Adam Schiff's Moment in 'Jeopardy!' Spotlight Turns into Embarrassment
He might be famous inside the Beltway these days, but when it came to a test of true stardom, Adam Schiff had to be embarrassed.
The California Democrat and conniving chairman of the House Intelligence Committee has been a headline name in recent months during the rigged impeachment of President Donald Trump in the Capitol.
So his picture popping up as an answer on the popular quiz show probably made perfect sense for the quiz show’s producers – just not so much to the contestants.
Nobody on Jeopardy even knew who Adam Schiff was! ? pic.twitter.com/4kRQDN7KFJ
— Mark Dice (@MarkDice) January 16, 2020
The format of the show gives answers to questions on a given topic, to which contestants must respond in the form of a question. Schiff’s answer came Wednesday in the “Double Jeopardy” round of the show, under the category of “U.S. Representatives.”
“One-fifty-third of California’s House delegation is this House Intelligence Committee chairman,” popular host Alex Trebek read.
He was greeted by three blank faces until time expired.
“His name is Adam Schiff,” Trebek said, moving on to the next question.
There’s no denying there’s an element of embarrassment for the contestants, of course. Schiff — along with House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler and, of course, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — is one of the key players in an effort to overturn the results of the 2016 presidential election by ousting Trump from the White House.
Every American, even game show contestants, should recognize his face. “Jeopardy!” might be a game of trivia, but there’s nothing trivial about the travesty taking place in Washington right now.
But there’s also no denying the embarrassment factor for Schiff personally and his ever more loony political party, which is pretending to be operating on behalf of the American people as it aims to destroy a presidency that has been astonishingly successful by any traditional standard.
The economy’s strong, unemployment’s low, and foreign affairs are as under control as foreign affairs can be in a dangerous world.
Commenters on social media had plenty of fun with the incident.
It would have been hillarious if she would have replied,
“Who is Schifty Schiff?”— Rescue the Children (@SaintBakhita) January 16, 2020
They should have used a better picture of him… Like this one. pic.twitter.com/Bo4hiBVRw5
— Corin Nemec (@imcorinnemec) January 16, 2020
Yes, we’ll accept “Schiff for brains” pic.twitter.com/npQTqz5Ru4
— Mjtr (@Mjtr99) January 16, 2020
Some comments were more serious:
The contestants know the difference between
relevant facts and trash.— Brad Ellman (@BradEllman) January 16, 2020
LOL ! ?
Actually, Schiff should have been the answer to the following question, “Composers for $2,000”.
He “composed” the whole fake phone conversation that he claims Trump had with Ukraine president, Zelensky.
A missed opportunity there to give him his correct claim to fame.
— Wayne Williams (@wmw2525) January 16, 2020
That’s how much average Americans care about their sham impeachment.
— ??Madrid???? (@AMad468) January 16, 2020
And this one made the point perfectly.
Not sure is this is funny or just sad…every American should know their enemy.
— Brian (@realBrianKScott) January 16, 2020
There are a couple of caveats here.
The first is that “Jeopardy!” shows are aired months after they’re taped, so when this episode was being recorded, Schiff might not have enjoyed the notoriety that he does today.
Still, according to a Quora piece by Kenneth Jennings, father of “Jeopardy!” legend Ken Jennings, shows are usually recorded about three months before they air, which would mean Wednesday’s episode might have been recorded in October, when Schiff’s name would have been circulating outside realms occupied by only news junkies.
It should also be noted that “Jeopardy!” isn’t a perfect barometer of fame. It was only in November that uber movie star Tom Hanks went unrecognized, for instance.
But in fairness, he was shown in a scene from last year’s “It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” and looking a lot more like the famous Fred Rogers than his own really, really famous self.
Schiff on the other hand, looked like he always does — like a guy who laughs when you tell him you have a tooth abscess.
Regardless, every American, even those who didn’t vote for Trump, should recognize this impeachment effort for what it is, a ginned-up effort to remove a sitting president in a naked grab for power by an opposition that had its hopes of perpetual rule smashed by Trump’s remarkable upset victory in November 2016.
And as an architect of that impeachment effort, Schiff is, for good or ill, one of the most important people in American politics today.
But as the “Jeopardy!” debacle demonstrates, he’s clearly not as important to Americans as the liberal Beltway media — and probably Schiff himself — thinks he is.
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