'Jeopardy' once featured a player who ended up becoming one of America’s most famous politicians

Several celebrities from the current Formula 1 boss to "Breaking Bad" actor Aaron Paul made appearances on game shows before they went on to become famous for different reasons. "Jeopardy!" has been popular among American fans for decades and has hosted memorable faces. Someone who appeared on the show before gaining fame wasn't a Hollywood celeb but a politician, John McCain. The Republican leader and presidential nominee competed on the show back in 1965, when Art Fleming was the host. When many didn't know him at the time, he became a one-day champion as well!

McCain, who was born in a prominent military family in 1936, followed the footsteps of his grandfather and father, who were four-star admirals in the U.S. Navy. He joined the U.S. Naval Academy in 1954 and became a naval aviator. He went on to fight in the Vietnam War, where he was shot down and captured as a prisoner of war for five years. After receiving numerous military decorations, he joined politics and represented Arizona in the US Congress from 1983 to 1987, and then as a U.S. Senator until his death in 2018. However, on the personal side, McCain was known for his quick wit and trivia knowledge that he demonstrated on many talk shows, like "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" in the clip below. 

The war hero appeared on the show for two episodes of 'Jeopardy!" and was crowned a champion, about 22 years before he was first elected to the U.S. Senate. His winning streak came to an end on the second day when he was stumped by a question, as per a report from The Denver Post.

“Riding aboard his Straight Talk Express campaign bus, McCain, well-read and a trivia buff, recalled his two-day appearance on the popular program in 1965,” the report read. The clue that ended his streak was, “Cathy loved him, but married Edgar Linton instead.” The Arizona Senator seemingly blanked out on the character’s name and hurriedly wrote the title of the relevant novel instead, as per museumofgameplay.org. He wrote down “What is Wuthering Heights?” instead of “Who was Heathcliff?” as the answer and lost his crown. 

While the appearance at the time seemed insignificant to the viewers, McCain went on to become one of the most notable figures in U.S. politics and history. His gameplay on the show highlighted the senator’s adventurous and competitive nature.  Decades later, in 2012, McCain recalled his loss in an interview with the Washington Times, explaining what went wrong. “And I missed it. And I lost it, and you know what I wrote down? I wrote down ‘Wuthering Heights.’ And the answer was ‘Heathcliff.’ Loser again!” McCain quipped when the reporter brought up the subject. However, the fact that McCain remembered the wrong answer from 1965 showed that the appearance marked a significant moment in his life and the love he held for the show and trivia in general.

As Senator, McCain also made another appearance on the show to read out the clue during an episode of "Jeopardy!" with Alex Trebek as the host.