There’s an unwritten rule for Jeopardy contestants: If you don’t know the correct response to final Jeopardy, you should at least try to write in something amusing. After all, you are on television.
That’s exactly what returning champion Erik Agard did on October 22 when he didn’t know the question that went with the answer, “In a hint of the future, in 1973 Marjorie Post gave it to the U.S. Govt. as a warm-weather presidential retreat, but it was returned.”
Don’t feel too bad if you can’t come up with “What is Mar-a-Lago?”—neither did Agard. Luckily for him, he went into the final round with a healthy lead over his competitors. It might have cost him $1,000, but writing “What is you doing baby?” must have felt good, especially since he still walked away with the win.
The best part of this video is watching Alex Trebek trying to figure out what the heck this kid is talking about. When he finally figures out Agard wrote “What is you doing baby?” he simply says, “Well I’m responding incorrectly.”
If you, like Trebek, don’t know what the champ was referring to, allow us to help you out. “Oh no baby, what is you doing?” is a catchphrase of Instagram and Twitter star Nick Joseph who goes around with his friend Dan Rue pretending to trespass on people’s property. It’s pretty silly stuff, but also inexplicably funny.
https://twitter.com/NickNPattiWhack/status/840004005447245824
The phrase has become a reaction meme on social media, with users employing it any time someone does something they feel is ridiculous. Twitter was thrilled that Agard used it as a response on Jeopardy.
This was so darn funny https://t.co/ahPqRIF9xe
— Kimmie Wilson (@soakedNfaygo) October 23, 2018
https://twitter.com/appeIsauce/status/1054576278072741888
Who is the spiciest memelord? https://t.co/CG0RblGCAS
— Jack Drees @ CT Gamer Con (@JackDrees) October 23, 2018
— M C ⛰🏳️🌈 (@seeking_summit) October 23, 2018
Agard isn’t the first person to use a meme to answer a Final Jeopardy question. In February of last year, MIT student Lilly Chen couldn’t come up with the name of German astronomer Johannes Kepler and instead wrote: “Who is the spiciest memelord?” Again her sizable lead, and in this case her wager of $0, allowed her to still pull off the win.
If you ever find yourself on Jeopardy, obviously you should try your best to go home with as much cash as possible, but it’s comforting to know that, if you just can’t come up with the correct response you can always amuse all of American with a well-placed meme. Might we suggest “What What in the Butt.”?
