Just a week into Jeopardy!’s newest season hitting the Fall TV schedule, fans have already seen /heard Dr. Phil added to Ken Jennings’ celebrity impressions lineup, but it wasn’t the esteemed host’s comments that tickled fans the most. That distinction goes to the gone-but-never-forgotten contestant Hilary Glazer, who wrapped up Season 41’s fifth installment with an anecdote for the ages that involved finding artwork inside a toilet. Naturally?
Hilary Glazer's Toilet Art Anecdote
A freelancer writer/editor hailing from Charleston, West Virginia, Hilary was a formidable enough opponent for her fellow hopefuls Evan Suttell and returning champion Mark Palmere, even if she didn't technically factor very heavily into the Final Jeopardy! standings with her $800 total.
Regardless, Glazer had already won over the hearts and minds of millions earlier in the game during the contestants' anecdote-sharing segment, which hasn't always been a winner for Ken Jennings. But there were no losers invovled as this story was being told. In her words:
Well, Ken, I gotta tell you, it took place in a restroom, and I was not the artist. But one day at work, I went into the ladies room - there were three stalls. I happened to go into this one, and inside the toilet was the most beautiful composition of still life fruit. There were blueberries, there were melons, there were strawberries. And, oh my God, I wish I had a camera, because I want to remember this. It was like 2006, so I didn't have anything to take it with. I have my memory and it's a wonderful one.
.So. Many. Questions. Why did someone choose their work shift to be the perfect time to throw away a piece of still life art? Why was the bathroom seemingly the ideal part of the building for art refuse in an instance that doesn't involve lewd comments scrawled on the stall's walls? And how is it possible for painted fruit to still look beautifully composed when framed within a toilet bowl?
The sheer joy seen on Ken's face as Hilary told her story was palpable, and was on the opposite end of the spectrum from what's arguably the worst Jeopardy! anecdote of all time. (That highlight/lowlight is nearly 10 years old now.)
The Amusing Detail Edited Out Of Hilary's Story
Though Hilary Glazer couldn't speak to the exact specifics of where the painting came from, nor why the owner didn't just give it away to someone with bare walls, the Jeopardy! contestant did reveal that her story was edited, and that a hilarious detail was taken out which added an extra layer of WTF to it all. Responding to a commenter's kind comments on the game show's active Reddit page, Glazer said:
Hi! I’m the Hilary from today’s show, so pleased you all liked my story. It was edited slightly, so you didn’t get to hear that there were trash cans right there. :)
Boo on Jeopardy! editors for cutting that extra tidbit out of Hilary's story, since it really ties it all up with a confusing knot. Granted, it's not exactly a secret that public bathrooms have trash cans in them, but it's still bonkers context for this story.
Why choose a toilet as a wastebin if there's an actual one mere steps away? It seems like the person doing the tossing wasn't so content with giving the painting a traditional funeral, and instead chose a burial at sea. Or at least the closest equivalent.
Why She Randomly Guessed "Necromancer" In Final Jeopardy
Hilary Glazer also offered fans an extra bit of contestant insight after a few viewers questioned why she wrote "Who Is The Necromancer?" as her Final Jeopardy guess. Responding to one comment that surmised it was a "goofy answer from a doomed position," she confirmed that was indeed the case, saying:
Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner! At dinner the night before taping, my friend’s husband suggested I write that if I didn’t know the answer. So props to Dan (not sure what his username is).
I think at any point now for the foreseeable future, whenever someone asks me a question that I don't have a solid answer for, I will just respond back with "What is the Necromancer?" to see how quickly that conversation gets brought to a halt.
While waiting for the next new Jeopardy! episode to hit syndication, relive that time Alex Trebek called a contestant out for liking Nerdcore.
