--- title: Jeopardy: Alex Trebek Says Turd Ferguson from SNL description: She didn't know the correct answer, so she made an SNL reference instead canonical: https://time.com/4038307/jeopardy-turd-ferguson-alex-trebek/ author: Samantha Grossman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-09-17T14:34:43.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:43:49.439Z og:title: 'Jeopardy!' Contestant Tricks Alex Trebek Into Saying 'Turd Ferguson' og:description: She didn't know the correct answer, so she made an SNL reference instead og:url: https://time.com/4038307/jeopardy-turd-ferguson-alex-trebek/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 'Jeopardy!' Contestant Tricks Alex Trebek Into Saying 'Turd Ferguson' twitter:description: She didn't know the correct answer, so she made an SNL reference instead twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # _Jeopardy!_ Contestant Tricks Alex Trebek Into Saying 'Turd Ferguson' > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. 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Here are the best opening credits television has to offer._ by [Samantha Grossman](https://time.com/author/samantha-grossman/) ## Samantha Grossman Sep 17, 2015 2:34 PM UTC by [Samantha Grossman](https://time.com/author/samantha-grossman/) ## Samantha Grossman Sep 17, 2015 2:34 PM UTC If you don’t know the answer in ‘Final _Jeopardy_!’ it’s probably a good idea to give it your best guess. Or, alternatively, you can do one what one contestant did Wednesday night: sneak in a well-placed _Saturday Night Live_ reference. The category was Oscar-nominated songs, and this was the clue: “This song from a 1999 animated film about censorship had a word censored from its Oscar performance.” The contestant, Talia, had no idea so she wrote, “What is the Love Ballad of Turd Ferguson” and added a “hi Mom.” Turd Ferguson, of course, refers to the fake name Norm Macdonald used [while playing Burt Reynolds](https://screen.yahoo.com/celebrity-jeopardy-stewart-reynolds-connery-000000332.html) on _SNL_. (Turd Ferguson popped up again in the show’s recent[ 40th anniversary special](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImaYMoTi2g8).) It was pretty special to finally hear the real Alex Trebek (not the fake one played by Will Ferrell) say this name aloud. Talia may have technically lost the game, but we’re pretty sure she was the true winner of the evening. _Read next:_ [_9 Glorious Times Alex Trebek Rapped or Recited Song Lyrics on_ ](http://time.com/3967894/jeopardy-alex-trebek-song-lyrics/)[Jeopardy!](http://time.com/3967894/jeopardy-alex-trebek-song-lyrics/) ### See the Cast of 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'  Will Smith as William Smith NBC/Getty Images; Jeffrey Mayer—WireImage/Getty Images  Alfonso Ribeiro as Carlton Banks NBC/Getty Images; ABC/Getty Images  James Avery, who died in 2013, as Philip Banks NBC/Getty Images; Jason Merritt—Getty Images  Tatyana Ali as Ashley Banks NBC/Getty Images; Michael Tran—FilmMagic/Getty Images  Janet Hubert as Vivian Banks from 1990-1993 Joseph Del Valle—NBC/Getty Images; Johnny Nunez—WireImage/Getty Images  Daphne Reid as Vivian Banks from 1993-1996 Chris Haston—NBC/Getty Images; Michael Tran—FilmMagic/Getty Images  Ross Bagley as Nicky Banks Ron Galella—WireImage/Getty Images; Gabriel Olsen—FilmMagic/Getty Images  Joseph Marcell as Geoffrey Butler Paul Drinkwater—NBC/Getty Images; Richard Shotwell—Invision/AP  Jeffrey A. Townes as Jazz Alice S. Hall—NBC/Getty Images; Gary Gershoff—WireImage/Getty Images  Karyn Parsons as Hilary Banks Gary Null—NBC/Getty Images; Dave Kotinsky—Getty Images  Tyra Banks as Jackie Ames NBC/Getty Images; David Livingston—Getty Images  Nia Long as Lisa Wilkes NBC/Getty Images; Stefanie Keenan—Getty Images ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4038307/jeopardy-turd-ferguson-alex-trebek/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4038307/jeopardy-turd-ferguson-alex-trebek/"},"headline":"Jeopardy! 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