Ben Affleck just had one of his better days. The Hollywood actor appeared on a celebrity edition of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire on Wednesday alongside Jeopardy! champion Jamie Ding, with host Jimmy Kimmel in the chair, and walked away with the top prize of $1 million for his Eastern Congo Initiative charity.
The final question that stood between them and the money was a genuine head-scratcher. They were asked which of four turkey names had never been used in a US presidential Thanksgiving pardon. The options were Peanut Butter & Jelly, Tater & Tot, Mac & Cheese, and Spaghetti & Meatball. Turns out Americans do enjoy naming turkeys after comfort food.
Affleck and Ding were stumped, so they turned to their Ask-The-Host lifeline. Kimmel went for Spaghetti & Meatball, justifying it with a mental image of Donald Trump slurping spaghetti that, once planted, is difficult to shift. "If I'm wrong, I'm so sorry," Kimmel said as they locked it in.
They also phoned a friend for a second opinion. Harvard-educated trivia expert Stephen Morrison could only offer a wild guess, so Affleck backed Kimmel instead. Smart call. The answer was confirmed correct, Affleck leapt out of his seat, confetti rained down, and Kimmel handed over a cheque for a million dollars.
The winnings go to the Eastern Congo Initiative, which Affleck co-founded in 2010 and which has directly helped over 52,000 people and supported more than 4,000 women survivors of sexual violence in accessing justice. Not a bad use of a turkey trivia question.
