Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Andrew Sanford | TV | October 6, 2025
Somewhere, roaming the halls at the 8th and 9th floors of 30 Rockefeller Center, is a writer who has been on Saturday Night Live for decades. They don’t get a ton of sketches on. Hell, they don’t even go to every pitch meeting. But they will never stop getting their obsession on the air. Their focus is singular, and adheres to only one goal: Get as many Jeopardy sketches on SNL as they can.
Sketches about the long-running trivia game show are practically an SNL tradition at this point. A bitter Alex Trebek was tormented for years by the likes of Turd Ferguson and an uber-horny Sean Connery. Darnell Hayes, played by Kenan Thompson, would bring us Black Jeopardy, giving us classic moments, like Chadwick Boseman appearing as a momentarily confused Black Panther.
The key to the sketches over the years has been, in a way, chaos. They take the game and spin it on its head. There are jokes about how it is played, but often through a specific lens, like dim-witted celebrities or a racist Tom Hanks who wound up in the wrong room. This week, SNL took a more direct approach to skewering the game.
I’m surprised that SNL hasn’t pushed some version of this sketch before. If they have, feel free to correct me. The pitch here is that a contestant (played by Bad Bunny, who hosted) appears on the show, knows all the answers, but does not understand that they must answer in the form of a question. “And that’s the whole sketch,” as Dustin put it. Wrong, Dustin! It’s more than that!
First and foremost, shout out to new cast member Veronika Slowikowska. As Dustin points out, she’s in two of the first sketches, and this one is a good example of why. She doesn’t get to do much, but she does the most with what she’s given. Her introduction is fun and awkward, and she nails the “normal person who thinks it’s crazy she’s on TV” vibe; A perfect, small, supporting performance.
Andrew Dismukes and Kenan Thompson play bigger supporting roles, as host and contestant, respectively. Both are equisitely cast, and could honestly trade roles easily. That said, I think Dismukes’s dry frustration pairs better with Bad Bunny, and Kenan’s over-the-top nature is well-suited for a man whose name is Lucas but is pronounced “Luck Ass.” The name thing is silly and dumb, but Kenan sells it well, and Andrew repeating it like it’s normal got me laughing several times.
Bad Bunny is the one who gets to soar here, though. For the unfamiliar, Bad Bunny is also a huge pro-wrestling fan. He wrestled a match for WWE in Puerto Rico, and it’s one of the greatest things I’ve ever seen the company produce. Not only did he bring the event to his native home and was rightfully showered with cheers by the crowd, but he took the match deadly seriously. His entrance is incredible, and the crowd gets so loud you can barely hear his music, which is insane. He trained his butt off and delivered a stellar performance worthy of a wrestling great.
I think he approaches Saturday Night Live with the same attitude. He feels so present in this sketch. The dude is barely eyeing the cue cards. He’s not just waiting to say his lines; he’s listening and responding. That may seem simple, but so many hosts merely recite what they’re saying. I get it! Lines change right up until showtime. Sometimes, you have to look. Bad Bunny avoids that. He’s also not playing the joke here. His frustration feels genuine, and that makes it funnier.
There’s nothing groundbreaking about this sketch. It may not be more than a footnote in SNL’s long history with Jeopardy. Regardless, I thought it worked really well. Everyone is perfect for their roles, something that SNL isn’t always good at. There’s a beautiful simplicity to it that’s brought over the finish line thanks to all involved. You don’t always need a big sendoff or hook. Just have a funny idea and take it seriously.
Now, please watch the sketch quietly. The Jeopardy-obsessed SNL writer needs to return to hibernation until next season.
