I'm guessing that a whole whack of you are secret (or maybe not-so-secret) fans of "Jeopardy!" - that great all-American gameshow hosted by a Canadian. Chances are you've even fantasized about being on the show, or maybe even tried to become a contestant. You might even own this book, or, you might have a life. Either way, it was very exciting for Fishbowl to learn through an astute tube-watching tipster that one of our very own is dominating the Jeopardy boards this week: Peter Rubin, late of GQ and now a freelancer for publications like Salon, of which it might be said that he is a member. Our tipster tells of his channel-surfing discovery:

Imagine our Boxing Day surprise when we sat down with grandma and a heaping pile of ham, green bean casserole, and maybe our second piece of apple pie and saw GQ's Peter Rubin on Jeopardy. Rubin, bald-pated and ear-ringed, was the returning champion and told a charming story about Charlie Rose bowling him over on the way to the chips and dip at a party, which inspired host Alex Trebek to joke 'now playing middle linebacker for the New York Giants, Charlie Rose!' (Ed. Canadians are funneeee.)

The game was, well, the worst played Jeopardy game we've ever seen. Ken Jennings, the 67-day champ of last year, would have won this game even if his brain stem had been snipped. Poor Peter thought Abel was Lucifer's pal when all old-school Old Testamenters know it is Cain. He also missed that Jessica Lange once played Patsy Cline. It all came down to Final Jeopardy: "This Italian moved to Vienna in 1766, In 1778, he presented his native Italy with the first opera staged at La Scala." (Ed. WTF? No clue. And I'm SMART.) Contestant #1: "Who was Verdi?" Wrong, thanks for playing. #2: "Who was Verdi?" Bzz. Sorry. We have some nice parting gifts. It all came down to Rubin, the champion. Did he know the answer? Or did he pull a Cliff Clavin and foolishly bet it all? A beat, and then his answer was revealed: "Who was Verdi?" Wrong, but he wagered $0 so he'll be back tomorrow. Strangely, the $27,400 Rubin earned is the exact same amout GQ editor Jim Nelson spent on his last fashion trip to Milan.

Extra fun:
Peter Rubin's taped "Jeopardy!" promo [Jeopardy.com]