Match Game Episode 7 AKA Anthony Anderson Starts A Hostile Takeover Of The Show

After another great episode last week, it was time for another episode of Match Game! I was looking forward to this episode, as many favorites would be returning again for a second episode, and in the case of one celebrity, a third episode. Before I get into the episode, here’s who the panelists were and why they are famous.

Anthony Anderson - actor and comedian best known for starring in Black-ish. Also for some reason, his name card said Antnee for the entire episode. Martin called him that for the entire episode, but no attention was ever drawn to it or why it even said that, and I absolutely love it, because that just makes it funnier.

Annie Murphy - actress known for playing Alexis on Schitt’s Creek.

Joel McHale - actor and comedian known for starring in Community and Animal Control, and for hosting many game shows. 

Selena Gomez - I am not going to explain who she is because all of you reading definitely already know.

Cara Delevingne - actress and model who starred in Only Murders in the Building.

Thomas Lennon - actor, comedian, and writer known for starring in Reno 911, The Odd Couple, and for writing the Night at the Museum movies. Also, I have a theory about his presence on this episode, so hear me out. The most episodes any celebrity was on this season was two, but Thomas Lennon was on three, and this third was is on a completely different day from the other two. So my theory is that he was a replacement for Jim Belushi, who was one of the first announced celebrities for the season.

Martin Short started off the episode by yelling at the audience “Stop loving me,” before describing Match Game as the show that has people asking how much money could he possibly need. 

He then introduced Anthony Anderson by saying he was in Martin Scorsese’s The Departed, and then asking him who the most brilliant Marty he ever worked for was, meaning Little Marty or Even Littler Marty, to which Anthony told him that Martin Short was the best Marty he worked with that day. 

He then introduced Annie Murphy by saying that she worked with his dear friends Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara, and then asked her that other than them both being climate deniers, what was it that she liked about them, to which she responded that she loves jeans and she loves hair, which Martin described as her loving “Parts of each.”

He then introduced Joel McHale by saying that whenever he watches him on the screen, he is whelmed, and when Joel told him he forgot the first part of the word, Martin responded that he didn’t.

He then introduced Selena Gomez by asking her if they were missing Steve Martin right then, to which she responded “Are we,” to which Martin responded “Oh my God I left him in the car,” before remembering that he cracked the window, so he would be fine.

He then introduced Cara Delevingne by saying that she only has 40 million Instagram followers, compared to Selena who has 419 million followers. 

He then introduced Thomas Lennon by asking them if he remembered when they first met, because he couldn’t, to which Thomas responded that he was also blanking on it.

From there, it was time to meet the first two contestants of the night. 

The first contestant we were introduced to was Charlene, who bought her parents’ house, is married with three boys, and her mother, who is 92, also lives with them and watches Match Game almost all the time and is a huge fan, and thought she was on the show meeting Gene Rayburn. 

The second contestant we were introduced to was Aaron, who, and I am not making this up, dresses up as Jesus and goes to raves. The reason why he does that is because, in his words, like Jesus parted the sea, he parts the ravers so he doesn’t have to wait in crowds. Yes, all this was actually said, I am not making anything up. Martin then told Selena that Aaron had a tattoo of one of her songs, as he has “Kill Them With Kindness” tattooed, because it got him through so much, such as when his dad was sick, which prompted her to hug him, which I thought was a sweet moment. 

From there, it was time for the game to start, and Aaron’s first question.

His question was “Just my luck. The only exorcist in town is a hipster. Instead of using holy water, he cleansed my house with holy __________.” I couldn’t think of a single answer, as I knew it had to be some sort of healthy green beverage, but I couldn’t think of one.

After the celebrities had locked in their answers, Aaron gave his answer, which was “Doobies,” prompting Martin to say “I’ll tell you who doesn’t want to win.” 

Anthony then revealed that he wrote “Bong Water” as his answer, and he called out the judges when they said it wasn’t a match, prompting Martin to tell him to take the pill he gave him because he needed to calm down. 

Annie then revealed that she wrote “Craft Beer” as her answer. 

