Could you tell us about your charity?
The--the charity I'm playing for is, uh, St. Jude's Children's Hospital in Memphis, and I have visited there a few times. Uh, I've done some different events for them. It's just a--a wonderful place. It, uh, gives, uh, sick kids a lot of hope. Uh, a lot of kids that really need hope. It's a wonderful place, and it was easy to pick--an easy choice to make.
Are you the Jeopardy! champ in your house?
Um... probably, yeah... I--I have--there's a lot of... uh, I--I--I think I am probably the Jeopardy! champ in my household, because, uh, my head tends to hold on to the worthless nonsense that you don't need, whereas my wife, my wife has more, uh, like, pertinent information that actually helps you get through the day. And then I have an eight year old and a three year old, and they don't care about Jeopardy!, so...
Are you more or less nervous to play Jeopardy! this time?
Uh, I actually think I'm more nervous to play this time than the first time. Well, it's weird. I'm more nervous in that the stakes are higher, because there's--it's an actual invitational with semifinals, and I, you know, could possibly come back. Um, but then, I'm also less nervous, uh, because I'm older, I've lost more brain cells, and there's only so much I can expect from myself. You know, I lower expectations. That's what I'm dealing with with the onset of middle age.
Did you prepare differently for this appearance than the last time?
Uh, I did prepare differently in that I did not prepare. Last time, I actually--I think I played Jeopardy! on PlayStation to get some kind of practice for it, uh, whereas this time, uh, I put on this suit, and that's about it.
...
What does winning Celebrity Jeopardy! mean to you?
Winning Celebrity Jeopardy! means I can stop being nervous now. I can, uh, I can, actually maybe, uh, go pee. [Laughs] Because I've had to for about 30 minutes. Uh, and, uh, it also means a lot of money, uh, to a wonderful cause. Uh, it means I have to do this all over again, um, with higher stakes, even, so the nervousness continues. Uh, but it's great. It's--I'm gonna--it's--I'll--I'll probably have a pretty good day. I'll be riding on a cloud.
What would winning $1,000,000 mean to your charity?
I think--it--I think winning a million dollars would mean a lot to my charity. I mean, the, uh... the--the hospital is constantly upgrading. St. Jude's Hospital are constantly... actually pushing the boundaries of research themselves. They're--they're doing their own research. And a lot of... a lot of great strides are being made right there on the premises. So, it's not only just for the hospital, but it's for children with cancer everywhere, uh, are going to benefit from any... any amount of money that I can make for the charity.
Why is your charity special?
The biggest cynic in the world cannot resist the--the heart-melting power of the place, and just what an amazing place it is, and how amazing it is that there's a place where people with sick children can go and get free health care. Uh, and--and--and get their kids, y'know, as--as--as well as they can possibly be.
Why do you think you won the game?
I got a good, uh, buzzer thumb. I think that's the secret to my success. My thumb.
What was the best part of your Celebrity Jeopardy! experience?
I'm on Jeopardy! That's awesome! [Giggles] It's just fun to go on a quiz show, and to--and to win, especially, that's pretty great too. |
"This multitalented actor/comedian is now back on the couch with Conan O'Brien. From The Tonight Show, please welcome..."
Playing on behalf of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
Andy qualified for the Million Dollar Celebrity Invitational semifinals, but he dropped out because the tournament conflicted with his touring schedule with Conan O'Brien. He was replaced by alternate Isaac Mizrahi.
Actor and writer Andy Richter rose to fame while having the best seat in the house on NBC's "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" as O'Brien's sidekick for seven years. On June 1, 2009, Richter returned to late night as the announcer for "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien."
During his time on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," Richter and the "Late Night" writing team were nominated yearly for an Emmy in the Best Writing in a comedy or Variety Series category and won the 1997 Writer's Guild Award for Best Writing.
In 2002, Richter starred in and produced the FOX comedy, "Andy Richter Controls the Universe," in which he portrayed a struggling writer with an overactive imagination. That year, it was named "the funniest new comedy of the spring" by TIME, and garnered an Emmy nomination for writing. In 2004, he returned to television and to FOX, on its newest hit comedy "Quintuplets," playing the father of five teenage quintuplets. Additionally in 2007 Richter starred in the series "Andy Barker, P.I." for NBC. He has also had memorable cameo roles in such popular series as "Arrested Development," "Monk," and a hysterical three-episode arc as Christine's unlikely secret affair – on the critically acclaimed series "The New Adventures of New Christine." In 2009, Richter continued his role as "Mort" from the hit MADAGASCAR films for Nickelodeon's "The Penguins of Madagascar" and additionally for Nickelodeon voices a character "The Mighty B!" created by Amy Poehler.
Richter continues to stay active in the feature film world and most recently can be seen in BLADES OF GLORY, SEMI-PRO, and TALLADEGA NIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY. In 2008, Richter also lent his voice for the animated feature MADAGASCAR 2: ESCAPE TO AFRICA. His other prior film credits include SEEING OTHER PEOPLE, NEW YORK MINUTE, ELF, MADAGASCAR, SCARY MOVIE 2, and Robert Altman's DR. T AND THE WOMEN.
Richter attended the University of Illinois Urbana/Champaign and Columbia College, where he studied film and video. He currently lives with his wife and two children in Los Angeles.
Andy won $114,800 for Los Angeles Regional Food Bank on Celebrity Wheel of Fortune on 2021-10-03.
Andy won $10,000 for the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank on Celebrity Name That Tune on 2023-02-08. |
