Although playing for a charity that helps house veterans on ABC‘s Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, CNN anchor Jake Tapper was left feeling “unpatriotic” after a question about a gold-plated toilet in the Guggenheim Museum.
Tapper and his teammate, CNN White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins, were stalled on a question about what 18K gold-plated item was installed and labeled “America” at the Guggenheim Museum, debating between the answer options of “vending machine,” “recliner,” “water fountain” and “toilet.” The pair of competitors had raced up the prize amounts, only using one lifeline before getting stalled on the $125,000 question about the golden item on display. Luckily, they had the help of host Jimmy Kimmel, who was incredulous that his savvy guests weren’t able to immediately detect the correct answer for themselves.
The CNN Anchors Needed Jimmy Kimmel’s Art Expertise
Kimmel joked that the pair of journalists were members of the “deep state” when they used the “Ask the Audience” lifeline on an earlier question about the National Treasure film franchise. Despite the host’s dig about the journalists being politically-adjacent, they still showed trust in him by using their “Ask the Host” lifeline shortly after to help out with the gold-plated $125,000 question. Showing off the caustic humor that made his recent match-up with A-list actor Matt Damon so exciting, Kimmel immediately reprimanded them for not choosing the “toilet” option, commenting that it was so appropriate for this moment in American history that the symbol actually belonged on the flag. Tapper told the host: “I was afraid of being accused of disparaging the United States.”
The Washington anchor had been persuaded away from the correct response when Collins posed an impassioned argument for the “vending machine” option. But the guests ended up trusting their host, leading them to the correct answer that a fully-functioning gold-plated toilet labeled “America” did, in fact, stand in the Guggenheim at one time, although it wasn’t exactly a current exhibit. The installation by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan was on display at the museum from September 2016 to September 2017, for much of the initial year thatDonald Trump was elected to his first term as President of the United States. Trump’s known taste for gold-plated objects reportedly even resulted in the museum curator Nancy Spectoroffering to have the installation moved to the White House. Though Tapper feared it might seem “unpatriotic” to label a gold-plated toilet with his country’s name, using public art to challenge power is a long American tradition. A contemporary example is when, in 2017, American sculptor Kristen Visbal installed the “Fearless Girl” statue defiantly standing in front of the infamous “Charging Bull” statue in New York, itself a symbol of America’s capitalist power.
The CNN Anchors Gambled Big on Their Lifelines
Tapper initially admitted to being “terrified” about appearing on the series, yet his confidence at the early stages of gameplay seemed unshakable. He even confidently assured his co-star that there are “no trick questions on this show” when Collins seemed to be overthinking the options on the board. However, Tapper might have regretted these words once the pair reached the $250,000 question about what the filling in a Reese’s peanut buttercup is called. All four answer options seemed equally viable, and the pair of competitors had to use their two remaining lifelines to try to get the correct response.
First, they eliminated two of the incorrect responses from the board, leaving them with “plug” and “pad” as the potential answer for what the sweet treat’s filling was called. Their “Phone a Friend” was also flummoxed, but since she guessed “pad,” and Collins was also leaning toward that answer, the anchors quickly decided to lock that answer in. Unfortunately, the guess was wrong, dropping the competitors to the $32,000 prize — the all-too-common fate of celebrity guests who swing big and miss on the tougher Who Wants to Be a Millionaire questions. Just before Kimmel reassured the journalists they would still receive a donation for their charities, he laughingly prophesied: “Oh man, are you guys gonna have a fight.” The CNN anchors played an exciting round by swinging big and trusting their lifelines. It just didn’t pay off in the end.
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire airs Wednesdays on ABC at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
