy Schneider. The categories for round two were: Serving Cunt, T4T, Fairy Tales, Nomenclature, and Holes. When Schneider answered, I was surprised that she wasn’t automatically answering in the form of a question, as I honestly expected. Moreover, I was delighted that the hosts noticed it, too, and teased her appropriately for it.
Partway through round two, a member of the audience approached the stage to tell the hosts that it was hard to read the clues on the screen because they were standing in front of it. Einbinder immediately reminded the poor woman that they don’t tolerate heckling. Pluton moved way back until he was basically standing right next to the screen instead of in front of it, but Einbinder was clearly offended and instead opted to stand in the middle of the stage. Within minutes, however, they had returned to where they’d been standing for most of the evening.
At the end of the second round, the young man who’d been controlling the computer that was running the game stood up and wandered off the stage. Einbinder looked toward the woman who had come up to complain about where they were standing, asking, “can you go get him?” He was only kidding, but she seemed to get under his skin. (In fairness, I didn’t think she was “heckling,” because it annoyed me too. But… where else were they gonna stand?)
While waiting for the game controller to return, there was a story about how the two had been interviewed for the official Jeopardy! podcast, but that episode had apparently not “made the cut.” The next thing they knew, Jeopardy! announced the creation of Pop Culture Jeopardy! It all seemed pretty shady to them and to hear them tell it, you can see where they’re coming from.
In the end, Schneider wagered everything on a Daily Double she did not know, so she lost everything, including her title as reigning Jeopargay! champ. Instead, Mx. Dahlia Belle won again.
It was a wild, silly, fun night that I very much needed. It means a lot to me to be the strongest ally possible to everyone in the LGBTQ+ community, and while I felt perhaps a tiny bit out of place as a straight, cis woman, I enjoyed myself all the same.