Joel then said that he didn’t have an answer, and that Martin should pass, but Martin responded by telling him to show his answer, to which Joel said to Aaron “I really wanted to help you, Russell,” which was very funny because Aaron did look like Russell Brand. He then revealed that he wrote “Matcha” as his answer, which made me realize that was one of the green beverages I was thinking of. Martin was clearly unimpressed by this answer, as he said to Joel “So, you don’t want anyone to succeed in life,” to which Joel responded by saying “If he gets it wrong, we get the money, right?” This show is so funny and I am so happy they brought it back. 

Selena then revealed that she wrote “Crap” as her answer.

Cara then revealed that she wrote “Homemade Beer” as her answer.

Thomas then revealed that he wrote “Kombucha” as his answer, which was another green beverage that I was sort of thinking of.

From there, it was time for Charlene’s first question. 

Her question was “The Match Game Lost & Found is chaos. Celebrities leave all kinds of wild things. Selena Gomez even left her ____________.” From there, I couldn’t think of a single answer, and I was only able to come up with “Phone” right before Charlene gave her answer. One funny moment was when Joel told Annie and Cara to write “Doobies.” 

After all the celebrities had locked in their answers, Charlene gave her answer, which was “Gold Records,” which prompted Anthony to remind her that it was Selena Gomez.

Anthony then revealed that he wrote “Panties” as his answer.

Annie then revealed that she wrote “Fiancé” as her answer.

Joel then revealed that he wrote “Steve Martin” as his answer, which prompted Martin to say that it was such a high scoring game. 

Selena then revealed that she wrote “My Martini” as her answer.

Cara then revealed that she wrote “Phone” as her answer, which would have gotten me one point.

Thomas then revealed that he wrote “First Husband” as his answer.

This meant that at the end of Round 1, neither contestant had scored a single point, which Martin described as “Exciting” and a “Nail biter.”

After a commercial break, it was time for Round 2 and Charlene’s second question.

Her question was “Extra Flexible Fiona said ‘All these companies are making smartphones you can fold in half. Big deal. I can fold so much I’m able to kiss my own ____________.’” From there, I knew the correct answer was “Butt,” and that there was no other possible answer.

After all the celebrities had locked in their answers, Charlene gave her answer, which was “Butt,” which was also what all six celebrities said. 

One funny moment was when Martin got to Joel and asked him if he wrote something down this time, and Joel responded that he didn’t understand the rules of the game, to which Martin said that he does blank, and then what Joel does, but before he could finish, Joel showed Martin that he had blank right here, and held up a blank card, to which Martin told him he had to write down his answer. 

Another funny moment happened when Selena showed her answer, which was “Butt,” and also did a drawing to go along with it, which did not turn out well, as she tried to draw legs, but they ended up looking like tassels. 

This meant that Charlene had now matched with all six celebrities, to which Martin said to Aaron, “I’m not saying you’re under any pressure at all, but the score is 6-0, so you need 6 to force a tiebreaker. You don’t have a chance at winning, but you could have a tie. 

His second question was “From the makers of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives comes a new show, The Secret Kinks of the Guys from NSYNC. You won’t believe Justin Timberlake’s collection of leather _____________.” From there, me and my parents could not think of a single answer, nor did we understand the question. As the celebrities were writing their answers, Anthony said to Aaron “I’m sad to say that you already lost.” 

After the celebrities had locked in their answers, Aaron gave his answer, which was “Pants,” and right when he said that, I knew that he wasn’t going to win. 

However, it wasn’t as quick as I thought, as Anthony then showed that he wrote “Assless Chaps,” and from there the judges took a VERY long time to decide whether or not it was a match. Eventually, they decided it was not a match, and frankly, I disagree with the judges, as Chaps are Pants, and as all the celebrities were revealing what they wrote, I saw that five out of six of them wrote Chaps, which told me it was the correct answer.

After that, it was time for Super Match, and Charlene had a chance to win $25,000. She then said that if she won that money, she would get a stair lift and a ramp for her mother, as they walk every day and her mom is in a wheelchair.

Up first was the Audience Match, and they polled the Match Game Home Audience and got their most popular responses to one of the most bizarre phrases they have ever done, “Sunday __________.” As soon as we saw it, we couldn’t think of anything obvious, and the only answers we could come up with were “School,” “Best,” and “Paper.” 

The first celebrity she enlisted the help of was Annie, who said “Morning.”

The second celebrity she enlisted the help of was Selena, who said “Brunch.”

The third celebrity she enlisted the help of was Joel, who, after asking if he gives the fourth most popular answer, said “Dinner.”

