Jeopardy! announcer Johnny Gilbert cracked up the contestants and fans during the celebrity version of the show with his hidden talent — singing.
Gilbert, who is 97 years old, is not seen on screens usually as he works from home. He does the voice-over for the introduction to the game show, announces the contestants and host Ken Jennings, and then is not heard from again.
However, during the March 27 episode of Celebrity Jeopardy!: All-Stars, the beloved announcer tested his singing skills. Roy Wood Jr., Cynthia Nixon, and Sean Gunn competed against each other in the third quarterfinals game. Gunn wound up winning with a total of $19,000, and advanced to the semifinals. He will play against Ike Barinholtz and a yet-to-be-determined quarterfinal winner.
But, before the big win, Wood, Nixon, and Gunn, along with Jennings, were the first to hear Gilbert sing popular song lyrics in the category “Johnny Gilbert’s ’90s Lyricpalooza.”
“That’s the 1990s, not Johnny being in his 90s. You need to name the artist or the band in each case,” Jennings explained.
The game started off with the first clue singing “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion from the movie Titanic, which Wood answered correctly.
The game show contestants then picked the category for clues four through seven. They answered all of them, in which Gilbert sang “Ice Ice Baby” by Vanilla Ice, “Back Got Back” by Sir Mix-a-Lot, “No Scrubs” by TLC, and “Give It Away” by The Red Hot Chili Peppers.
“Whose version do you prefer? Johnny’s or Vanilla Ice’s?” Jennings asked.
“Johnny needs to work on his lyrics,” Wood replied, which made his competitors laugh.
With “No Scrubs,” Wood cracked up, and Jennings said the announcer did the “definitive version.” Wood couldn’t help but visibly laugh at the announcer’s versions.
Gilbert’s singing also caught the attention of fans online. Reddit users said they “had no words.” “I have no words for Johnny Gilbert’s rendition of that $500 clue. I am still laughing,” one wrote.
“I need more Johnny Gilbert reciting song lyrics in my life,” a fan replied.
“Super fun game! I really liked the Gilbert singing category. They can have a little more fun in CJ than they do in regular games,” another said.
“RWJ’s effort to contain his giggles absolutely destroyed me,” another fan said.
This is not the first time Gilbert has sung on Jeopardy!. In 2017, he sang in the category “The Musical Stylings of Johnny Gilbert.”
According to his Jeopardy! bio, Gilbert was a singer before joining the game show. He is credited with singing opera and touring with a group around Virginia.
What was your reaction to Gilbert singing? Let us know in the comments.
Jeopardy!, Weekdays, check local listings, stream next day on Hulu and Peacock
Celebrity Jeopardy!: All-Stars, Fridays, 8/7c, ABC, stream next day on Hulu
