Jeopardy! Is Chock-Full of Pokemon Tonight

Pokemon has rarely been out of the pop culture spotlight since it came to the west in 1998, but [...]

By Marc Deschamps

Pokemon has rarely been out of the pop culture spotlight since it came to the west in 1998, but this year, it seems like Pikachu and pals really are everywhere. With the release of Pokemon: Detective Pikachu in theaters earlier this year, and the release of Pokemon Sword and Shield just last month, the series is having yet another major moment in the spotlight. Tonight, the franchise will cross paths with another pop culture titan when it's highlighted on Jeopardy! The official account for the game show tweeted a picture of tonight's categories, and they should be quite familiar for Pokemon fans!

Despite the Pokemon names attached, the first five categories are likely just the kind of fun puns the categories typically use, but with some Pokemon flair, to keep with the episode's theme. For example, Peek A Choo-Choo will likely have something to do with trains. The final category, however, should be filled with all things Pokemon, and should provide plenty of entertainment value for fans of the franchise as they scream the correct answers at their television sets.

While the category names should be enough to make fans smile, the tweet itself also contains a trio of somewhat surprising references. Abby, Jay Leno and Bird Jesus are all nicknames associated with Pokemon captured during the first Twitch Plays Pokemon livestream. Abby is a Charmeleon that was accidentally released, while Jay Leno was a Rattata (also released) and Bird Jesus was a Pidgey that eventually evolved into a Pidgeot. Twitch Plays Pokemon started as a social experiment in which participants could all give commands in the game. Due to the nature of the experiment, things were a bit chaotic, but the stream of the first game was inevitably completed and the Elite Four defeated. With 1,165,140 players online during one part of the stream, Twitch Plays Pokemon currently holds the Guinness World Record for "the most participants on a single-player online videogame." Whoever is in charge of the Jeopardy! Twitter account is either a fan of Twitch Plays Pokemon, or someone with a pretty deep knowledge of the franchise!

Do you plan on tuning into tonight's episode? What Pokemon names are you looking forward to hearing Alex Trebek pronounce? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!

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