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Matt Damon, Ken Jennings teamed up against Jimmy Kimmel on ‘Millionaire’
Matt Damon and Ken Jennings are on the verge of winning $1 million for charity on the Jimmy Kimmel-hosted edition of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire."
The good news: Matt Damon is on the precipice of winning a million dollars for his charity thanks to teaming up with “Jeopardy” host Ken Jennings on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.”
The better news: Damon has the upper hand on his long-running “feud” with late-night star (and “Millionaire” host) Jimmy Kimmel.
Damon and Jennings won $250,000 on the season premiere of ABC’s “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” Wednesday night before running out of time, which means the pair will return next Wednesday at 8 p.m. to vie for the million-dollar prize.
The duo are playing to benefit Water.org, Damon’s global nonprofit dedicated to providing safe drinking water and sanitation to the world.
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Though the pairing was announced months ago, Kimmel reacted with mock surprise when Damon, sporting a massive beard for his upcoming role in Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” walked onstage.
“This is like if you challenged me to a pickup game and I showed up with Michael Jordan,” Damon said. “Because this dude is the Michael Jordan of trivia.”
“This is like if Michael Jordan showed up with a hemorrhoid,” Kimmel retorted.
Though Jennings did the heavy lifting for the duo, Damon chimed in on several high-money questions, showing off a strong knowledge of world literature and the cultural traditions of Spain. They finished the episode in great shape, with three lifelines remaining and only two questions left to win the big prize.
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Naturally, Kimmel didn’t give his frenemy any credit.
“I played a botanist in ‘The Martian,'” Damon said, explaining why he was able to eliminate botany as one of the three incorrect choices for the $2,000 question.
“You played a genius in ‘Good Will Hunting’ and you certainly aren’t one of those,” Kimmel replied.
After Damon correctly answered a question about a current TV show, Kimmel sarcastically quipped, “Congratulations Matt, you know how to watch TV.”
During a rare question to which Jennings didn’t immediately know the answer, the “Jeopardy” began speaking through his thought process to Damon, who sat silently nodding.
“You might as well be talking to an empty chair right now,” Kimmel chided.
Damon and Jennings will return to “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” on Wednesday, July 31 at 8 p.m. For those who missed last night’s premiere, full episodes of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” are streaming on Hulu.
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