When Navy Professor Sam Buttrey won Jeopardy!‘s Professors’ Tournament last week, he probably thought that his $100,000 grand prize would be his greatest claim to fame. However, a resemblance to comedian Steve Martin has generated a different type of buzz on social media.
People have been making a Twitter talking point about the look-alike similarities between Buttrey, an associate professor of operations research at Monterey, California’s Naval Postgraduate School, and the celebrated actor. An official Jeopardy! tweet congratulating Buttrey on his win prompted more than a few Twitter users to comment on just how much the two resembled each other.
Martin responded to the buzz in his typical dry fashion, implying that he and his double would both be enjoying the tournament’s cash payout.
Jeopardy!’s official Twitter account responded with, “We would love to have you on Jeopardy! anytime, in any capacity!”
The comedian has not publicly responded in any way to the open-ended invitation. Martin has never competed in any of Jeopardy!‘s many celebrity tournaments. Still, given his Renaissance Man array of talents as a novelist, playwright, art collector, and acclaimed musician, there is little doubt he would prove a formidable competitor. As far as other “capacity” goes, while Martin would no doubt make for a charismatic guest host, a stint doesn’t seem too likely on the heels of the well-publicized and often controversial quest to replace late host Alex Trebek earlier this year.
Buttrey, for his part, has yet to comment upon his likeness to Martin, only offering that he is pleased to qualify for the upcoming Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions and is looking forward to the competition stating, “I know there are some strong players, but I want to go up against them. I would like to play against Matt Amodio, he’s a strong player, and I’d like to see how I can do.”