After that, all I could think was that the celebrities had just given her three terrible answers, and I was worried about what she would go with.

The answer that she chose to go with was “Brunch.”

From there, the $2,000 answer was revealed to be “School,” the $3,000 answer was revealed to be “Morning,” meaning that one of the answers the celebrities gave was up there, and the $5,000 answer was revealed to be, very bizarrely, “Funday,” which I find bizarre that almost everybody gave that as their answer to an admittedly bizarre question.

This meant that Charlene did not match any of the answers on the board, and whenever that happens, the contestant is given $1,000, and the chance to multiply that by five with the Celebrity Head To Head Match. I will be completely honest, I did not have much faith that there was going to be a match this time, because almost every time in the Baldwin version that a contestant got $1,000 after the Audience Match, that also ended up being the amount of money they won by the end of the show. 

The celebrity that she chose to match head to head was Anthony, who had to write down his answer to “Clear The _________.” As soon as I saw that, I knew there wasn’t going to be a match, as I couldn’t think of an obvious answer, and the only answers we could come up with were “Deck” and “Room.”

After Anthony locked in his answer, Charlene gave her answer, which was “Field,” which is something I have never heard anyone say in my life.

As Martin told Charlene to turn around and face Anthony, he said that he was going to write it down, before Martin told him that wasn’t how the show worked. Anthony then revealed that he had two answers, the first one being “Room,” which he crossed out, and the second one that he locked in being “Air,” which after a conversation with my uncle, I found out is actually a good answer. 

This meant that Charlene didn’t make a match, but she did win $1,000.

After another commercial break, it was time for the second game and to meet the next two contestants. 

The first contestant we were introduced to was Robert, who has had near-death experiences, as he has been electrocuted, riptides pulled him out, he has been in fires, and he has almost crashed a number of times, making for a total of eight near-death experiences.

The second contestant we were introduced to was Rasha, who is a flight attendant because it was her mom’s dream to become one, and she couldn’t, so she flies for her. 

From there, it was time for the game to start and Rasha’s first question. 

Her question was “My nephew was conceived at KFC, which explains why his mother named him ____________.” From there, the answer that occurred to me was “Colonel” or “Sanders.” 

After all the celebrities had locked in their answers, Rasha gave her answer, which was “Colonel Sanders.” 

Anthony then started stalling before giving his answer, prompting Martin to remind him that he had a flight on Friday. Anthony then revealed that his answer was “Sweet Tea,” which prompted Martin to ask him how many times he went to KFC for sweet tea, to which Anthony responded that it never happened.

Annie then revealed that she wrote “Bucket” as her answer, which Anthony said was worse than his, but I disagree. Martin also described this answer as “Cleverly Unhelpful.” 

Joel then refused to share his answer, to which Martin told him he had to, and asked him whether or not he got the flyer on the rules, to which he responded that he threw it away because it was a flyer, and then revealed that he also wrote “Bucket.”

Selena then revealed that she wrote “Chicken Strips” as her answer.

Cara then revealed that she wrote “Kentucky” as her answer.

Thomas then revealed that he wrote “Colonel,” which was considered a match.

This meant that Rasha had one point, and from there, it was time for Robert’s first question. 

Martin prefaced the question by telling Robert that he needed one to tie and two to win, but they were still in Round 1, but if they were in Round 2, that would be the case. 

His question was “Mother Goose is going modern with her big book of same-sex couple stories. In the new tale Jill and Jill, the two lovers drive up the hill listening to songs by _____________.” From there, the only answers that occurred to me were “Cher” and “Madonna” due to their popularity in the LGBTQ community. As the celebrities were writing their answers, Thomas locked in his answer, and Anthony, who looked at his answer this time, said that it was a horrible answer. While Anthony was writing down his answer, he told Robert that he was trying to see what he would say. After Cara had written down her answer, Selena asked her if it was actually a band, which is definitely foreshadowing because what she wrote doesn’t even seem like it should be the name of a band.

After all the celebrities had locked in their answers, it was time for Robert to give his answer. Before I tell you what his answer was, I am going to say that I felt this question was not one that would result in any matches, but I could not have even expected what his answer was going to be. 

After Martin read the question one last time, Anthony tried to telepathically give the answer to Robert, but it didn’t work, and Robert’s answer to the question was, I am not making this up, “Jack and Jack,” which clearly upset Anthony.

