Jeopardy! viewers may notice a familiar face competing this week — especially if they’re fans of Bad Santa or Trick ‘r Treat.
Brett Kelly, who played Thurman Merman in the 2003 hit Christmas film Bad Santa, will be a contestant on the popular game show’s Wednesday, October 23 episode. Kelly, now 31, may look a little different to fans who haven’t kept up with his career as he was only 8 years old in the dark comedy that starred Billy Bob Thornton.
Fans took to the Jeopardy! subreddit to discuss the famous contestant under a post titled, “The Kid from Bad Santa (Brett Kelly) is going to be a contestant on Wednesday’s Jeopardy.”
Actor Brett Kelly attends the “Bad Santa 2” New York premiere at AMC Loews Lincoln Square 13 theater on November 15, 2016 in New York City. The former child actor, who has appeared in many films from the 2000s, will compete on the game show this week.
Noam Galai/Getty Images
The user who created the post — known as the “OP” or original poster — noted they are seeing a pattern of hiring actors as contestants on game shows, writing, “This is becoming an odd trend I’m noticing on game shows where I see recognizable actors or former actors from popular movies appear as civilian contestants.”
“They’re working actors,” another Redditor pointed out. “Most actors are not ‘celebrities’ per se even if some eagle eyed people recognize them.”
Another fan provided some clarity on the rules regarding who can — and who cannot — compete on game shows.
“There’s really no rule prohibiting any celebrities from appearing as normal contestants on game shows,” wrote the user. “However one rule that applies to everyone is that you can’t be related to, or have a business relationship with anyone connected to the production, and the more famous you are, the more likely it becomes that you’re probably going to have some connection, however distant, to someone working at Sony or CBS Media Ventures, which disqualifies you from appearing in normal gameplay.”
Kelly’s occupation is listed as an actor on the show’s website, which also notes he hails from Canada. The former child star will go up against Sophia Mayudes, a software engineer hailing from Seattle, Washington, and the returning champion, who hasn’t been decided yet.
Kelly reprised his role as Merman in the sequel Bad Santa 2, which came out in 2016. He has also appeared in other early 2000s movies, including Unaccompanied Minors, The Sandlot 2, and Trick ‘r Treat (where he memorably portrayed a decapitated trick-or-treater). Kelly is a recurring character in the Canadian legal drama Family Law, where he plays a paralegal.
Season 42 of Jeopardy! is currently airing on ABC.
