‘Willy Wonka’ Star Paris Themmen, Who Played Mike Teevee, Appears on ‘Jeopardy!’
Mike Teevee finally made it on TV!
Jeopardy! viewers had a blast from the past during Tuesday's episode. One of the featured contestants, Paris Themmen, was the former child star who played the TV-obsessed kid Mike Teevee in the beloved 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
The strangest part about Themmen's appearance -- he didn't mention his Wonka connection! In fact, when asked by host Alex Trebek about an interesting fact, Themmen talked about being an "avid backpacker," noting he's backpacked on six out of seven continents.
But that didn't stop fans from immediately recognizing him and pointing out his former star status on Twitter.
WBZ interrupted the opening of Jeopardy! so I didn’t get his name until Alex Trebek repeated it - it’s @ParisThemmen, Mike Teevee from Willy Wonka! pic.twitter.com/NNPUQ09hV0
— Tim Colby (@timjcolby) March 13, 2018
Why wouldn't Paris Themmen mention those most amazing fact he had about himself:
He played Mike Teavee in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory #Jeopardy#WillyWonkapic.twitter.com/CVeZ4cx7rV
— JeopardyBlindGuesser (@JeopardyGuesser) March 13, 2018
Also, @ParisThemmen why talk about backpacking? Why wouldn't you mention that when you were 11, you got invited to a chocolate factory in Germany and got split up in a million pieces then shrunk down to the size of a chocolate bar. Total missed opportunity if you ask me.
— Wildbill (@wildbill77) March 13, 2018
Wait, did @Jeopardy not mention that contestant @ParisThemmen was in "Willy Wonka," or did I miss it? It's not every day that Mike Teevee is on TV! #Jeopardy
— Jonathan Padget (@dcjpad) March 14, 2018
Themmen came in second place during Tuesday's episode, despite a strong start.
Though he hasn't acted since a minor role in 2000's Star Trek: Voyager, Themmen has seemingly remained in the film industry. He was credited as a production assistant on the 2011 romantic comedy Something Borrowed and appeared as himself on several food shows including Top Chef: Just Desserts and Cake Wars.
Sadly, Themmen's famous co-star Gene Wilder, who played Willy Wonka himself, passed away in 2016.
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