Anthony then said that they were going to hurry up and get Robert home, and then revealed that he wrote “Lady Gaga” as his answer.

Annie then revealed that she wrote “The Indigo Girls” as her answer, which is a band that I have never heard of.

Joel then revealed that he also wrote “The Indigo Girls” as his answer. 

Selena then revealed that she wrote “Britney Spears” as her answer.

Cara then revealed that she wrote “Pussy Riot” as her answer, which, again, is actually the name of a band.

Thomas then revealed that he wrote “The Indigo Girls” as his answer.

This meant that by the end of Round 1, Rasha had one point and Robert had zero points. 

After that, it was time for Round 2, and it was time for Rasha’s second question where she could match with the remaining five panelists, and before she could even choose if she wanted Question A or B, Martin had accidentally picked Question A before he even asked her. 

Her question was “There’s a follow-up to the hit show Schitt’s Creek set in a weed dispensary called That’s Some Good Shit. In one scene, Annie Murphy’s character tries a gummy and can’t stop _____________ing.” Yes, you are reading this correctly, there is now officially a Match Game question that features a swear word. From there, my parents knew that the correct answer was “Laughing.” 

After all the celebrities had locked in their answers, Rasha gave her answer, which was “Laughing,” which was what almost all the celebrities said, with the exception of Selena, who wrote “Singing & Dancing.” 

This meant that Rasha now had five points, and from there, it was time for Robert’s second question, where he needed to match five to tie and all six to win. 

His question was “The Situation Room at the White House is where the president is briefed on intelligence. The Situation Room at The Situation’s house is where that guy from The Jersey Shore is briefed on ______________.” From there, the answers that I was able to come up with were “Fitness,” “Tanning,” and after the game was over, I came up with “Unintelligence.” While the celebrities were writing their answers, Anthony told Robert to send his answer over telepathically.

After the celebrities had locked in their answers, Robert gave his answer, which was “Exercising,” which prompted Anthony to tell Martin to ask him if he had another answer. 

Anthony then revealed that he wrote “Drinking” as his answer.

Annie then revealed that she wrote “Stupidity” as her answer, which meant that Rasha had won. 

As Robert was leaving the stage, Joel, Selena, Cara, and Thomas revealed that they wrote “Spray Tanning,” “Pardons,” “The Situation,” and “Gym Tan Laundry” respectively.

After that, it was time for Super Match, and Rasha had a chance to win $25,000. She then said that if she won that money, she would use it to get her own place, as she still lives with her parents.

Up first was the Audience Match, and they polled the Match Game Home Audience and got their most popular responses to “Get _________.” The first answers that occurred to me and my parents were “Lost” and “Out.” 

The first celebrity she enlisted the aid of was Anthony, who said “Out.”

The second celebrity she enlisted the aid of was Thomas, who said “A Life.”
The third celebrity she enlisted the aid of was Joel, who said “Lost.”

She ultimately chose to go with “Out,” which surprised my parents, as they felt that “Lost” was the $5,000 answer. 

The $2,000 answer was then revealed to be “Ready,” and the $3,000 answer was revealed to be “Going,” which again had me wondering who was in the survey and had my parents thinking that Rasha had made a huge mistake. 

To my parents’ surprise, the $5,000 answer was revealed to be “Out,” which meant that Rasha had just won $5,000. 

She now had the chance to multiply it by five with the Celebrity Head To Head Match and win $25,000.

She chose to stick with Anthony, who had to write down his answer to “___________ Farm.” As soon as we saw that, the answer that occurred to me, my parents, and my uncle was “Animal.” 

After Anthony had locked in his answer, he worded it by saying “Antnee is ready.” This will be important, just wait.

Rasha then gave her answer, which was “Animal.” Anthony then revealed that he wrote down “Ant” as his answer, and Rasha acknowledged that his answer was so good she wasn’t even mad about it. 

Anthony then said he tried to give her hints when he said “Antnee is ready,” which he admitted was cheating, and Rasha then said that she didn’t even pick up on it. 

This meant that Rasha did not make a match, but she still won $5,000. When she was talking with the celebrities at the end, they revealed that none of them even thought of “Animal,” which I find surprising.

Overall, this was another great episode of Match Game, and I’ll see you all next week with the Finale!